| Age | Sources and Pages | Code Number | Quotations | Relevant Key Words, Phrases and Their Code Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | GCI 201, May 6, 1884, from Fr. P. Pichon |
22-11-1 | …Your dear little letter pleased me very much. I was very happy to find in it the promise of a very childlike remembrance on this beautiful day when He, who will be the God of your heart, will be unable to refuse you anything. Ask for yourself, along with me, the grace of loving Him as much as He wills to be loved by your heart, and for myself a great number of souls to save. |
16-11-4 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-11-7 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-11-4 (Mercy of God, Graces) |
| 14 | SS 99 -98. |
22-14-1 |
…He made me a fisher of souls.
I experienced a great desire to work for
the conversion of sinners, a desire I hadn't
felt so intensely before. I felt charity enter into my soul, and the need to forget myself and to please others; since then I've been happy! One Sunday, looking at a picture of Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck by the blood flowing from one of the divine hands. I felt a great pang of sorrow when thinking this blood was falling to the gound without anyone's hastening to gather it up. I was resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the Cross and to receive the divine dew. I understood I was then to pour it out upon souls. The cry of Jesus on the Cross sounded continually in my heart: “I thirst!” (John 19:28.) These words ignited within me an unknown and very living fire. I wanted to give my Beloved to drink and I felt myself consumed with a thirst for souls. And yet, it was not the souls of priests that attracted me, but those of great sinners; I burned with desire to snatch them from the eternal flames. |
2-14-1 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 7-14-1 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 13-14-1 (Joyful Soul), 14-14-1 (The Little Way), 17-14-1 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 27-14-1 (Sinners, Sins), |
| 14 | SS 100 -101. |
22-14-2 | … After this unique grace my desire to save souls grew each day, and I seemed to hear Jesus say to me what he said to the Samaritan woman: “ Give me to drink!”(John 4:7.) It was a true interchange of love: to souls I was giving the blood of Jesus, to Jesus I was offering these same souls refreshed by the divine dew. I slaked His thirst and the more I gave Him to drink, the more the thirst of my poor little soul increased, and it was this ardent thirst He was giving me as the most delightful drink of His love. |
17-14-2 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-14-1 (Mercy of God, Graces) |
| 15 | SS 149. |
22-15-1 | …Illusions, God gave me the grace not to have A SINGLE ONE when entering Carmel. I found the religious life to be exactly as I had imagined it, no sacrifice astonished me and yet, as you know, dear Mother, my first steps met with more thorns than roses! Yes, suffering opened wide its arms to me and I threw myself into them with love. I had declared at the feet of Jesus-Victim, in the examination preceding my Profession, what I had come to Carmel for: “I came to save souls and especially to pray for priests.” When one wishes to attain a goal, one must use the means; Jesus made me understand that it was through suffering that He wanted to give me souls, and my attraction for suffering grew in proportion to its increase. This was my way for five years; exteriorly nothing revealed my suffering which was all the more painful since I alone was aware of it. |
2-15-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-15-1 (Silence, hidden), 14-15-1 (The Little Way), 24-15-1 (Mercy of God, Graces), 46-15-1 (Revelations) |
| 15 | GCI 400 -401, March 18 (?), 1888, LT 43B to Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
22-15-2 |
…Oh, Pauline, when Jesus will have placed me on the blessed shore of Carmel,
I want to give myself totally to Him, I want to live no longer but for Him. Oh,
no, I shall not fear His strikes, for, even
in the most bitter sufferings, I
always feel that it is His gentle hand that is striking. I really felt this at
Rome at the very moment when I would have believed the earth could have given
way beneath my steps. I desire only one thing when I shall be in Carmel, and it is to suffer always for Jesus. Life passes so quickly that really it must be better to have a very beautiful crown and a little trouble than to have an ordinary one without any trouble. And then for a suffering borne with joy, when I think that during the whole of eternity I will love God better. Then in suffering we can save souls. Ah! Pauline, if at the moment of my death I could have a soul to offer to Jesus, how happy I would be; it would be a soul that would have been snatched from the fire of hell and would bless God for all eternity. |
