"Blessed are the poor in spirit," that is, those who have renounced
their will--"for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

ON PATIENCE

FROM the abandonment of the will is born patience; for no one can
be perfectly patient in everything, except he who has submitted his
will to the will of God, and to all men in things useful and
convenient. Patience is a tranquil endurance of all that can happen
to a man, whether sent by God or by men. Nothing can trouble the
patient man, neither the loss of earthly goods, nor the loss of
friends or relations, nor sickness, nor disgrace, nor life, nor
death, nor purgatory, nor the devil, nor hell. For he has abandoned
himself to the will of God in true love. And, provided that mortal
sin does not touch him, all that God orders for him in time or
eternity seems light. This patience adorns a man, and arms him
against anger and sudden rage, and against impatience of suffering,
which often deceives a man within and without, and exposes him to
manifold temptations.

ON GENTLENESS

FROM this patience are born gentleness and kindness, for no one can
be gentle under adversity if not the patient man. Gentleness creates
in man peace and repose from everything; for the gentle man endures
insulting words and gestures, and bad faces and bad deeds, and all
manner of injustice towards his friends and himself, and he is
content with all, for gentleness is suffering in repose. Thanks to
gentleness, the force of anger remains immovable in its
tranquillity, the force of desire lifts itself up towards the