“Let us live with God as with a friend, let us make our faith a living faith in order to be in communion with Him through everything, for that is what makes saints. We possess our Heaven within us, since He who satisfies the hunger of the glorified in the light of vision gives Himself to us in faith and mystery, it is the Same One. It seems to me that I have found my Heaven on Earth, since Heaven is God, and God is [in] my soul” (L. 122).

“I am never alone; my Christ is always there praying in me, and I pray with Him … Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you any more; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go…The life of a Carmelite is a communion with God from morning to evening, and from evening to morning. If He did not fill our cells and our cloisters, ah! how empty they would be! But through everything, [we] see Him, for we bear Him within us, and our life is an anticipated Heaven” (L. 123).

It seems to me that the souls on earth and those glorified in the light of vision are so close to each other, since they are all in communion with the same God, the same Father, who gives Himself to the former in faith and mystery and satisfies the other in His divine light.…But He is the Same One, and we carry Him within us. He bends over us with all His charity, day and night, wanting to communicate with us, to infuse us with His divine life, so as to make us deified beings who radiate Him everywhere. Oh, how powerful over souls is the apostle who remains always at the Spring of living water; then he can overflow without his soul ever becoming empty, since he lives in communion with the Infinite! I am praying fervently for you, that God may invade all the powers of your soul, that He may make you live in communion with His whole Mystery, that everything in you may be divine and marked with His seal…I want to be an apostle with you, from the depths of my dear solitude in Carmel…”Apostle, Carmelite,” it is all one!…” (L. 124).

 “We must not stop before the Cross and regard it in itself, but, recollecting ourselves in the light of faith, we must rise higher and recognize that it is the instrument that is obeying Divine Love. “One thing alone is necessary: Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken from her”. This better part, which seems to be my privilege in my beloved solitude of Carmel, is offered by God to every baptized soul. He offers it to you, dear Madame, in the midst of your cares and maternal concerns. Believe that His whole desire is to lead you ever deeper into Himself. Surrender yourself and all your preoccupations to Him and since you find me a good advocate to the Court of the King…” (L. 129).

“I love Him passionately and in loving Him, I am transformed in Him. And then it’s so good, for He is always with me, He consumes me into One with Him, and we love each other so much!! Ah, if it weren’t for that I would still be with you” (To her mother, L. 130).

“Oh, won’t you please place me in the chalice so my soul may be wholly bathed in this Blood of my Christ for which I so thirst! so as to be wholly pure, wholly transparent, so that the Trinity can be reflected in me as in a crystal. The Trinity so loves to contemplate its beauty in a soul… I love Him with His own love, it is a double current between Him who is and she who is not! Ah, when I feel my God invade my whole soul, as I pray to Him for you, it seems to me that it is a prayer He cannot resist, and I want Him to make me all-powerful” (To Canon Angles, L. 131).

16.10.2016

POPE FRANCIS CANONIZES

BLESSED ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY O.C.D.

              

 ST ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY: A SIGN OF CONTRADICTION IN THE 27 CLUB

            The 27 club is a term used in music circles to associate a jinxed group of great singers and musicians who died at the young age of 27. Among these greats are included Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and more recently, Amy Winehouse. Apart from their music, the story they left behind is that of a life of emptiness, depression and loneliness. It is ironic to see how despite all the name, popularity and groupies always around them, a great void was experienced by these people at a deeper level which they tried to overcome with drugs, sex and alcohol that ultimately led to their death due to asphyxiation, overdose or suicide. A closer analysis of these greats would lead one to surmise that there was a longing in their soul for something greater than that which their fame brought them. However, the recourse they sought was somewhere else and not in God.

Another unknown, but nevertheless accomplished musician, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, can also be added to this club but stands out in stark contrast to the rest of them. Externally, she was like any ordinary girl. She loved to travel, to dance, was fond of good clothes, and was attractive and affable. She is also known to have had a bad temper.  But at the spiritual level, she was deeply absorbed in the contemplation of the Holy Trinity. At an early age the meaning of her name, which in Hebrew means “House of God” left a profound impression on her mind. She personalized the words of St Paul, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you?” (1Cor 3:16) and from then onwards, be it at a piano recitation or on the dance floor or while doing any regular chore, Elizabeth maintained a deep recollection of the indwelling presence of God in her soul. It is this indwelling presence of God that gives meaning to the body and renders it holy without which the body would be nothing more than a living corpse. At the age of 21, she entered the Cloistered Carmelite Monastery at Dijon, France and separated herself from the world to live for God alone and to pray for the salvation of souls.

In the solitude of Carmel, there was never loneliness because of the constant awareness of the ever abiding presence of God in her soul. The intoxication she experienced was not of drugs and alcohol which makes one lose consciousness of reality but the sober inebriation of the Holy Spirit which makes one realize their true identity and dignity as Children of God, of the love which completely satisfies. All her talents and abilities were surrendered not to the acquisition of fame and prominence, but to God, the Giver of all Gifts, to live in silence and unknown to the world.

