The Novitiate

"The dark night" — The reward of trial — The secret of happiness— The profession retreat — The bride of Christ — Sanctity — Heaven within the soul.

After the brightness of her life as a postulant, Elizabeth was plunged into a dark gloom, to which were soon added anxieties, spiritual distress, and strange fancies of the imagination, such as those described by St. John of the Cross in the fifteenth stanza of his "Spiritual Canticle ": "The devil, beholding this prosperity of the soul, and in his great malice envying all the good he sees in it, now uses all his power, and has recourse to all his devices, in order to thwart it, if possible, even in the smallest degree. He thinks it of more consequence to keep back the soul, even for an instant, from this abundance, bliss, and delight, than to make others fall into many and

I mortal sins."

The sufferings of the poor child, who had been

! established until now in a peace that seemed as if it i could never fail, cannot be described. In her candour and simplicity she spoke of feelings which were the more humiliating because it seemed as if a word

I ought to have got rid of them, and the more painful

8o THE "PRAISE OF GLORY "

on account of their contrast, not only with her Jife of prayer, but with anything she had ever known before.

The faith and blind obedience which led her to open her mind to her Prioress also brought her strength and peace, while at the same time seconding the Divine work that God was doing in her soul by these trials.

After having suffered in this way for six months, the poor novice hoped to obtain relief in a retreat to be given in October by the Reverend Father V , then in exile at some distance from Dijon. However, her sufferings only increased, for she found it impossible to take any pleasure in what had formerly delighted her, but which now seemed only to thicken the darkness of her night, so that the eight days were a real torture to her. Her soul in its desolation drank deeply of the bitter cup of suffering and humiliation without exhausting it. Three months more were to pass before the work of love would be done.

Although Elizabeth was well suited to our life, and had fully entered into it, we do not claim that she was already perfect. Not only had she to advance, but to undergo the transformation which we saw take place in her during the year of trial. She was already thoroughly Christian, but had to become such a Carmelite as our seraphic Mother wished her daughters to be.

It was well for her, humble and modest as she was, to realize by experience the weaknesses of humanity. Nature had rebelled at times in the past ; there were other revolts of which she knew nothing. Having conquered all her difficulties by the effort of her will and graces of prayer, she was astonished at discovering sometimes that there were other states less free from temptation, and she might, unknowingly, have felt some secret self-complacency, or have judged others harshly. She had, indeed, been warned against such subtle self-love, but "What doth he know that hath not been tried ?"¹

Schooled by trial, Sister Elizabeth would learn more quickly that self-knowledge which is both the foundation and the summit of humility. God made use of temptation to show her the abyss of her own nothingness, and to insure that glory would be ascribed to Him alone for the graces which He intended to bestow upon her soul. Thus, at times, by His permission, "the devil has recourse to the sensual appetites . . . stirs up many movements in the sensitive part of the soul, and causes other vexations, spiritual as well as sensual, from which the soul is unable to deliver itself until our Lord shall send His angel, as it is written : * The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear Him and shall deliver them.' "t

Indeed, the Divine messenger brought some relief from this painful state, " establishing peace, both in the spiritual and sensitive parts of the soul "J for the time of prayer generally brought the poor novice a truce from struggle, although she received no consolations. However, her simple form of prayer, which the increase of her faith had rendered higher than before, kept her like a little child at rest within the arms of Him Whom she loved without feeling

X Hid.²

His presence, in Whom she believed blindly, and in Whose love she trusted, though she felt nothing but the rigour of His Divine jealousy.

Her efforts to keep recollected during the day in < spite of the tumult of her imagination and feelings helped her in her troubles, and kept the same aims and objects before her, so that no one around her | suspected what she was suffering. Her letters of that time show that she rested on the same foundation, enlightened by faith, developed by the darkness of her soul.

During August she celebrated with gratitude the anniversary of her admission into Carmel. " How quickly the time passes in Him ! A year ago He brought me into the sacred ark, and now, as my Father St. John of the Cross says in his c Canticle' :

"'. . . the turtle dove

Hath found its longed-for mate Upon the verdant river banks.'

" Yes ! I have found Him Wrhom my soul loves, < the one thing necessary/ which no one can take from me ! Oh ! how good, how beautiful He is II 1 want to live in perfect silence and adoration so that I may penetrate deeper and deeper into Him ; to be so filled with Him that I can give Him, through prayer, to poor souls ignorant of the gift of God.

