| Age | Sources and Pages | Code Number | Quotations | Relevant Key Words, Phrases and Their Code Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6~ 7 |
SS 47. |
24-6-1 | It is from the midst of this ineffable glory where he reigns in heaven that our dear Father obtained for us the grace to understand the vision his little Queen had at an age when illusions are not to be feared. It is from the midst of glory he obtained this sweet consolation of understanding that God, ten years before our great trial, was already showing it to us. He was doing this as a Father who gives His children a glimpse of the glorious future He is preparing for them and is pleased to have them consider in advance the priceless riches which will be their heritage. |
2-6-1 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosseses, Trials), 25-6-2 (Glory), 29-6-1 (Consolation) |
| 6~7 | SS 48 -49. |
24-6-2 |
In the evening at that moment when the sun seems to bathe itself in the
immensity of the waves, leaving a luminous trail behind, I went and sat
down on a huge rock with Pauline. Then I recalled the touching story of
the “Golden Trail.” I contemplated this luminous trail for a long time.
It was to me the image of God's grace shedding its light across the path
the little white-sailed vessel had to travel.
|
17-6-2 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 39-6-4 (Pauline) |
| 7 | SS 57. |
24-7-1 |
One evening, I heard you say that from the time one received one's
First Communion, one had to commence living a new life, and
I
immediately made the resolution not to wait for that day but to commence
the very same time as Celine. Never had I felt I loved her as much as
I did during her three-day retreat; for the first time in my life, I
was separated from her and I didn't sleep in her bed. The first day,
forgetting she was not going to return, I kept a small bunch of cherries
which Papa had brought me in order to eat them with her. When I didn't
see her returning home I was really sad. Papa consoled me by saying he
would take me the next day to the Abbey to see my Celine and that I would
give her another bunch of cherries! The day of Celine's First Communion left me with an impression similar to my own First Communion. When awakening in the morning all alone in the big bed, I felt inundated with joy.“It's today! The great day has arrived.” I repeated this over and over again. It seemed it was I who was going to make my First Communion. I believe I received great graces that day and I consider it one of the most beautiful in my life. |
18-7-1 (Holy Communion), 39-7-1 (Pauline) |
| 8~9 | SS 72. |
24-8-1 | When reading the accounts of the patriotic deeds of French heroines, especially the Venerable JOAN OF ARC, I had a great desire to imitate them; and it seemed I felt within me the same burning zeal with which they were animated, the same heavenly inspiration. Then I received a grace which I have always looked upon as one of the greatest in my life because at that age I wasn't receiving the lights I'm now receiving when I am flooded with them. I considered that I was born for glory and when I searched out the means of attaining it, God inspired in me the sentiments I have just described. He made me understand my own glory would not be evident to the eyes of mortals, that it would consist in becoming a great saint! This desire could certainly appear daring if one were to consider how weak and imperfect I was, and how, after seven years in the religious life, I still am weak and imperfect. I always feel, however, the bold confidence of becoming a great saint because I don't count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in Him who is Virtue and Holiness. God alone, content with my weak efforts, will raise me to Himself and make me a saint, clothing me in His infinite merits. I didn't think then that one had to suffer very much to reach sanctity, but God was not long in showing me this was so and in sending me the trials I have already mentioned. |
2-8-3 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 4-8-1 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 8-8-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-8-1 (The Little Way), 16-8-1 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 21-8-1 (A Saint), 25-8-2 (Glory) |
| 9 | SS57 -58. |
24-9-1 | …This was no doubt not said seriously, but little Therese had taken it seriously; and how she suffered when she heard her dear Pauline speaking one day to Marie about her coming entrance into Carmel. I didn't know what Carmel was, but I understood that Pauline was going to leave me to enter a convent. I understood, too, she would not wait for me and I was about to lose my second Mother! Ah! how can I express the anguish of my heart! In one instant, I understood what life was; until then, I had never seen it so sad; but it appeared to me in all its reality, and I saw it was nothing but a continual suffering and separation. I shed bitter tears because I did not yet understand the joy of sacrifice. I was weak, so weak that I consider it a great grace to have been able to support a trial which seemed to be far above my strength! |
2-9-1 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 8-9-1 (Weakness, Frailties), 23-9-1 (Joy of Suffering), 39-9-1 (Pauline) |
| 10 | SS 73. |
24-10-1 | …I must admit this type of life had its charms for me. Wisdom is right in saying: “ The bewitching of vanity overturns the innocent mind!” (Wisdom 4:12.) At the age of ten the heart allows itself to be easily dazzled, and I consider it a great grace not to have remained at Alencon. The friends we had there were too worldly; they knew too well how to ally the joys of this earth to the service of God. They didn't think about death enough, and yet death had paid its visit to a great number of those whom I knew, the young, the rich, the happy! I love to return in spirit to the enchanting places where they live, wondering where these people are, what became of their houses and gardens where I saw them enjoy life's luxuries? And I see that all is vanity and vexation of spirit under the sun, (Ecclesiastes 2:11.) that the only good is to love God with all one's heart and to be poor in spirit here on earth. |
9-10-1 (Poor in Spirit), 14-10-1 (The Little Way), 17-10-1 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 11 | SS 79 -80. |
24-11-1 | The day after my communion, the words of Marie came to my mind. I felt born within my heart a great desire to suffer , and at the same time the interior assurance that Jesus reserved a great number of crosses for me. I felt myself flooded with consolations so great that I look upon them as one of the greatest graces of my life. Suffering became my attraction; it had charms about it which ravished me without my understanding them very well. Up until this time, I had suffered without loving suffering, but since this day I felt a real love for it. I also felt the desire of loving only God, of finding my joy only in Him. Often during my Communions, I repeated these words of the Imitation:“ O Jesus, unspeakable sweetness, change all the consolations of this earth into bitterness for me.” This prayer fell from my lips without effort, without constraint; it seemed I repeated it not with my will but like a child who repeats the words a person he loves has inspired in him. |
2-11-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 5-11-1 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 14-11-3 (The Little Way), 17-11-2 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 18-11-2 (Holy Communion), 29-11-1 (Consolation) |
| 11 | SS 83 -84. |
24-11-2 |
…Without having drunk the empoisoned cup of a too ardent love of
creatures, I feel I cannot be mistaken. I have seen so many souls,
seduced by this false light, fly like poor moths and burn their
wings, and then return to the real and gentle light of Love that
gives them new wings which are more brilliant and delicate, so that
they can fly towards Jesus, that Divine Fire “which burns without
consuming.” Ah! I feel it! Jesus knew I was too feeble to be exposed
to temptation; perhaps I would have allowed myself to be burned
entirely by the misleading light had I seen it shining in my eyes.
