Sainte Marie de Jésus
Crucifié
Carmélite (+1878)
- Lors de son homélie pour la canonisation de quatre religieuses le 17 mai 2015, le Pape a invité à suivre 'l'exemple lumineux' des quatre nouvelles saintes, et à devenir 'des témoins de la résurrection de Jésus', 'demeurer en Dieu et en son amour, pour annoncer avec les paroles et avec la vie la résurrection de Jésus, en témoignant l'unité entre nous et l'amour envers tous'. (Demeurer dans le Christ est le secret des saints)
Canonisation le 17 mai 2015: Bientôt trois nouvelles saintes (Radio Vatican) Le Pape a décidé que les trois nouvelles saintes, Jeanne-Emilie de Villeneuve, Marie-Alphonsine (Maryam Sultanah Danil Ghattas), Marie de Jésus Crucifié (Maryam Baouardy) ainsi que sainte Marie Christine de l'Immaculée, seront inscrites dès cette année à la date liturgique du 17 mai. (VIS du 14 février 2015) Quatre nouvelles saintes le 17 mai prochain (news.va)
Radio Vatican le 7 décembre 2014: Le Pape a autorisé la promulgation du décret concernant la canonisation de la mystique née en Galilée Mariam Bawardi de Jésus crucifié (1846-1878), la fondatrice du Carmel de Bethléem.
Mariam Baouardy est née en Galilée, à Abillin. A trois ans, elle se retrouve orpheline. Son oncle la recueille. A Alexandrie où sa famille a émigré, Mariam se consacre au Seigneur; elle a douze ans. Son oncle veut la marier. Elle refuse et s'enfuit chez un proche de sa famille qui est musulman et qui lui conseille d'embrasser l'Islam. Devant son refus indigné, il s'emporte et lui tranche la gorge. Mais elle est guérie par l'intercession de la Vierge Marie et se place dans une famille qu'elle suivra comme servante au Liban puis en France. Elle n'oublie ni sa consécration virginale ni sa guérison miraculeuse. Elle se décide à entrer au Carmel de Pau où elle y vécut une floraison d'expériences mystiques: extases, bilocation, stigmates, prophéties et même possessions diaboliques au cours desquelles elle découragea le démon par sa confiance absolue en l'Esprit Saint. Au milieu de ces grâces déconcertantes à nos yeux, elle garde une humilité entière et une humeur paisible et joyeuse. Elle participe à la fondation du Carmel de Mangalore en Inde et à celui de Bethléem. C'est là qu'elle meurt à 32 ans à la suite d'un accident de chantier. Elle sera béatifiée en 1983.
"Elle reflète les différents visages de l'Église: l'Église grecque-melkite dans laquelle elle a été baptisée et élevée, l'Église latine où elle a été initiée à la vie carmélitaine. En dehors de son pays natal, elle s'est insérée dans les communautés chrétiennes du Liban, de l'Égypte, de la France, de l'Inde." (Aux pèlerins venus pour la béatification de Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié, Jean-Paul II, 14 novembre 1983)
- Il est peu de saints qui aient reçu tant de grâces à un si haut degré et avec cette abondance: stigmates, extases, connaissance des cœurs, prophéties, possession angélique, et, don inattendu chez une illettrée, la poésie.
"A qui ressemblerai-je?
Aux petits oiseaux dans leur nid,
si le père et la mère ne leur portent à manger,
ils meurent de faim.
Ainsi mon âme sans vous, Seigneur;
elle n'a pas sa nourriture, elle ne peut vivre!
A qui ressemblez-vous, Seigneur?
A la colombe qui donne à manger à ses petits,
à une tendre mère qui nourrit son petit enfant.
Gardez-moi, Seigneur, en vous pour me donner la vie."
Voir aussi sur le site du Carmel en France, Mariam de Bethléem.
Un internaute nous signale: Carmes et carmélites la fêtent le 25 août, sauf en France, où la fête est postposée au 30 août.
Au martyrologe romain, le 26 août: À Bethléem, en 1878, la bienheureuse Marie
de Jésus Crucifié (Marie Baouardy), vierge carmélite. Comblée de charismes
mystiques, elle mena une vie contemplative avec une charité extraordinaire.
Martyrologe romain
"Elle n'a cessé de
proclamer la paix et de rapprocher les cœurs". (Jean-Paul II)
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/8008/Sainte-Marie-de-Jesus-Crucifie.html
MARIAM de BETHLÉEM
Sainte Marie de Jésus
Crucifié (1846-1878)
Mariam Baouardy naît le 5
Janvier 1846 à Abellin, petit village situé entre Nazareth et le Mont Carmel.
