by St Francis de Sales
“See how your father and I have suffered in seeking you…”
Luke 2:41-52
Some advice to the abbess of the Puits d’Orbe, in May 1605
(Œuvres de St François de Sales, XXVI 229)
Bad sadness disturbs the mind, agitates the soul, and makes it uneasy. And suddenly, without knowing where it comes from, it makes us abandon the work in progress…
Good sadness gives strength and courage, and does not abandon a good project. Thus Our Lady, very sad to have lost her Son, did not cease to search for him diligently…
Bad sadness clouds the understanding, deprives the soul of resolution and judgment, while good opens the mind, makes it clear and luminous…
Bad prayer prevents prayer, disgusts us with prayer, and makes us forget the goodness of God; the good one, on the other hand, reassures the person, increases trust in God, makes people pray and invoke his mercy, as the psalmist says: “Distress and anguish have seized me; I find my pleasure in your will.”
In short, those who are inhabited by evil sadness have an infinity of useless fears, sorrows and fears of being abandoned by God; they think that everything is contrary to them, and consider all the others happier than themselves!
The basis of the differences between good and bad sorrow is that the Holy Spirit is the only Comforter; because he is the true Light, his interventions are full of clarity; because he is the true Good, his actions cannot be separated from the true good. And St. Paul tells the Galatians that his fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, benevolence, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.