My dearest children look at the humility of the Divine Heart and imitate it. We are children of the Heart of Jesus, so we must follow this favourite virtue of the Divine Heart above all. We are the servants of the poor people, so we must become little, very little, in order to draw these people to us and thereby to God. Repeat every day not only with your lips, but with your whole heart and your whole desire:" Make us little."

You should want to be little not only in feeling, for feeling often deceives us, but also in life and deed, for in the deed is truth. Wish to be humble and very, very little, for -remember this - humility is the root of all virtues. A virtue that does not grow from this root is not virtue, even though it passes for virtue in people's eyes.

Thus be convinced of your wretchedness, of your nothingness not only in feeling and word, but also in deed ... And so above all never take offense at anyone and at anything. A humble person cannot be offended because she believes that she deserves any contempt and any blame and in fact thinks that everyone treats her too kindly, so she is thankful for everything rather than taking offense. Be inoffensive, my children. Cast off as a temptation any thought that you are being wronged, slighted or disparaged, or that you are being forgotten - this is the prompting of Satan, who wants to take away the blessed peace which humble souls enjoy. And even if you are treated as badly as possible, then tell yourself that this is still too good, for you were deserving of hell. Be thankful for everything and never, never, my dear children, fall prey to touchiness!

Further - remember that the humble person gladly accepts every remark made to her. She does not argue even if the remark made to her is unjust. The humble person believes that others see her better than she does herself. She strives for one thing only, that is, to derive benefit from a remark made to her. The humble person speaks neither good nor bad of herself.

Try to sink this "I" of yours in silence about yourselves.

Struggle desperately against ambition for it is the downfall of the religious. With it are born those terrible sicknesses of the soul: hatred and envy, which destroy the inner life. Only one ambition may you have - and that is to be nothing, to pass through this world as if you were not here. Rejoice when the work of others meets with success, when they are more appreciated than you are, and when they are used for more important work and for higher offices than you. Persevere calmly in your own quiet corner. Remember what the Imitation of Christ says: "If you wish to know what gives great peace, desire to be unknown and regarded as nothing." Oh, what peace dwells in a humble heart! Beware of that conceit, which always wants to be right, and which always thrusts its opinion upon others. What will it harm you to yield to others, unless in yielding you expose yourself or others to sin? As only possible, gladly submit to the will of others. The Constitutions tell us to "Be submissive to one another"; and this is real humility. Wishing to be submissive to all is proof of true humility, which regards the self as the lowest and the least.

My children, never desire high offices. Accept them with humility if God summons you to them, but do not desire them, and rejoice if others, younger, are summoned to them. Submit gladly to younger superiors, showing them the same respect you showed your superior when you were in the novitiate.

Dearest children, be humble. Do not seek praise and recognition. The less praise and recognition you receive from people, the greater glory God will surround you with in Heaven. Desire my children, to be little, very little; the last place, after all, is the safest. Learn from the Heart of God, which is quiet and humble; be quiet not only internally, but also outwardly. Do not make noise. Talk quietly, walk quietly, and work quietly - a hubbub always, although involuntarily, results from the desire of announcing to all, "It's me."

My children, I earnestly ask you to be silent and humble, and God will be with you. The Heart of God will surely bless your works, and holy love will unite you. My children, be silent and humble - humility is the characteristic, the basic virtue of an Ursuline Sister of the Heart of Jesus. I implore you, my children, be humble!

In this testament of mine I want to devote a few pages to Our Lady, Blessed Mary, Our Mother and Queen.

Love Mary fervently and as sincerely as good children. Love Our Mother, love Her! She has been given to us from God. Jesus on the cross in His testament left Mary to us. The last will of Jesus concerning us was that we be good children of Mary. So let us strive for this, let us pray for this, let us try for this with all our strength. For Mary is your Mother, so good and so merciful. She desires our salvation more than we do ourselves, so always resort to her with childlike confidence. Never permit discouragement and distrust to gain the upper hand in your heart, never! Be certain that Mary will rather miraculously come to you with help, than abandon you. Like children in their mother's embrace, you also rest at Mary's feet in peace despite the often-fierce storm.

