The Catholic World, Vol. 17, April, 1873 to September, 1873: A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and ScienceVarious
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 17, April, 1873 to September, 1873: A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
How, indeed, could I depict the love, stronger than ever, that bound
me to my husband, spared in so unhoped-for a manner, though but for a
brief period—so brief that I could almost count the hours? How make
you understand how elevated, superhuman, consoling, and yet sorrowful,
were our conversations? How many times Victor said to me: “Agnes, how
merciful the good God is! See, he could have recalled me to himself
at once, but still leaves me with you a few months longer. Oh! how
heartily I desire to profit by this time in order to prepare for death,
though I fear it not! I do not wish to spend one of these last hours
in vain. I wish to do all the good in my power, and love you better
and better as the blessed do in heaven. Oh! how sweet it will be to
enter upon that perfect love above, which we have imagined, and had a
foretaste of, here below—what do I say?—a thousand times sweeter,
more perfect. Its enjoyment will be without any alloy of fear or
sadness, for in loving, we shall have a right to say: ‘It is for ever!’”
But of all the thoughts that occupied Victor’s mind at that period,
that which was most constantly in his heart he expressed in these
simple but significant words: to do all the good possible! Penetrated
with this desire, he resumed his duties at the _Journal_ office as
soon as he was able. His talents had developed under the influence of
suffering. Every one remarked it. But controversy fatigued him, and he
was not able to go out every day. He was, therefore, provided with an
assistant—a young man of ability, to whom he could transfer most of
the labor. He took pleasure in training him for the work, saying to
himself: “He will be my successor. I shall still live in him, and have
some part in the good he will do.”
A part of the day, therefore, remained unoccupied. He employed these
hours in writing a small work—a simple, touching book, which was
published a short time before his death, and is still doing, to my
knowledge, much good among the people.
Training his successor and publishing a useful book were two good acts
he took pleasure in, but, so great was his ardor for benefiting others,
that they did not suffice. He earnestly longed for some new opportunity
of testifying to God how desirous he was of making a holy use of the
last moments of his life. “And yet,” he added, “I acknowledge this
work is perhaps presumptuous. It is asking a special grace from God of
which I am not worthy.” But God granted him this longed-for opportunity
of devoting himself to his glory, and he embraced it with a heroism
that won universal admiration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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