2-15-5 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 7-15-2 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 14-15-2 (The Little Way), 17-15-1 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 23-15-1 (The Joy of Sufferings), 37-15-1 (Time), 39-15-3 (Pauline) |
| 15 | GCI 449 -450, July 23, 1888, LT57: to Celine. |
22-15-3 | Life is burdensome. What bitterness… but what sweetness. Yes, life is painful for us. It is hard to begin a day of work. The feeble bud has seen it just as the beautiful lily has. If we feel Jesus present, oh! then we would really do all for Him, but no, He seems a thousand leagues away. We are all alone with ourselves. Oh! what annoying company when Jesus is not there. But what is this sweet Friend doing then? Doesn't He see our anguish, the weight that is oppressing us? Where is He? Why doesn't He come to console us since we have Him alone for a friend? Alas, He is not far; He is there, very close. He is looking at us, and He is begging this sorrow, this agony from us. He needs it for souls and for our soul. He wants to give us such a beautiful recompense, and His ambitions for us are very great. But how can He say: “My turn,” (A Note: Fr. Arminjon) if ours hasn't come, if we have given Him nothing? Alas, it does pain Him to give us sorrows to drink, but He knows this is the only means of preparing us to “know Him as He knows Himself and to become Gods ourselves.” Oh! what a destiny. How great is our soul…. |
2-15-13 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-15-4 (The Little Way), 23-15-3 (The Joy of Sufferings), 40-15-1 (Participation to Salvation) |
| 16 | GCI 500, Jan. 6, 1889, LT74: to Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
22-16-1 |
If you only knew how much I want to be indifferent to
the things of this earth. What do all created beauties mean
to me, I would be unhappy possessing them, my heart would
be so empty!… It is incredible how big my heart appears to
me when I consider all earth's treasures. But when I consider
Jesus, how little it appears to me!!
I would so much like
to love Him!… Love Him more than He has ever been loved!…
My only desire is to do the will of Jesus always! To dry away
the little tears that sinners make Him shed…. Oh! I do not
WANT Jesus to have any sorrow. On the day of my espousals,
I would like to convert all the sinners of this earth and
to save all the souls in purgatory!… The Lamb of Jesus is going to laugh when it sees this desire of the little grain of sand!… I know that it's folly, but, nevertheless, I would like it to be this way so that Jesus have not one single tear to shed. |
7-16-4 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 14-16-4 (The Little Way), 16-16-2 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-16-1 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 27-16-1 (Sinners, Sins), 39-16-2 (Pauline), 50-16-1 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains and Tears) |
| 16 | GCI 521, Jan. 10, 1889, LC 109: from Sr. Marie of the Angels. |
22-16-2 | During this octave of the Kings, He espoused her to Himself in order to make her soon the Queen of His most tender love. Be happy, then, very happy for long years in Carmel, dear little child. Share in the kingship of Jesus. His kingdom will become yours, His crown awaits you, refuse Him nothing. The kingdom of Jesus is not of this world, and your will not be either. Aid Jesus in extending His divine kingdom in souls; save them by your sacrifices, by your generosity. Work for heaven. Jesus will count all you do for Him, and nothing will escape His loving and constant gaze! |
2-16-16 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 7-16-6 (Renunciation, Forget Self), |
| 16 | GCI 546- 547, March 12, 1889, LT 85: to Celine. |
22-16-3 |
Jesus' love for Celine can be understood only by Jesus!… Jesus
had
done foolish things for Celine…. Let Celine do foolish things for
Jesus…. Love is repaid by love alone, and the
wounds of love are
healed only by love. Let us really offer our sufferings to Jesus to save souls, poor souls!… They have less grace than we have, and still all the Blood of a God was shed to save them…. And yet Jesus wills to make their salvation depend on one sigh from our heart….What a mystery! If one sigh can save a soul, what can sufferings like ours not do?… Let us refuse Jesus nothing!… |
2-16-22 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 7-16-8 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 14-16-9 (The Little Way), 16-16-9 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-16-10 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-16-4 (Mercy of God, Graces), 40-16-1 (Participation to Salvation), 50-16-2 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains and Tears) |
| 16 | GCI 576, July 14, 1889, LT 93: to Marie Guerin. |
22-16-4 |
Don't be troubled about feeling
no consolation in your Communions; this
is a trial that you must bear with love.