" I know that you pray for me every day at Holy Mass. Put me into the chalice, so that my soul, bathed in the blood of my Christ for which I thirst, may become so pure and transparent that the Blessed Trinity may be reflected in it as in a crystal. The Three Persons delight to contemplate their own beauty within a soul : it attracts Them to bestow still more on it, to fill it more completely, to complete the great mystery of love and unity. Ask God to make me live my Carmelite life in all its fulness as the betrothed of Christ, which means so close a union. Why has He loved me so much ? I feel how petty and full of misery I am, yet I love Him, and I do > nothing else. II love Him with His own love; it is a double current between c Him Who is and her 4 who is not P " ~

"The double current/' or, rather, the "two abysses," as St. Catherine of Siena calls them, had been revealed to Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity in her year of severe probation, so that she seemed firmly rooted in humility. Her faith and will had both been strengthened by the trial, and, being perfected by suffering, served as counterpoise to a tenderness which might have become over-sensitiveness. Her advice later on to a person undergoing interior trials shows us what had been her own conduct during this painful period.

" I think} that^the secret of peace and happiness | lies in forgetfulness and disregard or self, which does not mean that we do not feel our miserieslof body ' and mind. Since you allow me to speak to you as a sister, I tell you frankly that I think the good God asks of you perfect abandonment and trust. When you suffer from the feeling of a terrible void, believe that He is preparing for His indwelling in your soul fresh capacities which are to be, to a certain extent, infinite like Himself. Try to be joyful, as far as depends on you, under the hand that crucifies you ; or, rather, look upon each suffering as a proof of love straight from the good God, in order to unite you to Him. Do not be discouraged when your soul is oppressed and wearied by the burden of your body, but have recourse by faith and love to Him Who said.: 'Come unto Me . . . and I will refresh you/* (Never let yourself be depressed by the thought of your wretchedness."^ The great St. Paul said : c Where sin abounded, grace did more abound. 'y So it seems to me that the weakest, even the most sinful person has the greatest right to hope. By forgetting self and casting herself into the arms of God, she glorifies Him more than by any self-examination and self-reproach, which keep her attention fixed on her own defects though she possesses a Saviour within her Who is always willing to purify her.

" Do you remember those beautiful words of Jesus to His Father : c Thou hast given Him power over all flesh that He may give eternal life to all whom Thou hast given Him ?'J That is what He wants to do in us. He wishes you to go out of self, to give up all that preoccupies you, in order to retire into the solitude He has chosen as His dwellingplace in the depths of your heart. He is always there, although you do not realize it. £Je is waiting for you, and(wishes to establish with you a wonderful 'mttrcourse^adniirabik commercium as the Liturgy terms it, the intercourse of bride and Bridegroom. By His continual contact with you He will free you from your weakness^and your faults and from all that troubles you. Nothing ought to prevent our going to Him.

"Never mind whether you are fervent or discouraged : we pass from one state to the other during our earthly exile. You must believe that He never * St. Matt. xi. 28. t Rom. v. 20. X St. John xvii. 2.

THE NOVITIATE 8 c changes ; that in His care for you He is always bent towards you, longing to bear you away and establish you within Himself. If in spite of all your efforts you are overcome with sadness, unite your agony to that of the Divine Master in the Garden of Olives, when He said to His Father : c If it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me.'* Perhaps you will think it difficult to forget self. Do not be anxious about that ; it is extremely simple. I will tell you my secret : think of God Who dwells within you, Whose temple you are. St. Paul tells us so, and we can believe him. By degrees the soul becomes accustomed to live in His blessed company, realizing that it bears within it a little heaven in which the God of love has made His home. Henceforth the spirit breathes a divine atmosphere — indeed, the body alone seems on earth, the soul being behind the veil with Him Who is unchangeable.

" Do not tell me that such a thing is not for you, that you are too miserable a creature, for that is all the more reason why you should go to your Saviour. We shall never be purified by looking at our own misery, but by gazing on Him Who is purity and holiness itself. |

" When you feel very unhappy, think to yourself" that the Divine Sculptor is using the chisel to beautify His work, and remain peacefully under the hand that shapes you. After St. Paul had been ravished to the third heaven, he felt his own infirmity and complained to God, Who answered: 'My grace is sufficient for thee : for power is made perfect in infirmity. 'f Is not that consoling ? Then take courage ! I entrust you to the care of a little * St. Matt. xxvi. 39. f 2 Cor. xii. 9.

Carmelite nun of Lisieux, who died at the age of twenty-four in the odour of sanctity ; her name is Teresa of the Infant Jesus.³ Her special grace is to dilate souls, to inspire them with love, confidence, and self-surrender. She says that she found happiness when she began to forget self. Will you join me in praying to her every day for the wisdom that makes men saints, and brings the soul full peace and happiness?"

