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Quote of the day, 18 March: St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi

[Saint Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi] tried to render her disciples not only obedient with a tranquil submission, but also desirous and almost famishing for the yoke of obedience. To this end she imposed on them that they should never do even the least thing without her permission; and as she could not always be with them, she assigned to each of them a companion, of whom, in her absence, they were to ask permission; and when even this could not be done, they were then to ask permission of anyone present, and never to do anything without some submission to the will of others. By accustoming themselves to obey in small things, they facilitated obedience in things greater and of strict obligation, as the same disciples avowed that it had so happened to them.

“Until you give yourselves into the hands of obedience as if dead, you can never taste what serving God is. Offer your will in sacrifice to God, and you will derive therefrom a sovereign consolation. If you wish to comply with the Divine Will, beware lest by persuasions you draw the will of the superiors to your own; but try to execute, simply and entirely, their orders, and thus will you arrive at a great perfection. If you experience a repugnance to break your will for the sake of obedience, you show that you have very little love for God, as you do not wish to trouble yourself in the one thing by which you can give Him sovereign honor—namely, submitting to the will of others for His love.”

And she tried to render her disciples not only obedient with a tranquil submission, but also desirous and almost famishing for the yoke of obedience. To this end she imposed on them that they should never do even the least thing without her permission; and as she could not always be with them, she assigned to each of them a companion, of whom, in her absence, they were to ask permission; and when even this could not be done, they were then to ask permission of anyone present, and never to do anything without some submission to the will of others. By accustoming themselves to obey in small things, they facilitated obedience in things greater and of strict obligation, as the same disciples avowed that it had so happened to them.

Father Placido Fabrini

The Life of St. Mary Magdalen De’ Pazzi, chap. XXIX

Fabrini, P. & De’ Pazzi, M.M. 1900, The life of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi: Florentine noble, sacred Carmelite virgin, translated from the Italian by Isoleri A., [publisher not identified] Philadelphia.

Featured image: The Ecstasy of St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi is an oil on canvas painting attributed to the Italian painter Alessandro Rosi (1627–1697). Its creation date is ca. 1650–1660 and it is part of the collection of the Musée des Beaux Arts in Chambéry, France. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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