Orpheline à 2 ans, elle
est emmenée par l’un de ses oncles en Égypte. A 13 ans on veut la marier mais
elle refuse et fait le vœu de se donner totalement au Seigneur.
Elle doit alors s’enfuir,
et une vie d’errance commence pour elle.
Ses pas l’amènent
successivement à Alexandrie, Beyrouth, puis Marseille, où elle travaille comme
domestique dans des familles chrétiennes.
A 21 ans elle entre au
Carmel de Pau et prend le Nom de Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié. Elle participe à
la fondation du Carmel de Mangalore en Inde, puis de celui de Bethléem où elle
meurt à 32 ans.
Sa vie remplie
d’extraordinaires grâces Mystiques ne souligne qu’une chose : la fraîcheur
et la simplicité de ces petits de l’Évangile en qui Dieu trouve sa joie car il
peut y déployer son Amour en plénitude.
Les paraboles et les
cantiques qui jaillissent spontanément de son cœur ont la saveur de l’Orient et
sont tout pétris de cette terre où a vécu Jésus de Nazareth.
Sa Vie
En Galilée
Mariam Baouardy est née
le 5 Janvier 1846, à Abellin, petit village de Haute Galilée situé à une
vingtaine de kilomètres de Nazareth. La beauté des paysages et la sagesse de
cette terre resteront toujours gravées dans son cœur.
Les parents de Mariam
sont issus de familles originaires du Liban et de Damas ; ils sont
Chrétiens, de rite oriental, et forment un foyer pauvre mais fervent. Ils ont
eu successivement douze garçons qui, tous, sont morts en bas âge.
Dans la Foi, sa mère a alors eu l’inspiration de faire le pèlerinage à Bethléem
pour solliciter une fille de la Vierge Marie. Là, dans la grotte de la
Nativité, elle et son mari ont promis de donner à l’enfant le nom de Marie.
Vingt neuf ans plus tard, Mariam viendra en ces lieux fonder le Carmel de
Bethléem.
Très tôt le Seigneur
marque de son sceau le cœur de Mariam. Un jour, elle veut laver deux petits
oiseaux, qui en meurent ! Profondément désolée, elle entend cette parole
intérieure : « c’est ainsi que tout passe ; si tu veux me donner
ton cœur, je te resterai toujours »
Deux ans après la
naissance de Mariam, voici celle d’un petit frère Boulos (Paul), qui vient
réjouir la famille.
Mais elle a tout juste
trois ans quand soudain son père et sa mère meurent à quelques jours
d’intervalle. Selon l’usage oriental, Boulos est alors recueilli par sa tante,
tandis que Mariam est confiée à son oncle paternel.
En Égypte
Quelques années plus
tard, cet oncle part pour l’Égypte, et se fixe dans les environs d’Alexandrie.
A l’âge de 13 ans, Mariam refuse un mariage, arrangé à son insu selon la
coutume orientale, pour se donner totalement au Christ.
La fureur de son oncle éclate en mauvais traitements et vexations de toutes
sortes.
Au bout de trois mois de cette situation, Mariam songe à son frère qu’elle
voudrait revoir, et lui écrit. Elle porte la lettre à un Musulman, ancien
domestique de la famille de son oncle, en partance pour Nazareth. Invitée à
table, elle expose sa situation malheureuse.
Martyre à 13 ans
Le domestique lui suggère
alors de passer à l’Islam. De nouveau, Mariam refuse énergiquement, en
confessant sa Foi Chrétienne. Il la jette alors à terre et, d’un coup de
cimeterre, lui tranche la gorge (elle en gardera toute sa vie une cicatrice
impressionnante).
Puis, la croyant morte, il l’enveloppe d’un grand voile et l’abandonne dans une
rue déserte. C’était le soir du 8 Septembre 1859.
Mariam « se
réveille » dans une grotte avec à ses côtés une « Religieuse en
bleu », qu’elle saura plus tard être la Vierge Marie.
Celle-ci a recousu la blessure, la soigne et l’enseigne avec une science et un
Amour hors du commun. Puis, lorsque Mariam est suffisamment rétablie, elle la
quitte dans une église d’Alexandrie pendant que Mariam s’y Confesse.