It was not so for me, for I encountered only bitterness where
stronger souls met with joy, and they detached themselves from it
through fidelity.
I have no merit at all, then, in not having given
myself up to the love of creatures. I was preserved from it only
through God's mercy! I know that without Him, I could have fallen as low as St. Mary Magdalene, and the profound words of Our Lord to Simon resound with a great sweetness in my soul. I know that “ he to whom less is forgiven, LOVES less,” (Luke 7:47.) but I also know that Jesus has forgiven me more than St. Mary Magdalene since He forgave me in advance of preventing me from falling. Ah! I wish I could explain what I feel…. |
8-11-2 (Weakness, Frailty), 15-11-2 (Union with Jesus), 16-11-2 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-11-3 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 45-11-1 (Magdalene) |
| 11 | GCI 196, April 5(?), 1884, LC28: from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
24-11-3 | …Ah! for me, too, undoubtedly, this day will be a heavenly day, but to me who am a grown-up Jesus will give Himself as a grown-up, that is, I will not see Him in His crib, as you will, my darling, but the Cross, and not with roses but with the love of His thorns, not with His smile but with His tears…. You must, then, beg from your little Jesus the grace for me to love Him as a grown-up, to live and die in the shadow of His Cross, refusing Him no sacrifices. |
2-11-7 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 39-11-9 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 201, May 6, 1884, from Fr. P. Pichon |
24-11-4 | …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), 22-11-1 (Salvation of Souls) |
| 24 | LC 123, July 31. |
24-11-5 |
13. “I have found happiness
and joy on earth, but soley in suffering,
for I've suffered very much here below; you must make it known
to souls…. “Since my First Communion, since the time I asked Jesus to change all the consolations of this earth into bitterness for me, I had a perpetual desire to suffer. I wasn't thinking, however, of making suffering my joy: this is a grace that was given to me later on. Up until then, it was like a spark hidden beneath the ashes, and like blossoms on a tree that must become fruit in time. but seeing my blossoms always falling, that is, allowing myself to fall into tears whenever I suffered, I said to myself with astonishment and sadness: “But I will never go beyond the stage of desires!” |
2-24-51 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-11-7 (The Little Way), 23-24-12 (Joy of Suffering), 29-11-2 (Consolation), 47-24-3 (Consistency of Spirituality), |
| 12 | SS 86. |
24-12-1 | …Oh! how I pity souls that are lost! It is so easy to go astray on the flowery paths of the world. Undoubtedly, for a soul a little advanced spiritually, the sweetness which the world offers is mixed with bitterness, and the immense void of the desires cannot be filled by the praises of an instant. However, if my heart had not been raised to God from the dawn of reason, if the world had smiled on me from my entrance into life, what would have become of me? O my dear Mother, with what gratitude I sing the Mercies of the Lord! Did he not, according to the words of Wisdom: “… draw me from the world before my spirit was corrupted by its malice and before its deceitful appearances had seduced my soul.”(Wisdom 4:11.) | |
| 13 | SS 91. |
24-13-1 | …A month before her entrance into Carmel, Papa brought us to Alencon, but this trip was far from resembling the first; everything about it was sadness and bitterness for me. I cannot express the tears I shed on Mamma's grave because I had forgotten to bring the bouquet of corn-flowers I had gathered especially for her. I really made a big fuss over everything! I was just the opposite of what I am now, for God has given me the grace not to be downcast at any passing thing. When I think of the past, my soul overflows with gratitude when I see the favors I received from heaven. It is true that I desired the grace of “having absolute control over my actions, of not being their slave but their mistress.”(IC p.96 III, 38) These words of the Imitation touched me deeply, but I had to buy, so to speak, this inestimable grace through my desires;… | 38-13-1 (Disposition) |
| 13 | SS 97. |
24-13-2 | Although God showered His graces upon me, it wasn't because I merited them because I was still very imperfect. I had a great desire, it is true to practice virtue, but I went about it in a strange way. Being the youngest in the family, I wasn't accustomed to doing things for myself. Celine tidied up the room in which we slept, and I myself didn't do any housework whatsoever. After Marie's entrance into Carmel, it sometimes happened that I tried to make up the bed to please God, or else in the evening, when Celine was away, I'd bring in her plants. But as I already said, it was for God alone I was doing these things and should not have expected any thanks from creatures. Alas, it was just the opposite. If Celine was unfortunate enough not to seem happy or surprised because of these little services, I became unhappy and proved it by my tears. | |
| 13 | SS 97 -98. |
24-13-3 |
God would have to work a little miracle to make me grow up in an instant,
and this miracle He performed on that unforgettable Christmas day. On that
luminous night which sheds such light on the delights of
the Holy Trinity,
Jesus, the gentle, little Child of only one hour, changed the night of my
soul into rays of light.
