Documentation
for the General Chapter
of 1972
C A R D I N D E X
(FICHER)
OF THE WRITINGS OF MARY OF THE PASSION
SOURCE 9 – SPIRITUAL NOTES (NS)
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NS : 1 24 August, 1882
Themes
Silence 89Abandonment 22
Church60Prayer 77
Solitude: Jesus and He alone knows to what extent He has placed me in solitude; that is why He speaks to
me in the heart of His Church. I will no longer resist. From the very beginning, I accept this solitude for the time of the retreat and afterwards.
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NS : 225 August, 1882
Themes
Penance76Prayer77
Abandonment22Passion74
Combat26Earth/Heaven83
Mary 68
My real penance will come from heaven. It is the acceptance of this struggle with the demon, in order to save my soul and do God’s work; this is a terrible penance. May Mary, who remained a victim right up to Calvary, help me in my weakness.
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NS : 325 August 1882
Themes
Offering-World-
Victim90Goodness of God23
Love of God23Francis65
Salvation of souls81Prayer77
Incarnation/Redemption67Passion74
Suffering82
God gave His son to all and He did so through love. In return, I would like to give Him the love of all. He shall have mine, cost what it may and my desires will pursue souls, even though I must suffer the Passion.
The Passion is love driven to its uttermost limits. Since sin exists, love calls for the cross; in so far as there is love, there is the cross. I am called, not only Mary of love, but Mary of the Passion. If I surrender myself to love, to which God has been inviting me for such a long time, I surrender myself to suffering. Dear St. Francis! Love crucified his body and this was a feeble image of his interior crucifixion. So it was that he regains love’s sway over all creatures, which had been lost by sin; in this respect, who went farther than he did?
The words of St. Ignatius of Antioch recalled to me a spiritual bouquet which I gave to one of my daughters and which, I think, will be the resume of my retreat; it finds its place here:
I am very willing that love crucify me but I never again want to crucify my love.
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NS : 4 25 August 1882
Themes
Ecce68Prayer77
Vocation of the Institute-
Ancilla Domini, everything is in this word for me.
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NS : 5 26 August 1882
Themes
Suffering82Jesus67
Incarnation/Redemption67Mary68
Word of God73Force89
Passion74Abandonment22
Prayer77Justice of God-
With Jesus to suffer all that He suffered, to love enough so that justice will be held back? Nevertheless, Jesus knew where He was going and that He was God! Mary was but a poor little girl, yet she had the strength and the submission to receive Jesus. Love became incarnate in order to disarm justice. She saw this Love rejected in the stable, exiled in Egypt, misunderstood in Nazareth, militant during the public life, crucified in the Passion. She did not leave this incarnate Love, but shared His love and His immolation.
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NS : 6 26 August 1882
Themes
Suffering 82Victim90
Mary68Passion74
Poverty75Prayer77
Incarnation/Redemption67Silence89
Jesus67Earth/Heaven83
Mary was alone and poor before the Incarnation; Mary, alone and poor when Jesus, Incarnate Love, was entrusted to her; Mary, alone and poor after the Ascension. Poverty, solitude of Mary, be my poverty, my solitude! Mary was so alone and so poor to have Jesus come to her, and to take care of Him; in the end, she was not able to save Jesus. Mary was so alone and so poor when Jesus left the earth and left her behind. The most unusual sufferings are nothing compared to this solitude and poverty that Mary endured while her heart was full of love for Jesus. Inspite of everything, she desired Jesus Crucified, Jesus Victim; I want to desire Him as she did and still more, I want to desire Him with her.
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NS : 7 26 August 1882
Themes
Mary68Joy89
Ecce68Love of God23
Power of God-Offering-
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Passion74Abandonment22
Suffering82Prayer77
Indifference towards consolations and trial. It is all one to love. I have always thought that if Mary had been ordered to sweep the streets, she would have received the order as peacefully as she received the message that declared her Mother of God;’ everything is contained in the word Ecce. On my clothing day, when the name of Mary of the Passion was imposed on me, I was penetrated by this unique word which sums up Mary’s suffering and Jesus’ agony: Behold I come. Behold I come to be Mary of the Passion. I want to be among the small number of those who truly love Jesus Crucified. Passion of Jesus, passion of
Mary, penetrate my heart.
