“My child, it is not enough to

sacrifice one thing to God; all

must be immolated to him.”

(The Mother Prioress.)

Sister Mary St. Peter’s novitiate was fast drawing to a close. The mere thought of the happy day on which our fervent and generous novice would consecrate herself to God by the sacred vows of religion, caused her to exult with impatient joy. She hastened to manifest her eagerness to be admitted to her holy profession, and frequently entreated her superior to grant her this favor.

“At last,” said the sister, “she ceded to my pressing solicitations, notwithstanding my lack of virtue and capacity, and decided to take the necessary steps toward my admission. Being told that I would be obliged to present myself Three times at the chapter before being admitted, I had the inspiration to perform a little exercise of piety each time I presented myself, in order to obtain for my celestial spouse, Jesus, the sole object of my desires. I addressed myself to the three persons who have had special claims upon him; to the Eternal Father, the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. In this way, I made my three demands for profession with great devotion, and gained him for whom I had longed unceasingly. Notwithstanding my unworthiness, the community had the charity to admit me to my profession, and I celebrated my spiritual nuptials with Jesus. L’Abbé Panager, curé of St. Etienne, who had been my former director, came to preach at the ceremony. He took for his text: Beatam me dicent omnes generationes: (All nations shall call me Blessed): He pictured the beauty of the state I had embraced, repeating continually, ‘Blessed art thou!’ How true! Was I not blessed! My vocation irrevocably decided, and all my desires accomplished! I was supremely happy.”

Our humble novice passes rather lightly over this important circumstance. We can supply some interesting particulars of the period which elapsed between the time of her admission by the community and the day of the solemn ceremony; these facts have been taken from the annals of the monastery. The interval of several weeks was passed by Sr. St. Peter in fervent and careful preparation for the all-important day. She made a retreat of ten days with so much fervor and recollection, that she had not once raised her eyes, so absorbed was she in God. The day on which she pronounced her vows, the mother prioress, on leaving the room in which Sr. St. Peter had been congratulated by the community, perceived a young novice very sad and pensive; turning towards the newly professed the Mother said: ‘Peter, go and console John!’ Sr. St. Peter ran to embrace her companion, promising her that her turn would soon come. In fact, the latter was professed a few months later, notwithstanding the many forebodings to the contrary. She never forgot the impression made on her on that occasion. In embracing Sr. St. Peter it seemed to her that she had approached an angel. Sister St. Peter’s profession took place on the 8th of June 1841, date worthy of record. On such an important occasion, the sister was not without having given her Divine Spouse a new proof of her love. The following is her act of

CONSECRATION.

“O my God! deign to accept the sacrifice which I offer Thee in union with Jesus my Savior, immolated for man. I offer thee through him and in union with him the entire abandonment of myself, the sacrifice of my life. I remit my soul to thy all-merciful hands. To thee, O Jesus, my beloved Spouse, I offer my entire being on the altar of thy Divine Heart, by the hands of the most Holy Virgin and of St. Joseph; through them I deposit my vows, begging them to be the witnesses and the guardians thereof. Deign, O cherished Family to accept the entire consecration which I make of myself to your service; I also offer myself to thee on this day, in union with our holy Mother St. Theresa, and our Father St. John of the Cross, for the accomplishment of thy designs over my soul. Look upon me as thine. I pray thee to guard my holy vows; accomplish them in me by thy all-powerful grace. O Jesus, my adorable Spouse, I am so poor, so miserable, so inconstant in virtue!”

“In union with the Hearts of Mary and Joseph, I make my profession and promise, Poverty. Chastity and Obedience to God, to our Lord Jesus, and to the most blessed Virgin Mary, under the authority of our lawful Superiors, according to the primitive Rule of the Order of Mount Carmel of the ‘Reform of St. Theresa’ without mitigation, and this to the hour of my death. O Divine Infant! unite my sacrifice to thine.”

“When presented in the Temple, thou didst sacrifice thyself for my redemption: to-day I offer myself to redeem sinners. O Mary! my tender Mother, and you my good Father St. Joseph, who presented two doves to the High Priest for the redemption of the Infant Jesus, deign, I beseech you, to offer to the Eternal Father, my body and my soul, to redeem this Divine Infant from the hands of sinners and to heal his wounds. Impress on me, I implore you, his divine resemblance; rather grant that it may not be I who live, but thou Jesus, who livest and reignest in me! O Jesus, Mary and Joseph! with what ardor and joy would I not have gone to offer myself to serve you, if I had had the happiness of living when you were on this earth! With the same sentiments of love, I wish to serve this holy community as though it were you who dwelt in this house. I beseech you to accept all my labors, all that I have belongs entirely to you. Deign to regard me henceforth as your little servant, and dispose of me as you will. Amen.”

