“Laudem Gloriae.
This will be my new name in heaven …” [1].
NOTES
1. Anyone even slightly familiar with Sr Elizabeth’s letters, will know that these were a mix: both of the natural and the supernatural [GV§8]; and that she could switch from one to the other with consummate ease and without warning. In this regard it, is helpful to remember that she frequently, and often tacitly, made use of her motto: ‘God in me and I in Him’ [PN12N10 and L47 see 1Jn4:15].
2. The text of Heaven in Faith included in CW1 has been used for references in these notes. Some quotations have been taken from the Stanbrook Translation given in MPA. However, note that the text of Heaven in Faith given in the 1947 translation of MPA is incomplete.
3. Although the phrase Praise of Glory, referred to in these notes, is taken from St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: specifically (v.1:12); this update is neither about the theology of St Paul nor His Epistles.
4. Where reference is made to quotations from Holy Scripture, any interpretation given in these notes, is that understood to have been intended by Sr Elizabeth.
5. In these notes, the phrases Praise of Glory, Praise of His Glory and Praises of Glory are treated as equivalent apart from the obvious differences.
6. Reference to Sr Elizabeth’s illness has been kept to a minimum. This has been adequately dealt with in previous Updates.
7. The opinions expressed are those of the site owner and as such may not be assumed to reflect or to represent the official teaching of Holy Mother Church at any time past or present, neither are those opinions intended in any way as criticism by the site owner of Holy Mother Church or her pastors.
In 1903, from Aug. 23rd for 5 of the next 6 Sundays, the Epistle readings at Holy Mass were from Ephesians and 4 of the quotations in the letter of Sep. 20th were from Ephesians [3]. The point being made is that Ephesians could have been on Sr Elizabeth’s mind: although perhaps not sufficiently, for her to start reading the Epistle from the beginning. Pere Philipon explains how her attention was drawn to the opening verses of that Epistle by another nun, and how Sr Elizabeth subsequently had difficulty in locating the particular quotation that she was looking for [4].
Was this the first time that she had read (Eph. 1:12) and when did she read it? Whatever the answers to these questions, the Holy Spirit had been gently guiding her to this point, and the phrase would have delighted her: if she did hear a similar phrase from Mother Marie, it was not called to mind. Probably the ‘discovery’ was made early in the new year (1904), and perhaps she reflected on it during her retreat to mark the anniversary of her Profession. It is unlikely that it was before the start of Advent (Nov. 29th 1903) because there was nothing unusual about her letter to the Abbe Chevignard, written on Nov. 28th [5].
Letters to Abbe Chevignard
It is evident that the Abbe Chevignard [6] was a key helper in Sr Elizabeth’s development her doctrine of Praise of Glory, as this phrase was mentioned in 6 letters to him [7].. There are points of linkage between all of these letters, and it would be a mistake to think that Sr Elizabeth was simply being repetitive. The first letter [8], seemingly quite ordinary, was written just prior to Advent 1903. It is important for 3 reasons.
First: the letter was obviously a reply to one in which the Abbe had discoursed on the meaning of Sr Elizabeth’s name in religion, and she had completed the link to her motto, “God in me, and I in Him”. This led into her quote from St Paul,” We belong to the city of Saints and to the house of God”. (Eph. 2:19) She noted that, “my soul is carried away in the great vision of the Mystery of mysteries, in the Trinity, … “ , and the transformation [9] of the soul in the Trinity. She commented on how she buried herself in her soul, losing herself in the Glory of the Trinity: which she would repeat a year later in her Prayer to the Trinity.
Second: the letter confirmed that Sr Elizabeth had been continuing with her reading of the ‘Spiritual Canticle’ and was being guided by the Holy Spirit towards the highest states of spiritual union. This confirmed both Sr Elizabeth’s ‘immense love of God’ [SC39:2] and the degree of her transformation in God [10].
Third: if, as remarked above, the letter was seemingly ordinary, then the next letter which she wrote to the Abbe [11] was sufficiently different, as to be very out-of-the-ordinary.
The letter was out-of-the-ordinary in that it contained 6 quotations from St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians [11][bis]: there having been an interval of 4 month’s since Sr Elizabeth had last quoted from Ephesians. Unfortunately, the letter was not dated. In a footnote [12], Fr De Meester explains how he was able to establish the date as Jan. 25th 1904 : a year after her Profession as a nun, and almost a year before she composed her wonderful Prayer to the Trinity. Sr Elizabeth elaborated on the Charity of God [13], which enabled us to love Him and our neighbour. If we did this, our will was conformed to His Will, or we were the Praise of His Glory. The date of her letter was important because this was the first use by her in a letter of the phrase, the Praise of His Glory.
