Yesterday was the feast of St. Louis of France, King Louis IX (1226-1270). Fr. Anthony Mary, spoke of St. Louis during his homily at Mass on EWTN. He spoke of a letter St. Louis had written to his son, and any father watching had to think: "If only I had written such a letter to my son(s)." Well, it's never too late, and since the message cannot be put any better, or with any more clarity, it seemed like a good idea to just find a copy of the letter from St. Louis, and print it here.
The letter was found at CatholicRadioDramas.com, and the following was taken from that site:
NOTE: King Louis wrote his letter when he was near death in Tunis (at the age of 44), after being defeated in the Eighth Crusade, which he had led. The son to whom he addressed his letter was Prince Philip, who became King Philip III on the death of his father. The Prince had accompanied his father on the Crusade to Tunis.St. Louis (Louis IX) (1214-1270) was born in 1214 and became king of France when he was only twenty-two years old. He married and became the father of eleven children whom he carefully instructed in the Christian way of life. His biographers tell of his devotion to long hours of prayer, fasting and penance, devotions not made known to his subjects. He was known for his love and compassion for the poor and upheld justice in their behalf. He worked to maintain peace among peoples and for the temporal good of his subjects and had great concern for their spiritual welfare. He founded a number of monasteries and built hospitals for lepers.When news arrived that Moslems had defeated the Christians in the Holy Land and had invaded Jerusalem, he undertook two Crusades to recover the tomb and the cross of Christ as well as other holy relics which were being destroyed by the invaders. He died near Carthage during the second crusade to the Holy Land in 1270. Below is a letter he wrote to his son, preparing him to take his place on the throne as king.My dearest son, my first instruction is that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength. Without this there is no salvation. Keep yourself, my son, from everything that you know displeases God, that is to say, from every mortal sin. You should permit yourself to be tormented by every kind of martyrdom before you would allow yourself to commit a mortal sin.If the Lord has permitted you to have some trial, bear it willingly and with gratitude, considering that it has happened for your good and that perhaps you well deserved it. If the Lord bestows upon you any kind of prosperity, thank him humbly and see that you become no worse for it, either through vain pride or anything else, because you ought not to oppose God or offend him in the matter of his gifts.Listen to the divine office with pleasure and devotion. As long as you are in church, be careful not to let your eyes wander and not to speak empty words, but pray to the Lord devoutly, either aloud or with the interior prayer of the heart.Be kindhearted to the poor, the unfortunate and the afflicted. Give them as much help and consolation as you can. Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater. Be just to your subjects, swaying neither to right nor left, but holding the line of justice. Always side with the poor rather that with the rich, until you are certain of the truth. See that all your subjects live in justice and peace, but especially those who have ecclesiastical rank and who belong to religious orders.Be devout and obedient to our mother the Church of Rome and the Supreme Pontiff as your spiritual father. Work to remove all sin from your land, particularly blasphemies and heresies.In conclusion, dearest son, I give you every blessing that a loving father can give a son. May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