On that night when He made Himself subject to
weakness and suffering for love of me, He made me strong and courageous,
arming me with His weapons. Since that
night I have never been defeated
in any combat, but rather walked from victory to victory,
beginning, so
to speak, “to run as a giant!” The source of my tears was
dried up and
has since re-opened rarely and with great difficulty. This justified what
was often said to me: “You cry so much during your childhood, you'll no
longer have tears to shed later on!” It was December 25, 1886, that I received the grace of leaving my childhood, in a word, the grace of my complete conversion. |
2-13-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 5-13-1 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 14-13-1 (The Little Way), 49-13-1 (Trinity) |
| 14 | SS 100 -101. |
24-14-1 | … 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), 22-14-2 (Salvation of Souls) |
| 14 | SS 102. |
24-14-2 |
…I was nourished for a long time on the “pure flour”
contained in the Imitation of Christ, this being the only book which did me
any good, for as yet I had not discovered the treasures hidden in the Gospel. I knew almost all the chapters of my beloved Imitation by heart. This little book never parted company with me, for in Summer I carried it in my pocket, in winter, in my muff…. With my new desire for knowledge at the age of fourteen, God found it necessary to join to the “pure flour” some “honey and oil in abundance.” This honey and oil He showed me in Abbe Arminjon's conferences on the end of the present world and the mysteries of the future life. This book had been lent to Papa by my dear Carmelites, and contrary to my custom (I didn't read Papa's book), I asked to read it. This reading was one of the greatest graces in my life. I read it by the window of my study, and the impressions I received are too deep to express in human words. |
35-14-1 (Books), |
| 14 | SS 104. |
24-14-3 |
…As the Imitation says, God communicates Himself at times in the midst
of great splendor or “gently veiled, under shadows and figures.” It was
in this way He deigned to manifest Himself to our souls, but how light and
transparent the veil was which hid Jesus from our gaze! Doubt was impossible,
faith and hope were unnecessary, and Love made us find on earth the One whom
we were seeking. “Having found us alone, he gave
us his kiss, in order that
in the future no one could despise us.” (Canticle of Canticles 8:1.) Graces as great as this were not to be without fruit and it was abundant. The practice of virtue became sweet and natural to us. At the beginning, it is true, my face betrayed the struggle, but little by little this vanished and renunciation was easy, even the first call of grace, … |
2-14-3 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 7-14-2 (Reunuciation, Forget Self), 17-14-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 28-14-2 (Peace), |
| 14 | SS 104. |
24-14-4 | …For a grace received faithfully, He granted me a multitude of others. He gave Himself to me in Holy Communion more frequently than I would have dared hope. I'd taken as a rule of conduct to receive, without missing a single one, the Communions my confessor permitted, allowing him to regulate the number and not asking. At this time in my life, I didn't have the boldness I now have, for I'm very sure a soul must tell her confessor the attraction she feels to receive her God. It is not to remain in a golden ciborium that He comes to us each day from heaven; it's to find another heaven, infinitely more dear to Him than the first: the heaven of our soul, made to His image, the living temple of the adorable Trinity! |
18-14-1 (Holy Communion), 49-14-1 (Trinity), |
| 14 | SS 105. |
24-14-5 | …It was with such an intention that Jesus showered His graces so lavishly upon His little flower, he, who cried out in His mortal life: “I thank thee, Father, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them to babes,” (Matthew 11:25.) willed to have His mercy shine out in me. Because I was little and weak He lowered himself to me, and He instructed me secretly in the things of His love. Ah! had the learned who spent their life in study come to me, undoubtedly they would have been astonished to see a child of fourteen understand perfection's secrets, secrets all their knowledge cannot reveal because to possess them one has to be poor in spirit! |
8-14-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 9-14-1 (Poor in Spirit), 10-14-1 (Littleness), 14-14-3 (The Little Way), 16-14-1 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-14-5 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 44-14-1 (Reveals to the Little Ones), 48-14-1 (The Wise and the Prudent), |
| 14 | SS 114. |
24-14-6 |
…Ah!what that trip cost me! God had to give me a very
special grace
to overcome my timidity. It's also very true that “love never finds
impossibilities, because it believes everything is possible, everything
is permitted.” (TIC, III, 5:4.) It was surely only love of Jesus that
could help me
surmount these difficulties and the ones that followed, for it pleased
Him to have me buy my vocation with
very great trials. Today, when I am enjoying Carmel's solitude ( resting in the shadow of him whom I have so ardently desired (Canticle of Canticles 2:3.)), I find I paid very little for my happiness, and would be ready to bear with even greater trials to acquire it if I still didn't have it! |
2-14-8 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 17-14-8 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), |
| 14 | GCI 329, Nov. 11, 1887, L C62: from Mother Marie de Gon- zague. |
24-14-7 | …Yes, confidence, dear child of my heart; everything that Jesus wills is marked with the seal of the Cross, and we must not drag this Cross but carry it! The longer you live, my treasure, the more you will understand all the sacrifices for his love that the grace of the vocation Jesus has given you merits…. |
2-14-19 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 4-14-6 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 16-14-4 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), |
| 15 | SS 149. |
24-15-1 | …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), 22-15-3 (Salvation of Souls), 46-15-1 (Revelations) |
| 15 | SS 150. |
24-15-2 | …God permitted that she (Mother Marie de Gonzague) was VERY SEVERE without her even being aware of it. I was unable to meet her without having to kiss the floor, and it was the same thing on those rare occasions when she gave me spiritual direction. What an inestimable grace! How visibly God was acting within her who took His place!… | |
| 15 | GCI 467 -468, Oct. 20, 1888, LT65: to Celine. |
24-15-3 | When I think that if God were to give us the entire universe with all its treasures that this would not be comparable to the lightest suffering! What a grace when, in the morning, we feel no courage, no strength to practice virtue; that is the moment to put the axe to the root of the tree. Instead of wasting our time gathering a few baubles, we can dip into diamonds, and what a profit at the end of the day…. It is true that sometimes, for a few moments, we look with scorn at gathering our treasures, and this is the difficult moment. We are tempted to leave all behind, but in one act of love, even unfelt love, all is repaired, and Jesus smiles. He is helping us without seeming to do so, and the tears that the wicked make Him shed are dried by our poor and feeble love. Love can do all things, and the most difficult things don't appear difficult to it. Jesus does not look so much at the grandeur of actions or even their difficulty as at the love which goes to make up these actions…. |
2-15-16 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-15-5 (The Little Way), 17-15-3 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 41-15-1 (Unfelt Love), 42-15-1 (Works, Actions, Great Actions), |
| 16? | SS 152. |
24-16-1 |
…I understood what real
glory was.
He whose Kingdom is not of this world
(John 18:36.) showed me that true wisdom consists
in “desiring to be unknown
and counted as nothing,” in “placing one's joy in the contempt
of self.”
Ah! I desired that, like the Face of Jesus, “
my face be truly hidden, that
no one on earth would know me.” (Isaias 53:3.)