Don't lose any of the thorns you
are meeting every day; with one of them you can save a soul!… Ah, if you only knew how much God is offended! Your soul is so well made for consoling Him … love Him to folly for all those who don't love Him!… |
2-16-27 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 17-16-12 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 18-16-2 (Holy Communion), 29-16-6 (Consolation), |
| 16 | GCI 587- 588, Oct. 15, 1889, LT 96: to Celine. |
22-16-5 | …And if we love much, if we love Jesus with a passion, He will not be so cruel as to leave us for a long time on this earth of exile….Celine, during the SHORT MOMENTS that remain to us, let us not lose our time… let us SAVE SOULS…souls are being lost like flakes of snow, and Jesus weeps, and we…we are thinking of our sorrow without consoling our Fiance….Oh, Celine, let us live for souls…let us be apostles…let us save especially the souls of priests; these souls should be more transparent than crystal… Alas, how many bad priests, priests who are not holy enough… |
17-16-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 37-16-11 (Time) |
| 16 | GCI 580, July? or Aug.? 1889, LT 95: to Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
22-16-6 |
The grain of sand wants
at all costs to save souls…. Jesus must grant
it this grace. Little Veronica, ask this grace from the luminous Face of
Jesus!… Yes, the Face of Jesus is luminous, but if in the midst of
wounds and tears it is already so beautiful, what will it be, then when
we shall see it in heaven? Oh, heaven…
heaven. Yes, to see one day the Face of Jesus, to contemplate eternally
the marvelous beauty of Jesus, the poor grain of sand desires to be despised
on earth!… Dear lamb, beg Jesus that His grain of sand hurry to save many souls in a short time in order to take its flight promptly towards His dear Face!… I am suffering!… But the hope of the homeland gives me courage, soon we shall be in heaven!… In heaven, there will no longer be day or night, but the Face of Jesus will make an incomparable light shine!… Dear lamb, understand the grain of sand; it does not know what it is saying this evening, but certainly it has no intention of writing one single word of all it has scribbled…. |
2-16-30 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 24-16-5 (Mercy of God, Graces), 39-16-7 (Pauline) |
| 16 | GCI 587- 588, Oct. 15, 1889, LT 96: to Celine. |
22-16-7 | Yes, life is a treasure…each moment is an eternity, an eternity of joy in heaven, an eternity of seeing God face to face, of being one with Him!… There is only Jesus who is; all the rest is not…. Let us love Him, then, unto folly; let us save souls for Him. Ah! Celine, I feel that Jesus is asking both us to quench His thirst by giving Him souls, the souls of priests especially. I feel that Jesus wills that I say this to you, for our mission is to forget ourselves and to reduce ourselves to nothing…. We are so insignificant …and yet Jesus wills that the salvation of souls depends on the sacrifices of our love. He is begging souls from us…. Ah, let us understand His look! There are so few who understand it. Jesus is giving us a hidden light!… Celine… life will be short, eternity is without end…. Let us make our life a continual sacrifice, a martyrdom of love, in order to console Jesus. He wants only a look, a sigh, but a look and a sigh that are for Him alone!… Let all the moments of our life be for Him alone!; let creatures touch us only in passing. There is only one thing to do during the night, the one night of life which will come only once, and this is to love, to love Jesus with all the strength of our heart and to save souls for Him so that He may be loved.… Oh, make Jesus loved!… | 2-16-33 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-16-4 (Silence, Hidden), 7-16-13 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 11-16-5 (Nothingness), 14-16-13 (The Little Way), 16-16-13 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-16-15 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 37-16-12 (Time), 40-16-2 (Participation to Salvation) |
| 17 | GCI 630, July 18, 1890, LT 109: to Celine. |
