Quote of the day, 26 June: Blessed Mary Josephine

It has always been my heart’s burning desire to fulfill the will of God; I have never wanted anything else. I have lived and am living the divine will. It is something I need more than the food I eat and the air I breathe.
— Blessed Mary Josephine of Jesus Crucified
Autobiography

Looking more closely at the history and message of Blessed Mary Josephine, we better understand the inescapable need for a contemplative dimension in every Christian life. Her example shows us a concrete path for cultivating it. Her very existence was a true school of charity—toward her fellow sisters and, through her cloistered life, toward a wide apostolic field she served only to help others love the Lord more deeply.

She, too, like Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, did not want to “become a saint by halves.”

With her own unique character and mystical gifts—marked by extraordinary spiritual experiences—she embodied a life entirely rooted in one guiding conviction: “I want to live by feeding on the will of God… I want my will to be made one with His.”

Again, in her Diary, she wrote: “I ardently desire to live in the will of God. I know that this is how saints are made, and I want to become a saint to give glory to God.”

This program of life should be the great aspiration of every Christian, in perfect harmony with the words of Christ, our only and supreme model: “My food is to do the will of the Father” (Jn 4:34), because “whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 Jn 2:17).

Cardinal José Saraiva Martins

Message at the Beatification of Blessed Mary Josephine of Jesus Crucified
Naples, 1 June 2008

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: A nun kneels before Blessed Mary Josephine in the cloister of the Carmel at Ponti Rossi. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
What would it mean for you to feed on the will of God in your daily life?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

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