Sr. Mary St. Peter of the Holy Family.

(Unworthy Carmelite.)

June 8th, 1841.

The sister, on entering the monastery, had taken the name of Mary, patroness of all the Carmelites, and that of St. Peter, her baptismal name; thus was she doubly placed under the protection of the Prince of the Apostles. On the day of her profession, she wished to become more particularly allied to the Holy Family; for this reason she added, to her other titles, as we have seen, that of the “Holy Family,” which she lovingly cherished and by which she was known.

But to continue with her narrative: “Being thus entirely consecrated to Jesus as his little domestic, I was soon inspired by him to guard his flock in the pasture of his divine Infancy; and I arranged the plan of a little exercise in honor of the twelve mysteries of the first twelve years of his life; which I called the “Twelve Tribes of Israel”, of which the following is an extract:”

“In honor of his first year, I offered him, through the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, our Holy Father the Pope, and all the hierarchy of the Church militant, under the protection of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The second year, I offered for the souls of all religious, under the protection of St. John and the holy Apostles.

The third year, for kings under the protection of holy king David and the Magi.

The fourth year, for the unfortunate freemasons, under the protection of the holy Martyrs.

The fifth year, for all comedians, under the protection of St. John the Baptist.

The sixth year, for infidel nations, under the protection of the nine choirs of angels.

The seventh year, for heretics and schismatics, under the protection of St. Ann.

The eighth year, for the Jews, under the protection of St. Ann and St. Joachim.

The ninth year, for unbelievers, under the protection of the holy Prophets.

The tenth year, for all obdurate sinners, under the protection of the holy Confessors.

The eleventh year, for tepid souls, under the protection of the holy Women.

Finally, the twelfth year, for the souls of the Just, under the protection of our holy Mother St. Teresa, and all the holy Virgins.”

Such is what she termed the “Sheepfold of the Infant Jesus,” most touching and admirable occupation of zeal and charity for the Church and the salvation of souls. Our Lord had inspired her with this devotion after her profession. According to her opinion, nothing could be better suited to the humid function chosen by her with so much love. — “My adorable Savior,” said she, “soon assumed such power over me, notwithstanding my unworthiness, that I could truly say he had become the director and master of my soul.”

In this divine school, the sister, docile and faithful disciple, made rapid progress in the contemplative life. The activity of her mind attracted her to the perpetual contemplation of the mysteries of the life of Our Lord. Taking for her starting-point the Holy Infancy of Jesus, she passed successively over the scenes of his hidden life, his dolorous life and his glorious life; from his Incarnation to his triumphant Ascension. She distributed the hours of the day in such manner, that each recalled to her mind some particular circumstance in the life of Our Lord, to whom she united herself by faith and loving contemplation. She had such an attraction for this exercise that she performed without any apparent effort, what to others, might seem tedious and complicated. We can form some conception of this from the concise report she drew up, in obedience to the mother prioress.

“At eight o’clock in the evening, I offer myself to the most holy Virgin and St. Joseph, as their little domestic, to guard their sheep in the pastures of the Infant Jesus, that is his mysteries and his sacred wounds; and I adore the mystery of the Incarnation until nine o’clock, when matins are sung; then I celebrate the birth of the Infant Jesus; I unite myself to the angels, to the shepherds, and the Magi who adored him in the manger. During the first noctum, I adore his eternal birth in the bosom of his Father, and his divine life; during the second noctum, I adore his birth in the stable of Bethlehem and his mortal life; at the third noctum, I adore his sacramental birth in the Holy Eucharist, and his spiritual birth in our hearts.”

“At each of the nine psalms, I unite myself to the nine choirs of angels.”

“At the Te Deum, I adore the Infant Jesus manifesting himself to the Jewish people in the persons of the Shepherds.”

During the psalms of lauds, I adore the Holy Infant circumcised and receiving the name, Jesus; afterward, I adore him with the Magi, as God, King and Man.— This is my mental occupation during matins.”

She thus, perhaps without being aware of it, adopted a method the most approved by liturgists and masters of the spiritual lift; that of being united in spirit to Our Lord in the mysteries of his sacred life during the psalmody and recitation of the office.