I thirsted after
suffering and I longed to be forgotten. How merciful is the way God has guided me. Never has He given me the desire for anything which He has not given me, and even His bitter chalice seemed delightful to me. |
2-16-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-16-1 (Silence, Hidden), 7-16-1 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 11-16-1 (Nothingness), 14-16-1 (The Little Way), 23-16-1 (Joy of Suffering), 25-16-1 (Glory), |
| 16~17 | SS 248 -249. |
24-16-2 | …Instead of the beautiful strains of music I heard only her occasional complaints, and instead of the rich gildings I saw only the bricks of our austere cloister, hardly visible in the faintly glimmering light. I cannot express in words what happened in my soul; what I know is that the Lord illumined it with rays of truth which so surpassed the dark brilliance of earthly feasts that I could not believe my happiness. Ah! I would not have exchanged the ten minutes employed in carrying out my humble office of charity to enjoy a thousand years of worldly feasts. If already in suffering and in combat one can enjoy a moment of happiness that surpasses all the joys of this earth, and this when simply considering that God has withdrawn us from this world, what will this happiness be in heaven when one shall see in the midst of eternal joy and everlasting repose the incomparable grace the Lord gave us when He chose us to dwell in His house, heaven's real portal? |
2-16-9 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-16-3 (The Little Way), 20-16-1 (Truth), 23-16-3 (Joy of Suffering), 37-16-2 (Time), |
| 16 | GCI 529 -530, Jan. 23- 25(?), 1889, LT81, to Celine. |
24-16-3 |
You give me an impression, at this moment, of a person who is surrounded with
immense riches… the sight of them is lost over the horizon…. This person wants
to turn her back because, she says, too many riches embarrass her, she does not know
what to do with them; it is better to lose them, or that another take them!… That
other will not come, for these riches are prepared for the fiancee of Jesus… and
for her alone!… God would turn the world upside down to find
suffering in order
to give it to a soul upon whom His DIVINE glance has rested with an indescribable
love!… The things of this earth…what do they mean to us?… Should this be our homeland, this slime, so unworthy of an immortal soul… and what does it matter to us that cowardly men harvest the mustiness that grows on this slime? The more our heart is in heaven, the less we feel these pinpricks…. But believe that this is a grace and a great grace to feel these pinpricks, for, then, our life is a martyrdom, and one day Jesus will give us the palm. To suffer and to be despised!…what bitterness but what glory…. Suffer both again and always…. But all passes. |
2-16-18 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-16-6 (The Little Way), 17-16-5 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 25-16-2 (Glory), 37-16-3 (Time), |
| 16 | GCI 546- 547, March 12, 1889, LT 85: to Celine. |
24-16-4 |
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), 22-16-3 (Salvation of Souls), 40-16-1 (Participation to Salvation), 50-16-2 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains and Tears), |
| 16 | GCI 580, Jul.? Aug.?, 1889, LT 95, to Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
24-16-5 |
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), 22-16-6 (Salvation of Souls), 39-16-7 (Pauline) |
| 17 | SS 165. |
24-17-1 | …God showed me clearly, however, without my perceiving it, the way to please Him and to practice the most sublime virtues. I have frequently noticed that Jesus doesn't want me to lay up provisions; He nourishes me at each moment with a totally new food; I find it within me without my knowing how it is there. I believe it is Jesus Himself hidden in the depths of my poor little heart: He is giving me the grace of acting within me, making me think of all He desires me to do at the present moment. |
15-17-1 (Union with Jesus), 37-17-1 (Time) |
| 17 | SS 169. |
24-17-2 | …but I haven't said anything to you as yet concerning my good fortune at knowing our holy Mother Genevieve. This certainly was a priceless gift; God, who had given me so many graces, willed that I should live with a saint. Not one that was inimitable, but one who was made holy by the practice of the hidden virtues, the ordinary virtues…. |
3-17-1 (Silence, Hidden), 14-17-1 (The Little Way), 16-17-4 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 21-17-1 (A Saint), 30-17-1 (Ordinary) |
| 17~18 | SS 172 -173. |
24-17-3 | …All this, however, does not prevent both distractions and sleepiness from visiting me, but at the end of the thanksgiving when I see that I've made it so badly I make a resolution to be thankful all through the rest of the day. You see, dear Mother, that I am far from being on the way of fear; I always find a way of being happy and of profiting from my miseries; no doubt this does not displease Jesus since He seems to encourage me on this road. Contrary to my usual state of mind, one day I was a little disturbed when going to Communion; it seemed to me that God was not satisfied with me and I said to myself: Ah! if I receive only half a host today, this will cause me great sorrow, and I shall believe that Jesus comes regretfully into my heart. I approached, and oh, what joy! For the first time in my life I saw the priest take two hosts which were well separated from each other and place them on my tongue! You can understand my joy and the sweet tears of consolation I shed when beholding a mercy so great! |
2-17-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 18-17-1 (Holy Communion), 23-17-1 (Joy of Suffering), 29-17-1 (Consolation), 32-17-1 (Uncertainty of her Faith) |
| 17 | GCI 641, July 27 -29, 1890, LT 109: to Marie Guerin. |
24-17-4 |
…You are mistaken, my darling, if you believe that your little
Therese walks always with fervor on the road of virtue.
She is
weak and very weak, and every day she has a new experience of
this weakness, but, Marie, Jesus is pleased to teach her, as He
did St. Paul, the science of rejoicing in her infirmities. This
is a great grace, and I beg Jesus to teach it to you, for peace
and quiet of heart are to be found there only. When we see
ourselves as so miserable, then we no longer wish to consider
ourselves, and we look only on the unique Beloved!… Dear little Marie, as for myself, I know no other means of reaching perfection but (love)…. |
8-17-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-17-4 (The Little Way), 16-17-8 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 28-17-1 (Peace) |
| 18 | GCII 724, April 26, 1891, LT 127: to Celine. |
24-18-1 |
For the fourth time Therese is coming from the solitude of Carmel to wish you
a happy birthday…. Oh! how these wishes little resemble those of the world,
…
It is not health, happiness, fortune, glory, etc.,
that Therese desires for her
Celine; oh, no, it is exile; our heart is there where
our treasure is, and our
treasure is up above in the homeland where Jesus prepares a place near Himself.