22-17-1 | Celine, since Jesus was (alone in treading the wine) which He is giving us to drink, let us not refuse in our turn to wear clothing stained in blood… let us tread for Jesus a new wine which may quench His thirst, which will return Him love for love. Ah, let us not keep back one drop of wine that we can offer Him … and, then, looking about, He will see that we are coming to help Him!… His face was as though hidden!… Celine, it is still hidden today, for who understands the tears of Jesus? Dear Celine, let us make a little tabernacle in our heart where Jesus may take refuge, and then He will be consoled, and He will forget what we cannot forget: (the ingratitude of souls that abandon Him in a deserted tabernacle!…) |
2-17-9 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-17-5 (Silence, Hidden), 16-17-7 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-17-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 17 | GCI 641 -642, July 27 -29, 1890, LT 109: to Marie Guerin. |
22-17-2 | Marie of the Blessed Sacrament!… Your name speaks your mission…. Console Jesus, make Him loved by souls…. Jesus is sick, and we must state that the sickness of love is healed only through love!… Marie, really give your whole heart to Jesus, He is thirsty for it, He is hungry for it. Your heart, that is what He longs for, even to the point that to have it for Himself He consents to lodge under a dirty and hidden nook!… Ah! how not love a Friend who reduces Himself to such extreme indigence, and how does one dare speak of one's poverty when Jesus makes Himself like His fiancee…. He was rich and He made Himself poor in order to unite His poverty to the poverty of Marie of the Blessed Sacrament…. What a mystery of love!… |
17-17-6 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 17 | GCI 665, Sept. 3, 1890, LC 137: from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
22-17-3 | …He isn't giving you any consolation because you are in His arms, and you are not walking, He is carrying you…. Does the child in its Father's arms need any other consolation?… and so I can picture Jesus carrying His little grain of sand, and, burdened with this light load, He is running in search of souls…. The little grain of sand stirs, it leaps when it sees some poor wounded lambs hidden in the bushes…. And Jesus is pleased with its desires. He saves the poor sinners with the help of His little grain of sand…. | 4-17-2 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment) 27-17-1 (Sinners), 29-17-6 (Consolation), 39-17-6 (Pauline) |
| 18 | GCII 725, April 26, 1891, LT 127: to Celine. |
22-18-1 | …He wills that His little flower save souls for Him; for this He wills only one thing: that His flower look at Him while suffering her martyrdom…. |
2-18-3 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 16-18-1 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), |
| 18 | GCII 728, July 8, 1891, LT 129: to Celine. |
22-18-2 | … Oh! what an exile it is, the exile of earth, especially during these hours when everything seems to abandon us…. But it is then that it is precious, it is then that the day of salvation dawns; yes, dear Celine, suffering alone can give birth to souls for Jesus…. Is it surprising that we are so favored, we whose only desire is to save a soul that seems to be lost forever?… |
2-18-4 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-18-1 (The Little Way) |
| 18 | GCII 732 -733, July 23, 1891, LT 130: to Celine. |
22-18-3 | …Life is then a dream?… and to think that with this dream we can save souls!… Ah! Celine, let us not forget souls, but let us forget ourselves for them, and one day Jesus will say, when looking at us: “How beautiful is the chaste generation of virgin souls.” |
7-18-2 (Renunciation, Forget Self) |
| 19 | GCII 752 -753, Aug. 15, 1892, LT 135: to Celine. |
22-19-1 |
…And this Beloved instructs my soul, he speaks to it in silence, in
darkness…. Recently, there came a thought to me which I have to tell
my Celine. It was one day when I was thinking of what I could do
to save souls, a word of the gospel gave me a real light. In days
gone by, Jesus said to His disciples when showing them the fields of
ripe corn: “
Lift up your
eyes and see how
the fields are already white
enough to be harvested,” (John 4:35.) and a little later: “
In truth, the harvest
is abundant but the number of laborers is small, ask then the master
of the harvest to send laborers.” (Matthew 9:37-38.) What a
mystery!… Is not Jesus
all-powerful? Are not creatures His who made them? Why, then, does
Jesus say: “Ask the Lord of the harvest that he send some
workers?” Why?… Ah!
it is because Jesus has so incomprehensible a love for us
that He wills that we have a share with Him in the salvation of souls.