The moral strength gained by the novice had a favourable effect on her health. Her constitution, which had suffered slightly at first, was re-established by her peace of mind, and adapted itself better every day to the observance of our austere Rule. Her soul influenced her body, and as this seemed likely to be permanent our little sister was admitted by the Chapter to holy profession. She was overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of the final consecration to the Spouse of virgins.

On the evening of December 25, 1902, she wrote " The Infant God has bestowed a great joy on me : on this happy Feast of His Nativity He has told me that He is about to become my Bridegroom. On the Feast of the Epiphany He will make me His queen. . . . uniting me to Himself by my profession."

In a letter to Canon A she says: "The

Spouse has called me, and on January 1 1, a feast full of illumination and praise, I shall pronounce th( vows which will unite me to our Lord for ever.

You who have known me from childhood, and who have been my confidant from the first, will understand what joy fills my soul. I asked the prayers of my dear community to-night at recreation, and shall begin my ten days' retreat to-morrow. The whole thing seems to me a dream ; I have longed for it so intensely. Will you give me a special intention every morning at Holy Mass for my preparation? I feel encompassed by the mystery of Divine charity, and on looking back I see how my soul has been pursued by it. Oh ! what love ! I feel overwhelmed by it, and adore in silence !

u On that morning of the Octave of the Epiphany, the supreme day of my life — although the good Master has bestowed on me days so divine that they were a Paradise — on that day, when all my desires will be fulfilled and I shall become c the bride of Christ/ will you, dear Canon, offer the Holy Sacrifice for your Carmelite and then give her to God, so that she may be entirely possessed by Him, and may be able to say with St. Paul : ' I live, now not I ; but Christ liveth in me.'*

" Need I tell you what favour I shall ask for you ? You know my heart ! I Jeave you to enter perfect silence with the Bridegroom."

Though this retreat began with joy, yet her former torments recurred so persistently that the poor novice was overcome with anguish when the eve of the great day arrived ; however, during the afternoon she was comforted by an interview with a prudent and enlightened religious.

Next morning, while she mounted the stairs leading to the Chapter-room, her mind was filled with * Gal. ii. 20.

the thought of immolation described in the Capitulum for the Vespers of the day : " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service."* It was thus that she pronounced the holy vows of poverty, chastity,' and obedience, which made her the consecrated bride of Christ.

What feast could have been more suitable to the mystic nuptials of this young girl, on whom the "glory of the Lord" had shone? Beckoned by Divine light, she, too, in spite of the momentary eclipse of the star, had persevered bravely in her search for our Lord. She had opened her treasures and offered Him the gold of a pure heart, the incense of a life devoted to prayer, and the myrrh of the sacrifice of all things, including herself.

Holy Church also celebrated, on that Sunday of the Epiphany Octave, the manifestation of the Blessed Trinity at the Baptism of Christ. Sister Elizabeth, whose profession united her by a special bond to the Three Divine Persons, had come to Carmel in order to listen to Him in Whom the Father finds all His pleasure. And we read in the Gradual ; " Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, Who alone hath done great wonders from the beginning. Let the mountains receive peace for thy people. Alleluia! Alleluia! . . ." The King of Peace responded to the unstinted gift of the generous girl, and ended her long period of trial, so that she overflowed with gratitude.

" How can I describe my joy," she wrote a few days later, "when, as 1 looked at the crucifix given * Rom. xii. I.

me after my profession and placed by our Reverend Mother Prioress as a seal upon my heart, I could say to myself : c Now He is all mine and I am His, all His ; He is my all 1' Now there is only one thing I want : to love Him — to love Him every moment ; s to be jealous of His honour, like a true bride ;' to offer Him a home, a shelter in my heart, there to make Him forget, by my love, all the abominable sins committed by the wicked."

In another letter she says : " My joy is deep and divine, a joy that cannot be expressed. Thank God for me, my lot is so sublime — to pass my whole life in silence, adoration, heart to heart with my Divine Bridegroom ! Beg Him to make me faithful, to fulfil all His designs for my soul, to accomplish all His will."

She took the veil on January 21, a day sacred to the virgin Agnes and her glorious immolation, the twin attractions of a soul which combined the two virtues characteristic of Christianity : innocence and penance.

During evening recreation Sister Elizabeth gave vent to her joy and gratitude in a poem beginning with the lines :

" Henceforth in secrecy profound I dwell ; In life, in death, buried within my Lord. Grant me to sink into Thine endless peace ! I live but in Thy love, O Word adored !"