I say
one place and not places, for no doubt
the same throne is reserved to
those who on earth have always been only one soul…. Together we grew up;
together
Jesus instructed us in His secrets, sublime secrets
that He hides from the mighty
and reveals to the little ones;… Yes, by separating us, He
has united us in a
way unknown up to that time to my soul, for since that moment I can desire nothing
for myself alone but for us both…. Ah, Celine!… Three years ago our souls had not yet been broken; happiness was still possible for us on earth, but Jesus cast a glance of love on us, a glance veiled in tears, and this glance has become for us an ocean of suffering, but also an ocean of graces and love. |
2-18-2 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 7-18-1 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 17-18-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 44-18-1 (Reveals to Little Ones), 50-18-1 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains and Tears) |
| 21 | GCII 851, Apr. 26, 1894. LT 161, to Celine. |
24-21-1 | Do not fear, dear Celine, as long as your lyre does not cease to sing for Jesus, never will it break…. No doubt it is fragile, more fragile than crystal. If you were to give it to an inexperienced musician, soon it would break; but Jesus is the one who makes the lyre of your heart sound…. He is happy that you are feeling your weakness; He is the one placing in your soul sentiments of mistrust of itself. Dear Celine, thank Jesus. He grants you His choice graces; if always you remain faithful in pleasing Him in little things He will find Himself OBLIGED to help you in GREAT Things…. |
8-21-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 10-21-1 (Littleness), 14-21-2 (The Little Way), 17-21-3 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 42-21-1 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 22 | SS 14. |
24-22-1 |
…Perfection consists in doing His will, in being
what He wills us to be. I understood, too, that Our Lord's love is revealed as perfectly in the most simple soul that resists His grace in nothing as in the most excellent soul; in fact, since the nature of love is to humble oneself,… |
2-22-1 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 12-22-1 (Humility, Humbleness), 14-22-1 (The Little Way), 16-22-1 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-22-1 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 22 | SS 14 -15. |
24-22-2 | … Just as the sun shines simultaneously on the tall cedars and on each little flower as though it were alone on the earth, so Our Lord is occupied particularly with each soul as though there were no others like it. And just as in nature all the seasons are arranged in such a way as to make the humblest daisy bloom on a set day, in the same way, everything works out for the good of each soul. |
12-22-2 (Humility, Humbleness), 16-22-2 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity) |
| 22 | SS 174 -175. |
24-22-3 | Yes, for the past two years I have understood very well the mysteries hidden from me until then. God showed me the same mercy he showed to King Solomon. He has not willed that I have one single desire which is not fulfilled, not only my desires for perfection but those too whose vanity I have understood without having experienced it. As I have always looked upon you, dear Mother, as my ideal, I desired to be like you in everything; when I saw you do beautiful paintings and delightful poems, I said to myself: How happy I would be if I were able to paint and to know how to express my thoughts in verse and thus do good to souls. I would not have wanted to ask for these natural gifts and my desires remained hidden away at the bottom of my heart. Jesus hidden also in this poor little heart was pleased to show it that everything is vanity and affliction of spirit under the sun. (Ecclesiates 2:11.) |
16-22-4 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity) |
| 22 | SS 180. |
24-22-4 | …It seems to me that if all creatures had received the same graces I received, God would be feared by none but would be loved to the point of folly: and through love, not through fear, no one would ever consent to cause Him any pain. |
17-22-5 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 50-22-1 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains) |
| 22 | SS 180. |
24-22-5 | …I understand, however, that all souls cannot be the same, that it is necessary there be different types in order to honor each of Go's perfections in a particular way. To me He has granted His infinite Mercy, and through it I contemplate and adore the other divine perfections! All of these perfections appear to be resplendent with love; even His Justice (and perhaps this even more so than the others) seems to me clothed in love. What a sweet joy it is to think that God is Just, i.e., that He takes into account our weakness, that He is perfectly aware of our fragile nature. What should I fear then? Ah! must not the infinitely just God, who deigns to pardon the faults of the prodigal son with so much kindness, be just also towards me who “am with Him always”? (Luke15:31.) |
8-22-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 16-22-6 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-22-6 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 22 | SS 180. |
24-22-6 |
This year, June 9, the feast of the Holy Trinity, I
received the grace to understand
more than ever before how much Jesus desires to be loved. I was thinking about the souls who offer themselves as victims of God's Justice in order to turn away the punishments reserved to sinners, drawing them upon themselves. This offering seemed great and very generous to me, but I was far from feeling attracted to making it. From the depths of my heart, I cried out: “O my God! Will Your Justice alone find souls willing to immolate themselves as victims? Does not Your Merciful Love need them too? On every side this love is unknown, rejected; those hearts upon whom You would lavish it turn to creatures seeking happiness from them with their miserable affection; they do this instead of throwing themselves into Your arms and of accepting Your infinite Love. |
4-22-2 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 14-22-3 (The Little Way), 17-22-7 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 27-22-1 (Sinners, Sins) |
| 22 | SS 277. |
24-22-7 |
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), 22-22-2 (Salvation of Souls) |
| 23 | SS 200. |
24-23-1 |
O Jesus, allow me in my boundless gratitude to say to You that Your love reaches
unto folly. In the presence of this folly, how can You not desire that my heart
leap towards You? How can my confidence, then, have any limits? Ah! the saints
have committed their follies for You, and they have done great things because
they are eagles. Jesus, I am too little to perform great actions, and my own folly is this: to trust that Your Love will accept me as a victim. My folly consists in begging the eagles, my brothers, to obtain for me the favor of flying towards the Sun of Love with the Divine Eagle's own wings! As long as You desire it, O my Beloved, Your little bird will remain without strength and without wings and will always stay with its gaze fixed upon You. … … I feel that if You found a souls weaker and little than mine, which is impossible, You would be pleased to grant it still greater favors, provided it abandoned itself with total confidence to Your Infinite Mercy…. |
4-23-2 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 7-23-2 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 8-23-4 (Weakness, Frailty), 10-23-4 (Littleness), 17-23-6 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 42-23-3 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 23 | GCII 999, Sep. 17, 1896, LT 197, to Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart. |
24-23-2 | …Recall those words of Father: “The martyrs suffered with joy, and the King of Martyrs suffered with sadness.” Yes, Jesus said: “Father, let this chalice pass away from me.” (Matthew 26:39.) Dear Sister, how can you say after this that my desires are the sign of my love? … Ah! I really feel that it is not this at all that pleases God in my little soul; what pleases Him is that He sees me loving my littleness and my poverty, the blind hope that I have in His mercy…. That is my only treasure, dear Godmother, why would this treasure not be yours?… |
4-23-4 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 8-23-5 (Weakness, Frailty), 10-23-6 (Littleness), 14-23-5 (The Little Way), 17-23-12 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 23 | GCII 1016 -1017, Nov. 1, 1896, LT 201, to P. Roul -land. |
24-23-3 | The night of Christmas 1886 was, it is true, decisive for my vocation, but to name it more clearly I must call it: the night of my conversion. On that blessed night, about which it is written that it sheds light even on the delights of God Himself, Jesus, who saw fit to make Himself a child out of love for me, saw fit to have me come forth from the swaddling clothes and imperfections of childhood. He transformed me in such a way that I no longer recognized myself. Without this change I would have had to remain for years in the world. Saint Teresa, who said to her daughters: “I want you to be women in nothing, but that in everything you may equal strong men,” would not have wanted to acknowledge me as her child if the Lord had not clothed me in His divine strength, if He had not Himself armed me for war. |
2-23-10 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials) |
| 23 | GCII 1041 -1042, Dec. 26, 1896, LT 213, to l'abbe Bell- iere. |
24-23-4 |
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), 22-23-5 (Salvation of Souls), 29-23-1 (Consolations), 37-23-2 (Time) |
| 24 | SS 212. |
24-24-1 | …May all those who were not enlightened by the bright flame of faith one day see it shine. O Jesus! if it is needful that the table soiled by them be purified by a soul who loves You, then I desire to eat this bread of trial at this table until it please You to bring me into Your bright Kingdom. The only grace I ask of You is that I never offend You! |
2-24-4 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials) |
| 24 | SS 218 -219. |
24-24-2 |
O Mother, what anxieties the Vow of Obedience frees us from! How happy are simple
religious! Their only compass being their Superiors' will,
they are always sure
of being on the right road; they have nothing to fear from being mistaken even
when it seems that their Superiors are wrong. But when they cease to look upon
the infallible compass, when under the pretext of doing God's will, unclear at
times even to His representatives, then they wander into arid paths where
the water of grace is soon lacking. Dear Mother, you are the compass Jesus has given me as a sure guide to the eternal shore. How sweet it is to fix my eyes upon you and thus accomplish the will of the Lord! Since the time He permitted me to suffer temptations against the faith, He has greatly increased the spirit of faith in my heart, which helps me to see in you not only a loving Mother but also Jesus living in your soul and communicating His will to me through you…. |
16-24-3 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity) |
| 24 | SS 220 -221. |
24-24-3 |
When the Lord commanded His people to love their
neighbor as themselves, (Leviticus 19:18.) He had not as yet come upon
the earth. Knowing the extent to which each one loved himself, He was
not able to ask of His creatures a greater love than this for one's
neighbor. But when Jesus gave His Apostles a new commandment, HIS
OWN COMMANDMENT (John 15:12.), as He calls it later on,
it is no longer a question
of loving one's neighbor as oneself but of loving him as He, Jesus,
has loved him, and will love him to the consummation of the ages.
