True freedom comes when we guard our hearts against lies, fear, and compromise, so that the voice of Truth can whisper and be heard.
This saint faced the trials of the day, finding her answers by venturing to the furthest limits of herself, and finding there the only One who can say, “Behold, I am with you always.” From this place, she has made a gift of herself to guide us on our own journeys to the kingdom within where the Lord dwells.
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Living in an invincible fortress of recollection
Born in France in 1880, St. Elizabeth lived through an age with an atheistic government and a Church that was plagued with scandal. She was an accomplished pianist and a lover of beauty, and she had a fiery temperament and a zest for life. She became a Carmelite, channeling all of her passion into her love for Jesus Christ and celebrating each victory she had over her temper. Guided by a deep interior light, she faced the darkness and powerlessness of her final illness by living in an “invincible fortress of recollection,” deeply aware of the presence of God through the indwelling of the Trinity. She would say, “Let yourself be loved.” Though suffering greatly, she died in peaceful serenity at the age of 26, promising to spend her eternity teaching souls to pray.
She said, “I have found heaven because heaven dwells in my soul.” She prayed that God would be a consuming fi re in her and transform her entire being into love. St. Elizabeth found the heaven we all seek in this fallen world. Her prayer is worthy of a lifetime of meditation: “O My God, my Trinity, make my soul…Your cherished dwelling place, Your home of rest. Let me never leave You there alone, but keep me there all absorbed in You, in living faith, adoring You.”
Originally printed in IMPRINT Magazine Spring 2019.
