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 9th
of November 1906 of Addison’s disease, in the 27th 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 16th 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
8th 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.
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).
.
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!
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