St. Jane's Husband
Jane was no stranger to suffering, especially the suffering caused by the death of a loved one. Her mother died while Jane was a baby; her husband was killed in a hunting accident when she was very young and it happened just after the birth of her fourth child. Three of her children preceded her in death as did Francis and the two sisters who began the Visitation Order with her.
Her words of consolation to her daughter, Francoise, after the death of her husband, Jane’s son-in-law, reveal the love and concern she had for her daughter at this time of great sorrow. As one who had borne a similar loss, her words reflect a keen understanding of the suffering Francoise was enduring.
I was deeply moved by your letter, my darling, which tells me how keenly you are suffering. Truly your sorrow is great, and, when looked at only in terms of this earthly life, it is overwhelming. But if you can look beyond the ordinary and shifting events of life and consider the infinite blessings and consolations of sterility you will find comfort in these reversals as well as joy in the assured destiny of him whom you mourn…
I beg Our Lord to help you find the rich treasure which his goodness has hidden at the very core of the pain that comes to you from his hand.. Courage, my dear daughter! May you find strength in these thoughts.
Reflection questions:
- How did Jane’s childhood and young widowhood prepare her for the trials of her later years?
- Why was Jane able to acknowledge God’s ways as painful to nature, and yet say with such assurance that `they were sweeter than honey” in the depths of the heart?
APPLICATION
Scripture
If you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:20, 2)
As they left the country, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for the sake of the name. (Acts 5:41)
It is written about the Son of Man that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt. (Mark 9:12)
JANE’S WORDS:
The richness of our souls lies in their ability to suffer much in peace and love.
Let all your difficulties increase your courage and trust in the Lord.
How could any dishonor we receive compare to the indignities heaped upon our gentle Savior! How do our sufferings compare to his? Consider the incomparable pain Jesus endured in Gethsemane when he submitted his will to that of his Father for our salvation!… he was considered an ignorant nobody, the son of a carpenter. If we were to keep this in mind, how differently we would receive the contradictions, embarrassments, and even disgraces that come our way!