Thursday, January 12, 2006

6th Day of the Octave of Epiphany
"Elizabeth of the Trinity-Her message and spirituality" by Jennifer Moorcroft, CTS Publications

On God's indwelling presence - From the letter to Antoinette de Bobet, January 1906:
"May the God who is all Love be your unchanging home, your cell and your cloister in the midst of the world. Keep in mind that he is living in the deepest centre of your being as in a sanctuary where he wants you to love and adore him continually. He is there to shower you with his grace, to transform you into himself. When you feel your weakness, go to him; he is strong and gives victory by the power of his strong right hand, as Psalmist sings (Ps 44:4-5). He covers you with his shadow (Ps 91:4). Have absolute confidence in his love.

To Germaine de Gemeaux, 20 August 1903
...It is the whole Trinity who lives within us, the whole mystery which will be our vision in heaven: make that your cloister. You tell me that you spent your life there, and I am pleased. It is the same for me. I am "Elizabeth of the Trinity": Elizabeth disappearing, losing herself, letting herself be invaded by Three. Let us live by love like St Teresa of Avila and St Therese of Lisieux. Let our approach be single-minded like theirs, with every moment of the day lived in total self-giving and surrender to the will of good God, without looking for extraordinary means. Let us make ourselves small enough to be carried, as children in their mother's arms, by him who is our All. Yes, we are very weak, I would say almost wretched, but he is well aware of that; he longs to forgive us; to pick us up and carry us to himself, to his purity and infinite holiness. His will make us pure by this continual contact with himself and by his divine touch: we must let ourselves be transformed into his own image. This is so simple. All we need to do is to love all the time with that love which unites those who love!
Like you, I want to be a saint to give him joy. Beg him for me that I will live only by love, because this is my calling. Let us join together in making our days continual communion. Let us wake up in the morning in Love. Let us surrender ourselves to Love throughout the day by doing the will of good God, in his sight, with him, in him, for him alone. Let us give ourselves at every moment in whatever way he wants and then, when evening comes, after an unceasing dialogue of love, let us sleep in Love. There may have been faults and failures but let us hand than over to Love: he is consuming fire, so let us make our purgatory in Love as well!