Ah! Lord, I know you don't command the impossible.
You know better
than I do my weakness and imperfection; You know very well that never
would I be able to love my Sisters as You love them, unless You, O my
Jesus, loved them in me. It is because You wanted to give me this grace
that You made Your new commandment. Oh! how I love this new commandment
since it gives me the assurance that Your Will is to love in me all
those You command me to love! Yes, I feel it, when I am charitable, it is Jesus alone who is acting in me, and the more united I am to Him, the more also do I love my Sisters. |
8-24-6 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-24-4 (The Little Way), 15-24-1 (Union with Jesus), 16-24-4 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-24-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 24 | SS 229. |
24-24-4 | …Truly, when one knows very well that never will the time one lends be ever returned, one would prefer to say: “I give it to you.” This would satisfy self-love, for giving is a more generous act than lending, and then we make the Sister feel we don't depend on her services. Ah! how contrary are the teachings of Jesus to the feelings of nature! Without the help of His graces it would be impossible not only to put them into practice but to even understand them. |
1-24-1 (Self-love, Nature), 7-24-2 (Renunciation, Forget Self) |
| 24 | SS 258 -259. |
24-24-5 | …Most of all I imitate the conduct of Magdalene; her astonishing or rather her loving audacity which charms the Heart of Jesus also attracts my own. Yes, I feel it; even though I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus'arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him. It is not because God, in His anticipating Mercy, has preserved my soul from mortal sin that I go to Him with confidence and love…. |
4-24-2 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 17-24-8 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 27-24-3 (Sinners, Sins), 45-24-2 (Magdalene) |
| 24 | GCII 1072, Mar. 19, 1897, LT 221, to P. Roul -land. |
24-24-6 | 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), 22-24-4 (Salvation of Souls), 37-24-2 (Time) |
| 24 | GCII 1085, Apr. 25, 1897, LT 224, to l'bbe Bell- iere. |
24-24-7 |
…Oh, Brother!
I beg you to believe me. God has not given you as a sister
a great soul but a very little and a very imperfect one. Do not think that it is humility that prevents me from acknowledging the gifts of God. I know He has done great things in me, and I sing of this each day with joy. I remember that the one must love more who has been forgiven more, so I take care to make my life an act of love, and I am no longer disturbed at being a little soul; on the contrary, I take delight in this. That is why I dare to hope “my exile will be short,” but it is not because I am prepared. I feel that I shall never be prepared if the Lord does not see fit to transform me Himself. He can do so in one instant; after all the graces He has granted me, I still await this one from His infinite mercy. |
8-24-8 (Weakness, Frailty), 10-24-7 (Littleness), 12-24-3 (Humility, Humbleness), 42-24-4 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 24 | GCII 1093, May. 9, 1897, LT 226, to P. Roul -land. |
24-24-8 | …I know one must be very pure to appear before the God of all Holiness, but I know, too, that the Lord is infinitely just; and it is this justice which frightens so many souls that is the object of my joy and confidence. To be just is not only to exercise severity in order to punish the guilty; it is also to recognize right intentions and to reward virtue. I expect as much from God's justice as from His mercy. It is because He is just that “He is compassionate and filled with gentleness, slow to punish, and abundant in mercy”, (Psalm 102:8.) for He knows our frailty, He remembers we are only dust. As a father has tenderness for his children, so the Lord has compassion on us!!… |
4-24-3 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 8-24-9 (Weakness, Frailty) |
| 24 | GCII 1093 -1094, May. 9, 1897, LT 226, to P. Roul -land. |
24-24-9 | This is, Brother, what I think of God's justice; my way is all confidence and love. I do not understand souls who fear a Friend so tender. At times, when I am reading certain spiritual treatises in which perfection is shown through a thousand obstacles, surrounded by a crowd of illusions, my poor little mind quickly tires; I close the learned book that is breaking my head and drying up my heart, and I take up Holy Scripture. Then all seems luminous to me; a single word uncovers for my soul infinite horizons, perfection seems simple to me, I see it is sufficient to recognize one's nothingness and to abandon oneself as a child into God's arms. Leaving to great souls, to great minds the beautiful books I cannot understand, much less put into practice, I rejoice at being little since children alone and those who resemble them will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.(Matthew 19:14.) |
4-24-4 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 8-24-9 (Weakness, Frailty), 10-24-8 (Littleness), 11-24-2 (Nothingness), 14-24-7 (The Little Way), 16-24-9 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 35-24-1 (Books) |
| 24 | GCII 1117, Jun., 1897?, LT 241, Sr. Martha of Jesus. |
24-24-10 |
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), 22-24-6 (Salvation of Souls), 37-24-3 (Time), 41-24-1 (Unfelt Love) |
| 24 | GCII 1133, Jun. 21, 1897, LT 247, l'abbe Bel -liere. |
24-24-11 |
…I love them too, I love their repentance, and especially…
their loving audacity! When I see Magdalene walking up before
the many guests, washing with her tears the feet of her adored
Master, whom she is touching for the first time, I feel that
her heart has understood the abysses
of love and mercy of the
Heart of Jesus, and, sinner though she is, this Heart of love
was not only disposed to pardon her but to lavish on her the
blessings of His divine intimacy, to lift her to the highest
summits of contemplation. Ah! dear little Brother, ever since I have been given the grace to understand also the love of the Heart of Jesus, I admit that it has expelled all fear from my heart. The remembrance of my faults humbles me, draws me never to depend on my strength which is only weakness, but this remembrance speaks to me of mercy and love even more. |
5-24-5 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 8-24-11 (Weakness, Frailty), 12-24-5 (Humility, Humbleness), 14-24-11 (The Little Way), 17-24-15 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 27-24-4 (Sinners, Sins), 34-24-2 (Repentence, Contrition), 45-24-3 (Magdalene) |
| 24 | GCII 1164 -1165, Jul. 26, 1897, LT 261, l'abbe Bel -liere. |
24-24-12 | …Regarding those who love Him and who come after each indelicacy to ask His pardon by throwing themselves into His arms, Jesus is thrilled with joy. He says to His angels what the father of the prodigal son said to his servants: “ Clothe him in his best robe, and place a ring on his finger, and let us rejoice.” (Luke 15:22.) Ah! how little known are the goodness, the merciful love of Jesus, Brother!… It is true, to enjoy these treasures one must humble oneself, recognize one's nothingness, and that is what many souls do not want to do; but, little Brother, this is not the way you act, so the way of simple and loving confidence is really made for you. |
4-24-7 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 11-24-3 (Nothingness), 12-24-6 (Humility, Humbleness), 17-24-19 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 24 | LC 42, May 9. |
24-24-13 | 1.“We can say, without any boasting, that we have received very special graces and lights; we stand in the truth and see things in their proper light.” |
20-24-2 (Truth) |
| 24 | LC 48, From May 21 to 26. |
