1. This Update, and the one which follows, were written at the same time as Update 3. There is some repetition, therefore, of material to be found in Updates 4, 5/1,5/2, and 6.
2. Definition of terms as used in these notes. ‘Cross’ may refer to the wooden Cross with or without the body of Jesus, it can loosely include ‘Crucifix’ and ‘Crucified’. ‘Crucifix’ is a representation (having any size) of the Cross with the dead body of Jesus (the ‘Corpus’). ‘Crucified’ may be a synonym for Jesus, or mean Jesus suffering on the Cross. An initial capital letter is used, independent of context.
3. Where reference is made to a letter, or a poem, usually only those parts associated with the occurrence of the words ‘Cross’, ‘Crucifix’, and/or ‘Crucified’, are considered, and the treatment is not intended to be exhaustive. However, some poems must be considered in their entirety.
4. The 4 major spiritual treatises, and Prayer to the Trinity, are not included, except for brief mention, in these notes.
5. No treatment of the Cross is possible without the mention of ‘suffering’. Articles on ‘sacrifice’ and ‘suffering’ can be delicate. Please do not be offended by a presentation intended to be neither exhaustive nor conclusive.
7. Where Fr De Meester has been quoted or paraphrased, in translation, any misrepresentation in his intended meaning is unintentional and is regretted.
8. 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.
INTRODUCTION
These notes are intended to complement those on suffering, so that the reader can remove the artificial separation that it has been necessary to make between the Cross and Suffering. What was the place of the Cross in her life? How did she express this in her letters and poetry? Although there is a surfeit of information covering her later teenage years and her life in Carmel, there is very little for her early years. So much so that once again we are faced with a jig-saw, only this time there are even less pieces available. However, there is a fundamental difference between the place of the Cross in her early life, and the place of suffering. One learns about the Cross – from God, the church, people, books etc – as a cumulative process of internalising following by living what has been learnt, rather like learning a foreign language. So that one can assess what is observed at a given time and know pretty well what has gone before. Whereas suffering is internalised in a different way – it is ‘experienced’. By the time Elizabeth came to enter Carmel she was living a spirituality of the Cross which changed little in detail thereafter, but profoundly in depth.
BACKGROUND
Introduction.
Fr De Meester’s remarks about the need to be familiar with the age in which Elizabeth lived in order to appreciate her life, are just as true for the Cross as they were for suffering (see Update 3); only now it is apposite to look in more detail at the religious background, circa 1900. There is a short informative section in a paper by P.B. Aniceto: ‘Thérèse and Priests’ http://www.catholic.net/rcc/Periodicals/Faith (now scroll down to March/April 1999) which refers to the reverence in which Priests were held circa 1900. In addition, the following book may be helpful: ‘Christ in His Mysteries’ by Dom Columba Marmion (1858-1923) which is a collection of some of his Spiritual Conferences given circa 1900. Another vital, and immediate, source which comes alive in the reading, is the report of the great Mission of 1899 held in Dijon, given in Elizabeth’s Diary [q.v. Update 4]. Fr De Meester writes that her account is praiseworthy for its completeness and accuracy [3]. Two very good books, from an earlier period although still relevant, are: Spiritual Letters to Women, and Spiritual Letters to Men, both by Archbishop Fénelon (1651-1715).
The great Mission 1899.
The scene for this is quickly set [4]. The mission was preached by the Redemptorist Father’s simultaneously in every parish in Dijon. The opening ceremony in the Cathedral was held on Saturday 4 March 1899; the first sermon was given on the Sunday (3rd of Lent) after High-Mass; thereafter there were 2 and sometimes 3 talks each day for the next 4 weeks until the mission closed on Easter Sunday 2 April 1899, after Vespers. The times of the talks varied somewhat, but there was always a talk at 6 am each morning and a talk most evenings, in all amounting to over 60 talks. Elizabeth appears to have been present for all of them, even those directed mostly at men and given in the evenings. Almost every aspect of ‘Living a Christian Life in the World’ was covered: topics included charity, devotion to Mary, impurity, liberalism, dangerous occasions, the Christian woman, the Christian house, suffering, piety, and love; as well as sin, death, judgement, hell, and Heaven [5]. The Passion of our Divine Saviour was examined on Holy Thursday. The Cross was not the subject of a separate talk. Why should it have been? Surely, one cannot think of Jesus without thinking of His Cross, even at the incarnation [6]. The ‘Sign of Christ’, the ‘Seal of the Living God’ permeates every aspect of Christian living: “if one would be in a state of grace do not turn the eyes of your soul away from My Cross, either in joy or sadness” [7].
