Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/517



THE RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS IN FRANCE. 511

To arouse it and to bring it repentant to the feet of the merciful Saviour we must have men of superior virtue, of living eloquence, of apostolic hearts and men who possess, at the same time, the power of drawling abun- dant graces from heaven. You will be such men, We doubt not, and you will thus become the most opportune and the most glorious benefactors of society.

Dear sons, the charity of the Lord inspires a last word to strengthen in you the sentiments with which you are animated towards those who attack your institutes and who wish to destroy your Uberty. Just as your con- science prompts you to keep a firm and dignified attitude, so by your profession, you must always show yourselves sweet and indulgent ; because it is especially in the religious that the perfection of that true charity should be resplen- dent, reveahng itself, as always open to pity, and ever incapable of harboring hate. Without doubt, to see yourselves rewarded with ingratitude and thrust aside by those you have benefited would naturally cause bitter- ness of heart; but, dear Sons, let your faith, and what it tells you give you comfort. Bear in mind the sublime exhortation. Overcome evil by good. That faith places before your eyes the incomparable magnanimity of the Apostle. We are reviled and we bless; we are persecuted and we suffer it; we are blasphemed and we entreat} Above all, it invites you to repeat the supplication of the supreme benefactor of the human race, Jesus Christ, suspended on His cross : Father, forgive them. Therefore, dear Sons, strengthen yourselves in the Lord. You have with you the Vicar of Jesus Christ; you have with you the whole Catholic world, which regards you with affection, respect, and gratitude. Your glorious founders and your glorious brothers encourage you. Your Sovereign Chief, Jesus Christ, girds you with His strength and covers you with the mantle of His virtue.

Well-beloved Sons, turn to the divine Heart with a

> 1 Cor. iv. 12, 13.