Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

[tjmiller]

2006 is the Centenary of the birth into glory of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, Discalced Carmelite Nun of Dijon, a.k.a “Sabeth” and “Laudem Gloriae”!

I’d much like to hear from any devoted to her, re: your favorite books about her, videos?, websites, sayings by her, aspects of her life and teaching, favors received through her intercession, etc.

“‘O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.’” Prayer of Elizabeth, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 260.

 

[DBT]

Hi Timothy -

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity and Brother Lawrence are two of my favorite Carmelites that, unfortunately, don’t seem to get discussed very often on these forums. Thanks for starting this thread!

I first became acquainted with Blessed Elizabeth about a year ago in my first year of formation as a Secular Carmelite. I absolutely love her! For lack of a better word, I think what attracts me the most is the “unitive” language she uses throughout her writing.

I was also very struck by the similarities/contrasts with St. Therese of Liseaux. Both were young French Carmelite nuns living just a few miles apart at roughly the same time period. Both died very young of terrible illnesses and both had a very strong sense of their posthumous missions which I find fascinating. One difference though - St. Therese saw her mission in a very active way where Bl. Elizabeth saw her mission in a more contemplative light - helping people with recollection in prayer.

Bl. Elizabeth knew of St. Therese and read some of her writings. It seems to me Bl. Elizabeth looked up to St. Therese . . . almost like a young girl admiring her older sister.

Having said that, their spiritual lives seemed very different . . . at least to me. Bl. Elizabeth experienced a very deep, profound union with God that is very evident in her writing. When I read St. Therese I mostly see a different aspect of the spiritual life . . . sufferings and trials.

To me, Bl. Elizabeth and St. Therese seem like opposite sides of the same coin.

Just my :twocents: I look forward to what you and others have to say on this thread . . .

Dave (Lawrence of the Blessed Sacrament)

 

[tjmiller]

DBT, thanks for the insightful observations on Bl. Elizabeth vis a vis St. Therese. I believe that relationship will prove a very fruitful area for future Carmelite studies and spirituality! In that vein, I just recently began Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Two Sisters in the Spirit (Ignatius Press, 1992). The translation from his German original is somewhat unwieldly for me at this point, but it looks to be a very good book.

Funny, but one of the aspects of Sabeth’s life and teaching that has resonated most with me, in contrast w/ that of Therese, is “suffering and trials”!

Also: when I recall that St. Therese besought the Lord to form a multitude of souls in her Little Way, I often think of Elizabeth as one of the earliest and greatest firstfruits of that spiritual doctrine…

 

[DBT]

tjmiller:

Funny, but one of the aspects of Sabeth’s life and teaching that has resonated most with me, in contrast w/ that of Therese, is “suffering and trials”!

It never ceases to amaze me how each of us often “see” different things when reading the same texts! Guess that’s the Holy Spirit at work.

I’ve only read volume 1 of Bl. Elizabeth’s complete works . . . none of her letters. At the time I first read her, I was very focused on the whole concept of how our Carmelites sensed the presence/absence of God in their lives and how they expressed it in their writings. That’s what I really meant when I spoke of union/suffering in my first post.

In that regard, I sensed (perhaps mistakenly) a difference between Bl. Elizabeth and St. Therese. No doubt both experienced this presence/absence to a very high degree. But with Bl. Elizabeth the sense of “presence” just jumped out at me. With St. Therese there seemed much more of an ebb and flow between the two extremes . . . and much of this remains “hidden” to me anyway - at least what little of it I’ve been able to gleen from Story of a Soul.

So in that sense, the “hiddeness” of St. Therese makes her a much harder nut for me to crack whereas in my brief exposure to Bl. Elizabeth she seems to “lay it all out there” . . . so to speak .

Probably the key to my understanding both St. Therese and Bl. Elizabeth better would be reading their letters . . . something I’ve yet to do

I look forward to any comments you might have on the Hans Urs Von Balthasar book you’re reading . . . now he’s really a tough one for me to follow!

Dave.

 

[Joysong]

What I remember most distinctly about Blessed Elizabeth was her singular desire to be a “praise of God’s glory.”

It is quite providential that you speak about her this week, for I recall a temptation I had to do something willful. When I realized my choice would not bring glory to God in the manner of Bl. Elizabeth, I was able to follow her and lay the inclination aside. Ah if we could but realize this for each of our deeds all day long!

Thanks, Timothy …

Carole
(Mary Carole of the Blessed Sacrament)

 

[DBT]

Joysong:

What I remember most distinctly about Blessed Elizabeth was her singular desire to be a “praise of God’s glory.”

Hi Carole

Yes, your quote is what I remember most . . . along with “Abyss calls to abyss.”

I still remember the first time I read Bl. Elizabeth . . . just a few lines into “Heaven in Faith,” this quote just reached out and grabbed me:

Abyss calls to abyss. It is there in the very depths that the divine impact takes place, where the abyss of our nothingness encounters the Abyss of mercy, the immensity of the all of God. There we will find the strength to die to ourselves and, losing all vestige of self, we will be changed into love . . . Blessed are those who die in the Lord!

Quotes like this are almost to numerous to mention!

I thank Bl. Elizabeth for giving me an entirely new perspective on the Gospel message of “The kingdom of God is within you.” Her message is a wonderful testament to this truth.

Dave.

 

[Joysong]

Hi Dave,

I thank Bl. Elizabeth for giving me an entirely new perspective on the Gospel message of “The kingdom of God is within you.” Her message is a wonderful testament to this truth.

Maybe that is the reason she chose her name, “Elizabeth of the Trinity.”
I need to read her words again. There is always something new to learn.

Carole

 

[tjmiller]

"Elizabeth of the Trinity…was able to extend with precision a trajectory stemming from her older sister of Lisieux…Seven years younger than Therese, Elizabeth outlived her by nine years and thus was able to read Therese’s obituary [convent circular] and autobiography and to make their teaching part of her own life. She did this with an inimitable and lively power of assimilation that immediately grasped what was essential and shaped it to her own form so as to leave not the slightest visible joint, indeed, in such a way that her own shape revealed its clarity and contours even more compellingly…

“…Therese pointed more exactly to a few things that Elizabeth had known in a general way. One might say that Elizabeth made more definite certain background aspects only indistinctly sketched out in Therese’s life and work. Indeed Elizabeth may have more firmly integrated into the pure form of Carmel certain Franciscan tendencies in Therese (overflowing gifts of heaven, showers of roses).” - Two Sisters in the Spirit, Hans Urs von Balthasar, 374