1935, from Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad Masiá
I hope you are feeling encouraged and that you do what you can to control your thoughts. Convince yourself that much of the problem is in your mind. Let us all remember that the days fly by, and we will regret those times when we insisted on our own way. You see that, with a little goodwill, life would be very easy. Do not forget that we all have flaws and that only God is the one who should judge us. How many saints we have in our order, who went through many difficulties and are now enjoying heaven, after all the abandonment they endured here on earth!
We are not saints because we are unwilling to start by putting in some effort on our part. You only need to radically discard all those thoughts and focus solely on heaven, which is our homeland, and we will go there if we truly desire it. But time slips away, and if we don’t take advantage of it, all will be lost. Would you feel satisfied if you were to die today? Would so many things still trouble you if seen from the edge of the grave? Believe me, I don’t say these things to bother you, but to help clear your mind of sad and foolish thoughts. God gave us these faculties so that we might master them; but as long as they are full of such trivialities and petty things, God cannot enter. So work toward this, and think that I want this for you, and that I often wonder why you haven’t decided once and for all.
See others only as God’s creatures, destined for heaven just like you. If we are to be brothers and sisters there, we must start practicing it here on earth.
Do what you can and don’t give up on yourself.
Until I write to you again. Your brother.
Serafín
August 14, 1935, Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad
Try to keep doing what I told you, without paying attention to anyone or noticing who is beside you. If you work a little in this sense, I believe life will be much easier for you. When the alarm clock arrives, if María Jesús doesn’t need it to wake up, ask for it and keep it in your cell and take care of it.
Don’t accept any work from the nuns that is too burdensome for you, and try to organize your things or help your sisters if you can. If something special happens, let me know in a letter, and this way you’ll have someone to open up to.
Don’t delay in writing the postcard that I have included, so I can know if what they told me is true.
Eager to hear back from you, Serafín.
Totana, August 14 8 (1935)
September 1935, Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad Masiá
My dear sister:
I received your last letter, and I see that you are working to avoid everything you believe is harmful to peace of mind. It is important that you not only avoid encounters but pass through wherever you need to, without paying attention to anything, always keeping our inner being filled with the desire to fulfill our duty.
If this is the case, strange worries cannot enter, since if we are filled with something else, which is what we should be seeking, there will be no space or time for our thoughts to dwell on the trivialities and foolishness of this life, which, if we look at it closely, should embarrass us, as such silly things are enough to ruin our entire life.
Try to read what you believe is most fitting to fully occupy your mind, and you will find relief in life. Never forget that we are not told when it will end, and even if we are told that the end is near, we will always have the hope of improvement; the love for life is very great.
Cheer up, and work for yourself, for your soul; everything else is useless.
Your brother, Serafín.
December 26 (1935), Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad Masiá
My dear sister:
It is absolutely necessary that you decide to take things in life in a different way, and do not forget that we all, more or less, have sorrows; but it depends greatly on our character whether they are more or less troublesome.
All the things that happen to you only have life in your person; outside of you, there is absolutely nothing of what you believe. Of course, this doesn’t convince you, because there comes a point where, by thinking of one thing, we cancel out all the others, when, precisely, we should do the opposite.
All that you suppose about the name is completely false. The name is given to us to honour the memory of others who preceded us and who are worthy of veneration for their virtues. In the holy martyr, that is what you must think, that she may give you the courage she demonstrated in this miserable life, and not those foolish thoughts that come to your mind, and that you should never speak of anyone. It is essential that you immediately break that circle of silly thoughts and fantasies, which only serve to embitter your life and that of others.
When will you convince yourself that it is ridiculous to give importance to such trifles? Do we not have a better occupation in the few days that God grants us?
How much we will wish we had acted differently when we get a little further along, just as we now wish our earlier years had passed differently. We still have time to make up for what remains, whether little or much; we don’t do it because we don’t want to.
All those thoughts and mortal sins you speak of have no real existence; they are just efforts of your mind to magnify and worsen life.
Why should you not live outside of that atmosphere, with your mind filled with healthy and joyful things that you could create, just as you create those shadows and darkness?
It is because we don’t want to, we don’t want to overcome ourselves, to let go of meaningless miseries that are obstacles to our well-being. We must live in the convent and with the nuns, but without thinking about any of that, as if they were something foreign to us, without paying attention to or focusing on anything around us.
Our thoughts should be on heaven, on what awaits us, on what will be happy or unfortunate depending on whether we rise above everything of this world, no matter what happens. Our eyes fixed on the end, our minds on heaven, our hearts on God, to whom we owe everything, and where inevitably we must arrive very soon.
If you act this way, if you pay attention, everything will be resolved, and you will have the joy of a duty fulfilled. Everything else is pure lies; you will sanctify yourself and help in the salvation of others.
I don’t know anything yet about the permission; they told me it will be soon. For now, I am just like you. These things should neither excite nor depress our spirits; we should only take the good part, the sacrifice accepted.
Your brother, Serafín.
Totana, December 26 (1935)
January 1936, Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad Masiá
My dear sister:
I write you these lines to tell you that when I was in Valencia, I spoke with Father Laureano, and I told him that it would be beneficial for all of us if you went home.
I already remembered what you told me; but I believe that you wouldn’t suffer so much. Besides, if there was anything you wanted or needed, you only had to tell me, and I would do my best to help you achieve it.
