efore us to the heavenly court.[986] For
his most fervent charity cannot forget his sons, and his approved
holiness must secure _favour with God_.[987] For who would dare to
suppose that this holy Malachy can now be less profitable [than before]
or less loving to his own? Assuredly, if he was loved aforetime, now he
receives from God surer proofs of His love, and _having loved his own,
he loved them unto the end_.[988] Far be it from us, holy soul, to
esteem thy prayer now less effectual, for now thou canst make
supplication with more vigour in the presence of _the Majesty_[989] and
thou no longer _walkest in faith_, but reignest _in the sight_ of
Him.[990] Far be it from us to count that laborious charity of thine as
diminished, not to say made void, now that thou prostratest thyself at
the very fountain of eternal charity, quaffing full draughts of that for
the very drops of which thou didst thirst before. Charity, _strong as
death_,[991] yea even stronger than death itself, could not yield to
death. For even at the moment of his departure he was not unmindful of
you, with exceptional affection commending you to God, and with his
accustomed _meekness and lowliness_[992] praying our insignificance also
that we should not _forget you for ever_.[993] Wherefore also we thought
good to write to you that you may know that we are ready to bestow upon
you all consolation with entire devotion, whether in spiritual things,
if in them our insignificance can ever do anything by the merits of this
our blessed father, or in temporal, if ever perchance opportunity should
be given us.

3. And now also, dearly beloved, we are filled with heartfelt pity for
this grievous bereavement of the Irish Church.[994] And we unite
ourselves the more with you in suffering because we know that by this
very thing we have become the more your debtors. For the _Lord did great
things for us_[995] when He deigned to honour this place of ours by
making it the scene of his blessed death, and to enrich it with the most
costly treasure of his body.[996] But do not take it ill that he is
buried among us; for God so ordered, _according to the multitude of His
mercies_,[997] that you should possess him in life, and that it might
be allowed to us to possess him, if only in death. And to us, indeed, in
common with you, he was, and still is, father. _For_ even _in_ his
_death_ this _testament was confirmed_ to us.[998] Wherefore as, for the
sake of so great a fa