He wills to do nothing without us. The Creator of the universe awaits
the prayer of a poor little soul to save other souls redeemed like it
at the price of all His Blood. Our own vocation is not to go out
to harvest the fields of ripe corn. Jesus does not say to us: “Lower
your eyes, look at the fields and go harvest them.” Our mission is
still more sublime. These are the words of Jesus: “
Lift your eyes and
see.” See how in my heaven there are empty places; it is up to you
to fill them, you are my Moses praying on the mountain, ask me for
workers and I shall send them, I await only a prayer, a sigh from
your heart! Is not the apostolate of prayer, so to speak, more elevated than that of the word? Our mission as Carmelites is to form evangelical workers who will save thousands of souls whose mothers we shall be…. |
3-19-1 (Silence, Hidden), 5-19-1 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 14-19-1 (The Little Way), 16-19-1 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 40-19-1 (Participation to Salvation), 43-19-1 (Darkness) |
| 21 | GCII 854, May 22, 1894, LT 164: to Sr. The- rese- Dosi -thee (Leo- nie). |
22-21-1 | Which of the Therese will be the more fervent?…The one who will be more humble, more united to Jesus, more faithful in performing all her actions through love!… Ah! let us pray for one another in order to be equally faithful…. Let us wound Jesus by our eye and by a single hair, this is, by the greatest thing and by the littlest. Let us not refuse Him the least sacrifice. Everything is so big in religion… to pick up a pin out of love can convert a soul. What a mystery!… Ah! it is Jesus alone who can give such a value to our actions; let us love Him with all our strength…. |
2-21-4 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 17-21-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 42-21-2 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 22 | SS 174. |
22-22-1 | I had the happiness of contemplating for a long time the marvels Jesus is working by means of my dear Mother. I see that suffering alone give birth to souls, and more than ever before these sublime words of Jesus unveil their depths to me:“ Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit.” (John12:24.) |
2-22-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials) |
| 22 | SS 277. |
22-22-2 |
I thank You, O my God! for all the graces You have granted me,
especially the grace of making me pass through
the crucible of
suffering. It is with joy I shall contemplate You on the Last
Day carrying the sceptre of Your Cross.
Since You deigned
to give me a share in this very precious Cross, I hope in heaven
to resemble You and to see shining in my glorified body the sacred
stigmata of Your Passion…. After earth's Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for Your Love alone with the one purpose of pleasing You, consoling Your Sacred Heart, and saving souls who will love You eternally. |
2-22-7 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-22-7 (The Little Way), 17-22-12 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-22-7 (Mercy of God, Graces) |
| 23 | GCII 935, Feb. 24- March 17, 1896, LT 185: to Sr. Gene- vieve (Ce- line). |
22-23-1 |
Through love, Celine will henceforth
press to her heart the thorns of
suffering and contempt, but she has no fear because she knows from
experience that Mary can change into milk the blood flowing from
wounds made by Love…. Celine is pressing the thorns with her left hand, but with her right she is embracing Jesus, the divine bundle of myrrh resting on her heart. Celine will bring forth souls for Him alone, watering the seeds with tears, and Jesus, always joyful, will carry the sheaves of Lilies in His hands…. |
2-23-5 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 17-23-7 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 50-23-1 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains) |
23 | GCII 956, June 23, 1896, LT 189: to P. Rou- lland. |
22-23-2 | I feel very unworthy to be associated in a special way with one of the missionaries of our adorable Jesus, but since obedience entrusts me with this sweet task, I am assured my heavenly Spouse will make up for my feeble merits (upon which I in no way rely), and that He will listen to the desires of my soul by rendering fruitful your apostolate. I shall be truly happy to work with you for the salvation of souls. It is for this purpose I became a Carmelite nun; being unable to be an active missionary, I wanted to be one through love and penance just like Saint Teresa, my seraphic Mother…. |
17-23-8 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 33-23-1 (Penance) |
| 23 | GCII 966, July 12, 1896, LT191: to Celine. |
22-23-3 |
…At the time of the law of fear, before the coming of Our Lord,
the Prophet Isaias already said, speaking in the name of the King
of heaven: “Can a mother forget her
child?…Well! even if a mother
were to forget her child, I myself will never forget you.”