While concentrating on the date of the letter and the phrase the Praise of Glory, Sr Elizabeth’s remarks on Charity, and the adaptation to herself of Our Lord’s remarks in His Farewell Discourse (Jn 17) , may get overlooked; especially as they will not be picked up again in a letter for almost 2 years, in the present context. She noted that as members of the one body both she and the Abbe, should sanctify themselves “for souls”: that is, for the entire Church. “There are 2 words that sum up for me all holiness, all apostolate: Union and Love” [11][bis]. She mentioned her longing not just simply to dwell in the Trinity, but to be quite hidden (e.g., Col.3:3).
However much she may have reflected upon the phrase, note that her remarks amount to nothing more than a suggestion that she and the Abbe Chevignard should be “the Praise of His Glory” . She did not say that this was to be her new name, nor imply that it signalled a ‘change’ in her vocation. Rather, one forms the impression that she needed to spend time meditating on the words while, at the same time, ideally living them in a deeper way [14]. This could explain why the word Glory was not included in any of her letters written over the next 10 months. Then, in her spontaneous composition of the Prayer to the Trinity, when addressing Christ she wrote, “Fain would I cover Thee with Glory” [15]. This phrase was still on her mind in the new year and she fleshed it out as, “If you bear this state of powerlessness with fidelity, with love, you can cover Him with Glory” [16]. She also included the phrase the Praise of Glory: only the second time that it had been used, after an interval of a year.
Sr Elizabeth’s first letter (extant) after the Prayer to the Trinity was to the Abbe Chevignard [17]. Although there was no mention of Praise of Glory, she re-affirmed her wish to bury herself in the Trinity [18] quoting from (Gal.2:20) . This was repeated “let us disappear, forget ourselves …”, in a letter previously mentioned [16][bis]. She had ended her letter to the Abbe, “Let us live by love..”, and 8 months later she was to add (significantly), “with an ever growing passion” [19].
A few weeks earlier, Sr Elizabeth had made her overall intentions clear in a New Year greeting: “May this be a year of love all for the Glory of God” [20]. She remarked on how her recipient would be able to say with our Saviour “Father, I have Glorified You on earth …” (Jn 17:14), because she was engaged in lay apostolate work: “to give God to souls and souls to God” [21]. That there was no mention of the Praise of His Glory, in an activity so dear to Sr Elizabeth’s heart, and about a lady whom Elizabeth had been very close to when in the world [22], may appear strange.
In 3 letters to the Abbe Chevignard [23] Sr Elizabeth showed that she had been thinking about the Glory that we praise. In other words, about the light of His Glory shining forth. She referred to the Holy Trinity bending over the Abbe Chevignard at his ordination to the deaconate and to the rays of the great Light piercing his soul (2Cor 4:6) and causing the Glory of His Grace to blaze forth [24]. She used the same phrasing in a letter to mark his ordination to the Priesthood a few months later [25][26]. In this letter, had Sr Elizabeth assumed her mantle, when she wrote, “do not forget the one He led to Carmel so that she might be (the) Praise of His Glory” [27]?
Just before going on retreat in October 1905 [28] she asked the Abbe Chevignard [29] to consecrate her “as a sacrifice of Praise to His Glory” [30] that everything about her retreat would be a “homage rendered to His Holiness” [29][bis]. As she remarked later, “sacrifice is love put into action” (Gal 2.20) [31]. There was no obvious clue in her letter about the likely substance of her retreat, although she did quote “from the great heart of the Apostle for his dear Ephesians”. Later, in the report of her retreat to her community [28,bis] , two quotations from Holy Scripture set the scene: “You are dead and your life is hidden in Jesus Christ in God” (Col.3:3), and “Our life is in heaven” (Ph.3:20)[32]. Then, all her actions would glorify Him , and she would be transformed into “the Praise of Glory to which she was predestined .. “ (Eph.1:11-12) [33].
Sr Elizabeth quoted (Col.3:3) and (Ph.3:20) in her next (and last) letter to the Abbe Chevignard [31][bis]. She also quoted, “You already belong to the City of Saints and the House of God” (Eph.2:19) from her letter of two years previously [34]. Again, one must be careful with the repetition, not to overlook the dynamic deepening of her life in God. She mentioned detachment, an on-going detachment so that the soul becomes more-and-more filled with Him: filled with Him, the Source (Jn 8:25) of all truth (Jn 8:26); more-and-more transformed in Him. Her prayer was that she might give Glory to God. She did not mention Praise of Glory in this very important letter!
