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CHAPTER XIV.
DEVOTION TO THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT; TO THE
PASSION OF OUR LORD; TO THE
"My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God." — Ps. LXXXIII, 3.
The brevity of this account should not prevent us from dwelling with some detail on the principal devotions of this Venerable servant of God, the more so as they are within the reach of all. This reason, although a secondary one, inspires the Holy Church to offer for our imitation the virtuous actions of her most illustrious children. We use the term devotion here, not so much in the sense of its high signification of devotion to God in a soul eager in His service, but to express affectionate veneration for our Divine Savior and His saints. In this chapter we will consider only her devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament, to the Passion, and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose name our Venerable Sister had desired to bear in religion. It is difficult to write on this matter, as we fear to pass over in silence many things no less edifying than those we tell of. This little biography professes, how-ever, to be only a meager account, yet we are consoled by the thought that some day a detailed and complete history of this blessed virgin of Carmel will be published for universal edification. That which impresses one immediately as the distinctive characteristic of Sister Teresa Margaret is her love of God. The device to be seen on her pictures: "God is love," was her favorite expression: it was constantly in her heart, constantly on her lips. Bishop Albergotti, her historian, speaks at length of her particular devotion to the Most Holy Trinity and to the Holy Spirit, to prove to us how God, infinite Love, was sovereignly loved by this seraphic soul. As for us, we will, by preference, dwell on her relations with the adorable person of Christ, her Divine Master: The Venerable Sister endeavored with her whole soul to imitate our Savior in the sufferings of His passion. This memory of sorrow and of love, which was indelibly imprinted on her heart, aided her to overcome herself on painful occasions. If sometimes nature seemed ready to give way under the burden of her penances, she would restore her courage by saying: "My Jesus did not act thus towards me; " or again: "God has suffered so much for me! is it not just that I should suffer a little for Him?" Notwithstanding her care to hide what was passing in her soul, her countenance reflected the impressions received in meditating on the mysteries of the Savior; this was particularly the case on feast days. She rejoiced with much sweetness at Christmas time, and during Holy Week she was pale with sorrow. Our pious salutation: "Praised be Jesus Christ!" came from her lips with such an eager and natural expression as to show plainly how sweet this loved name was to her.
She was devoted to the apostle St. Paul. This was on account of the ardent love the great apostle bore to Jesus; and also because he so frequently mentions this adorable name in his Epistles. A true daughter of our holy Mother Saint Teresa, she always commenced her prayer by meditating on the most holy Humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. From this solid foundation she rose to the contemplation of the Divinity. In these flights she received very brilliant lights and was filled with sublime thoughts, uniting her ever more intimately with our divine Savior. Her love for the adorable Eucharist caused her intense joy: "I live under the same roof with the Most Blessed Sacrament," she would often say with quiet joy; and we may add she knew how to derive profit from such a happiness. Her visits to the tabernacle were very frequent. All the time permitted her by obedience was spent in adoration, and the hours passed all too quickly, absorbed as she was in sentiments of deepest faith and love. "I saw her one day in the choir, kneeling before the Most Blessed Sacrament which was exposed; she appeared totally absorbed and as if blended into ' one being with her divine Spouse, veiled under the Eucharistic species." These are the words of an eye-witness. Here is another quotation: "Her angelic recollection in the choir was sufficient to cause anyone who saw her to become absorbed in prayer.
She kept in her diary these words, written by her own hand: "Truly God is in this place. Therefore keep eyes cast down and the heart with God!" This loving attention to the divine Host brought her ravishing delight. Whilst in her cell, in the performance of her duties, even in her poor bed, she had the habit of turning towards the Tabernacle where dwelt the Object of her love. When some duty obliged her to pass near the Blessed Sacrament, she could not resist kneeling for a short adoration, no matter what might be the need for haste. And the other religious would observe in these moments a sudden transformation of her countenance, wherein they read an intense increase of her faith and devotion in her expression of joy and tenderness. Holy King David preferred to all the greatness of this earth the most humble employment in God's house. This sentiment of the royal prophet animated also our dear Venerable Sister, who could imagine nothing more desirable than to be occupied in the immediate care of the altar. To clean the sanctuary lamps, have charge of the linen of the altar and of the sacred vestments, to scrub the Sisters' chapel — all this was to her a service of honor. She fulfilled it with joy mingled with veneration, and ever with perfect exactitude.
During the octave of Corpus Christi, our Order has the privilege of reciting the divine office every day during exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament. For her this was the most happy time of the whole year. Daily Communion, during this privileged week, was the very crown of happiness for this angelic soul. The custom of frequent Communion not being so common as at the present time, the Venerable Sister suffered from this spiritual privation. Accustomed from her childhood to imitate Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, it may be said her life was one continual act of preparation and thanksgiving for Communion. On the appointed days she approached the Holy Table, and with what joy, especially when the permission was a special one! She thanked her superiors and the Mother Prioress so cordially and graciously that they realized how ardent was her desire for this sacred manna. She was also assiduous in making spiritual communions, and with a love as tender as it was hearty. To enkindle still more the fire of His divine love in this most sincere heart, our sweet Jesus more than once granted her a charming favor. She enjoyed in the presence of Sisters who had received Communion a most sweet odor, which fairly ravished her. She would approach them and with an almost childlike manner, lean her head on their shoulders, saying that they were "perfumed with sanctity." Often, also, she tasted a delicious sweetness in receiving the sacred Host. Here is what was said in the process of her beatification: "One morning after a general Communion, she asked in all innocence and simplicity of the assistant Mistress what could be the cause of the exquisite taste of the Sacred Species;" and again on another occasion of her director: "Why she noticed the sweetness of the sacred Host, sometimes less, and sometimes more." When questioned as to the quality of this perceptible perfume and this sensible taste, she replied that the perfume resembled the moschetonne: that is the name of the narcissus in Arezzo, her native country. As for the taste, knowing of nothing similar to it, she called it "the flavor of Jesus Christ." Her confessor tells us she habitually enjoyed this favor, but with greater intensity on feast days.
A consequence, or rather an expansion of devotion to the Cross and to the Sacrament of Jesus, is the devotion of love and reparation to the Sacred Heart. "She made this devotion consist," these are the words of her director, "in correspondence with the love of the Divine Word for mankind, giving Him love for love." The day of her reception of the holy habit, she humbly asked to be called "of the Sacred Heart of Jesus," in order to have in her own name a constant reminder which would keep before her that she must live and breathe only to love Him with all her strength, and serve Him in all her actions. Besides the practices prescribed to members of the association of the Sacred Heart, she loved to seek in books of devotion, those passages which contained the most sublime acts of loving correspondence to the immense charity shown us by the divine Word, in all that He did for our redemption and eternal salvation.
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