Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (Elizabeth Catez), a Carmelite nun beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1984, was born in 1880 near Dijon, France. She entered the Carmel at Dijon in 1901 at the age of 21 and died five years later of Addison’s disease.
As a child she was energetic but headstrong and given to fits of rage; as she matured, it was only with great effort that she was able to overcome these outbursts. According to her mother, Elizabeth’s First Communion at age 11 had been a turning point. “From that day and afterwards, no more fits of anger,” she would later say. Elizabeth’s brief life was marked by her desire to be in communion with God, and though she had first discerned her vocation as a Carmelite at the age of 14, her mother required her to wait until she was 21 to enter.
She was particularly drawn to the writings of St. Paul, whom she called the father of her soul and through whom she gained the insights that propelled her spiritual life: the loving presence of God in the soul of the baptized, and that Christ unites himself to us so that we may share in the same love he shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
“…yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:17-18)
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)
In her prayer, “O My God, Trinity Whom I Adore (1904),” she wrote, “Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place … Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.”
The meaning of Elizabeth’s mystical words might seem out of reach, but in fact they express a truth that is part of your life and my life. I would like to offer a simple reflection on her approach which I hope brings you peace.
Christmas night I came across one of her poems about the Incarnation. She wrote, in part:
There is One who knows all mysteries
And who embraced them from Eternity:
And this same One … the Father’s Word he is…
See that One come, with Love’s excess …
His sanctuary, I! He rests in me —
There is the peace one looks for and attains…
A few years ago an artist friend painted for me the story of Jesus sleeping in a boat as he and his disciples cross the Sea of Galilee in a violent storm. They awaken him, upset that he seems unconcerned about their predicament. When he says to the wind and sea, “Quiet! Be still!” they find themselves in perfect calm. Jesus could sleep in the violent storm because he was already at peace in his Father.
Reading Blessed Elizabeth’s poem, I glanced at my friend’s painting, which hangs in my chapel. It occurred to me that Jesus, who rests in his Father, rests in me as well. The boat in which he sleeps is the one that sailed the sea of Galilee but it is also the boat that is my soul, my life. St. Paul had taught Blessed Elizabeth that we are God’s temple (“His sanctuary, I!”). If God has chosen to make his home in us, to rest in us, there is no reason to fear, though the wind should blow and the waves crash about. Jesus, with his total confidence in the Father, rests in me, so that I may be at peace in him.
I like Elizabeth’s phrase, “See that One come, with Love’s excess.” The one who loves is likely to bestow lavish gifts on the beloved, gifts beyond reason, gifts that more than meet any need. So it is with Jesus, who gave himself completely — lavishly — so that we could see how he conquered every conflict, every darkness, and every danger with loving trust.
If you feel the wind and waves but not the peace of Jesus at rest, remember that you, too, are his chosen sanctuary. He has chosen to take up his rest in you. Read Mark 4:35-41, and remember that he who slept peacefully in the boat because he trusted in his Father rests peacefully in you to be your strength.
Do you have an intention for Bishop Sartain’s prayer? If so, send it to him at Bishop Sartain’s Prayer List, Diocese of Little Rock, 2500 North Tyler St., P.O. Box 7239, Little Rock, AR 72217.
No reason to fear, Jesus rests within you