Sur les routes
A 13 ans commence alors
pour la jeune Mariam une vie d’errance de ville en ville puis de pays en pays.
Elle cherche sans y parvenir à rejoindre son frère et travaille comme
domestique, d’abord à Alexandrie, Jérusalem, puis à Beyrouth, et enfin à
Marseille. Chaque fois que l’estime des familles chez qui elle travaille
devient trop grande (à Beyrouth deux miracles lui sont attribués) elle part
plus loin.
En service à Marseille
depuis deux ans, elle a le bonheur d’être admise en mai 1865 chez les Sœurs de
Saint Joseph de l’Apparition.
Dons Mystiques
extraordinaires
Toute la vie de Mariam a
été remplie d’extraordinaires dons Mystiques, parfois surprenants. Visions,
extases (elle converse couramment avec les Saints du Ciel), prophéties,
guérisons, lévitations, stigmates, possessions diaboliques ou angéliques, etc…
Son humilité profonde (elle s’appelait couramment « le petit ») et
son abandon total entre les mains du Seigneur lui ont permis de tout vivre avec
un parfait équilibre humain et spirituel. Son Amour unique est plein de
fraîcheur.
Elle est aussi pour nous le témoin de cet « univers invisible » que
notre Foi professe et dont nous vivrons éternellement, par delà la mort.
Mais, toujours, elle
ramènera à la Foi et à l’Évangile comme seuls fondements solides
Peu après son entrée chez
les Sœurs de St Joseph, l’apparition des stigmates gêne ses supérieurs qui
préfèrent l’orienter vers une forme de vie plus Contemplative et plus cachée.
Au Carmel
En Juin 1867, elle rentre
au Carmel de Pau comme « Sœur Converse », c’est à dire plus
particulièrement chargée des tâches matérielles. Elle y prend le nom de Sœur
Marie de Jésus Crucifié.
Elle a 21 ans, mais on ne lui en donne pas plus de douze : « sa
petite taille, sa figure candide, sa difficulté à s’exprimer en notre langue,
sa profonde ignorance de toutes choses, car elle ne savait même pas lire, ni en
arabe ni en français ; tout cela réuni en faisait un vrai type de
l’enfance ; aussi pouvions-nous guère la désigner entre nous que sous le
nom de la petite Sœur » disait une de ses Sœurs.
Au bout de trois ans,
elle part avec cinq autres Religieuses fonder un Carmel à Mangalore, en
Inde. Elle y fait profession Religieuse, après un noviciat qui a été plus long
qu’à l’ordinaire à cause de ses stigmates.
Mais une persécution éclate contre elle, toujours à cause de ses dons
extraordinaires, mal interprétés par certains de ses supérieurs. Elle a
beaucoup à en souffrir : on lui dit que sa profession est invalide, qu’elle est
menée par le démon … ; elle doit finalement rentrer en France.
Ce deuxième séjour de
trois ans au Carmel de Pau est marqué par de multiples grâces de
joie. Sœur Mariam retrouve le Monastère qu’elle appelle sa « maison
paternelle ». Son renom de sainteté commençait alors à rayonner sur tout
le diocèse : des Prêtres, des Évêques, des savants ou des voisins paysans
venaient la consulter. Pour tous, elle avait une parole, un conseil très simple
à donner.
En Août 1875, elle part à
nouveau, pour la Fondation du Carmel de Bethléem. Connaissant l’arabe,
elle sera l’apôtre du chantier de Bethléem, après avoir été l’inspiratrice des
plans. Elle y meurt des suites d’un accident.
En allant porter à boire aux ouvriers qui y travaillent, elle tombe d’un
escalier et se brise le bras. La gangrène s’y met très rapidement et elle meurt
en quelques jours le 26 Août 1878 à 32 ans.
Son message
Grande voyageuse à
travers le monde, Mariam a très vite compris que le plus beau voyage est le
chemin de la sainteté sur les pas du Christ Crucifié-Ressuscité avec la Vierge
Marie.
Sa Foi est
grande et toute simple. Elle est à la portée de tous : « Cherchez
Dieu seul sans vous arrêter à rien de créé…Dieu seul est tout ».
Comme le chantent les
psaumes, Mariam fonde sa Foi sur le Créateur et non sur les créatures.