(Isaias 49:15.)
What
a delightful promise! Ah! we who are living in
the law of love,
how can we not profit by the loving advances our Spouse is making
to us… how can we fear Him who allows Himself to be enchained by
a hair fluttering on our neck. Let us understand, then, how to hold Him prisoner, this God who becomes the beggar of our love. When telling us that it is a hair that can effect this prodigy, He is showing us that the smallest actions done out of love are the ones which charm His Heart. Ah! if we had to do great things, how much we would have to be pitied? … How fortunate we are since Jesus allows Himself to be enchained by the smallest things.… It is not little sacrifices you lack, dear Leonie, is not your life made up of them?… I take delight at seeing you before such a treasure and especially when thinking you know how to profit from it, not only for yourself, but for souls …. It is so sweet to help Jesus by our light sacrifices, to help Him save souls that He bought at the price of His Blood and that are awaiting only our help in order not to fall into the abyss…. It seems to me that if our sacrifices are the hairs which captivate Jesus, our joys are also; for this, it suffices not to center in on a selfish happiness but to offer our Spouse the little joys He is sowing on the path of life to charm our souls and raise them to Himself…. |
1-23-1 (Self-love, Nature), 10-23-5 (Littleness), 13-23-1 (Joyful Soul), 14-23-3 (The Little Way), 17-23-10 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 42-23-4 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 23 | GCII 1014, Nov. 1, 1896, LT 201: to P. Rou- lland. |
22-23-4 | On September 8, 1890, your missionary vocation was saved by Mary, Queen of Apostles and Martyrs; on that same day, a little Carmelite became the spouse of the King of heaven. Bidding an everlasting adieu to the world, she had one goal, to save souls, especially the souls of apostles…. | |
| 23 | GCII 1041 -1042, Dec. 26, 1896, LT 213: to l'abbe Bell- iere. |
22-23-5 |
I assure you, Monsieur l'Abbe, I am doing all that is within my power
to obtain the graces necessary for you; these graces certainly will
be granted to you
since Our Lord never asks sacrifices from us above
our strength. At times, it is true, this divine Saviour makes us feel
all the bitterness of the chalice that He is offering our soul. When
He asks the sacrifice of all that is dearest in this world, it is
impossible, without a very special grace, not to cry out like Him in
the garden of agony: “
Father, let this chalice pass from me…however,
may your will be done and not mine.” (Matthew 26:39.) It is very consoling to think that Jesus, the Strong God, knew our weaknesses, that He trembled at the sight of the bitter chalice, this chalice that He had in the past so ardently desired to drink. Monsieur l'Abbe, your lot is really beautiful since Our Lord chose it for Himself and since He first wet His lips with the cup He is offering you. A Saint has said: “The greatest honor God can give a soul is not to give it much but to ask much from it!” Jesus is treating you then as a privileged one. He wills that you already begin your mission and that through suffering you may save souls. Is it not in suffering, in dying that He Himself redeemed the world?… Monsieur l'Abbe, you come seeking consolations from her whom Jesus has given you as a sister, and you have the right. Since Reverend Mother allows me to write you, I would like to respond to the sweet mission entrusted to me, but I feel the surest means of reaching my goal is to pray and to suffer…. Let us work together for the salvation of souls; we have only the one day of this life to save them and thus to give the Lord proofs of our love. |
2-23-14 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 5-23-1 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 8-23-7 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-23-8 (The Little Way), 16-23-5 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-23-15 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-23-4 (Mercy of God, Graces), 29-23-1 (Consolations), 37-23-2 (Time) |
| 24 | SS 234. |
22-24-1 | I do not hold in contempt beautiful thoughts which nourish the souls and unite it with God; but for a long time I have understood that we must not depend on them and even make perfection consist in receiving many spiritual lights. The most beautiful thoughts are nothing without good works. | 16-24-5 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 42-24-2 (Works, Actions, Great Actions), 46-24-1 (Revelations) |