24-24-14 | 11. “I was a little sad this morning, wondering whether God was really pleased with me. I was thinking of what each Sister would say about me, if she were questioned. One would say: ‘She is a good little soul.’ Another: ‘She is very gentle, very pious, but…’ And still other would have different ideas; several would find me very imperfect, which is true…. As for my little Mother, she love me so much that this blinds her, and so I can't believe her. Oh! what God thinks, who will tell me? I was in these reflections when your little note reached me. You were telling me that everything in me pleased you, that I was especially loved by God, that He had not made me, as He did others, climb the rough ladder of perfection, but that he had placed me in an elevator so that I might be brought to Him more speedily. Already, I was much touched, but always the thought that your love made you see what wasn't there hindered me from rejoicing fully. Then I took my little Gospels, asking God to console me, to answer me Himself, and my glance fell upon this passage which I'd never noticed before: ‘For he whom God sent speaks the words of God, for not by measure does God give the Spirit.’(John 3:34) Oh! then I shed tears of joy, and this morning, when awakening, I was still filled with joy. It is you, little Mother, whom God has sent for me; it is you who brought me up, who had me enter Carmel. All the great graces for my life I have received through you. You speak the same words as God, and now I believe that God is very much content with me since you have said so.” |
32-24-1 (Uncertainty of her Faith), 39-24-3 (Pauline) |
| 24 | LC 60, Jun. 7. |
24-24-15 | “I cried when I thought how God used this image in order to teach us His tenderness towards us (Matthew 23:37). All through my life, this is what He has done for me! He has hidden me totally under His wings! Earlier in the day, when I was leaving you, I was crying when going upstairs; I was unable to control myself any longer, and I hastened to our cell. My heart was overflowing with love and gratitude.” | |
| 24 | LC 90, Jul. 12. |
24-24-16 |
“She told me that formerly she had
to undergo a rough battle with
regard to a lamp to be prepared for Mother Marie de Gonzague's
family that arrived unexpectedly to spend the night in the extern
Sisters' quarters.
The struggle was so violent, there came such
thoughts against authority into her mind, that, not to give in to
them, she had to implore God's help with insistence. At the same
time, she applied herself as well as she could to what had been
demanded of her. It was during the night silence. She was portress,
and Sister St. Raphael was first in charge: “To conquer myself I imagined I was preparing the lamp for the Blessed Virgin and the Child Jesus; and then I did it with an incredible care, not leaving on it the least speck of dust, and, little by little, I felt a great appeasement and a great sweetness. Matins sounded, and I was not able to go to it immediately, but I experienced such a disposition of mind, I had received such a grace, that if Sister St. Raphael had come, and had said, for example, that I was mistaken about the lamp, that I had to prepare another, I would have obeyed her happily. From that day, I made the resolution never to consider whether the things commanded me appeared useful or not.” |
1-24-7 (Self-love, Nature), 7-24-15 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 38-24-1 (Disposition) |
| 24 | LC 99 -100, July 15. |
24-24-17 |
5. She told me about the following incident, the memory of which
was the source of a great grace to her: “Sister Marie of the Eucharist wanted to light the candles for a procession; she had no matches; however, seeing the little lamp which was burning in the front of the relics, she approached it. Alas, it was half out; there remained only a feeble glimmer on its blackened wick. She succeeded in lighting her candle from it, and with this candle, she lighted those of the whole community. It was, therefore, the half-extinguished little lamp which had produced all these beautiful flames which, in their turn, could produce an infinity of others and even light whole universe. Nevertheless, it would always be the little lamp which would be first cause of all this light. How could the beautiful flames boast of having produced this fire, when they themselves were lighted with such a small spark? “It is the same with the Communion of Saints. Very often, without our knowing it, the graces and lights that we receive are due to a hidden soul, for God wills that the saints communicate grace to each other through prayer with great love, with a love much greater than that of a family, and even the most perfect family on earth. How often have I thought that I may owe all the graces I've received to the prayers of a person who begged them from God for me, and whom I shall know only in heaven…. |
5-24-6 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 14-24-18 (The Little Way), 16-24-25 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-24-24 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 21-24-4 (A Saint), |
| 24 | LC 103- 104, Jul. 20. |
24-24-18 |
1. She coughed up blood at three in the morning. “What would you have done had one of us been sick instead of you? Would you have come to the infirmary during the recreation periods?” I asked. “I would have gone directly to recreation, without asking for any information. However, I'd have done this quite simply so that no one would notice the sacrifice I was making. If I had come to the infirmary, it would have been to please others and not to satisfy myself. I would do all this in order to accomplish my little task and to draw down grace upon you, which the seeking of myself would certainly not accomplish. I myself would have drawn great strength from this sacrifices. If at times through weakness, I would have acted otherwise, I would not have been discouraged. I would have been careful to make up for my failures by depriving myself still more, without allowing this to be seen by others.” |
2-24-43 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-24-6 (Silence, Hidden), 7-24-18 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 8-24-16 (Weakness, Frailty) |
| 24 | LC 115, Jul. 27. |
24-24-19 |
15. She was having difficulty breathing, and I showed my sympathy and sorrow
for her: “Don't be disturbed; if I can't breathe, God will give me the strength to bear it. I love Him! He'll never abandon me.” |
14-24-22 (The Little Way), 16-24-29 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity) |
| 24 | LC 116, Jul. 29. |
24-24-20 |
2. One of the Sisters thought she was pleasing
Therese by bringing her a certain object, but it had just
the opposite effect. She showed her displeasure, thinking someone
had been deprived of the object in question, but she was sorry
immediately and begged pardon with tears in her eyes: “Oh, I really beg pardon; I've acted through selfishness. Please pray for me!” A little later: “Oh, how happy I am to see myself imperfect and to have such need of God's mercy at the moment of my death!”… |
5-24-7 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation) |
| 24 | LC 131, Aug. 4. |
24-24-21 |
3. Someone brought her a sheaf of corn; she
detached the most beautiful one and said to me: ”Mother, this ear of corn is the image of my soul: God has entrusted me with graces for myself and for many others.” Then fearing she had entertained a proud thought, she said: “Oh, how I want to be humiliated and mistreated in order to see if I have humility of heart! However, when I was humbled on former occasions, I was very happy. Yes, it seems to me I am humble. God shows me truth; I feel so much that everything comes from Him.” |
12-24-12 (Humility, Humbleness), 20-24-6 (Truth) |
| 24 | LC 137, Aug. 6. |
24-24-22 |
4. “I can depend on nothing, on no good works of
my own in order to have confidence. For example, I'd like to be able
to say that I've carried out all my obligations of reciting my prayers
for the dead. This poverty, however, was a real light and a grace for me.