Son Espérance repose
sur sa Foi en Jésus et cette Espérance est à toute épreuve : « Croyez-vous
que si la poule voyait venir l’ennemi elle ne cacherait pas ses poussins sous
ses ailes pour les défendre ? Croyez-vous que Jésus ne peut pas faire
comme la poule ? Qu’il ne peut pas cacher les petits et les défendre
contre les grands ? Alors pourquoi craignez-vous ? »
L’Amour du Christ
l’habite constamment et la fait déborder de charité pour ses Sœurs. Elle se
fait l’écho du Cantique des Cantiques : « Qui a consolé mon
cœur ? C’est vous mon Bien aimé. Qui l’a rafraîchi ? C’est vous mon
Amour… »
Pour Mariam, le signe le
plus fort de la présence de L’Esprit Saint est l’Humilité. C’est ce chemin
privilégié que choisit Mariam : « Une âme qui a l’humilité, Dieu lui
pardonne toute faute ». Dieu peut déployer toute sa force de Créateur dans
un cœur humble.
Lundi, 14 novembre 1983
Béatitudes,
Chers Frères et Sœurs,
1. La béatification de
Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié, qui vous a réunis à Rome de tous les pays du
Proche-Orient, a sûrement été pour vous tous un grand moment de joie, une
source de réconfort, une invitation au courage. Ce n’est pas une jubilation
passagère: c’est une source de grâces qui demeure ouverte. L’Eglise qui est à
Rome a participé à cette joie et, j’ose dire, l’Eglise universelle, en
regardant avec émotion cette petite fleur de la Terre Sainte parvenue en peu de
temps à l’épanouissement mystique, à la sainteté. Je suis heureux de me
retrouver ce matin au milieu de vous, pour vous saluer encore avec toute mon
affection, pour converser avec vous, comme en famille, tout en méditant encore
sur le sens de cette béatification, pour en recueillir les fruits.
La vie et les vertus de
Mariam Baouardy vous sont maintenant suffisamment connues et je les ai évoquées
dans la solennelle liturgie d’hier. Mais il est bon de nous redire ce matin à
quel point cette “petite Arabe” a été un témoin privilégié de Jésus, de l’amour
de l’Eglise, de l’action pour la paix. Et vous comprendrez mieux encore le prix
que l’Eglise attache à la vie de vos communautés chrétiennes en Terre Sainte et
autour de la Terre Sainte.
2. Mariam est le fruit de
cette Terre Sainte. En elle, tout nous parle de Jésus. Et d’abord les
lieux où elle a vécu: Nazareth, près de laquelle elle est née, Bethléem où elle
a consommé son sacrifice, le Mont Carmel, symbole de la vie de prière solitaire
qui a fourni le cadre de sa vie religieuse. Mais surtout, elle nous rend
proches du Calvaire, puisqu’elle n’a cessé de porter dans sa vie la croix de
Jésus, tout en choisissant son nom de crucifié. Les béatitudes trouvent en elle
leur accomplissement. A la voir, on croit entendre Jésus nous dire: bienheureux
les pauvres, bienheureux les humbles, bienheureux ceux qui ne cherchent qu’à
servir, bienheureux les doux, bienheureux ceux qui font la paix, bienheureux
ceux qui sont persécutés. Toute sa vie traduit une familiarité inouïe avec
Dieu, l’amour fraternel des autres, la joie, qui sont les signes évangéliques
par excellence.
3. Sœur Marie de Jésus
Crucifié se montre en même temps une fille hors pair de l’Eglise. Elle
reflète les différents visages de l’Eglise: l’Eglise grecque-melkite dans
laquelle elle a été baptisée et élevée, l’Eglise latine où elle a été initiée à
la vie carmélitaine. En dehors de son pays natal, elle s’est insérée dans les
communautés chrétiennes du Liban, de l’Egypte, de la France, de l’Inde. Elle a
partagé l’ardeur missionnaire de l’Eglise, sa soif d’unité, l’attachement à ses
Pasteurs et notamment au Pontife romain Pie IX.
Car l’Eglise doit être
une dans la diversité et dans la richesse des langues, des cultures et des
rites.
4. Enfin, elle qui a été
souvent malmenée par les événements et par les gens, elle n’a cessé de semer la
paix, de rapprocher les cœurs. Elle se voulait “la petite sœur de tous”. Comme
son exemple est précieux dans notre monde déchiré, divisé, qui sombre si
facilement dans l’injustice et la haine, sans tenir compte des droits des
autres à une existence digne et paisible!