The verses, like the following lines addressed to the Reverend Mother Prioress of Paray-le-Monial, contain the characteristics of her short, but well-filled religious life :

"My dear Mother, offer a few of your prayers for the little c House of God/ that it may be com-

9o THE "PRAISE OF GLORY"

pletely filled by ' the Three.' I have entered into the soul of my Christ, where I am about to spend my Lent. Ask Him to grant that I may live no more, but that He may live in me ; that my union with Him may be closer every day, that I may fix my gaze upon the great Vision. I think that is the secret of sanctity, and it is so simple. Only to think that we have our heaven within us, the heaven for which I sometimes feel so homesick ! What joy when the veil is drawn aside at last and we are face to face with Him Whom alone we love ! Meanwhile I live in love, I plunge into it, and lose myself ; it is infinite, the infinity for which my soul is thirsting."

Sister Elizabeth was faithful to her resolutions and rapidly attained the perfection to which the Divine Master called her, for she had discovered the secret of sanctity. The excess of the charity of God had manifested itself to her, and she dwelt in this light which would never again be darkened. "My life can be summed up in one word," she said, " it might be inscribed upon every moment of my time. It was St. Paul's life, too: 'for His exceeding charity.' # Whatever happens to me is a message or an assurance of the exceeding love of God ; I cannot live my life apart from that.

" I believe that to reach the ideal life of the soul ,we must live in the supernatural, must realize that | God dwells within the depths of our soul, and do all things with Him ; then nothing can be trivial} however commonplace in itself, for we do not live in, but above, such things. A supernatural soul does not deal with secondary causes, but solely with God.⁴

How this simplifies our view of life J__/ It resembles the existence of the blessed spirits, and the soul is freed from self and from all else. All things are comprised in the one, and in the one thing necessary of which the Divine Master spoke to Magdalen. (We become really great and free, for our will * is enclosed in the will of God,' as a mystic writer says."

Elizabeth surrendered herself entirely. She made this " ideal life " her own, and we saw her daily given to it more completely until she passed from the darkness of faith to the regions of peace, of light, and of love, where God is seen face to face for all eternity.

She was able to declare in one of her letters : " I am beginning my heaven already, though sometimes I should like to be in the other world, that I might see and love Him, and lose myself for ever in His infinitude. Your heart is passionately affectionate. Can you not understand what it is to love One Who has so deeply loved us ?"

During the summer of 1903 she wrote to the confidant of her childhood :

" How many things have happened since my last letter! Holy Church has said to me her Vent sponsa Christi. She has consecrated me, and now all is over, or rather, has begun, for profession is only daybreak, and my life as a bride seems to me more beautiful, resplendent, and full of peace and love every day,

" During the night preceding the great day, while watching in the church for the coming of the Bridegroom, I realized that heaven was beginning for me on earth already — a heaven in my faith, my suffering, my immolation for Him I love. ... I want to love Him deeply, like my seraphic Mother, to love Him even unto death. My one ambition is to be Love's victim. ... A life of love is so easy in Carmel. The Rule tells us every instant, from morning till night, what is the will of the good God. How I love the Rule which shows me the way in which He wishes me to become a saint ! I do not know whether I shall have the joy of giving my Spouse the testimony of blood, but if I follow the Carmelite observance fully, I shall at least have the satisfaction of spending myself for Him, and for Him alone. Then what does it matter how He wishes me to employ myself, since He is always with me ? Prayer and our interchange of love never cease. I feel so distinctly that He dwells in my soul. I have only to recollect myself to find Him within, which is the source of all my happiness. \He has put into my heart a thirst for what is infinite," and a longing to love which He alone can satisfy. (I go to Him like a little child to its mother, that He may give me what 1 long for, and take possession of mef I think we ought to behave with great simplicity towards the good God.

" Will you come some day and give your blessing to your little Carmelite, and join her here in thanking Him for His c exceeding love ' ? I can no longer describe my joy. Listen to the hymn of my heart for God and for you. Wash me in the Blood of the Spouse at Holy Mass, for is not He the purity of the bride ? — and she is thirsting for it/'

Footnotes

1. Ecclus. xxxiv. 9. ↩

2. " Spiritual Canticle" of St. John of the Cross, stanza xv„ note. ↩

3. In consequence of the wishes of those who have read " PHistoire d'une Ame," and of the signal favours obtained by her intercession, the cause of beatification of this nun has been brought before the Church. ↩

4. "God . . . for His exceeding charity wherewith He loved us" (Eph. ii. 4). ↩