LAUDEM GLORIAE
Introduction
“I love this thought, that the life of the Priest (and of the Carmelite) is an Advent that prepares for the Incarnation in souls.” [31][bis]. In her letter, almost 2 years before [33][bis], she had anticipated this gem, by referring to the pre-requisites of holiness and apostolate as, ‘Union and love’. She went on, in her latest letter, to quote the psalmist “fire goes before the Lord” (Ps.96:3) and then asked rhetorically, “ Isn’t fire love? And isn’t our mission also to prepare the way of the Lord through our Union with Him whom the Apostle calls a “consuming fire”? [35]". Whenever that mission is carried out in the body of the Church, with Him, and in Him; He is glorified. Towards the end of her letter Sr Elizabeth asked that on the 4th anniversary of her clothing, the Abbe Chevignard might offer her to God that she may truly be Laudem Gloriae.
When Sr Elizabeth’s attention was drawn to the phrase Praise of Glory, it is noted in MPA/HMH that she went away to look up the Latin equivalent: Laudem Gloriae [36]. This would have been sometime in January 1904. It is natural to suggest that because she not use this Latin equivalent before November 1905, she may have attributed a difference of meaning to it; or did she simply intend the Latin equivalent for use when/where the ‘vernacular’ would have been out of place?
An outline of Sr Elizabeth’s distinction between the 3 phrases, based solely on her letters in Carmel, would appear to be as follows.
Anyone, in a state of grace, may give Glory to God: it is our calling. Many of her correspondents wrote because they believed, that as a nun, she could alleviate their distress caused by illness and bereavement. Sr Elizabeth sought to draw them into the Love of Jesus, and through their suffering to give Glory to God and to be transformed in Him. Other people were pursuing an apostolate that gave Glory to God, like the lady who “gave God to souls and souls to God” while herself “being nailed to the Cross … by neuralgia” [37].
Anyone who seeks to live in Love, who seeks to remain recollected, may through the power of the Holy Spirit, be transformed in the Indwelling Holy Trinity [but the person cannot effect this transforming action]. Transformation is not ‘once-and-for-all’. It is dynamic in degree: always increasing, or decreasing. Sr Elizabeth quotes St Paul, “hidden in Christ with God” (Col.3.3), for the benefit of the entire Church [38] this person is the Praise of His Glory: their ‘apostolate’ Praises His Glory. She advised the lady, who was traumatized for many years after a serious operation, “let us disappear, let us forget ourselves, let us be only the Praise of His Glory” . This lady entered religious life later, aged 75 [39].
As the degree of Sr Elizabeth’s Union with the Holy Trinity, of transformation, increased and her soul was absorbed entirely by God, again for the benefit of the entire Church, there would appear to have been a seamless reversible transition between Praise of Glory and Laudem Gloriae: since the degree of Union (on earth) was according to the Will of God. From Sr Elizabeth’s letters, this transition was taking place before she entered the infirmary.
Occurrence of Laudem Gloriae
‘Discussion’ by Sr Elizabeth of the word Laudem Gloriae within the text of a letter [40], was an exception, and the norm was its use as her name in the text or as a signature. Her ‘new’ name appeared in 13 letters: no additional information was given about her understanding of the phrase, and in 7 letters and 5 poems, it was used as a signature [41].
Sr Elizabeth had been developing her doctrine for almost 2 years and, apart from finishing touches, it was complete. Only then did she tell her trusted childhood confidante: “I am going to tell you a very personal secret: my dream is to be “(the) Praise of His Glory” [42]. Surely, it was a very personal secret, all those years ago, when she climbed onto his knee and told him that she wanted to become a nun; and then, he was the first to be told her secret. Her letter highlighted 3 points of her doctrine: fidelity, detachment, and selfless attachment to the interests of Holy Mother Church. She wrote that her Bridegroom had confirmed her vocation was to be Praise of Glory [43] “while in exile” (here on earth). In passing, note that a similar (possibly ambiguous) remark was made in an earlier letter to the Abbe Chevignard [44] but it was to him that she revealed her new name of Laudem Gloriae.
The French text from Ephesians (1:11,12) was quoted in Heaven in Faith as, “la louange de sa gloire”, as expected; then in the same section Sr Elizabeth wrote, ‘Louanges de gloire’, when asking the rhetorical question, “ … how do we … become perfect Praises of glory … “ [45]. Accepting that one must be in Heaven to be the perfect Praise of Glory , Sr Elizabeth also accepted that a soul incompletely transformed in Love, would be the closest that one could approach perfection here on earth [46]. Her transformation in her Bridegroom, coupled with her very advanced prayer life, was complemented by a “deeper understanding of the perfect” Praise of Glory [47]. Was it coincidence that 2 letters, a month apart, should both open with: “our conversation is in Heaven” (Phil 3:20) and this same quotation appeared in PN16 (her October Retreat) [48]?
