Today is the feastday of our Sr. Isabel Maria of Jesus, My Eucharistic Spouse.
Born: October 21, 1999
Entered: December 18, 2022

Elizabeth was born July 18, 1880 into a military family and baptized Marie Rolland Josephine Elizabeth Catez on July 22, the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. She would later write to a priest friend, “Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene of whom the Truth declared, ‘She loved much.’ It is the feast day of my soul also, for I shall keep the anniversary of my baptism… I beg you to consecrate me to Him at Holy Mass. Baptize me in the Blood of the Lamb, so that…I may love Him alone with a passion ever deepening until it attains that blessed union destined for us by God…”  The grace of being baptized and receiving the presence of the Indwelling Trinity would be an integral part of her life.

            Elizabeth first wanted to be a nun when she was 7 years old. When her father died in 1887, her family moved into a house in town where the Carmel of Dijon could be seen from her window.  Growing up, little “Sabeth” had a quick temper. She struggled with outbursts of anger until her First Communion, which impacted her tremendously. That day, she met with the Prioress of the Dijon Carmel who explained to her that “Elizabeth” means “House of God.”  This was a grace that would gradually blossom into her deep spirituality of the Indwelling Trinity. From that day on, Elizabeth said that she desired Carmel. She had a long time to wait, for her mother would not give permission until Elizabeth was 21 years old. During her adolescence, Elizabeth was obedient to her mother and was thrown into social activities and travel, always ready to share her talent on the piano. She had many friends, and was especially close with her sister Guite. Yet in the midst of this she was consistently drawn more deeply into solitude with God dwelling within her.

            In 1901, Elizabeth entered Carmel, and when receiving the habit, was given the name “Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity.”  She wrote to a friend, “You must build a little cell in your soul as I do. Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time…when you feel nervous or unhappy,  quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it. Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you anymore; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother…It is the secret of the life in Carmel: the life of a Carmelite is a communion with God from morning to evening, and from evening to morning. If He did not fill our cells and our cloisters, ah, how empty they would be! But we see Him through all for we bear Him within us and our life is an anticipated Heaven.” (Letters from Carmel, The Complete Works- Vol 2, Elizabeth of the Trinity)

            Elizabeth’s spirituality of the Indwelling Trinity can be expressed by her words, “There is a being who is Love and who wants us to live in communion with Him.” She saw her life as an intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; heaven on earth, but in the darkness of faith.  Above all, she valued silence, which enabled the peace and tranquility of the Blessed Trinity to envelop the soul. She abandoned herself in trust to the work of Divine Love in her soul, who is present there in order to purify and save the soul. Elizabeth loved to think of the eternal Sanctus of heaven, where God is ceaselessly adored and glorified. Towards the end of her life, she received a grace (from Ephesians 1:11-12) of a name which expressed her call: to be the “Praise of Glory” of the Blessed Trinity for all eternity. This became her one desire.

Elizabeth started experiencing symptoms of Addisons’ disease in 1903, and died in 1906.  The suffering she experienced intimately united her to Jesus Crucified, and she desired to be transformed into him, to be conformed to his death.  This was the ultimate glorification of God to her, to become Crucified Love. Her last words were, “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!” (Circular Letter of Mother Germaine Prioress).            

Sources:

https://carmelitesofboston.org/history/our-carmelite-saints/st-elizabeth-of-the-trinity/

“The Spiritual Doctrine of Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity” by M.M. Philipon, O.P.