Love that which is dear to Mary, so love the rosary. Recite the rosary not only in word, but also with your whole life, by bringing into life the virtues of Mary, which are presented to us in the mysteries. Let your saying of the rosary be a fervent act of love to Mary, an incitement to virtue, an examination of conscience as to the faithfulness of our imitation of Mary, and a request for holiness on the model of Mary's sanctity. Always keep a rosary with you and do not ever leave it day or night. Let it be your true friend, a chain binding your hearts to the heart of Our Mother in heaven.

Let those words of Mary which are the motto of our Congregation be especially dear to you: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word." Without doubt the greatest proof of our love for Mary is imitation of Her virtues. So like Mary, the blessed and immaculate, desire to be faithful handmaids of Our Lord, always ready to fulfill His will - whether this will is clear and pleasing for us or whether it brings the cross and suffering. The Will of God! Just as Mary always greeted every manifestation of the will of God with those words, which She said once, but repeated Her whole life in heart and deed, so you also, my children, in every circumstance of life always become, like Mary, quiet handmaids of the Lord. Always accept the will of God, whatever it might be, with a smile on your lips and with "fiat" and "Deo gratias" in your heart, even if there is a tear in your eye - like Mary!

And if the will of God weighs painfully upon you and your strength for quiet resignation is diminished, then turn the eyes of your soul to Mary, your most tender Mother, and ask Her: "Mother, teach us always to be quiet handmaids of the Lord desiring only that the will of the Lord, and not our own will, be done."  

Love Mary, my children, love Her rosary and, believe me, the best devotion to Mary is to be, like Her, a quiet, faithful, humble handmaid of the Lord, repeating continually in heart and deed: "Here I am, let it be with me, as God wishes, as God wishes."

My children, look often upon the Divine Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance, bound round with thorns, and listen to the heart-rending lament of the agonizing Lord: "I sought someone who would comfort me, and I found no one." Look at this Heart, filled with contempt, scorn and suffering, and realize that a person loving the Divine Heart must understand self-denial and that which is inseparably linked with the spirit of mortification - love of the cross.

Do not think that I am demanding from you extraordinary mortification and penance. No, my children. I am opposed to all extremes in our vocation, but I urge you to that mortification which comes from our works and from our poverty. We encounter it at every step. It is necessary for the proper conducting of our activities, for faithful practice of sisterly love, monastic obedience, and for that magnanimous, I may say, mortification, which does not catch the eye, does not call attention to itself. For that reason it is safe, because it does not expose us to temptations of conceit and of elevating ourselves above others. The religious life must be a life of self-denial. Life without mortification is not religious life.

Our first mortification, my children, is the faithful fulfillment of our Constitutions. This is certainly a yoke for us, and so it is mortification. This personal vigilance itself not to transgress the regulations of the Constitutions is already an unceasing self-denial. After all, the teachers of the inner life maintain that the life of a religious faithfully fulfilling the Holy Rule is a life of martyrdom. So above all set about this mortification. Gladly take upon yourselves that mortification which every virtue demands.

There is no virtue without self-denial. The great thinker and Catholic Madame Svetchine says that with respect to virtue, one which costs nothing is worth nothing.

Mortification is a slow delivering of death to our human, flawed nature, that is to act against our own will, our own desires, and our own fancies, trampling upon our own "I feel like..." and "I do not feel like..." in order to do always what is more pleasing to God.

Do not dabble in trifling, often childish mortification at the expense of true self-denial, which bears virtue. Of course, the least mortification done out of love for God is beneficial to your soul, as long as it does not divert you from the most necessary mortification - mortification to get virtue. How many people amuse themselves with thinking up a petty mortification through which they feel somehow released from those which life, work and community life bring with them. And the latter is more important, although the former is good too. It is more important and safer because it does not incite to vanity. Therefore, practise courageously this most important self-denial we encounter in the fulfillment of virtue.

You need mortification to live always in harmony and unity with your sisters, to be accommodating and courteous, to pray attentively, to work diligently and perseveringly, and to preserve always a serenity of spirit. You do not need to search for these occasions; they will come by themselves provided that you take advantage of them. The quiet, willing bearing of the small crosses that God sends down upon us is an important kind of mortification; this is love of the cross. Life brings with it from time to time a greater cross, and, day in and day out, small crosses like small pinpricks, which sometimes torment and disturb the soul very much. Accept, my children, with open arms these petty crosses. God sends them down upon us. They are from the Divine Will, so let us love them for they will lead us to God more certain and safer than the greatest consolations. And kneel down like St. Andrew before the great crosses, which fill life with pain and suffering, exclaiming: "Welcome, holy cross, my only hope, welcome!"