Matins is the last choir-exercise of the day for the Carmelites, shortly after which the religious take the necessary repose. Sister M. St. Peter continued her homage to the Divine Infant. “Having retired to my cell,” said she, “I am occupied until eleven, with the sheepfold and the sheep of the Holy Infant Jesus, beseeching that amiable Savior to pour his benedictions on them, and to apply to them his sacred merits. After this, I retire to rest in union with the Holy Infant reposing in the manger. In the morning, as soon as I hear the réveil, I arise and adore the Eternal Father saying to him, with the Infant Jesus: ‘Behold me, my Father, I have come to do thy will.’ Then I repair to the choir for prayer, in union with the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph conducting the Infant Jesus to the Temple. During my prayer, I offer myself with him to his Heavenly Father; I renew the holy vows of my profession and give myself to this Divine Savior. Afterward, I offer him to his Eternal Father for the salvation of his sheep. Meditation being finished, we go with the Holy Family to Nazareth; soon the bell summons us to the ‘Little Hours,’ and we depart for Egypt. During the twelve psalms of these Hours, I adore the twelve years of the Holy Infancy; and honor his sojourn in Egypt, his return to Nazareth, and his stay in the Temple of Jerusalem, where he was found in the midst of the Doctors.”

“After the holy sacrifice of the mass, the hour for work arrives, then I contemplate Our Lord during his hidden and laborious life. At eleven o’clock, I adore Jesus baptized by St. John: after noon till one o’clock, I remain with him in the desert; from one to two, I follow him in his public life. At two o’clock vespers commence: then I adore his triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem, and I go to the choir in union with our Divine Savior; during the office I keep myself in spirit at his feet, honoring the sentiments of his adorable Heart during the last week he passed with his disciples, and the excess of his love, which urged him to institute the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.”

“Afterward, we arrive at the Garden of Olives, and there I remain during the rest of the afternoon; I follow Our Lord through the different stages of his Passion in union with the Blessed Virgin. At five o’clock the bell calls us to meditation.” According to the spirit of the Carmelite rules, the evening meditation is one of the most important exercises of the day; this will sufficiently explain the number and variety of interior acts performed by Sr. St. Peter during her meditation.

“At this moment,” said she, “I adore Jesus crucified, and I remain either at the foot of the cross or in the Sacred Heart. I begin by an examination of conscience, and after humbling myself for my faults, I offer myself entirely to Our Lord, renewing my holy vows, in union with his sacrifice. After having thus given myself to him, it seems that he gives himself reciprocally to me with all his merits: he unites my soul to his, causing me to participate in the honor which he renders his Father as Victim. Then I lose sight of myself to be occupied with my heavenly Spouse, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. I find in the Heart of Our Lord all the mysteries of his most holy life, his merits, and all his sheep. I offer each mystery to the Eternal Father for such and such a portion of the sheepfold of the Infant Jesus. After which, I present to this Divine Father the four quarters of the globe, which I have placed in the four wounds of the feet and the hands of my Savior: the twelve flocks of the Holy Family occupy the fold of the Sacred Heart. To these I also join the souls in purgatory, having placed them in the other wounds of this adorable body. Then I offer this august Victim to the Eternal Father by the hands of the Blessed Virgin, as a sacrifice of expiation and of thanksgiving for all the perfections of the most Holy Trinity. Finally, I adore the last sigh of Jesus on the cross. Such is the method which Our Lord has given me to pursue during the evening meditation.”

This method of prayer was particularly adapted to her disposition, and notwithstanding the seeming multiplicity of acts, we must concede that it is most simple, natural and practical. Habit and the attraction of grace rendered it easy and delightful to her. She never lost sight of Our Lord; the meditation ended, she still continued her perfect union with him. “During the remainder of the day, I occupy myself till complin with Jesus reposing in the sepulcher; then I adore him rising from the tomb, and I contemplate him in his ascension to Heaven.”

“This is, in general, the order of my daily exercises. But to facilitate the action of the Divine Master in my soul, I must practice a total renouncement of all that could flatter the senses: no reflections on self unless to humble myself. God alone, his will and his glory: such is my maxim. These words, And he was subject to them, and again, I have not come to he served, but to serve, are always in my mind. Our Lord gave me a thorough conviction of my utter incapacity to do anything good, and also of my abject misery. The Child Jesus led his little Ass by the bridle of his holy grace, I had but to renounce myself, and obey.”

