Pray with
St Elizabeth of the Trinity
1880-1906
St Elizabeth of the Trinity’s father died when she was seven years old. She lived most of her short life in Dijon, Burgundy. She was a gifted pianist, but gave this gift up to enter Dijon Carmel, 200 metres from her home. Her mother was strongly opposed to her vocation. Elizabeth had a profound awareness of the reality of the Blessed Trinity dwelling in her soul, and this animates and inspires her teaching on prayer. The vocation she discovered for herself within Carmel was to live for the ‘praise of His glory’. Elizabeth asks the Holy Spirit to ‘create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. She participated in His Passion through her death from the acutely painful Addison’s disease at the age of 26.
‘I am asking the Holy Spirit to show you this presence of God within you … if you read the Gospel of John, you will see… that the Master insists on this commandment; ‘Remain in me, and I in you’’ (Jn 15:4; Letter 273).
‘He is always there, although you don’t feel it; He is waiting for you and wants to establish a ‘wonderful communion’ with you’ (Letter 249).
‘In that little inner sanctuary [of my soul], … I find Him at every hour of the day and night. I’m never alone: my Christ is always there praying in me, and I pray with Him’ (Letter 123).
‘O Eternal Word… I want to spend my life in listening to You… that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone’ (Prayer to the Trinity).
‘We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of it’s mother, and we let our heart go’ (Letter 123).
‘I would advise you to simplify all your reading, to fill yourself a little less, you will see that this is much better. Take your Crucifix, look, listen… . Don’t be troubled when you are occupied like you are now and can’t do all your exercises: you can pray to God while working, it’s enough to think of Him’ (Letter 93). ‘We find God at the wash, just as at prayer’ (Letter 89).
‘You are uncommonly loved… [Jesus] does not say to you as to Peter: ‘Do you love me more than these’. Rather his invitation is: Let yourself be loved’ …‘Let yourself be loved more than the others’ (Let Yourself be Loved 2,3).