The best proof of love, which we can give to God, is bearing the cross willingly. There is no greater act of God's love than bearing the cross. How can one not love the cross, which permits us to say to God: "Lord, you see that I love you!"

Love each cross, large or small, including the cross such as the death of your old Mother will perhaps be for you. Love your daily crosses. Each cross is a precious relic of the cross of Christ, so each cross should be pressed to the heart with love and should be born with holy joy.

The crosses, which God sends us - whether large or small - are the best school of mortification. Willing, quiet, serene bearing of our crosses is the mortification most pleasing to God; we cannot devise better. So have courage in this, dear children. Always exclaim joyously: "Welcome, holy cross, my only hope!"

Dearest children, the Blessed Sacrament is the sun of our life. It is our treasure, our happiness and our all on this earth. The will of God, the Blessed Sacrament, is the happiness of the soul of a religious. And when you faithfully fulfill the will of God, how sweet it is to rest at the feet of the Tabernacle! Jesus sees in you His will fulfilled and loves you for that. He will come to you and will dwell in a soul wholly united with the will of God. And such a soul can say: "I live, I - but not I, not my will, but the will of God, but Christ."

Love Jesus in the Tabernacle. Let your heart be ever vigilant there, even though your body is at work and you are busy. Jesus is there and we should love Him so eagerly and dearly. If we do not know how to love, then at least let us desire to love more and more!

Let the Holy Communion be a sort of axis, a centre, around which your whole life is to revolve. The most important moment of the day is the moment of Holy Communion, the moment when your God the Lord comes to take possession of your poor heart. Let it open widely for the Great Lord, empty of all earthly feelings, reluctance, ambition, earthly cares and earthly thoughts. Let everything within you fall silent, let the Lord speak, let the Lord rule, let the Lord reign, let Him, Him alone, live within you. Cling to Jesus as Mary Magdalene did once to His feet. Forget about everything in the blessed moment of Jesus' presence and ask, ask fervently, persistently - even obtrusively: "Jesus, give me ever more love!" For He said: "Ask and it will be given to you." (Mt. 7, 7). So ask, ask certain that Jesus will hear.

In the course of the day let your heart time and again leave the place of work for the Tabernacle. Try! It is necessary to attain this habit. It can be attained! In heart and in soul you can visit the Blessed Sacrament although your body is far off at work. If only possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament once, twice, more often, depending on possibilities and in obedience. Go to Jesus, like a child to its mother, as a friend, troubled and tired, goes to a friend with whom he knows he will find comfort and help. Go and tell Jesus everything that you have in your heart. You do not see Him, but He is in the Tabernacle. You can believe in this more strongly than in your own existence.

And when you kneel before the Tabernacle and you do not know what to think about, and your thoughts make no sense, then humble yourself before the Lord as lowly as possible. You are this grey, coarse scrap of cloth, capable of nothing. But set forth quietly and humbly your nothingness to the beams of love coming from the Tabernacle and as the sun the scrap of cloth, Jesus will make your poor soul white and beautiful.

Even though your faults strike terror into you,
Even though you feel faint in the service of Jesus,
Your Sun will save you. It will work for you,
If only you lie in the beams of sunlight!

So lie quietly in the beams of your Eucharistic Sun. Even though it seems to you that you are doing nothing, just wait and trust. Jesus himself is working in your soul; just do not flee from Him!

And look, my child, when sometimes sadness, worry, and discouragement creep into your soul about to weigh it down to earth, then especially go to the Tabernacle - there is your treasure. How can all these difficulties and troubles harm you. They cannot take Jesus away from you. And as long as you have Jesus, then with Him you have the happiness of heaven, the light of heaven and heaven itself. How everything earthly diminishes in the presence of this.

And moreover, when you kneel at the Tabernacle, opening wide your heart to this longing for love, be certain that Jesus will accept this longing, even though you feel indifferent and cold. He will help you to attain the love you fervently desire and He will give you in exchange for your weak, imperfect love the whole immense love of His Divine Heart. You, small, wretched earth worm, imperfect and sinful, will become the object of love of your Jesus, your Redeemer, your God, and you will be able to say for certain: "Jesus loves me."

