The Eternal and Ardently Desired Tabor....,

                                                

In this letter which Leonie wrote to her sister Sr Genevieve (Celine) on August 6, 1937, we can perceive the deep faith and love she had for Jesus. The virtue of hope in her words is really inspiring.

What a wonderful feast the Transfiguration is! Even on earth, our Beloved is truly ours to possess, hidden in the white Eucharistic Host until we see him face to face in eternity. It is in this loving encounter that we come together every day in our Communions, especially on feast days and birthdays. We are bound in an ineffable union when we meet in Jesus. We are truly fused as one. The only thing I know and ask for now is the grace to live and die in an act of pure love. This encapsulates everything. Everything else leaves me tired and indifferent. I’m sure you will understand me perfectly, beloved little sisters, because our hearts and souls are the same and perfectly moulded in sweet Jesus’ Heart........

Our divine King reigns at last despite Satan and his minions. All that is left for His consecrated brides to do is pray and practice self-sacrifice so that the fruit produced in all these revived and disillusioned souls might be lasting.

See how she concludes her letter !

Yes, my inseparable sister, once again, happy and holy feast day! Soon all four of us will be on the eternal and ardently desired Tabor.

                                              

The Grain of Wheat That Nourishes the Soul.

                           

Here is an excerpt from another of Leonie's letters. See the great love she has for Jesus ! 

From Sr Francoise-Therese (Leonie) to her three Carmelite sisters - December 27th 1919


Beloved little sisters,

For 1920, what can we mutually wish each other if not the love which was incarnated with the Son of God to set all hearts on fire? Earth is therefore already heaven, because Jesus is here with us. Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given(sings Holy Church). Are our hearts not chalices which, in darts of fire every morning, collect the grain of wheat that nourishes our souls for immortality? In truth, we have nothing to envy anyone, not even the Virgin Mary our divine Mother, because her son Jesus, our brother, is born and conceived within us.
..........

.........

Sometimes, when this poor little creature is on the point of surrendering all weapons, I throw myself into Jesus’ arms, and I ask Him to grant that His own love might burn constantly within my heart, consuming my entire being. Then I usually feel calm again and I think that often there is nothing to get worked up about.

                         

The Baby Donkey of the Monastery

                                

It is wonderful to read the mind of a Saint....

 And I love to read the diaries and letters left by Saints.What great inspiration! Here I will concentrate on my favourite Leonie, the one who preferred "the last place" in order to climb her way to Sainthood. How this "stubborn" child in Martin family struggled her way to holiness is itself worth researching ...

 Ample literature is left for us to read from her own writings, especially her private letters to her sisters in Carmel.

Today I will go through a letter she wrote to Mother Agnes of Jesus on October 5, 1905.

She begins her letter with a mention of her Saint sister Therese.. In almost every letter that she wrote, she mentions St. Therese.  

Yesterday was the feast day of our Angel, who flew away eight years ago already! Is not the anniversary of her departure to heaven a day of celebration? How hard I’ve prayed to our beloved little sister! She is rejoicing while we’re in tears, but the thought that we shall soon join her gives me wings.

As I said before, we had a preached retreat at the end of August and I took advantage of it to do a great annual retreat. It caused me great suffering: God saw fit that the priest misunderstood me completely. Fortunately I had our dear Mother, so everything went well even so, and Jesus’ insignificant little creature once again found peace and happiness in Him alone.

The very evening after my retreat, I was nominated assistant to the bursar. I have been doing this work for a month now and I like it very much. I’m in my element putting affairs in order here and there throughout the house. I consider myself the baby donkey of the monastery, and my lot is certainly enviable. There are many renouncements and many deeds which are seen by nobody but Jesus. I can save so many souls through these trivial little actions; they are my humble harvest, which is very tiny like me. Oh, I’m particularly drawn to saving the souls of priests!

 

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, beloved little Mother. I think these few lines will reveal your little sister’s soul to you such as it is, that is to say, more and more desirous to love Jesus and live for Him alone so that I might be worthy of going to see Him as quickly as possible and rejoice in Him for eternity. Since my retreat, I’ve felt particularly pressed to hurry. The thought of death does not frighten me, quite the opposite.

Farewell, darling sister. Pray for me and bless me. I didn’t forget that you were 44 years old on the 7th. . . Happy birthday!

From Sr Francoise-Therese (Leonie) to Mother Agnes of Jesus – October 1st, 1905

Your little sister and child.
                                        

http://www.stignatiusmobile.org/saint-of-the-month-servant-of-god-leonie-martin/

 

The Grace of the Last Place

                                          

Sister Françoise-Thérèse “Léonie” Martin, sister of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, is now a Servant of God. Her cause was opened in Caen, France on July 2, 2015, the anniversary of her profession (1900) in the Order of the Visitation. 

An interesting observation was made by the postulator for Léonie’s cause, Father Antonio Sangalli: 

One can define “Léonie” as “the grace of the last place”—the place that no one wants to occupy. We do not know how God distributes our talents, what criteria He employs to give “to one person, five talents; to another, two talents; and to a third, only one” (Matt. 25:15). Surely, to each, “according to his capacity.” Surely, we often spend our time—for some, their entire lives—by pursuing, if not regretting, the talent that we have not received; while we should be happy for the talent we have received—This is what the Servant of God did all her life, she who had no fear and did not run away to bury her talent in the ground (cf. Matthew 25:25)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9onie_Martin

Prayer to the Servant of God Sister Françoise-Thérèse 

Lord our God,
Through the example
of “the Servant of God, Sister Françoise-Thérèse,”
Léonie Martin, daughter of Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin
and sister of St. Thérèse,
You have given us an understanding
of the mercy and the tenderness of Your Love.

You watched over her fragile health
from the first hours of her life.
You supported her in the difficult times
of her childhood and adolescence.

You called her to the consecrated life,
and You sustained her
on the delicate path of her response.

You inspired her to lead a hidden life
humble and a gift to your Love,
as a Visitation nun at Caen,
accepting her limitations.

Lord, if such is your will,
Deign to grant us the grace

that we ask of you (…….)

through the intercession of

"the Servant of God, Sister Françoise-Thérèse.”

 

May she, one day, be counted
among the Venerables of your Church.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Imprimatur: Jean-Claude Boulanger, Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux

Read the free ebook, The Grace of the Last Place: Story of the Servant of God, Sister Françoise-Thérèse Martin, “Léonie” Sister of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, taken from the Caen Death Circular.