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NS : 8 27 August 1882
Themes
Victim90Prayer77
Abandonment22Charity24
Offering-Hope-
Chastity25Passion74
Ecce68Obedience71
Communion of Saints87Poverty75
Vocation of the Institute-
(On chapter 8, Book IV of the Imitation}
Each day to offer oneself as a pure and holy host! It is Jesus, Himself, who requests this abandonment of His little Passion; it is I whom He seeks before my works. To offer oneself to crucified love, to belong totally to God, to offer oneself to the divine will: a terrifying oblation!
A pure and holy host, immolated by faith, light of my life, and of my holocaust, through obedience; immolated by hope, which will make poverty in all its forms the strength of my life; immolated by charity, which will make virginity the perfume of my immolation. Then the pure and holy host will be truly offered to God by Our Lord. There is something of this thought in the Constitutions; it seemed to me that Our Lord was pleased about it. Unconditionally, without any delay, I say: “Ecce Ancilla Domini”; it is especially in Rome that the host will remain, and will, through its immolation, act as a protection. In order to fulfill my vocation, God is not asking me to succeed but to offer myself. The generosity of our sisters could lessen my sufferings, but it is from me that God is asking the holocaust. I must not be troubled on seeing it accomplished in this or that way, for it is I above all whom Jesus wants and not my gifts.
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NS : 9 28August 1882
Themes
Reign of God78Word of God73
Mary68Prayer77
Poverty75Abandonment22
Offering-
I will bring about the reign of God, through Mary!.... How I desire this reign…. I would have liked to snatch it from the heart ofGod and of men and yet I felt that I was so alone, sopoor. What is to be done? My soul cried. Suddenly, I was struck by the thought that Mary had done nothing by herself: “Take the child and his mother”, the Angel had said…. “Take”, this word says so clearly that Mary had no will in the matter and
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that she abandoned herself. Then, Father, take and lead me wherever you wish so that the reign of God may be saved. I willnot even ask where I am going.
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NS : 10 29 August 1882
Themes
Victim90Silence89
Simplicity89Mary68 Hidden Life 68 Prayer 77
Hope-
In the face of the immolation that was asked, I was afraid, yet I felt that I could hope that all would happen in the shadow of Nazareth, in the silence and simplicity of my divine Mother’s life.
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NS : 1130 August 1882
Themes
Eucharist62Love of God 23
World-Father-
Obedience71Word of God73
Prayer77Victim90
The Eucharist is the miracle of the love of submission. The victim obeys not only God, His Father, but also, humanity; here is where we can once again say the angel’s words to Joseph: “Take Him” the holy and pure Host just as he told me, in this chapter of the Imitation. I will let myself be immolated by authority.
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NS : 1230 August 1882
Themes
Mary68Heart of Jesus67
Purity89Joy89
Love of God23Prayer77
Offering-Woman-
Word of God73Combat26
Mission69
My joy is to be Mary’s child, the child of purity and love. I want my daughters to have this joy and I have the ability to give it to them if they desire it. Woe to the daughters of Eve. How many people say with the
Samaritan woman: “I Thirst!” The daughters of Mary approach these thirsty souls and give them to drink from the two sources springing from the Heart of Jesus: water and blood, purity and love.
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NS : 1330 August 1882
Themes
Charity24Jesus67
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Mary68Prayer77
Mission69Earth/Heaven83
The distinctive mark of a Franciscan Missionary of Mary should be charity. Yes, the Heavenly Virgin comes again, she comes to earth once again in order to give her Son. She comes armed with charity.
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NS : 141 September 1882
Themes
Tabernacle86Love of God23
Trinity85Victim90
Holiness-Grace-
Prayer77Union with god86
Contemplation/Action27
God is, God sees Himself, God loves Himself in my soul through grace. I possess the Blessed Trinity within me! Prayer is God’s Being in me, it is seeing Him and loving Him. In possessing, in seeing and in loving God’s Being in me, I achieve union….
If God is in me, without my knowing Him, seeing Him and loving Him, He will not live in me. Prayer is thus the food, the life of God in me… If He is, if I see Him, if I love Him, I will desire that He be, that I see Him, that I love Him even more! Therefore, there must be a necessary and unfailing progress.
If I possess, if I see, and if I love God within me, I will be consumed by the desire that He be, that I see Him and that I love Him in all creatures. After all, this is the desire for heaven and it is in us by grace.
Resolution: I will make my life a prayer. I will possess God. I will see Him, I will love Him without ceasing, then I shall be unceasingly immolated with Jesus Victim.