I was thinking that never in my life would I be able to pay my debts to
God; this was real riches, real strength for me, if I wanted to take it
in this way. “Then I made this prayer to God: O my God, I beg You, pay the debt that I have acquired with regard to the souls in purgatory, but do it as God, so that it be infinitely better than if I had said my Offices for the Dead. And then I remembered with great consolation these words of St. John of the Cross' canticle: ‘Pay all debts.’ I had always applied this to Love. I felt this grace can't be expressed in words; it's far too sweet! We experience such great peace when we're totally poor, when we depend upon no one except God.” |
4-24-17 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 5-24-8 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 8-24-18 (Weakness, Frailty), 9-24-3 (Poor in Spirit), 14-24-24 (The Little Way), 16-24-31 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-24-27 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 28-24-12 (Peace), 29-24-4 (Consolation), 42-24-9 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 24 | LC 142, Aug. 8. |
24-24-23 | 3. “Today, I was thinking of my past life, about the courageous act I performed formerly at Christmas, and the praise directed to Judith came into my mind: ‘You have acted with manly courage, and your heart has been strengthened.’ (Judith 15:11) Many souls say: I don't have the strength to accomplish this sacrifice. Let them do, then, what I did: exert a great effort. God never refuses that first grace that gives one the courage to act; afterwards, the heart is strengthened and one advances from victory to victory.” |
2-24-56 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-24-27 (The Little Way), 47-24-4 (Consistency of Spirituality) |
| 24 | LC 143, Aug. 9. |
24-24-24 |
4. They told her she was a saint: “No, I'm not a saint; I've never performed the actions of a saint. I'm a very little soul upon whom God has bestowed graces; that's what I am. What I say is the truth; you'll see this in heaven.” |
20-24-8 (Truth), 21-24-8 (A Saint), 42-24-9 (Works, Actions, Great Actions) |
| 24 | LC 147, Aug. 12. |
24-24-25 |
3. “Ever since the ear of corn, my sentiments regarding myself are even
lower. But how great the grace is that I received this morning when
the priest began the Confiteor before giving me Communion, and all
the Sisters continued. I saw Jesus very close to giving Himself to
me, and this confession appears to me as such a necessary humiliation.
‘I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Virgin Mary, to all the saints,
that I have sinned exceedingly ….’ Oh! yes, I said to myself, they
do well to beg pardon from God and all the saints for me at this moment….
Like the publican, I felt I was a great sinner.
I found God to be so
merciful! I found it so touching to address oneself to the whole heavenly
court to obtain God's pardon through its intercession. Ah! I could hardly
keep from crying, and when the Sacred Host touched my lips, I was really
moved. “How extraordinary it is to have experienced this at the Confiteor! I believe it's because of my present disposition; I feel so miserable! My confidence is not lessened, on the contrary; and the word ‘miserable’ is not exact, because I am rich with all the divine treasures; but it's exactly because of this that I humble myself even more. When I think of all the graces God gave me, I restrain myself so as not to shed tears of gratitude continually. “I believe the tears I shed this morning were tears of perfect contrition. Ah! how impossible it is to give oneself such sentiments! It is the Holy Spirit, who gives them, He who ‘breathes where he wills.’” (John 3:8.) |
2-24-58 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 12-24-13 (Humility, Humbleness), 14-24-28 (The Little Way), 18-24-1 (Holy Communion), 26-24-1 (Confession), 27-24-10 (Sinners, Sins), 34-24-3 (Repentence, Contrition), 38-24-3 (Disposition) |
| 24 | LC 196, Sep. 22. |
24-24-26 |
6. “What a terrible
sickness and how much you're suffering!” “Yes! What a grace it is to have faith! If I had not had any faith, I would have committed suicide without an instant's hesitation ….” |
2-24-74 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials) |
| 24 | LC 277 -278, Jul. 12, with Sr. Marie of Euch -arist. |
24-24-27 |
…There was, at this time, no question of her death, her condition was not yet known;
she said to me all of a sudden, looking at me with such a profound gaze that I'll
never forget it:“Oh! little sister, promise me you'll become a saint, a great
saint.” When I looked at her in amazement, she continued: “Yes, and if I say this to you, it's because I find in you all that is necessary for this; and if you don't become one, believe me, you'll be unfaithful to grace. Oh! I beg you, become a saint, God is begging this from you. When I'm no longer on earth, you'll have to be a saint for two, in order that God lose nothing; I feel that your soul is being called to the same type of perfection as my own, and you must replace me when I'm gone.” |
16-24-35 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 21-24-12 (A Saint) |
| 24 | LC 290, Aug. 27, with Sr. Marie of Euch -arist. |
24-24-28 | … There is much change in her condition since the feast of the Assumption. And we have even come to the desire of her deliverance, for she's suffering a martyrdom. She was saying yesterday: “Fortunately, I didn't ask for suffering. If I had asked for it, I fear I wouldn't have the patience to bear it. Whereas, if it is coming directly from God's will, He cannot refuse to give me the patience and the grace necessary to bear it.” |
2-24-68 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 6-24-5 (Perseverance, Patience), 16-24-37 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity) |