Oh, how good He is, our Jesus! Love Him in the sacrament of love. He is your treasure. Live for Him, work for Him, cling to Him in dark moments. Let Him be the source of your joy, your peace, and your happiness, both here through your whole life of a religious, and when you are there, in eternity.

Be certain, my children, that the more sincere you are toward your superiors, the safer the road along which you are travelling to virtue.

The Church forbids superiors - and rightly - to intrude by force into the mysteries of the soul of the sisters entrusted to them. Neither by request, nor by threat, nor by persuasion should they demand from others disclosure to them of their conscience. But each sister has the full right to open up her soul to her superior and to let her know what is good in her and what is bad. Only through this can the superior guide her. For the soul this guidance is what support is for a weak young tree swaying from any breath of wind.

Sincerity is not only the virtue of the young, beginning the religious life; it is also the virtue of older sisters. In spiritual life we should be like children, and children need their mother's hand. Do not say: "I have a confessor, that is enough for me." Certainly a good confessor is a treasure for the soul, but I will tell you one thing: a confessor knows you only from the confessional and there is a question whether you present yourself to him in full truth. Not that you want to deceive him, no! But selflove blinds you. You do not know yourself well, whereas the superior knows you much better and sees your weak sides, which you do not see. She could caution you against many an evil, but cannot because you avoid her, do not trust her, and do not want her to "intrude" into your soul. Believe me, my sisters, often a confessor considers as saintly, as a sacrifice of love, a person about whom a superior must unfortunately think otherwise. A confessor hears words; a superior sees deeds.

Sincerity does not consist of having to talk with the superior every moment, to tell about your soul, and to occupy her with yourself. By no means! I call sincere a person who does nothing and says nothing that she would like to hide from her superior and always acts in such a way that the superior could know what she does, what she says, and even what she thinks. She never allows herself to be bound to anyone whatsoever in the promise that "I won't tell the superior anything about this." Never ever! A sister who seldom talks with her superiors about her soul can be very sincere toward them; and the one who torments the superior with little talks can be insincere because she talks about what she wants to say and hides that which it is unpleasant to reveal.

I advise you, my children, let the superior know the object of your main resolution. Not that she is to figure it out for you - that is your business - but you present it to her. Let her know what you are mainly working on. She can sometimes help you with it. Show her from time to time, at least once every three months, your particular examination. This is a great help for perseverance in work. Ask, at least sometimes, that she tell you everything bad that she sees in you and ask her to give you suggestions how to behave to correct it.

Cling to your superior's hand. Look, she is that support which God Himself has given you for your soul. Do not ask whether she is old or young, or more or less likeable, but always remember that she is only the screen behind which is hidden the Lord and that through her He speaks to you, guides you and leads you.

Go then to her in childlike trust. Be sincere - this is the safest path. Be, as St. Berchmans says, "like transparent water for your superiors", and you will learn how much peace and happiness such sincerity gives you and how much it helps for victory.

Sincerity is humility, and humility is the source of grace, peace and sanctity. From the first moment upon entering the convent until the last, even if you live a hundred years, be sincere like a child toward your superiors. Never let pride lead you away from this certain path!

"He who has persevered to the end will be saved," says the Lord Jesus. This is the most important thing in inner life: perseverance. Many begin very zealously and earnestly; they strive for the highest ideals. But when they are not immediately successful, they become discouraged and abandon their work apparently under the pretext that they will not achieve anything and that it is not worth the effort. Poor souls! Laziness and pride give them these reasons for giving up. This is a convenient excuse for indulging oneself.

Remember my children, that our life is a struggle, a struggle to the very death. Even if a soldier is forced at the beginning to retreat, even if he has fought to all appearances in vain, if he overcomes his enemy at the last moment and inflicts death upon him, then he has triumphed and is worthy of glory and distinctions. We can never say that it is not worth struggling. Struggle and persistence in struggle - this is what is pleasing to God.

