Letters to Young Girls

Dear Friend,

On holidays, Mathilda’s family travels through a few beautiful regions in Quebec. Right now, she is on the ferry going from the north shore to the south shore of the majestic Saint Lawrence River, that is, from Saint-Siméon to Rivière-du-Loup in the Lower St. Lawrence.

Mathilda is on the deck with Natasha, a young girl she met yesterday at the campground where they spent the day. She too is travelling with her parents and her brother Steven. A friendship rapidly developed between the three adolescents, and as chance would have it, the two families on holidays happened to take the ferry on the same day. Here comes Steven to join them, all enthused. “Hey, hurry up and come! I have just talked with the boat’s captain, and he is inviting us to visit his cabin.” Wow, how lucky can we get! The girls hasten to follow him, all excited. The pilot, impeccably dressed in his lovely white shirt, dark blue trousers and tie, greets the young people with a broad, frank smile. He is happy to talk to them about the sea, about his profession and answer the questions of the joyful trio.

A scattering of diamonds glitters on the water. It is a magnificent day. The boat advances out to sea and soon, the shores on either side are no longer visible. Looking out onto the immensity surrounding them, they find themselves without any landmarks and Mathilda is taken by a feeling of uneasiness.

At that moment, the pilot indicates: “The shores have disappeared. On the sea, if one wants to reach the harbour or port, one must always follow the compass and the tracks of the marine routes because the strong undercurrents could cause us to go aground. Did you know that the Saint Lawrence River is the most difficult and dangerous river in the world to navigate? In fact, all the pilots of arriving ships must always turn over the helm to an experienced pilot on the Saint Lawrence River, an expert who knows the river and the very precise and safe routes to be followed so that they reach their port.”

Life in general is comparable to a great marine crossing on a sea that is at times beautiful and calm, at times stormy and agitated, where we come across rocky shelves, undercurrents, reefs and where we also have to face different weather conditions. Life holds enriching experiences in store for us, but they are also trying.

We are faced with a lot of uncertainty, and so as not to get lost, we have to know how to guide ourselves in the right direction, make judicious choices, be attentive to the signs along the way and the dangers lying in wait for us. On the sea, obedience, prudence, courage, perseverance and trust are essential assets. Is not the period of adolescence leading to life as an adult also a determining “crossing”?

You were happy in June to set aside the school books. Finally, summer was here and you could look forward to wonderful holidays. However, the summer season ought not make us forget the most important objectives in our life, the goal towards which we are advancing.

And you, as a Daughter of Mary to whom you have consecrated yourself, your goal is to realize God’s plan of love for you. As a consequence, it is good to take the time to examine whether you are following the well-marked route which will lead you to the goal.

To help you in this, do you accept that we give you a bit of advice?

• • Enjoy some wholesome fun.
  • Alcohol, marijuana and drugs are really harmful and will leave you with a feeling of regret and bitterness, weaker rather than strong to face the life ahead of you.
  • The meetings between boys and girls should always be done as a group. Going off to the side with a boy whom you find pleasant brings with it risks for your purity. Willpower is necessary to impose such a rule upon oneself but, later, you will be happy to have done so.
  • Do not try to attract attention to your body by wearing clothes that isn’t modest. You have to respect your body which is the temple of God.
  • Therefore, it is best to avoid sweaters that leave the midriff bare and super short tops, even if store windows are full of those fashions, for they do not correspond to true values.

Cultivate instead the qualities required for voyages on the sea, that is:

• • obedience by letting yourself be guided by God and His laws as well as by your parents who know what is best for you;
  • prudence so as to avoid the pitfalls and dangers for the body and the soul;
  • courage when the road seems difficult;
  • perseverance along the right path in spite of its demands; and finally,
  • trust by fixing your eyes on “the Star of the Sea”, the Immaculate who wishes to guide her children to eternal shores.

Land was looming on the horizon. A reassuring feeling flooded Mathilda’s heart along with the joy of soon reaching a safe harbour, of being on solid ground again. And yet, as they drew up alongside the quay, she had the impression the voyage was not over.

On the sea of adolescence, may she be able, like a vigilant captain, perform the right manoeuvres, take the best decisions so that her skiff always goes in the right direction.

The Daughters of Mary