‘Sign of the Cross’
It may seem strange to the reader that the ‘Sign of the Cross’ has not been included under the general term ‘Cross’. The reason is that the Sign of the Cross is hardly ever mentioned by Elizabeth in her writing, and not mentioned at all prior to her entry to Carmel. In [L196] Elizabeth asks her Mother to sign her sister’s baby with a Cross; and she signed her last letters with a Cross because she was too ill to do otherwise [8]. Imparting a blessing is associated with the Sign of the Cross, and she blessed her nieces when they visited her in Carmel with her Profession Cross [9]. One may assume that the ‘Sign of the Cross’ was in her mind when she asked for, or gave, a blessing in her letters. For example: she ended all of her letters to Priests [10] especially Canon Angles [11], and nuns [12] with a request that they bless her; and she ended [L259] by asking God to bless Mme Hallo. Only in letters to Guite and her children did she ever give a blessing herself; which emphasized the very strong spiritual bond between the sisters [13]. Remember Elizabeth’s words to Guite: “ I will be always with you at the Foot of the Cross” [14]; and, “at the feet of Jesus, I never leave you”.[15]. It is interesting to speculate on when Elizabeth learned of the tradition to make the Sign of the Cross with 3 fingers, as a continuing reminder of the Most Holy Trinity [16].
Introduction.
In her very early years ‘before the age of reason’ , Elizabeth would have copied the religious practices of those she loved. She was born into a deeply religious family, and her Mother must have impressed her daughter, for a child of 21 months to “throw kisses to (the Crucifix)” and to be “teaching her doll how to (kneel) and pray”.[17]. Thereafter there is no reference to the ‘Cross’ in CW1, OC, MPA, or HMH, until Elizabeth was 15 years of age [18]. This is not surprising. Really, it confirms a ‘presence’ of the Cross as she grew up. Her Mother would bless her with the Sign of the Cross at bedtime. The Father would doubtless use it when saying grace. She would use it herself when entering and leaving church, saying her prayers, and also, perhaps, when entering and leaving her home. It was a part of everyday life, as first recorded by Tertullian. She would also have noticed the very large Cross in her family church and the Stations of the Cross around the walls.
The death of her Father (1887) in her arms and of her Grandfather earlier the same year may have brought the Cross into strong relief. This could have been the first occasion when Elizabeth made a connection between the Cross and Suffering. Her Mother would have been well aware of it. God loved her so much that he had given her a very heavy cross to bear: the deaths of her first fiancé, her Mother and Father, and then her Husband in so short a space of time. It is little wonder that she apparently had Jansenistic tendencies, possibly having concluded that she was not one of ‘the Elect’. Elizabeth was just old enough to know how much her mother suffered from these deaths [19].
Maybe it is conjecture to suggest that by this time Elizabeth had become more familiar with the Stations of the Cross in her parish church, particularly noticing the fifth station: ‘Simon of Cyrene carries the Cross for Jesus’. Little would she have known that this would lead to one of her favourite quotations from St Paul (Col. 1:24). She was no stranger to them in Carmel: in her letters she refers to making the ‘Way of the Cross’ [20] and making a novena of ‘Stations of the Cross’ [21].
The deaths in her family, the Stations of the Cross (possibly), and her preparation for First Confession would cause Elizabeth to look more closely at the reasons for Jesus’ death on the Cross, and why Jesus gives his friends Crosses to bear. Highly intelligent though she was, could she yet have understood that there was an unction in His Cross enabling his friends to bear their Crosses, and that in so doing they became like unto Simon of Cyrene [22]?
Elizabeth’s Poetry.