‘
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NS : 151 September 1882
Themes
Mary68Church60
Mission69Prayer77
Humility89Reign of God78
Offering-
A glimpse of Our Lady! Though possessing all power, she performed few exterior works. She had only one desire: to give Jesus to others. Away from home, she desired only to remain unnoticed. God’s reign, the triumph of the Church, Jesus obtained and given, then the shadows. Behold the path that my desires should take.
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NS : 16 1 September 1882
Themes
Union with God86Victim19
Holiness-Offering-
Spouse25Abandonment22
Passion 74Suffering82
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Jesus67Obedience71
Eucharist62Love of God23
Prayer77
Union with Jesus! The Bridegroom will not fail the bride, nor the Bride the Bridegroom, but this is the only promise. All the rest surrendered. Union with Jesus in His Passion! The name of the Bridegroom is truly that of the Bride, the Bridegroom is the Bride, this is what communion is for me; I would like to receive it unceasingly!
The Eucharist is God whole and entire, purity and holiness itself. I will never go to receive the Eucharist, without being myself a pure and holy victim, as mentioned in that chapter of the Imitation, which remains one of my treasures. The love of submission, this love that contains all the others, the love that immolates me along with Him. Awesome mystery of love andsuffering, mystery that takes place, at this moment, as at the Last Supper. May the Body and Blood of Jesus be my body and blood, and my immolation be communion (union) with His.
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NS : 17 2 September 1882
Themes
Devotions77Passion74
Mary68Silence89
Suffering82Prayer77
When Joseph wanted to leave Mary, the Virgin suffered. When Jesus disappeared for three days and when, finally, the great solitude began for her on Calvary, our Mother suffered and did not lose her peace.
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NS : 183 September 1882
Themes
Mary68Humility89
Church60Prayer77
Offering-Love of God 23
God will be the origin of my love, Jesus will be the burning center, Mary the source by which I will be given to Jesus, to the Church, to souls. I, nothing.
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NS : 193 September 1882
Themes
Goodness of God23Eucharist62
Passion74Prayer77
Heart of Jesus 67
He loved me even to the cross, even to death, even to the tabernacle.
The exterior crucifixion was little. The true Passion took place in the Divine Heart and our devotion should not begin with the stab that pierced it.
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NS : 203 September 1882
Themes
Prayer77Mary68
Earth/Heaven83Peace72
World-
My soul, be at rest; my heart, be at rest; nothing earthly is within you and I feel that the Virgin Mary is enveloping me completely.
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NS : 213 September 1882
Themes
Heart of Jesus67Abandonment22
Mary68Hidden Life68
Victim90
The gift of the retreat is the Heart of Jesus. The way is Mary of Nazareth. The resolution is immolation through the love of submission.
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NS : 22 4 September 1882
Themes
Abandonment22Ecce68
Prayer77Victim90
Hidden Life68Mary68
Humility89
My path: love of submission that will make me a victim for the Church and souls in the shadow of Nazareth. Death to self so that He may live and triumph! Ecce Ancilla Domini.
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NS : 23 September 1882
Themes
Church60Suffering82
Offering-World-
Prayer77Pope60
Mission69Charity24
Vocation of the Institute-Power of God-
The thought of the triumph of the Church is always present in me. In spite of myself, I offer myself, I offer my suffering for this intention. I urge my daughters to pray and suffer with me. When I made my final vows, I gave them, as unique souvenir, a little card with a cross and these words: “Peter is in chains. Offer your little mother to God, just as she offers herself in order to break Peter’s chains….”
It seems to me that the triumph of the Church will have two aspects: the exterior triumph and the spiritual triumph.
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The spiritual triumph:
That God may be truly adored above all things and that our neighbor be loved as ourselves, for the love of God.
I do not know why, but writing this makes my body tremble, it seems to me that God is so near to me. It is as if I lifted up a veil, a veil that belonged to Him and not to me. I feel that these two triumphs are promised. To what extent I do not know. I am giving these facts as proofs:
1. The world’s expectation.
2. The numerous souls everywhere who had the idea of praying for it and of sacrificing themselves for this triumph. Finally, Father, the Institute? How was it born? Who wanted it? Who helped it? Neither I nor anyone else, you know very well. But when it was a question of giving it a form, I would have gone against my conscience, if I had not vowed each of its members to suffering in order to obtain this triumph. God does not cause so much to be done without the intention of giving.
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NS : 24 29 December 1882
Themes
Mary68Charity24
Mission69Prayer77
Glory of God66Goodness of God23
Peace72Earth/Heaven83
Once more, I saw Mary’s beautiful mission, that of giving glory to God by giving back to the earth love and its fruit: peace. Once again, I saw your beautiful Virgin holding true power, love, giving it back to the earth with its fruit, peace and doing so by means of the cross (since sin had made this necessary…..)