Her love for God reached such heights that she desired that God be incarnate in her own flesh. But to share in the Incarnation also means to share the sufferings of Calvary. St. Elizabeth offered herself up as a victim for the salvation of souls, especially those who had lost faith in God. Her final years were spent in the solitude of her cell in interior darkness and agonizing illness which intensified her participation in the Passion of our Lord. She died on the 9^th of November 1906 of Addison’s disease, in the 27^th year of her life. Towards the end, she wasn’t able to sleep, eat or speak much but one of the last things she spoke was, “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life.”

Elizabeth of the Trinity was canonised, by Pope Francis, on the 16^th of October this year, which also happened to be Mission Sunday. In his homily, the Pope said, “The ‘battle’ of perseverance cannot be won without prayer. Not sporadic or hesitant prayer, but prayer offered as Jesus tells us in the Gospel: ‘Pray always, without ever losing heart.” The feast day of St Elizabeth is celebrated on the 8^th of November.

St. Elizabeth has not left us any songs to sing or musical compositions to re-play. She hasn’t left us volumes of books on her doctrine. All we know about her spirituality comes through her letters, especially to young people. Through her life of love and sacrifice, she herself became that song, that “Praise of His Glory” (Eph 1:12).St. Elizabeth of the Trinity stands out as an Icon for the youth of today who are passionate and energetic but restless and in search of a deeper meaning and purpose in life and for all those who truly have the courage and determination to swim against the currents that prevail in our times, to be truly rebellious, to go against every wave of popular trend and belief, to shake off all the exterior glamour and glitz and enter deeper into one’s soul and be rooted deeply in the Triune God. Her message is simple and doesn’t require the silence and solitude of a monastery. It can be practised by anyone, anywhere and at any time. All that is required is to keep a constant remembrance of the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity in our souls and to derive strength from those rivers of living waters welling up within us (Jn 7:38). Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Why not give it a try.

Sr. Benedicta of the Holy Face (Novice) Cloistered Carmel of God the Father, Pune.                         

              

“A postulant of three days but one who has desired Carmel since the age of seven, 

Sr. Elizabeth of the Trinity, who will turn out to be a saint, for she already has remarkable dispositions for that” (Sr. Thérèse of Jesus, a sister in the convent).

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We are happy and thank God for  the canonization of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. It is not possible for all to read all her Letters. Here are a few chosen  quotes.  May you be inspired to read the originals, which have their inimitable beauty.   

  While being Martha one can remain like Mary Magdalene always near the Master, contemplating Him with a wholly loving look. And that is our life in Carmel, for, although prayer is our principal and even our unique occupation, for the prayer of a Carmelite never ceases, we also have works, external acts” (L.108).

“Ah! if we could only raise the curtain, what a beautiful horizon we would see on that other side! It is the Infinite, that is why it expands everyday. …If you knew what a good little nest my Beloved is preparing for me here. Ah! This Carmel, this being alone with Him whom we love, if you knew how good it is! Yes, it is an anticipated Heaven …I love you both so much, and it seems to me that this love grows every day, for He is divinizing it! …Darling Mama, don’t you think it is better for her to give her daughter to God and to enjoy her happiness than to let her be taken by Him? (L. 109).

“For I am the one my Christ has put in chains, His little prisoner of love. …I left everything to be able to climb it but my Jesus came to meet me. He took me in His arms to carry me like a little child, and to take the place of all I had left for Him” (Letter 116).

“Oh my Sister, “to be Him,” that is my whole dream; then, do you believe that the Father, who contemplates His adored Word in us, can resist the powerful prayer that one glance, one desire can become? Oh yes, let us be Him, and “let us go to the father” in the movement of His divine soul” (To Sr. Agnes of Jesus-Mary, L. 121).

“A Carmelite … is a soul who has gazed on the Crucified, who has seen Him offering Himself to His Father as a Victim for souls and, recollecting herself in this great vision of the charity of Christ, has understood the passionate love of His soul, and has wanted to give herself as He did!… and on the mountain of Carmel, in silence, in solitude, in prayer that never ends, for it continues through everything, the Carmelite already lives as if in Heaven: “by God alone”…He never leaves her, He dwells within her soul; more than that, the two of them are but one. So she hungers for silence that she may always listen, penetrate ever deeper into His Infinite Being. She is identified with Him whom she loves, she finds Him everywhere; she sees Him shining through all things!” (L. 133). 

“That is the whole life of Carmel, to live in Him. Then all sacrifices, all immolations become divine, for through everything the soul sees Him whom it loves, and everything leads it to Him; it is a continual heart-to-heart! You see you can already be a Carmelite in soul. Love silence and prayer, for that is the essence of Carmelite life. Ask the Queen of Carmel, our Mother, to teach you to adore Jesus in profound recollection … Pray also to our seraphic Mother Saint Teresa, who loved so much that she dies of love! … Are you familiar with Saint John of the Cross? He is our Father who went so far into the depths of the Divinity. Before him, I should have spoken to you of Saint Elijah, our first Father; you can see that our order is very ancient since it goes back to the prophets……Let us love Carmel, it is incomparable. We are lost in the Holy Trinity!” (L. 136).