Although there is no written record of the place of the Cross in Elizabeth’s early life, one can safely conjecture that it featured in her on-going spiritual preparation to realise her childhood ambition of becoming a nun [23]. Here again, there is a dearth of information, that is until the age of 14. Then, so it is recorded in Souvenirs, she asked Our Blessed Lady to obtain for her the favour of dying young, as “she cared nothing for the things of this world” [24]; she heard the word ‘Carmel’ after Holy Communion on one occasion [25]; and she gave herself totally to Jesus [26]. Fr De Meester writes [27] that she was “touched by the grace of God”. It was just after her 14th birthday that she first mentioned ‘suffering’ in a poem [28]. A year or more was to elapse before there was a first mention of the Cross, and she summarized life as she saw it in a 2 verse poem entitled ‘To my Cross’ [29]. Through the Corpus she addresses Jesus passionately; telling Him that she longs for Him, since He is now all there is for her in this world; and inviting Him to be with her as her strength. She reflects on His sufferings, weeping over them; and is glad to be able to suffer with Him, to be with Him at the ‘Foot of the Cross’. Unfortunately, it is not possible to date this poem very accurately. It is worth noting that poem [P36] is an addition of 4 more verses to the 2 verses of [P26] and that [P36] was written for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (14th Sept. 1897). This might mean that [P26] was written for the same feast in the previous year – although this would lie outside the range of approximate dating. Fr De Meester notes how Elizabeth copied out the poetry of Lamartine [30]. Almost certainly then, she would have been familiar with his long poem entitled ‘The Cross’ and written in memory of an unnamed friend. Perhaps his question addressed through the Corpus inspired her poem: “O divine Comforter, whose image we kiss – answer, what do You say?”
The extended poem [P36] records how Elizabeth’s spirituality had developed in the course of a year. She specifically mentions sharing the Cross of Jesus and walking with Him to Calvary proudly wearing the insignia of suffering. She concludes by asking Him to grant the favour, that she had asked through Our Blessed Lady, of dying young. These ideas were given further expression in her poetry; but the basic concepts will not change during her life: she wanted to share His Cross in love, prayer, and suffering. The suffering to which she referred was her long wait to enter Carmel and the reluctance of her Mother to approve of her desires [31].
With her poems she was writing for herself – spontaneously. She is letting us enter her private world; we are eavesdropping on a soul that responded to the love of God, and was frustrated by having to remain in the world. She wrote 73 poems (extant) in 5 years and then stopped, writing nothing over the last 2 years before she entered Carmel. A similar thing happened with her Diary, and Fr De Meester suggests that Elizabeth felt less need to pour out her heart at a time when she was talking with the Prioress of Carmel and other aspirants to Carmel [32]. 18 of the 73 poems include reference to the ‘Cross’ or to ‘Calvary’. The ‘Cross’ in [P38] refers to the Rosary worn by the nuns, and the poem is not considered here.
In addition to [P26; P36] the phrase ‘Foot of the Cross’ is mentioned in only 2 other poems. When Elizabeth was 16 years of age she gave her heart to her divine Bridegroom [33]. At 18 years, on Good Friday 1899 during the mission, she asked her Beloved not only to accept her heart, but, in addition, not to return it to her [34]! This was to forestall the marriage plans being made for her by her mother!
In many of the remaining 13 poems mention of the ‘Cross’ or Calvary is symbolic of her anguish at being unable to enter Carmel [35]. But note: Elizabeth is addressing Jesus in her private world and nowhere is there a hint of criticism of anyone. She lovingly accepts her Cross from Him and asks only that it be a part of His Cross. It is noticeable that in her poems, following the end of the great mission (April 1899) Elizabeth started to ‘demand’ her Cross(es) [36], and she asked Our Blessed Lady to obtain Crosses for her [37]. Some of the lines in [P66; P68] are particularly beautiful. There she imagines that Jesus is speaking to her; referring to Himself as ‘Bridegroom’, ‘Beloved’ and ‘Brother’ and inviting her to climb Calvary with Him.
Summarizing some other points in these poems, Elizabeth wants no other joys but to carry the Cross [38]; to share His Cross [39]; to climb Calvary, happy and proud [40]; and to die Crucified [41].
Elizabeth’s Letters.
Elizabeth wrote 84 letters (extant) prior to entering Carmel, the majority to friends, giving details of her holidays. “All pleasure need not be shunned, we can have Jesus beside us sharing in all our activities, as long as they are within the limits set by the Will of God [42]. Reference to the ‘Cross’ is made in 14 letters, all of which were written in the period when Elizabeth had ceased to write poetry: 11 were to another aspirant to Carmel – hence maintaining her practice of a ‘hidden’ private life. The first letter [L40] was in the form of a short note written on the back of a picture card in January 1901. In these 11 letters, Elizabeth took no more than 2 or 3 short sentences to present her message. Broadly, if one was not carrying a Cross [43], or sharing the Cross with Jesus [44]; then one was at the ‘Foot of the Cross’ either at a pious rendezvous [45] or in silent prayer [46]. Sharing the Cross symbolizes an exchange of love/Love, where He offers us joy when we drink the bitter chalice with Him [47]. Without that exchange of love/Love, we will never find our Calvary. Similarly, we can only remain at the Foot of the Cross if we genuinely desire union, on His terms and in whatever form He chooses. Elizabeth used such phrases as: “to die to ourselves with Jesus” [48]; “to listen only to Him” [49]; “when we cannot pray anymore, let us look at Him” [50].