| 24 | GCII 1058, Feb. 24, 1897, LT 220: to l'abbe Bell- iere. |
22-24-2 | …United in Him, our souls will be able to save many others, for this gentle Jesus has said: “ If two among you agree together on something which you ask from my Father, it will be granted them.” (Matthew 18:19.) Ah! what we are asking Him is to work for His glory, to love Him and make Him loved …. How would our union and our prayer not be blessed? |
5-24-3 (Prayer), 15-24-7 (Union with Jesus), 17-24-9 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 25-24-2 (Glory) |
| 24 | GCII 1069, March 19, 1897, LT 221: to P. Rou- lland. |
22-24-3 | …With all my heart I thank God for having left you on the field of battle in order that you may win numerous victories for Him; already your sufferings have saved many souls. Saint John of the Cross has said: “The smallest movement of pure love is more useful to the Church than all other works put together.” If it is so, how profitable for the Church must be your pains and trials since it is for the love of Jesus alone that you suffer them with joy. Truly, Brother, I cannot pity you since in you are realized these words of the Imitation: “When you find suffering sweet and when you love it for the love of Jesus Christ, you will have found paradise on earth.” This paradise is really that of the missionary and the Carmelite; the joy that worldlings seek in the midst of pleasures is only a fleeting shadow, but our joy sought and tested in works and sufferings is a very sweet reality, a foretaste of the happiness of heaven. |
2-24-18 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 17-24-11 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 23-24-6 (The Joy of Sufferings), 42-24-3 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 24 | GCII 1072, Mar. 19, 1897, LT 221: to P. Rou- lland. |
22-24-4 | I am not at all worried about the future; I am sure God will do His will, it is the only grace I desire. One must not be more kingly than the king… Jesus has no need of anyone to do His work, and if He were to accept me, this would be out of pure kindness; but to tell you the truth, Brother, I rather believe Jesus will treat me like a little lazy thing. I do not want this, for I would be happy to work and suffer a long time for Him. So I am asking Him to be content with me, that is, to pay no attention to my desires of loving Him in suffering or of going to enjoy Him in heaven. I hope, Brother, that if I were to leave this exile, you would not forget your promise of praying for me. You have always welcomed my requests with such great kindness that I am daring to make one more request from you. I do not want you to ask God to deliver me from the flames of purgatory; Saint Teresa said to her daughters when they wanted to pray for her: “What does it matter to me to remain until the end of the world in purgatory if through my prayers I save a single soul?” These words find an echo in my heart. I would like to save souls and forget myself for them; I would like to save them even after my death. So I would be happy if you were to say then, instead of the little prayer you are saying and which will be always realized: “My God, allow my sister to make you still loved.” |
2-24-19 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 5-24-4 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 7-24-8 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 16-24-7 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-24-12 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-24-6 (Mercy of God, Graces), 37-24-2 (Time) |
| 24 | GCII 1092, May 9, 1897, LT 226: to P. Rou- lland. |
22-24-5 |
…On this earth, where all changes, one single thing remains, and this
is the conduct of the King of heaven regarding his friends. Ever since
He has lifted up the standard of the Cross, it is under its shadow that
all must fight and carry off the victory. Theophane Venard
said : “The
whole of a missionary's life is fruitful in the Cross”, and again:
“To be truly happy we must suffer, and to live
we must die.” Brother, the beginnings of your apostolate are marked with the seal of the Cross; the Lord is treating you as a privileged one. It is more by persecution and suffering than by brilliant preaching that He wills to make His kingdom firm in souls. You say: “I am still a child who cannot speak.” Pere Mazel, who was ordained the same day as you, did not know how to speak either; however, he has already taken up the palm. … Oh! how the divine thoughts are above ours!… |
2-24-20 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 16-24-8 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 23-24-7 (The Joy of Sufferings) |