Letters to her Mother and sister
It is noteworthy that she never wrote about Praise of Glory (etc.) to her Mother at any time. Whereas at the end of a short letter thanking her sister for food, that she had supplied to the Carmel; and written within days of the letter to her childhood confidante, Sr Elizabeth signed as: “Laudem Gloriae.” and added, “That is what we’ll both be called in Heaven! …” [49]. Guite was too close to her sister not to have guessed that she was very ill.
After her near death in April 1906, Sr Elizabeth wrote what was thought to be a final letter to her sister. She included a very brief sketch of her doctrine, which should enable Guite to become a Praise of Glory, and then finished with: “you will be (the) Praise of His Glory I dreamed of being on earth” [50]. This could mean either that she was yet to realise her dream or that she would be unable to continue as Praise of Glory for very long ‘here below’. The latter is the most likely meaning [51] and she continued: “I will be Laudem Gloriae before the throne of the Lamb, and you, Laudem Gloriae in the centre of your soul; we will always be united,” [50][bis]. It would be unrealistic to think that Guite could ‘replace’ Sr Elizabeth or even that she fully comprehended what Sr Elizabeth had in mind. Remember that up until January 1906, Sr Elizabeth had not included any material about Praise of Glory or about Glorifying God, in letters to her sister. Even then, Laudem Gloriae only appeared as a signature [52]. This supports Fr De Meester’s conjecture that Guite knew nothing about the Treatise HF being intended for her [53].
In the next letter to her sister [54], whom she referred to (twice) as ‘little’ Praise of Glory, there was no mention of Laudem Gloriae. Instead, she wrote about love and asked that Jesus would teach Guite the science of love [55]. That letter was signed, in part, Praise of His Glory. She signed the next 2 letters Laudem Gloriae! The first of these letters was nothing more than a brief note [56]. In the second letter, the gravity of her illness was all too apparent: “Little Guite help me to prepare for my eternity*, “hide (this letter) well because of mama” [57]. Despite this, she continued with the ‘preparation’ of her sister: “let us overlook no sacrifice … give everything to the Master.” [57][bis]. She concludes her letter with a reference to the mystical lyre on which the divine touch of Holy Spirit would produce Praises of Glory . In her brief sketch Sr Elizabeth had remarked that the Holy Spirit would transform Guite into a mysterious lyre. One is reminded of Sr Therese’s love of this particular imagery [58].
Considering the period after Sr Elizabeth’s August retreats, there are 6 letters (extant) to her Mother, and 1 letter (extant) to her sister. No mention is made of giving Glory to God, Praise of His Glory or Laudem Gloriae. In the letter to Guite, Sr Elizabeth asked her to write about her interior life. Fr De Meester has not commented on whether there was a reply. One may suppose that Guite’s own suffering at that time was intense.
Other Letters
Although interest has been centred on the use of Laudem Gloriae by Sr Elizabeth, there were also letters referring to giving Glory to God and the Praise of Glory. Considering the period up to the start of August, when HF was written: after the Cenacle days of silence (May 25th – Jun 2nd), and especially after she had regained the use of her legs (Jul 8th ?); not only did St Paul abound, so also did Glory to God and Praise of Glory! Increasingly, of course, as her illness became rampant, she was writing only to Priests and Religious.
In 2 letters the question of whether she was a Praise of Glory here on earth was resolved with an affirmative answer [59]. The quotation from St Therese, “My vocation is love” [60] appeared at the head of 3 letters [61] and in a poem [62]; she was not usurping it, for in a letter to a Prioress [63] she wrote “your vocation is love”, in other words it should be applicable to every Christian.
Another interesting development in letters to 2 Priests was a request that, in their celebration of Holy Mass, they should consecrate her as a Sacrifice of Praise to the Glory of God [64]. It was at the start of 1905 that Sr Elizabeth started asking Canon Angles and the Abbe Chevignard to consecrate her during the celebration of Holy Mass [65]. Doubtless she would have asked Priests who visited her in the infirmary in the last 3 months of her life; but there is no written record in Sr Elizabeth’s letters, simply because none of her letters (extant) in these last months were written to Priests.