5. Voilà, chers amis,
celle qui intercède maintenant pour nous auprès de Jésus. Aujourd’hui dans les
divers pays du Proche Orient, vous vivez dans un état de paix très fragile, et
parfois même de guerre. C’est une grande détresse pour tous les habitants de
cette région, et le monde entier s’inquiète de leur sort, sans parvenir à les
aider efficacement en respectant leur liberté. Je ne veux pas aborder ce matin
les aspects politiques du problème. Mais à vous, catholiques grecs-melkites,
latins ou d’autres rites qui partagez les épreuves de tous vos compatriotes,
chrétiens, juifs ou musulmans, je veux redire la sollicitude du Saint-Siège, et
ses fervents encouragements. Comme au temps où saint Paul plaidait pour les
“saints de Jérusalem”, l’Eglise entière doit vous soutenir. C’est un
devoir d’amour fraternel envers vous. C’est une nécessité pour la vie, le
témoignage et l’honneur de l’ensemble des chrétiens. Car, si importants que
soient en Terre Sainte les vestiges de l’époque de Jésus, les souvenirs
historiques, les monuments de l’art sacré que les communautés chrétiennes ont
édifiés ou reconstruits au cours des siècles, ce qui importe le plus, c’est
qu’y resplendisse l’Eglise vivante, le Temple qui est fait des membres du Corps
du Christ témoignant aujourd’hui même de la foi, de la prière et de l’amour,
selon le message de Jésus de Nazareth, ou plutôt assurant par là même la
présence du Christ Jésus, mort et ressuscité.
6. C’est là votre
honneur. Et je vous encourage à garder et à manifester votre attachement
indestructible à cette terre qui est vôtre, où vous avez vos racines, comme
Mariam Baouardy qui y est revenue pour fonder un Carmel à Bethléem et en
projeter un autre à Nazareth. Cela entraîne une exigence particulière,
évangélique. Vous devez être au premier rang des artisans de paix, animés
des sentiments d’ouverture, d’estime, d’amour, de pardon, de réconciliation
envers tous les hommes qui sont liés eux aussi à cette terre, chrétiens, juifs
et musulmans. En ce pays, ne l’oubliez jamais, vous représentez Jésus et son
amour universel.
Que la bienheureuse Marie
de Jésus Crucifié vous accompagne sur ce chemin difficile! Que la très sainte
Vierge Marie, mère de Jésus, vous aide à devenir chaque jour davantage des
disciples de son divin Fils! Et que Dieu Tout-Puissant vous bénisse, Père, Fils
et Saint-Esprit, qu’Il vous garde dans la paix, qu’Il permette à chacune de vos
patries de trouver le chemin de la véritable paix, et qu’Il aide chacune de vos
communautés chrétiennes, grecque-melkite et latine - dont je salue avec joie
les Patriarches et les Evêques - à épanouir le don de Dieu qui leur a été
confié!
© Copyright 1983 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
SAINTE MARIE DE JÉSUS
CRUCIFIÉ BAOUARDY
Nom: BAOUARDY
Prénom: Marie (Mariam)
Nom de religion: Marie de
Jésus Crucifié
Pays: Terre Sainte -
France – Inde
Naissance:
05.01.1846 à Abellin (Près de Nazareth)
Mort: 26.08.1878 à
Bethléem
Etat: Carmélite
Note: Carmélite à Pau, à
Mangalore (profession le 21.11.1871), de nouveau à Pau et enfin à Bethléem.
Humilité et service vécus avec les plus extraordinaires phénomènes Mystiques.
Cheville ouvrière de la
Fondation des Carmels de Mangalore et de Bethléem.
Béatification:
13.11.1983 à Rome par Saint Jean Paul II
Canonisation: 17.05.2015
par le Pape François
Fête: 26 Août
Réf. dans l’Osservatore
Romano: 1983 n.47 - 2004 n.39 p.7&11
Réf. dans la Documentation
Catholique: 1983 p.1145
Notice brève
Née en 1846 près de
Nazareth, Mariam perd ses parents à l‘âge de trois ans. Elle est recueillie par
un oncle qui déménage à Alexandrie, en Égypte.
A 13 ans elle refuse un
mariage préparé à son insu et affirme sa volonté de se donner au Seigneur.
Persécutée par sa
famille, un ancien serviteur lui propose de passer à l’Islam. Sur son refus il
la blesse et l’abandonne, la croyant morte.
La Vierge Marie elle-même
vient la guérir. Elle devient servante dans des familles pauvres, et débarque à
Marseille où elle fait son noviciat chez les Sœurs de St Joseph de
l’Apparition, puis au Carmel de Pau.