It would not be difficult to become a saint, if every brief effort immediately yielded ultimate victory. Sometimes the Lord God is pleased by just that perseverance, which does not shrink from a lengthy battle and which every day anew begins and calmly and confidently waits until God gives the victory. So believe me, humility could be exposed to great temptations, if we attained virtue in this way, almost without labour, speedily and without struggle. I admit that it is difficult to want to do good continuously and to fall into the same errors. But believe too that God often finds greater delight in persistent struggle, even if laborious, than in easy, momentary victory.

So be persevering, my children, persevering in your resolutions, persevering in virtue, persevering in spiritual exercises, and persevering in small sacrifices.

St. Berchmans was asked how to please the Blessed Mother. To this he answered: "By even the smallest practice of virtue or piety, but carried out with perseverance."

How many times it happens that a person in moments of zeal makes the best resolutions, carries them out for a few days, then the ardor cools, the resolutions are forgotten and in two or three weeks everything passes into oblivion. Or she has resolved to practise some virtue, for example frequent good intentions. She tries for several days, is not successful, sees no progress and abandons everything. "I won't be able to anyway; it's not worth taking the trouble." It is worth my child, it is worth it! It is precisely the struggle without consolation and without the desired result that is pleasing to the Heart of Jesus. The longer you ask, in the greater measure will you receive.

I direct your attention to one thing especially, dear child, to the lack of perseverance in our requests, particularly concerning gifts for the soul. We need so many graces to achieve holiness, but do we ask for even one constantly and persistently? It often happens that we ask according to our momentary disposition, now for the spirit of prayer, now for the love of God, now for faith - according to our fancy. Then again we do not ask at all for gifts for the soul. We have earthly matters that are of more immediate concern to us. Oh, if we would only develop for ourselves the clear opinion that we particularly need one or another virtue, that we will specially strive for it, and that we will specially pray for it. If we persisted in this striving and in this prayer, certainly God would give, in very generous measure, what we asked for. But we do not have this perseverance and for this reason we do not receive what we are asking for.

Be persevering my children! Perseverance will for certain bring you victory. Never yield to discouragement. It does not matter whether you fall every day or a hundred times, as long as you get up a hundred times and go on eagerly and confidently. Every day begin anew. It is not necessary for you to see your progress.

As long as you know that you have good will, let that be enough for you! Onward to Heaven with good will, confidence and perseverance! With perseverance you will win the Heart of God for certain!

My dear children, this work - my requests to you - is finished. I would like to ask you again, my children, to strive above all for holiness. This is the purpose of your entering the convent; this is the will of God - your holiness.

Be holy and the blessing of God will rest upon our Congregation. Be holy and you will draw souls to God without difficulty. Be holy and God's happiness will abide in you. Be holy and you will be a comfort for the Heart of the Agonizing Jesus. Be holy!

Oh, with what joy I will look down from Heaven upon my children earnestly striving for perfection! Strive above all "for the Kingdom of God and His justice."  

And once more I implore you, my children, to live in unity and harmony and in heartfelt love, becoming like the first Christians one heart and one soul. Where there is no unity and harmony, there cannot be the blessing of God, there sanctity is out of the question.  

Be humble, and you will be able to preserve this holy love, this unity and harmony of God. It is better to yield, better let your best opinion yield to the less appropriate opinion of others, as long as sisterly love is not adversely affected.

If you want your work to develop, live in love and harmony. If you want to be holy, live in love and harmony. If you want to draw souls to God, live in love and harmony. Nothing speaks to human hearts on behalf of the congregation so much as the sight of the religious joined in bonds of heartfelt sisterly love. Try to make it so that your sisters find it good to be with you. Gladly carry out their will, as far as this is in accord with your duties! Gladly sacrifice your own pleasure and God and His blessing will be with you.

I think that I would cry in Heaven if I had to see my children divided into factions fighting and quarreling with one another. Better let our Congregation cease to exist than to be split or divided. God forbid!

And now I bid farewell to you again, my children. I ask you, if you love me, show your love, respect and obedience to the sister who will be elected (provided that death finds me in the position of superior general) my successor. Always, always try to make the life of your superior easier, not more difficult. I ask you for this very earnestly.

God be with you. Pray for my wretched, sinful soul. Do not forget the old Mother, who always will love you, will pray for you, and will bless her children. In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit! Amen.

October 28, 1924 St. Olaf