I seemed to see that God’s gift through Our Lady lost some of its effect because of the children of men: there is an absence of peace because there is an absence of charity. How beautiful it was, Father, to see how peace is the fruit of love! I saw that God wanted to render to this gift, which He had given through Our Lady, its full effect spreading out far and wide.
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NS : 2515 January 1883
Themes
Abandonment22Church60
Obedience71Francis65
Mary68
It seemed to me that my obedience, my abandonment should truly be a miniature copy of Mary’s and there would be great results for the Church, and the Order; the little white branch, springing from the old seraphic tree, would give it new vitality.
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NS : 2622 January 1883
Themes
Mary68Passion 74
Suffering82Earth/Heaven83
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I felt my cruel abandonment, but I also felt that I could still hope that heaven would once again show me my Divine and Immaculate Mother, telling me to be her miniature, and that she would keep me under her protection during this hour of agony.
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NS : 2729 January 1883
Themes
Mary68Devotion77
Glory of God66Purity89
Offering-Grace-
Abandonment22Jesus67
Earth/Heaven83
Moreover, I saw that John possessed the rights that Jesus had over Mary, but Joseph possessed the rights of God Himself over her. And my head bowed low. I was united to Mary in a manner that I cannot describe to you; the shadow of God that covered her as she adored, seemed also to envelop me. To me it seems that a single moment given to God in such dependence on His love, gives Him an immense glory and is very precious for the world.
This is a gratuitous grace that covers a creature, who humbly bows, in purity, beneath this grace which she does not merit, but for which her love is unspeakably grateful.
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NS : 2831 January 1883
Themes
Salvation of souls81Humility89
Mary 68Prayer77
Contemplation/Action27Tabernacle86
Trinity85Earth/Heaven83
Purity89
The feeling of my exile was so strong yesterday, that I experienced the need of identifying myself with Mary who was so exiled while on earth. I felt that I was in her, somewhat like at the beginning of the retreat; yet, it was not quite in the same way: at that time I was identified with Mary, seated calmly, contemplating Jesus within herself. This morning Mary was prostrated and the Most High contemplated His white virgin. (This is the word to describe what I saw.) I cannot say to what degree I enter her. I know well, however, that it is not she whom the Trinity is looking at, and is covering, and yet, it is not my own beauty that seems to me to lie beneath the Divine gaze, but rather, it is hers that envelops me. She was praying earnestly for salvation and I also am praying for this.
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NS : 291 February 1883
Themes
Presence of God86Meditation 77
Ecce68Prayer77
I meditated on “Behold the handmaid of the Lord”. I remained God’s presence and I was content. The meditation passed quickly.
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NS : 302 February 1883
Themes
Mary 68World-
Passion74Love of God23
Combat26Earth/Heaven83
A sword pierced Mary’s heart because, more than all others, she lived this life of heaven on earth; the result of this is, that everything in us is in opposition to what is earthly. Since she brought Love Himself, what war hell waged against her!
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NS : 314 February 1883
Themes
Abiding in God86Eucharist72
Prayer77Church60
Meditation77Ecce68
World-Earth/Heaven83
God is spoiling me. I am so completely lost in Him that I seem to be no longer on earth. While at prayer, time passes very quickly. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” this is my subject. I no longer know how to describe this meditation, but God overshadowed me and I offered myself as an adorer for this poor world and above all for my Mother the Church; I should be left there always.
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NS : 326 February 1883
Themes
Humility89Purity89
Francis65Poverty75
Mary68Prayer77
World-Power of God-
Goodness of God23Mission69
Word of God73Victim90
Vocation of the Institute-
I meditated on this words: “Consider the lilies of the fields”. I felt that I was again well enveloped by Mary. To be Jesus’ poor little one! I seemed to see the stem of the poor lily springing forth from His own blood. The lily no longer exists by itself; love has consumed everything; poverty is absolute and the lily has no longer any root but that of the Blood of Jesus, who purified it, produced it, and even more gave it birth. I saw how good Our Lord is to me. I felt that I was truly His adorer and I was fired by the desire to have the world see and understand what I had seen. These words came back to me: “I have hidden from the great and the proud what I have revealed to little ones.” The Institute is a branch of the spotless lily; I desired it to be, in itself and in each one of its members, a lily that adores, that expiates, that implores, one that has its roots only in the Blood of Jesus, born of Mary.