We need not be surprised at this interior self “renunciation” or at the “humility” with which the good sister seems to be penetrated; it was but the fruit of her continual application to the mysteries of the life of the Savior. The mother prioress, to whom these details were related in confidence, kept a constant watch over her, and became convinced that she was actuated by the impulse of divine grace. Nevertheless, to assure herself of the spirit which animated her, she spared her no humiliation but mortified her on all occasions, and at every instant opposed her wishes; in a word, she endeavored to make her pursue a more ordinary course.

“I made every effort to obey,” said the pious religious, “but to no purpose; for I would soon find myself in the same path. Our mother permitted me to speak to a holy priest, well enlightened in the interior life. She said: ‘My child, explain to him how you make your meditation and in what manner you are conducted by God.’ I availed myself of this occasion with thankfulness, and laid bare my interior to this good priest. Having thoroughly examined all, he said: ‘My child continue your course without fear, let God conduct you as he wills, for you have established the foundation of your spiritual life on a solid basis,— mortification. Tell your reverend mother that I am satisfied; I will speak to her myself also.’ After this, our prudent mother permitted me to abandon myself fully to the spirit of God; but she wisely counselled me to be faithful to grace, and not to remain inactive after the cessation of the divine operations in my soul. As I had no employment to distract my mind from the presence of God, the entire day was passed in an uninterrupted prayer, if I can thus express myself. My work was no hinderance to my continual union with Our Lord. Having thus no opportunity to practice virtue, I had not much merit; but our reverend mother, who continually watched over the spiritual advancement of my soul, soon gave me an office most fruitful in distractions, that of portress. My love of silence and prayer found no sympathy with my new office, but I regarded the command of our mother as an order from Heaven, and joyfully submitted, thinking that on that day, the feast of the Incarnation, the Infant Jesus had given me an evident proof that he had chosen me to be his little domestic, and that he would employ me in this office to perform all the errands of the house. I then renewed the consecration of myself to the Divine Infant.”

It may be well to observe here, that the office of portress, according to the rule of the Carmelites, and as it was imposed on Sister St. Peter, is exercised exclusively within the interior of the cloister; she who is appointed thereto, receives all the commissions and messages from without, and transmits the same to those within the cloister. For this reason, it must not be confused with that of the Sister Tourieres who are in direct communication with the world, and whose obligations and duties are essentially different from the cloistered religious. The office of portress has its moments of fatigue. She who so willingly designated herself, the little “Ass of the Infant Jesus,” was obliged more than once, to ask for relief from her Divine Master, through her superior. Besides the fatigue incidental to this employment, general business and preoccupation of mind, are the particular lot of those appointed portress. This was exactly what the mother prioress had in view in appointing Sister St. Peter, foreseeing that it would effectually cross the good sister in her habits of prayer and recollection; and indeed, it was a perpetual source of penance and self-renunciation: she practiced all the austerities prescribed by the rules, even adding others voluntarily; yet always maintaining herself within the limits of discretion. Her entire life, both interiorly and exteriorly, was in reality one continued mortification, severing her completely from all the pleasures of the senses. She had asked for a statue of the Infant Jesus and in a short time received it. She relates the fact with her usual simplicity:

“I often desired to have, a little statue of the Infant Jesus, to render my homage to him during the day; but I hesitated to ask our reverend mother for it. One day, it seemed that the Divine Infant urged me to insist on having one; I obeyed the inspiration, and my petition was granted. I now had the Holy Infant with me in the parlor, and I was supremely happy; I offered him all my little labors and demanded souls as a recompense. This Divine Infant gave me, in such profusion, all the graces I needed to fulfil my employment, that it was not injurious to my spiritual application, nor did it prevent my union with God when at prayer. All day long I labored for the salvation of the sheep of the Holy Infant Jesus, and at prayer, he repaid me a hundred fold. By times during the day, he visited my soul with a powerful impulse of his grace. I would leave my work for a brief moment, when I felt his approach, that I might hearken to him the more attentively; but thinking that I should have permission I asked our reverend mother. As she never neglected any opportunity of exercising my virtue, she forbade me notice these interior operations. ‘I only permit you, when your mind is disturbed, to pause an instant to recollect yourself.’ With the grace of God, I followed minutely her wise counsels.”