Letter [L80a] referred to above in ‘Background’, was perhaps the most difficult one Elizabeth ever had to write. It was to her sister on the eve of her departure for Carmel. She was tormented by the knowledge that by entering Carmel, she would crucify her Mother and sister whom she loved so dearly. She gave her sister a Crucifix and a short letter stating that she would always be at the Foot of the Cross for her sister – and she always was. For example, in [L298] she asked that when her sister awoke at night that she would unite herself with Elizabeth. During Guite’s lifetime neither the Cross nor the letter ever left her room. Some idea of the effect of Elizabeth’s departure can be gauged from short extracts from a letter written by Guite to their teacher a few days later. “I believed I was going to die, something broke in me”, “her empty place at table”, “she (Elizabeth) could not have lived in the world”, “your small Guiguite is not anymore like she was formerly” [51]. Yes, never parted for long from her big sister throughout her whole life; 19 years of age; and with her heart ripped out! For completeness, note that Guite married, had 9 children and died in 1954. 5 of her children entered religious life – 4 nuns and a Priest. Her eldest daughter, named Elizabeth followed her aunt into the Dijon Carmel and died there in 1991. Truly, Marie and Joseph Catez were special.
The Mission of 1899.
What effect did the mission have on Elizabeth? The only answer is: ‘profound’! One result was that her dread of the ‘particular judgement’ was replaced by a totally fulfilling (épanouissant) love [52]. Her diary contains a wealth of spontaneous prayers: the outpouring of her heart, after many of the talks. A few representative phrases taken from these are: “Look on my tears and sighs, and have mercy, Almighty God, in the name of Jesus my Beloved Spouse” [53]; “My grief is unbearable when I think that Your heart is wounded “[54]; “I know that there exists no more wicked creature than myself, for You have bestowed so much on me” [55]; “I thank You, my God, for having shown me the vanity of the world from my earliest days” [56]; “My ardour has redoubled during this mission, and my heart burns to convert souls” [57]; “O Divine Heart! uproot, consume, all that displeases You, so that my poor heart may be one with Yours” [58]. Once again, there is a very beautiful imagined dialogue with Jesus on Good Friday: He tells her that she will have her wish to suffer much, to die in pain, and to share His Cross. Her answer:- “Yes, my Love, my Life, the Beloved Bridegroom whom I adore” [59].
Summarizing the references to the Cross in her prayers during the mission. Elizabeth ‘demands’ her Cross(es) [60] and the support of Mary [61]. She wants no other joys but to carry the Cross [62]; to share His Cross [63]; and to die Crucified [64].
Many of her prayers are given in full in [PG,Ch.III], do read them. It is clear from her remarks at the end of the chapter that Mother Germaine believed there was evidence of mystical union, for she quoted our Holy Mother’s words about likening the behaviour of the soul to wax having a seal impressed on it [65]. It is further worth noting that later editions of Souvenirs preface the chapter with our Holy Mothers words about giving “a thousand lives to save one soul” [66], together with the remark that Elizabeth was a worthy daughter in her own desire to save souls [67].
Prior to the great mission, Elizabeth had attended a retreat for girls [68]; and then in January 1900 she attended a retreat, preached on the Crucifix [69]. The ‘Cross’ is mentioned in two of her prayers from that retreat. In the first prayer, she bemoans her sinfulness; the ‘malice of sin’ [70]; and the fact that her faults were responsible for His sufferings. In the second prayer, she contrasts the Jesus reviled and carrying His insulting Cross to Calvary, with the Jesus triumphant and appearing on Judgement Day in the valley of Josaphat (Jehoshaphat) (Joel 4:2) [71].
Mystical Union.
Père Philipon [72] records that these outpourings at the mission were the ‘first mystical intimations’ of her soul. Fr De Meester writes “The Love of Jesus had started early to wake up the very great ‘puissances’ that were in her” [73], “Everywhere in the Diary, one can glean signs of a life of union with God” [74] and later he comments on her first use of the word ‘extase’ [75]. Neither her Mother nor her sister were aware of this development. In her letter of 5th Aug. 1901, Guite wrote; “Only, when she (Sabeth) spoke to me about all these things, I understood nothing as I am too down-to-earth” [76]. It should be noted that her Mother, at that time, had not rescinded her ban on visits to Carmel [77].
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