'HEAVEN IN FAITH'
Introduction
Over the last 2 years of her life Sr Elizabeth increasingly referred to herself as either Praise of Glory or Laudem Gloriae: where Glory is understood to mean the Glory of God. The meaning which she attached to these titles was summarized at the end of her spiritual treatise Heaven in Faith, and this summary: albeit slightly abbreviated; was included in the Souvenirs [66]. The purpose of the treatise was to acquaint her sister, Guite, with her interior life: the Heaven in Faith which she experienced in her own soul while still here-below. Bearing in mind that the treatise was written a century ago, one might describe it loosely as Sr Elizabeth’s rule for Christian Perfection.
“Christian perfection, according to the testimony of the Gospels and Epistles, consists chiefly in charity which unites us to God [67]. Lacordaire stated that “Truth is charity, and charity is the gift of oneself to friends and enemies without distinction” [68], and he linked this to the beatitude “Happy are they who suffer persecution in the cause of righteousness”. The virtue of charity corresponds to the supreme precept of the love of God.” to which all are called”. “He that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in Him” (1Jn4,16) ”above all .. have charity, which is the bond of perfection” (Col.3.14). The wonder of the perfection to which Our Saviour calls us, is nowhere more clearly, simply, and beautifully expressed than in the Beatitudes. The Sermon on the Mount does not set aside the Mosaic Law but perfects it.
We must go to God in His way; we shall only be saints in the measure wherein we adapt ourselves to the divine plan [69]. Is the way of a Praise of Glory, as described by Sr Elizabeth in Heaven in Faith, the same as that outlined by the Beatitudes? Are the 2 ways the same, but simply couched in different 'terms'? Both ways are centred on charity and lead to the loftiest ideals of Christian Perfection, but are there any differences (say) of emphasis or approach?
The Treatise
Heaven in Faith was written in Love with love as a farewell testament for a sister who was devotion personified [70]. Guite was a ‘daughter of her Mother’ in that she was very religious, and there is no doubt that her deep spirituality influenced her husband [71]. Guite’s youngest daughter, Genevieve, testified that her Mother “walked in the footsteps of Aunt Elizabeth” [72]. Guite treasured each of the 38 letters written to her from Carmel by her sister, each with some spiritual guidance; and one may easily guess just how much this personal spiritual treatise meant to her. “ In it Sr Elizabeth emphasized that we are destined to be God’s Glory; that the Trinity dwells within us, even though we may know this truth only in faith; that we must forget ourselves, so that God can take full possession of us. If we live according to these truths, we can be sure of living in God’s presence now and in eternity” [71][bis].
Sr Elizabeth wrote the treatise over the normal 10 day period of a Carmelite retreat. She wrote “prayers” for each day on different facets of the interior life. ‘Heaven in Faith’ is a magnificent pastiche of quotations from Scripture: principally St Paul’s Epistles and St John’s Gospel; the works of Ruysbroeck; and St John of the Cross: principally the Spiritual Canticle and the Living Flame of Love. Absorbing this pastiche on love, one realises that the soul can be prepared, through grace, to realise, as fully as possible in this life, Heaven in faith. Christian perfection is centred on Divine Indwelling in the soul. In emphasizing this objective [73]. Sr Elizabeth quotes in part from her favourite saying: “I live, now not I: but Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. 2:20). The degree of preparedness of the faculties of the soul is measured against an ultimate ideal, unattainable in this life “the intellect is completely enlightened by knowledge of God, the will captivated by love of the supreme Good, and the memory fully absorbed in contemplation and enjoyment of eternal happiness.” [74]. Face-to-face with God in Heaven, the soul truly knows God as it is known by Him (1Col.13:12b). The transformation which the soul sought here-below is complete, for it truly is in Light, Life and Love [Novissima Verba]. As Sr Elizabeth remarks, “that is … a perfect Praise of glory” [75].
THE HYMN OF ADORATION
Towards the end of the treatise, some of the principal threads are drawn together as Praise of Glory is mentioned for the first time [76]. Starting with the ‘famous’ quotation from Ephesians (1:11-12), she asks rhetorically, “how do we correspond to our vocation and become perfect Praises of Glory of the most Holy Trinity” in the Heaven in faith of one’s soul, here-below? [75][bis]; and she goes on to develop her answer in 4 propositions, which are considered in detail in Part III of this Update. Sr Elizabeth compares the worship of the Blessed in Heaven with her worship in her soul: her Heaven in Faith; and even allowing for the weakness of nature: “she always sings, she always adores, for she has, so to speak, wholly passed into praise and love in her passion for the glory of her God” [77].
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