In 1843, Our Lord engaged her, in a special manner, to pray for Spain, which was then in a state of revolution. This Catholic country, the birth-place of St. Theresa and the cradle of the Reform of the Carmelites, would naturally have engrossed the attention of Sister St. Peter, and it was not surprising that she often remembered it before God at a period when the Spanish nuns and clergy were being persecuted and sent into exile.

“I have never,” said she, “felt my soul so closely united to God as during that time. My Divine Master operated in me something which I call neither understand nor explain. It seemed that I heard him asking grace from his heavenly Father for that kingdom, and so urgently that I was astonished. He obliged me to beg mercy in his name; but I feel that I am unequal to the task of explaining this mystery of his love, therefore I abandon it.”

God communicated himself freely to this generous professed. She felt more and more urged to make the act of entire abandonment with which she had been inspired after her admission to Carmel; but her Superiors always refused to grant the permission. However, this year, 1843, she unexpectedly had an occasion to renew her demand. The Carmelites were obliged to quit their old monastery and search for a site on which to build anew. The circumstances attendant on this change are intimately connected with the life of Mother Mary of the Incarnation, and consequently with that of Sister St. Peter. The following facts, relative to this event, are taken from the annals of the monastery.

“For some time past, our house had been an obstacle to the various improvements planned by the city; moreover, our neighbor’s new buildings overlooked our premises from which resulted serious inconveniences as to regularity, not to speak of the unhealthfulness brought about by such a state of things. Nevertheless, we would not have thought of making any change, for we could not bear the idea of abandoning the cradle of our religious life, hallowed by the virtues of our first Mothers, saintly ground which we had recovered at the cost of so much labor and sacrifice. But when least expected, unforeseen circumstances hastened the time of the dreaded change; several persons, desirous of purchasing the house, made some very advantageous offers; the inconveniences we experienced increased daily; the plans of the city officials were about to be put into execution, and we were compelled to decide on our departure. Before taking other measures, we had to procure the ground whereon to build. After much research, Divine Providence directed our Superiors to a place which seemed specially reserved for us. It was situated in a tranquil and solitary part of the city, near the archbishopric; there were no surrounding buildings, the air was pure, and in a word, the spot seemed specially chosen for our manner of life. We soon made the purchase depending on the treasury of our Heavenly Father, for we had not even half the capital necessary for such an undertaking.”

“The first alms we received for this purpose merits a special mention. It came from a poor but virtuous old man, who touched with compassion at the sight of our destitution, gave all he had, as we afterward learned. His offering resembled the widow’s mite, and was most pleasing to God, for it became a source of benediction. But to keep us perfectly detached from earthly things, Our Lord permitted that assistance should be rendered us only in accordance with our necessities, and at the very moment when all hope was lost, frequently by means unforeseen. Once in a moment of extreme distress, we appealed to St. Yves, the intercessor of the poor, and we received assistance truly extraordinary. He inspired a lady of noble birth, whose modesty forbids us reveal her name, to give us a special mark of her benevolence, though but little acquainted with our community, thus winning for herself our lasting gratitude, besides the title and privileges of a benefactress.”

From the outset, this undertaking was a source of much anxiety to the reverend mother prioress, Mary of the Incarnation, as we can readily understand. Quite naturally she recommended the matter to Sister St. Peter, and enjoined her to pray to the Infant Jesus to find a suitable spot for a habitation for his spouses. “With this intention, I prayed to the Divine Infant” said the sister, “and asked of him the land, but I believe I heard him reply: Give me the land of your soul! I understood perfectly what he meant. He, also, had a building to raise for the glory of his Father, and had long chosen the sandy ground of my soul for the accomplishment of his design; notwithstanding my unworthiness, he had ordained that so miserable a creature should be the means of adding greater éclat to his glory.”

After prime, she went to the office of the mother prioress, who spoke of her anxiety in reference to the great enterprise with which she had been charged. “Our good mother,” said the sister, “had need of a little relaxation of mind: I commenced to talk and soon made her laugh heartily: ‘Reverend mother,’ said I, when a man wants some money and has none, he sells his ass; if you will sell me to the Infant Jesus, I am sure he will give you some money to build the house.’ Our reverend mother smiled at my singular proposition; but I persisted, saying: ‘Mother, I am not worth much, but as the Holy Infant wants me and even asks for me, he will surely purchase me.’ Delighted with the thought of being sold for Our Lord, who permitted himself to be sold by Judas, for love of me, I then added: ‘Mother, how much will you sell me for?’ Our reverend mother perceived by my air of sincerity and by the great desire I manifested in making such a request, that Our Lord had perhaps some design in view; she seemed to condescend, and replied: ‘Well, my child, you can say to the Infant Jesus that if I were rich, I would give you to him, but as I am very poor and in need of money to build his holy house, I am obliged to sell you; ask him then to purchase you.’ This reply gave me great pleasure; I addressed myself to the Holy Infant and imparted to him the commission of our reverend mother: I besought him as a favor to purchase me, that I might then be at his disposal.’”

