Antecedentes
Antes se consideraba un regalo especial que un padre o un ser querido te dejara palabras de sabiduría a través de una carta o un diario. La costumbre era una forma de transmitir lo que un anciano consideraba un consejo importante, dejando así una parte de sí mismo a sus hijos. Hay muchas cartas de este tipo que nos han dejado personas como John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Albert Einstein y otros. Estas cartas a menudo nos dan una visión personal de los escritores sobre lo que realmente valoraban. Pensemos en esta nota de Einstein a su hija:
“There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE.”
A Mother’s Advice for Catherine
Elizabeth Ann Seton dejaría a su hija, Catherine, no sólo una carta, sino todo un libro de sabiduría.
In Mother Seton’s little red notebook of reflections and advice, she quotes St. Francis de Sales and St. Elizabeth of Hungary among others. The notebook’s contents were not meant for the public eye, and they are often directly to the point. It is advice that could be offered by any parent today:
I say the first, and the very first for after even a short indulgence of a strong first attraction, passion will soon blind poor reason, and even a Mothers tears would have no power to save her darling, …
…in your dress mind that particularly- nothing is so easy as to forget it, on the pretext of doing as others do, be sure that simplicity should be your only rule it makes a lovely woman more lovely….
–No sé mucho del estilo actual, pero cuando era joven nunca encontré en él otro efecto que la más inocente alegría, tanto en público como en privado; recuerdo remordimientos de conciencia por tanto tiempo perdido en ello, y mi molestia por no poder decir mis oraciones viendo siempre a mis compañeros en lugar de a mi Dios.
Le da a Catalina consejos similares a los que le había dado a Guillermo:
I beg you so much not to give way to National prejudices, but to allow for many customs and manners you will see, -why should not others have their peculiarities as well as we have ours-try to please everyone you must be with and to do every obliging action in your power…
Animó a Catalina a mostrar misericordia:
We can never say a person is wicked without danger of untruth- for the goodness of God is so great that one moment suffices to obtain and receive his grace-how can we know that he who was a sinner, is so today … the day past should not judge the day present nor the present the past. … there is but the last day which Judges all.
Elizabeth se sentía muy unida a todos sus hijos, pero la pérdida de dos hijas, Anna Maria y Rebecca, fue muy difícil de superar. Con Richard y William lejos en el verano de 1819, Isabel se sintió especialmente atraída por Catherine. Escribió a Catherine el 19 deth cumpleaños:
Whose Birth day is this my dear Saviour It is my darling one’s, my child’s, my friends, my only dear companion left of all you once gave with bounteous hand – the little relict of all my worldly bliss…
Catherine presta atención a las lecciones
Catherine would take her mother’s advice. She would guard herself, think of others and do service to the poor and helpless.
“She devoted her life to the sick the poor and the unfortunate…. she visited the New York prisons twice a week. She was particularly devoted to prisoners, sentence to death, in order to prepare them for the end…. Her knowledge of French, Italian, German, and Spanish was a powerful asset on these missions of mercy. She estimated of the work of the public welfare accomplished by Mother Catherine may be formed in view of statistics of New York courts under date October 1874 which gives 49,251 as the number of prisoners held for trial 10,671 were born in the United states leaving the other 38,580 a foreign birth.”
¿Por qué se hizo Hermana de la Misericordia?
As to her reasons for joining the Sisters of Mercy, “It is a fitting place for me,” she said, “for my mother often quoted a sentence from Job; From my childhood mercy grew up with me.’ I belong with you here.” (His mercy Endureth Forever – Burton, Katherine pg. 83)
For from my infancy mercy grew up with me: and it came out with me from my mother’s womb. – Job 31:17
En la portada del Librito Rojo hay una inscripción – “O May it by my daily study to follow the advice of the best of Mothers – Tuesday 2nd Febrero.”