“I have found my Heaven on earth in my dear solitude in Carmel, where I am alone with God alone. I do everything with Him, so I go to everything with a divine joy; whether I am sweeping, working, or at prayer, I find everything good and delightful since it is my Master whom I see everywhere!” (L. 139).

“PRAYER IS THE BOND BETWEEN SOULS” …When you pray to Him, speak to Him of your Elizabeth and imagine that she is there quite near you. Ah, if you knew how Carmel is a corner of Heaven! In silence and solitude, we live here alone with God alone.  Everything speaks of Him here. We feel Him everywhere, so living, so present. Prayer is our principal, I should say our sole, occupation because for a Carmelite it must never cease… if you knew how good it is to live there in the Master’s sight in a sweet heart-to-heart with Him” (L. 142).

“Carmel is so close to Heaven, it’s Heaven in faith! The whole divine world is mine, for it is the center in which I must live and already here below, I must follow my Lamb everywhere. … Remember that you are not alone, that the divine friend is with you, and your Elizabeth with Him” (L. 143).

“I love to come to you beneath the gaze of Him we love and whom alone we seek…through everything, let us constantly  live in communion with this Incarnate Word, with Jesus who dwells in us and who wishes to tell us the whole Mystery” (L. 145).

“Jesus gives His Cross to His true friends so He can come even closer to them; in His Heart, I see a very great love for you” (L. 147).

“He is so offended in the world, for they want no more of Him; let us open ourselves to receive Him, and then let us not leave Him alone in that sanctuary of our soul; through everything let us remember that He is there and He is there and He needs to be loved” (L. 149).

[With the profession] “I could say to myself: “At last He is my All!” and now I have only one desire to love Him, to love Him all the time, to be zealous for His honor as a true bride, to give Him joy, to make Him happy by preparing a dwelling and a refuge for Him in my soul, so that there He may forget, by the strength of my love, all the abominations of the wicked!…We ought to be like Him… Would you like that to be the desert where, with our divine Bridegroom, we go to live in a profound solitude, since it is in this solitude that He speaks to the heart?” (L. 156).

“It seems to me that nothing better expresses the love in God’s Heart than the Eucharist: it is union, consummation, He is us, we in Him, and isn’t that Heaven on earth? Heaven in faith while awaiting the face-to-face vision we so desire. Then “we will be satisfied when His glory appears,” when we see Him in His light. Don’t you find that the thought of this meeting refreshes the soul, this talk with Him whom it loves solely? Then everything disappears and it seems that one is already entering into the mystery of God. ……Oh! pray, won’t you, that I may live fully my bridal dowry. That I may be wholly available, wholly vigilant in faith, so that master can bear me wherever He wishes. I wish to stay always close to Him who knows the whole mystery, to hear everything from Him. “The language of the Word is the infusion of the gift,” oh yes, it is really so, isn’t it, that He speaks to our soul in silence. I find this dear silence a blessing” (L. 165). There is a lot more, also of BVM in this letter to remember.

“It is so good, isn’t it, to meet a soul who knows how to lead one to God… I saw that when God took away from me all that seemed to be leading me to Him, it was only to give Himself even more. Dear Madame, we must thank Him all the time, whatever happens, for God is Love, and He can create nothing but Love! In Carmel, we have the calm, the peace of God: we are His, we are kept by Him.… You ask me what my work is in Carmel. I could answer that for the Carmelite there is only one occupation: “to love, to pray.” But since, while already living in Heaven, she still has a body on earth, she must, while surrendering herself to love, keep busy in order to do the will of Him who did all these things first to set us an example… We have two hours of recreation; then, after that, silence the whole time…For me the cell is sacred, it is His intimate sanctuary, just for Him and His little bride. We are so much “together,” I am silent, I listen to Him… it is so good to hear everything He has to say. Oh! live with Him,; make Him live through faith, think that He dwells in your soul and constantly keep Him company, won’t you? ” (L. 168).

“I am “Elizabeth of the Trinity,” that is, Elizabeth disappearing, losing herself, letting herself be invaded by the Three; you can see that we are very close in Them, we are completely one, aren’t we? …Let us live by love, let us be simple like she [Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus] was, surrendered all the time, immolating ourselves minute by minute by doing God’s will without seeking extraordinary things. And let us make ourselves very little, letting ourselves be carried, like a child in the arms of her mother, by Him who is our All. Yes, my little sister, we are very weak, I would even say we are utterly nothing, but He knows that very well, He so loves to forgive us, to pick us up, then to carry us away in Him, in His purity, in His infinite holiness; that is how He will purify us, through continual contact with us, through divine touches. He wants us to be so pure, but He Himself will be our purity: we must let ourselves be transformed into one and the same image with Him, and that, quite simply, by loving all the time with the love that establishes unity between those who love each other!