| 24 | GCII 1117, June, 1897, (?), LT 241: to Sr. Martha of Jesus. |
22-24-6 |
Dear little Sister, yes, I understood all…. I am begging Jesus to make the sun
of His grace shine in your soul. Ah! do not fear to tell Him
you love Him, even
without feeling it. This is the way to force Jesus to help you, to carry you like
a little child too feeble to walk. It is a great trial to look on the black side, but this does not depend on you completely. Do what you can; detach your heart from the worries of this earth, and above all from creatures, and then be sure Jesus will do the rest. He will be unable to allow you to fall into the dreaded mire…. Be consoled, dear little Sister, in heaven you will no longer take a dark view of everything but a very bright view…. Yes, everything will be decked out in the divine brightness of our Spouse, the Lily of the valleys. Together we shall follow Him everywhere He goes…. Ah! let us profit from the short moment of life… together let us please Jesus, let us save souls for Him by our sacrifices…. Above all, let us be little, so little that everybody may trample us underfoot, without our even having the appearance of feeling it and suffering from it…. |
2-24-21 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 10-24-9 (Littleness), 14-24-8 (The Little Way), 16-24-10 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-24-14 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-24-10 (Mercy of God, Graces), 37-24-3 (Time), 41-24-1 (Unfelt Love) |
| 24 | GCII 1134, June 21, 1897, LT 247: to l'abbe Bell- iere. |
22-24-7 | I know there are some saints who spent their life in the practice of astonishing mortifications to expiate their sins, but what of it; “there are many mansions in the house of heavenly Father,” (John 14:2.) Jesus has said, and it is because of this that I followed the way He is tracing out for me. I try to be no longer occupied with myself in anything, and I abandon myself to what Jesus sees fit to do in my soul, for I have not chosen an austere life to expiate my faults but those of others. |
4-24-5 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 7-24-10 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 14-24-12 (The Little Way), 27-24-5 (Sinners, Sins), 33-24-1 (Penance, Mortification) |
| 24 | LC 56, June 4. |
22-24-8 | …&$147I don't know whether I'll go purgatory or not, but I'm not in the least bit disturbed about it; however, if I do go there, I'll not regret having done nothing to avoid it. I shall not be sorry for having worked solely for the salvation for souls. How happy I was to learn that our holy Mother, St. Teresa, thought the same way! | |
| 24 | LC 118, July 30. |
22-24-9 | 3. “I would not want to have picked up a pin to avoid purgatory. Everything I did was done to please God, to save souls for Him.” | |
| 24 | LC 205, Sept. 30. |
22-24-10 |
“O Mother, present me quickly to the Blessed Virgin! I'm a
baby who
can't stand anymore!… Prepare me for death.” Mother Prioress told her that since she had always understood humility, her preparation was already made. She reflected a moment and spoke these words humbly: “Yes, it seems to me I never sought anything but the truth; yes, I have understood humility of heart.... It seems to me I'm humble.” She repeated once more: “All I wrote about my desires for suffering. Oh! it's true just the same!”… “And I am not sorry for delivering myself up to Love.” With insistence: “Oh! no, I'm not sorry; on the contrary!” A little later: “Never would I have believed it was possible to suffer so much! never! never! I cannot explain this except by the ardent desires I have had to save souls.” |
2-24-78 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 12-24-17 (Humility, Humbleness), (Truth) |
| 24 | LC 289, Aug. 26, a note from Dr. Francis La Neele. |
22-24-11 |
…After I examined her, I had
her sit up on her pillows. She asked:“Am
I going to heaven soon?”
“Not yet, dear little sister. God
wants you
to wait for a few more weeks so that your crown will be more beautiful
in heaven. “ Oh! no, I'm not thinking of that! It's only to save souls that I want to suffer more.” I answered: “That's very true, but when you save souls, you climb up higher in heaven, you are closer to God.” She answered with a radiant smile which lighted up her face as though heaven had opened before her eyes, flooding her with its divine brightness. |
2-24-66 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials) |
Proceed to the next List 23 The Joy of Sufferings:The Joy of Sufferings.