Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Virgin of our Order
Feast Day: 8 November
Who was Elizabeth?
A brief biography
Elizabeth Catez - prophetess of the presence of God - young, beautiful, talented,
a gifted musician, with a keen eye for fashion and noted for her glamorous hats!
Born
on July 18th 1880 at Avor, a military camp near Bourges, France, as a
teenager she was fully involved in the social life of her time and in
the apostolic activities of her parish, especially youth work. The
"terrible rages" of her baby years were transformed by the love of
Christ at the time of her First Communion. Under the influence of that
love those potentially destructive forces served to mould the balanced,
loving, outgoing person she became, equally at home on dance floor,
tennis court or travelling in the Alps. Always, however, Elizabeth's
true home was in the depths of her own being, where, from an early age,
she experienced the indwelling presence of the Most Holy Trinity.
This was
the core truth from which she lived her entire life. Vividly convinced
of God's personal love for her, she longed to become a Carmelite nun so
as to respond fully to that love in a life of adoration, praise,
thanksgiving and intercession for the world. In deference to her
widowed mother's wishes, she postponed this step until she was 21 when
she entered the Carmelite monastery in Dijon, receiving the name
Elizabeth of the Trinity. There, after a painful illness, she died on
9th November 1906, aged 26. Her last words were "I go to Light, to
Love, to Life". She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 25th November
1984.
Elizabeth
did not have to wait for her entry into religious life to find God
within her own being at every moment and in every occupation. This is
the grace of our Baptism, when the Father, Son and Spirit come and make
Their home within us (cf. Jn 14:23). Elizabeth lived in the presence of
the indwelling God Who is Love, through all the activities of her
happy, adventurous teenage years and young womanhood. Her message to us
today is surely to encourage us also to try to be ever-present to Him
in the intimacy of that hidden place.
Quotes of Blessed Elizabeth
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The Trinity - this is our dwelling, our 'home',
the Father's house that we must never leave. |
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Believe that He loves you.
He wants to help you Himself
in the struggles
which you must undergo.
Believe in His Love,
His exceeding Love. |
A soul united to Jesus
is a living smile
which radiates Him
and which gives Him. |
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I leave you my faith in the presence of God,
of the God who is all Love dwelling in our souls.
I confide to you:
it is this intimacy with Him 'within' which
has been the beautiful sun
illuminating my life,
making it already an anticipated heaven. |
I think that in heaven my mission will be
to draw souls, by helping them go out of themselves to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement,
and to keep them in this great silence
within, that will allow God to communicate Himself to them and transform them into Himself. |
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Bl Elizabeth's message for the 21st Century
Elizabeth
is a prophet for our time because she reminds us of a forgotten truth -
we are not surrounded by God as by air, light or energy, he is present within us. God
is at home in the human heart because of his care and love for us.
Elizabeth's writings are filled with this awareness of the indwelling presence of God. She
wished to "live through love in his presence" and to retire within
herself to be with him. She was able to find the fullness of God's
presence everywhere:
"It is there, right in the depths, in the Heaven of my soul,
that I love to find Him since He never leaves me. 
God in me, I in Him, oh! that is my life!"
In an
age of ever-increasing noise and activity, Elizabeth's message shines
like a beacon of sanity and carries a message of hope. It is the
message of God's love, of his presence in our lives, and of his
invitation to intimacy.
She invites us to open our hearts to the reality within:
"He is always there, although you don't feel it;
He is waiting for you and wants to establish a 'wonderful communion' with you".
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Prayer to the Trinity by Bl. Elizabeth
Elizabeth
composed this prayer in 1904. It is one of the most inspirational
documents of the twentieth century and is now found in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be
established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in
eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging
One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give
peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting
place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly
vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.
O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I wish to be a bride for Your
Heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You...even unto death! But
I feel my weakness, and I ask You to "clothe me with Yourself," to identify my
soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to
substitute yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come
into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior.
O Eternal Word, Word of my
God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable
that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all
helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my
beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance.
O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, "come upon me," and create in my soul
a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in
which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your
poor little creature; "cover her with Your shadow," seeing in her only the
"Beloved in whom You are well pleased."
O my Three, my All, my
Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender
myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself
in You
until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.
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| Prayer |
O God, who loves souls so much as to make in them Your dwelling place,
I thank You for giving Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity the grace, during her lifetime,
to understand the indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in her soul.
Grant that I too, may remember your presence in my soul,
and if it be Your holy will manifest by visible signs the glory
she now enjoys with You in heaven, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us. |
Website on Elizabeth from the Dijon Carmel:
http://elisabeth-dijon.org/v_en/english.html
Short biography on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_the_Trinity
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity blog archives:
http://floscarmeli.stblogs.org/archives/carmelite/blessed-elizabeth-of-the-trinity/
Saint of the Divine Indwelling: article by Fr. Gregory Ross, OCD:
http://www.helpfellowship.org/Blessed_Elizabeth_of_the_Trinity.htm
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2009 Carmelite Sisters, Kilmacud