A Letter to His Sister Claudia

When I read your letters, my feelings were stirred in many ways, and I could not keep back my tears. I wept for joy, because I could see from the very words of your letters that you were living by the commands of the Lord God; and out of my great longing for you I could not help lamenting that, through no fault of mine, I am kept apart from you. I would have felt this still more strongly if you had not sent me a letter. Should I not, then, enjoy the company of such a sister? But I call your salvation to witness that I have very often wanted to come to you, and until now I have been prevented by the opposition of the one who is in the habit of hindering us. In my eager desire I was pressing to satisfy my wish by seeing you; and it seemed that if we met we would do the work of the Lord more effectively, since by comforting one another we would live with the heavy load of this world trampled under our feet. But I do not now set a day or time for visiting you, because whenever I have done so I have not been able to carry out my plan. I will wait on the will of the Lord, and I hope that through my petitions and your prayers he may bring it about that we gain something from our perseverance. [a]