“One night, while I was praying fervently, offering him the love of the shepherds, the Magi and the saints who had seen and adored him, I wove a little crown in honor of the twelve years of his most Holy Infancy. I thought this little homage was most pleasing to him, for I believe I saw him in the interior of my soul, and he gave me to understand these words: ‘Tell your mother prioress that if she write to such a person, she will assist to build the house.’ Oh! what good news! Behold already a proof that the Holy Infant wished to purchase his little Ass. I went to our good mother to give her the message of Our Lord. The person in question lived 180 leagues from Tours; I was slightly acquainted with her, but our Rev. Mother had never heard of her. However, she wished to ascertain the truth of this communication, and wrote to the lady without giving any of these particulars. The reply was slow in coming and I began to fear a little; but the Divine Infant again assured me. At last, a letter came from the lady, in which was enclosed an order for five hundred francs. That was the first donation our mother prioress received; it was a guarantee of what our Divine Savior would do in the future. My heart was filled with joy at the arrival of the letter, and I said five hundred ‘Laudates’ to the Holy Infant in thanksgiving. I asked our Rev. Mother if that sum were not more that sufficient to buy an ass, and if she yet consented to deliver me to the Divine Infant who had sent her this amount. But she still wished to try my patience, and to discover the spirit which moved me; she explained that she required more money for the construction of the house of Our Lord before granting the desired consent.”

The good sister then redoubled her fervor as much for the glory of Him who had claimed her, as for the assistance of her mother prioress, whom she saw in such pressing necessity. One of her practices was to say the beautiful invitatory for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; Mirabile Nomen Jesus quod est super omne nomen; venite adoremus. (The name of Jesus is admirable above all names; come let us adore). She repeated this thousands of times, engaging the other sisters to repent it also, in order to form a series of invocations which she likened to bank-notes on Divine Providence; her confidence never failed to have its reward.

One day, during her prayer, she found herself as if in the middle of a building. “Our Lord gave me to understand that it was a great and meritorious thing to erect a dwelling for him; He said that our Mother would have many difficulties to encounter in her undertaking, but that he would furnish the stones. He also directed me to tell her not to be troubled; that if the monastery were constructed according to the rule of St. Theresa, he would pay all, for she would receive assistance from divers sources. ‘But,’ added he, if the house be not built according to this rule, pay for it as best you can.’”

“I found my commission a little embarrassing, but I overcame my repugnance in order to accomplish the will of Our Lord. When I had communicated to our reverend mother what he had given me to understand, she told me that she had not been able to rest the night previous, in consequence of the uneasiness caused by the plan proposed by the architect, which was not at all in accordance with the usual mode of building. She procured another in perfect conformity with the customs of St. Theresa;— Our Lord was satisfied and was ready to fulfil his promise.”

The stones which the sister had to furnish were, as she understood later, the prayers in reparation for the blasphemies and outrages committed against the glory of the Holy Name of God. These prayers drew down the greatest benedictions on the house. The work of Reparation would soon be made known to her. One day the pious virgin was speaking to her prioress of the abundant graces she had received before entering religion; the Rev. Mother replied that probably she had been unfaithful to God, since his favors were now withdrawn. “Offer an honorable amends,” said she, “in reparation for your faults and pray that he may restore your soul to the same condition in which it was when he communicated himself to you so abundantly.”

“I shall obey you, my mother,” wrote the sister, “and I shall pray Our Lord, in your name to pardon me. My soul was at the time greatly agitated, prayer was a task, my imagination was like a furious courser, beyond control; but the Divine Master in his bounty heard the prayer offered him through obedience. The next day, on awakening, I heard an interior voice say: Return to the house of thy Father, which is no other than my Heart. Those words produced a great calm in my soul. Having gone to prayer, I united myself to Our Lord in the most Blessed Sacrament, and I heard him say: ‘Apply yourself to honor my Sacred Heart and that of my Mother, do not separate them; pray to them for yourself and for sinners, then I shall forget your past ingratitude, and I shall give you more graces than ever before, because you are now more united to me by your vows.’”

