"I Believe in Love" Day 8 Part Three---Unshakable Confidence

[Dawn Marie]

Excerpts from the book “I believe in love”.

By Father Jean C.J. d’Elbee

 

 

DAY 8

PART THREE

UNSHAKABLE CONFIDENCE

 

YOU WILL ASK YOURSELF PERHAPS WHY I RELY SO HEAVILY IN MY PREACHING ON THE DOCTRINE OF ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS.  I DO IT BECAUSE I AM CONVINCED THAT SHE HAS A GREAT MISSION IN THE CHURCH UNTIL THE END OF TIME, AND BECAUSE I KNOW, BY EXPERIENCE, THE IMMENSE GOOD DONE IN SOULS BY HER SPIRITUALITY.

AND STILL MORE BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN EXALTED BY OUR POPES WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY FORCEFULNESS.

ST. PIUS THE X----“SHE IS THE GREATEST SAINT OF MODERN TIMES”.

BENEDICT THE XV---“HERE IS THE SECRET OF SANCTITY FOR ALL THE FAITHFUL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.  SHE WAS NOT HOWEVER, NOURISHED BY SCHOLARLY STUDIES; NEVERTHELESS SHE HAD SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE BY HERSELF THAT SHE KNEW HOW TO SHOW OTHERS THE TRUE WAY OF SALVATION.  WE WISH THAT THE SECRET OF HOLINESS OF ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS SHOULD NOT REMAIN HIDDEN FROM A SINGLE ONE OF OUR FAITHFUL”.

PIUS THE XI----“WE FERVENTLY DESIRE THAT ALL FAITHFUL OF CHRIST SHOULD CONTEMPLATE HER WITH A VIEW OF IMITATING HER.  SHE ACQUIRED SUCH A KNOWLEDGE OF SUPERNATURAL THINGS THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO CHART FOR OTHERS A SURE WAY OF SALVATION.  EVERYONE MUST ENTER INTO THIS LITTLE WAY, THE WAY OF GOLDEN SIMPLICITY, WHICH HAS NOTHING CHILDISH ABOUT IT BUT THE NAME…..WHAT A TRANSFORMATION WOULD COME ABOUT IN THE WORLD IF PEOPLE WERE TO RETURN TO THIS EVANGELICAL SIMPLICITY.  SHE WAS LIKE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD”.

PIUS XII---“THE LORD INTRODUCED HER INTO HIS HOUSE, CONFIDED TO HER HIS SECRETS, REVEALED TO HER ALL THOSE THINGS WHICH HE HIDES FROM THE WISE AND THE POWERFUL.  AND NOW, AFTER HAVING LIVED SILENT AND HIDDEN, BEHOLD HOW SHE ADDRESSES HERSELF TO ALL HUMANITY, TO THE RICH AND THE POOR, TO THE GREAT AND THE HUMBLE,  IT IS THE GOSPEL, THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL, WHICH SHE HAS REDISCOVERED….WE MUST TAKE ST. THERESE AT HER WORD WHEN SHE INVITES THE MOST UNREGENERATE AS WELL AS THE MOST PERFECT TO COUNT NOTHING OF VALUE BEFORE GOD, SAVE RADICAL WEAKNESS AND SPIRITUAL POVERTY OF A SINFUL CREATURE”.

 

SISTER MARIE OF THE SACRED HEART (THERESE’ ELDER SISTER AND GODMOTHER) ASKED THERESE TO TELL HER WHETHER SHE COULD LOVE JESUS AS THERESE DID.  THERESE SEIZED HER PEN [AND WROTE]:

 

"I AM NOT AT A LOSS TO ANSWER YOU…HOW CAN YOU ASK ME IF IT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO LOVE GOD AS I LOVE HIM?  MY DESIRE FOR MARTYRDOM IS NOTHING.  IT IS NOT THAT WHICH GIVES ME THE LIMITLESS CONFIDENCE WHICH I FEEL IN MY HEART.  THAT DESIRE IS A CONSOLATION WHICH JESUS SOMETIMES GRANTS TO WEAK SOULS LIKE MINE, BUT WHEN HE DOES NOT GIVE THIS CONSOLATION, IT IS A SPECIAL GRACE….

AH, I FEEL CERTAIN THAT IT IS NOT THAT AT ALL WHICH IS PLEASING GOD IN MY LITTLE SOUL.  WHAT PLEASES HIM IS TO SEE ME LOVE MY LITTLENESS AND POVERTY.  IT IS THE BLIND HOPE WHICH I HAVE IN HIS MERCY…THERE IS MY ONLY TREASURE.  WHY SHOULD THIS TREASURE NOT BE YOURS?

OH, MY DARLING SISTER, I BEG YOU, UNDERSTAND YOUR LITTLE ONE.  UNDERSTAND THAT IN ORDER TO LOVE JESUS, TO BE HIS VICTIM OF LOVE, THE WEAKER ONE IS, WITH NEITHER DESIRES NOR VIRTUES, THE MORE ONE IS FIT FOR THE WORKINGS OF THIS CONSUMING AND TRANSFORMING LOVE.  THE SOLE DESIRE TO BE A VICTIM SUFFICES, BUT ONE MUST CONSENT TO REMAIN ALWAYS POOR AND UTTERLY WEAK.

AH, LET US STAY QUITE FAR FROM ALL THAT SHINES; LET US LOVE OUR LITTLENESS; LET US LOVE TO FEEL NOTHING, AND WE SHALL THEN BE POOR IN SPIRIT, AND JESUS WILL COME TO LOOK FOR US, HOWEVER FAR AWAY WE ARE.  HE WILL TRANSFORM US INTO FLAMES OF LOVE.  OH, HOW I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I FEEL….IT IS CONFIDENCE AND NOTHING BUT CONFIDENCE WHICH MUST LEAD US TO LOVE.  DOES NOT FEAR LEAD US TO SEVERE JUSTICE SUCH AS IT IS REPRESENTED TO SINNERS?  BUT IT IS NOT THIS JUSTICE WHICH JESUS WILL HAVE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM”.

 

WHAT A WONDERFUL LETTER!  AND HOW HARD IT IS NOT TO QUOTE FROM THE WHOLE OF IT AS I MARVEL ONCE MORE AT THE EXTRAORDINARY LOGIC OF THE SAINTS! 

[Alley]

LOL D,

With love and confidence!

[Michael]

Amen.

[Dawn Marie]

AH, LET US STAY QUITE FAR FROM ALL THAT SHINES; LET US LOVE OUR LITTLENESS; LET US LOVE TO FEEL NOTHING, AND WE SHALL THEN BE POOR IN SPIRIT, AND JESUS WILL COME TO LOOK FOR US, HOWEVER FAR AWAY WE ARE.

[Alan]

Amen

[Cathleen]

+Amen+