Oh! How beautiful is this good Mother! How good she is; she smiled at me and listened to my prayer; I thought of entrusting everything to her; and I said to her: Mother, make the foundation quickly, found a Carmel where your Divine Son was born… I believe that our prayer will be answered and that two pieces of good news will come to us at the same time.
This English translation of the unpublished French manuscript is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission and attribution. We are grateful to the Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Holy Land for providing us with the full text of the Cahiers Réservés.
Dear brothers and sisters, the beatification of Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, which has gathered you here in Rome from all the countries of the Near East, has surely been for all of you a great moment of joy, a source of comfort, and an invitation to courage.
It’s not a moment of joy that comes and goes: it’s an open-ended source of grace. The Church in Rome has participated in this joy and, I dare say, the universal Church, looking with emotion at this little flower of the Holy Land, who has reached holiness in such a short time, which is the full flowering of mysticism.
I am happy to be with you once again this morning, to greet you again with all my affection, to converse with you like family, while still meditating on the meaning of this beatification, to gather its fruit. The life and virtues of Mariam Baouardy are now well known to you and I mentioned them in yesterday’s solemn liturgy.
But it is good to tell you again this morning how this “little Arab” has been a privileged witness of Jesus, of the love of the Church, and of action for peace. And you will understand even better the price that the Church attaches to the life of your Christian communities in the Holy Land and around the Holy Land.
Mariam is the fruit of this Holy Land. In her, everything speaks to us of Jesus. And first of all, the places where she lived: Nazareth, near which she was born; Bethlehem, where she consumed her sacrifice; and Mount Carmel, a symbol of the solitary prayer life that provided the setting for her religious life.
But above all, she brings us close to Calvary, since she has not ceased to carry in her life the cross of Jesus, in choosing her [religious] name “of Jesus Crucified”. The beatitudes find in her their fulfillment.
To see her, we believe that we’re hearing Jesus say to us: Blessed are the poor, Blessed are the humble, Blessed are those who seek only to serve, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are the peacemakers, Blessed are those who are persecuted. All her life expresses an unheard of familiarity with God, the fraternal love of others, and joy, which are evangelical indicators par excellence.
Saint John Paul II
Speech to Pilgrims for the Beatification Sr. Mary of Jesus Crucified, Mariam Baouardy 13-14 November 1983
Without doubt, I am not distracted, but I cannot finish my brief prayer. I start to say the Our Father and I stop at these two words without being able to continue. I think: “Oh my God, You who are so great and so powerful, You are our Father. You in heaven and we are such small worms, ash, dust on earth! Today we are in this world and maybe tomorrow we are dead. And during this quick time of our existence, we dare to offend you. Oh my God, have mercy on us!” And then I lose myself, and I fall asleep.
Even if I want to say the Hail Mary, I stop at the first words: “I salute you Mary”. And I say to the Blessed Virgin: “You are so good, so good, oh my Mother! You, Mother of God, Mother of all men! And we are but poor sinners!”And I lose myself and I fall asleep. It is impossible to continue.
I really need to confess the fault that I cannot pray!
Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified Life and Thoughts of Mariam Baouardy (excerpt)
Nota Bene: Carmelite Quotes and the Elijah’s Breeze blog have been given exclusive rights to reprint and distribute the English translation of Francesco Zampini’s self-published biography, Life and Thoughts of Mariam Baouardy (2018). We are grateful to the Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Holy Land for extending to us the privilege of publishing and disseminating this excellent study of the life spiritual doctrine of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, as well as the fine translation from the original Italian text by Cristina Leontini.
La Vierge à la grappe Pierre Mignard (French, 1612-1695) Oil on canvas, 17th c. Louvre Museum
Mary triumphs, she gives the fruit of life!… She triumphs over the dragon that devours her children!… The Mother gives her life for her children… She gives her fruit to save her children!…
Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified Mariam Baouardy, the Little Arab Prayers and Canticles, Notebook 8
When I get to Heaven and I see Jesus busy talking with someone, I’ll quickly go open the water taps and all the earth will have water, and as soon as Jesus turns around I’ll turn the water off right away, I’ll leave, and he won’t know that anyone turned on the water…
Uitstorting van de heilige Geest, Maerten de Vos, 1585 | Rijksmuseum.nl
Vi una paloma delante de mí y encima de ella, un cáliz desbordado, como si hubiera un manantial dentro de él; y el desbordamiento regó la paloma y la lavó.
Al mismo tiempo, escuché una voz que provenía de esta luz tan admirable, que decía:
“Si quieres buscarme, conocerme y seguirme, invoca la Luz, la del Espíritu Santo que ha iluminado a Mis discípulos e ilumina a todos los que lo invocan …”
“Te digo verdaderamente, que quien invoque al Espíritu Santo me buscará y encontrará, y es a través de Él que lo hará. Su conciencia será tan delicada como la flor en el campo. Si él es el padre o la madre de una familia, la paz estará en su familia y él tendrá paz en su corazón en este mundo y en el eterno; no morirá en la oscuridad, sino en paz.”
“Deseo ardientemente que digan que todos los sacerdotes que dicen la Misa del Espíritu Santo una vez al mes lo honrarán. Y quienquiera que lo honre y participe en esta Misa será honrado por el Espíritu Santo mismo, porque la luz en él; él encontrará paz en las profundidades de su alma. El Espíritu Santo vendrá y sanará a los enfermos y despertará a los que duermen…”
Leer más pensamientos de Santa María de Jesús Crucificado:
The Nativity Julius Garibaldi “Gari” Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Oil on canvas, ca. 1891 Gari Melchers Home and Studio, Fredericksburg
Mary was also a model of faith. Oh, how pleasing that faith was to the Heavenly Father! It was her faith that made Jesus grow in Her more each day. If we have such faith, Jesus will also grow in our hearts.
Oh! but, the Blessed Virgin was the strong woman, the Virgin pure; Jesus filled her heart completely, which overflowed with fire and flames, she had Heaven within her… But this is the strong woman par excellence, and she hid all this in her heart, and nothing showed on the outside. Me, I am weak…
Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy) Cahiers Réservés, Cahier 5
Reine du Carmel, Side altar in St. Joseph Chapel at Bethlehem Carmel (detail) | fallaner / Wikimedia Commons
Saint Mariam was canonized by Pope Francis on 17 May 2015 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. A native Palestinian from Galilee, she was a foundress of the Discalced Carmelite monasteries of Nazareth and Bethlehem in the 19th century. Learn more about the Saint of the Bethlehem Carmel here.
Lord, always keep me in your love like a child is kept safe in his Mother’s womb; there he has no need of anything, neither to eat nor drink; he cannot be harmed by drafts of cold air; he is safe from danger; with his Mother he has everything. And me, too, Lord, if you keep me in your love, I will lack nothing; I desire nothing more than to be yours; I never want to leave you, and as the child begins to be fragile and miserable as soon as he comes out of his Mother’s womb, I too would be unhappy if I left you. Keep me, Lord, in your bosom, keep me in the womb of your love!
Saint Mariam of Jesus Crucified Unpublished Canticles and Prayers, Notebook 5
A Father’s Love: These two young people fell in love and are now having a bundle of joy to bring even more happiness into their life. | Andre Adjahoe/Unsplash
We are grateful to the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Bethlehem for giving us a transcribed copy of Saint Mariam Baouardy's unpublished prayers and canticles. We are pleased to provide a new English translation for our readers.
I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
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