“A doubt presented itself, whether it was really Our Lord who spoke, but he gave me this assurance: ‘It is I, Jesus, present in the most Blessed Sacrament, who speak. There are several ways in which I communicate myself to souls. Do you not perceive how tranquil and how united you are to me now; whilst for the past few days you were as agitated as the sea during a storm? My child, do as I have directed you, and you shall soon experience the salutary effects.’”

“Afterward,” writes the sister, “he made me understand that I should not be attached to sensible devotion, and he gave me grace to see how we are often carried away by interior emotions, thinking we are most pleasing to him. Then, as he directed, I endeavored to honor these adorable Hearts, both interiorly and exteriorly, by embroidering scapulars of the Sacred Heart, and I prayed for the salvation of those who would wear them. Then I added: I do not seek sensible favors; provided thou art glorified and that souls are saved, this is all I ask.”

The sister continued: “With this intention I offered my will to the Father, my memory to the Son, and my understanding to the Holy Ghost. I placed myself entirely in the hands of God, and I felt convinced that he would purify my soul by interior sufferings. Then I was plunged in an ocean of bitterness and desolation, I was lost in darkness and tormented by temptations: but that which caused me the most suffering, was my desire of loving and glorifying Our Lord. My soul was hungering for God, it seemed that all I did was of no avail, for I felt myself to be nothingness, sin and misery.”

“I had a great longing for a book to solace me, and I asked one from our Rev. Mother. Notwithstanding her usual kindness, she refused, saying: ‘My daughter, it is not sufficient to sacrifice one thing only to God, all must be immolated to him.’ On another occasion, when suffering still more keenly, I desired to speak to her of my mental distress; but God inspired her to act in concert with him, to make me walk in the path of death to self; she, always so full of compassion, would not permit me this time to relieve my weary heart, but forbade me speak of my interior pains, even to my confessor, before a fortnight. With the grace of God, I submitted with a good will to this trial.”

“The devil of blasphemy caused me no small amount of suffering, but I kept strongly attached to the cross during the temptation, not daring to say: ‘O God! come to my assistance,’ I offered my suffering to Our Lord for the salvation of souls and for the accomplishment of his designs. I said one day: ‘O my God, I am now well aware of my nothingness and my misery!’ Meaning thereby to say: It is enough, my God! I shall now know how to discern thy gifts, and shall never attribute them to myself. I see that I am nothing but a poor and miserable sinner.”

Finally, she felt urged to have recourse to her holy mother, St. Teresa, in whose honor she commenced a novena; the nine days had not passed ere her sufferings had altogether disappeared. The Lord now resumed with his servant the course of his extraordinary communications which had been totally interrupted for more than two years. But it was necessary that she should return to the House of her Father, that is to say, to the Heart of Jesus, where as gold in the furnace, her soul would be purified by the fire of suffering and love. The Devotion of the Holy Face emanates from that of the Sacred Heart, the one is the complement of the other. In the order of the designs of the Divine Master, his faithful disciple was to be conducted to the intimate recesses of his most amiable Heart, before being initiated in the mystery of Reparation by means of his dolorous Face.” (1)

(1) — M. Dupont, establishing a comparison between the revelations of Blessed Margaret Mary and those of Sr. St. Peter said: “If the Heart of Jesus is the emblem of love, his adorable Face is that of the sufferings endured for our salvation.” (Life of Mr. Dupont, vol. II,) On this subject a distinguished member of the Society of Jesus, Rev. L. F. Gros, has written the following, which furnishes matter for pious reflection: The heart is the symbol of love;— the face is the living mirror of the heart; the face reveals what the heart contains, namely, love, sorrow with the other sentiments of the soul. For this reason the Church does not regard with a favorable eye the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, if the heart be isolated from the face; it is the face which authorizes us to say: behold such a one! When I have before me the face and the heart of Jesus, I have before me Jesus entire, his soul and its sentiments. Thus Jesus manifested himself to Blessed Margaret Mary, the face of Jesus in this vision, certainly was the light, the life, the word of the heart; that Face of Jesus, at Parray-le-Monial, was a dolorous face, a Holy Face. Behold the heart which has so much loved mankind… and they offer me nothing but ingratitude! Surely it was not joy that was then expressed on the Face of Jesus!”