Purificación herself is interested in you going, as they can’t get along with any maid, no matter how good she is. You know the character they have, so this won’t surprise you.
Well then, I am writing to you so that you can tell me freely if you are satisfied or not; because if you don’t agree, I will write to Father Laureano and everything will be as if it was never said. If you want, you can tell the others; I have no problem with them knowing. I’m sending you this letter so that you have the freedom to decide.
Eager to hear back from you.
From your brother, Serafín
February 3 (1936), Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad Masiá
My dear sister:
I am going to ask you for a favor that will not only benefit me, but also you.
I have told you many times that if you want, you can ease your burdens, but you believe that others don’t care and that we leave you abandoned, and that’s not true. With your behaviour, you not only suffer, but you also make others suffer, more than you realise. Think if this is fair.
Your matter is now, it left for Rome about fifteen days ago; before, it couldn’t be arranged. Don’t think that nothing was being done, and now that it’s closer and expected to be certain, if you let yourself be carried away by these whims, it will be a burden you’re advancing to us. If it had been to leave forever, you would have been gone a long time ago; but this way, there has been a lot of struggle, really a lot.
Do you want to make my life miserable now, by not being careful in what you do and say, just because you believe that no one is paying attention to you? Is it that you never have to believe what I say? Tell me, what more do you want me to do? If some people have acted, it is because I intervened, and if I can’t do more, it’s because I can’t. And don’t you want to be a little thankful for all that? Couldn’t you very well do whatever you want by yourself, but not anything that could mortify me and your sisters?
I hope you realise and listen to me, at least for the remaining days. Life is already very bitter, let’s not make it even more bitter with our foolishness.
I want you to write to me and tell me what you plan to do about all of this.
Your brother who loves you.
Serafín
Totana, February 3 (1936)
February 1936, Fray Serafín
Sister Felicidad Masiá
My dear sister:
I suppose you will follow something better and quite calmly, and I hope to know with some certainty if this is truly the case.
As in the letters, you never clarify anything concrete, so if you want to know something, you need to ask specific questions, and even then, we’ll see what comes of it. I also want to know how the mother is doing, and what you think of life in the house, if you notice or observe anything special. You must pay attention to observe, so you can tell me your impressions.
You need to remember that a year passes quickly, and think about the strength you will have later, whether you believe you won’t return to your previous state, or if you will be lacking the strength. All of this is something you should clarify now, without forgetting that much depends on our will. As I have told you many times, we must live independently of the likes or dislikes of others, which takes a lot of effort, but it is the only thing that will eventually be rewarded.
Let me know these things I’m asking and many others about everything that happens there, that is well known there and I’m completely unaware of.
I hope you’ll do this and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Serafín
April 22 (1936), Fray Serafín
My dear sister:
I hope you stay calm and try not to pay attention to what others say, but focus on what can improve your state and avoid troubling others.
Please, when you write, tell me everything that happens there, but with details and names.
It turns out that no one is more ignorant of what is happening in their land than I am, and this could easily be remedied, so I hope you take care of it.
No one knows what the future holds, but we all agree it will be very difficult, and it’s important that we are prepared for whatever comes.
If we are called to work on whatever task, we must be able to do it. Therefore, you shouldn’t worry about trivial matters, because life is much different from what you have in your head and what you believe.
To avoid disappointment and great suffering, you must do everything I have recommended.
If you do, you will be better now and later.
I hope I don’t have to wait too long for a response and that you tell me many things, and that there is much unity and peace in the house.
Let it be so.
From your brother, Serafín
Totana, April 22 (1936)
September 1936, >Fray Serafín
My dear sister:
I realise the situation we live in there, in our house; but we shouldn’t get our hopes up, because everywhere we would have something to suffer.
Moreover, it is very true that it exclusively depends on our will whether life becomes more or less pleasant. If only we had a little more faith and accepted things as they are… We don’t think about the fact that we all have our selfishness, that we blindly believe we are right, that we deserve to be treated a certain way…
We believe all this, and how wrong we are!
If anyone is honoured with sanctity, it is precisely the one who has overcome all of this and humbled themselves, and as long as we don’t find this path, we lose everything. Despite all the repugnance, we must live in society, as people, if we want to have merit before God.
What will we claim when we face our final judgement? Will we then see as strongly the reasons we now believe are so certain? You must make yourself understand that, if you want, life is easier, and only then is it truly meaningful.
Work to suffer for your neighbour, whoever it is; if you don’t do this, you will lose everything.
We have the obligation to not show displeasure to anyone, not even to enemies. Meditate on this and work, without worrying about how others are doing. In the end, they won’t ask you about others, only about you, and only the one who suffers wins.
I don’t know what may happen, but surely it will be impossible to extend the permission you have.
You know well that the one who opposes the most is the Visitor, and everything must go through him. I believe you should stop worrying and do like many saints did. St. Thérèse, who is so dear to all of us and who did nothing but good wherever she went, gave happiness, joy, and treated everyone as her neighbours, regardless of whether they were pleasant to her or not.
Cheer up, do as she did, gather strength, energy, and will to endure everything.
This is how we must live.
From your brother, Serafín
(PS., written upside down, on both sheets):
(Second sheet:)
Try to hide the character of your sisters, of the mother, and remember that perhaps within a year, God will call someone to judgement. You see, our eldest sister, when no one else…
(First sheets:)
She believed she was called. Always be prepared, and that thought will make everything else easier.