Elle est favorisée de
nombreuses grâces extraordinaires (extases, lévitations, stigmates, prophéties,
etc.) qu’elle vit dans la simplicité, l’humilité et surtout l’obéissance.
Elle est l’âme de la
Fondation du Carmel de Bangalore en Inde où elle passe 3 ans (1870-1872). Là
elle émet ses vœux le 21 Novembre 1871.
Mais ses charismes sont
mal compris et elle rentre au Carmel de Pau, pour repartir à nouveau (1875)
fonder le Carmel de Bethléem dont elle surveille les travaux.
Elle meurt à la suite
d’un accident le 26 Août 1878.
Notice développée
En 1845, Georges Baouardy
et sa femme, un couple pauvre mais fervent du petit village d’Abellin en Haute
Galilée, vont en pèlerinage à Bethléem pour demander à l’Enfant Jésus une
petite fille à qui ils promettent de donner le nom de la Vierge.
Ils sont Catholiques de
rite grec et ont eu jusque là douze garçons morts en bas âge. Ils sont exaucés
et c’est ainsi que Mariam naît le 5 janvier 1846.
Un petit frère, Boulos,
vient s’ajouter l’année suivante à la joie de la famille. Mais leurs parents
meurent tous deux en 1848.
Mariam est recueillie par
un oncle paternel de condition aisée, lequel s’installe quelques années plus
tard à Alexandrie, en Égypte, y emmenant Mariam.
Elle possède une vie
spirituelle précoce et avec joie, elle peut communier dès l’âge de huit ans.
A treize ans elle refuse
un mariage, arrangé à son insu selon la coutume orientale, et annonce sa
décision de se donner totalement à Dieu. Elle est alors persécutée par sa
famille.
Désireuse de reprendre
contact avec son frère Boulos, elle lui écrit une lettre qu’elle confie à un
ancien domestique musulman en partance pour Nazareth.
Celui-ci, voyant la
situation malheureuse de Mariam, lui propose de passer à l’Islam ; mais
elle confesse énergiquement sa Foi chrétienne.
L’homme, furieux, lui
ouvre la gorge d’un coup de cimeterre et l’abandonne dans une rue déserte, la
croyant morte. Le drame se passe dans la nuit du 7 au 8 septembre 1859.
Mariam se réveille dans
une grotte, “une religieuse en bleu” à ses côtés. Elle racontera plus tard que
c’était la Vierge Marie qui la soignait.
Guérie, elle se retrouve
seule et devient servante dans diverses familles, choisissant les conditions
les plus pauvres.
Après Alexandrie,
Jérusalem, Beyrouth, elle aboutit à Marseille où elle fait connaissance des
Sœurs de St Joseph de l’Apparition.
Elle a le bonheur d’être
admise dans cette Congrégation en Mai 1865. Mais ses dons mystiques commencent
à se manifester : extases, visions, stigmates de la Passion qu’elle revit
deux jours par semaine.
Cela dérange ses
supérieures et après deux ans de noviciat, on l’oriente vers une forme de vie
plus contemplative et plus cachée.
Le Carmel de Pau
l’accueille avec joie et elle reçoit le nom de Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié.
Elle insiste pour être sœur converse et se dévoue à tous avec simplicité et
générosité, malgré les épreuves intérieures que lui suscite le démon.
Une première possession
diabolique de 40 jours (Juillet à Septembre 1868) est suivie de 4 jours de
possession angélique, accompagnée de nombreux enseignements et prophéties
durant ses extases.
Après trois ans elle est
envoyée avec un petit groupe fonder le premier Carmel en Inde, à Mangalore.
La vie cloîtrée peut être
inaugurée fin 1870. Mariam affronte les travaux les plus lourds tout en étant
toujours favorisée de charismes extraordinaires. Elle est vraiment l’âme de
cette Fondation.
Mais des incompréhensions
commencent à germer autour d’elle, spécialement chez ses supérieures et son
évêque, mettant en doute l’authenticité de ce qu’elle vivait.
Elle peut toutefois
émettre ses vœux au terme de son noviciat le 21 Novembre 1871. Mais les
tensions reprennent et le démon se manifeste à nouveau, lui faisant faire
certain actes défendus par la règle, mais cela en dehors de sa propre volonté
(elle ne s’en accusera jamais).
En septembre 1872, elle
doit finalement rentrer en France. Quelques années plus tard les Sœurs qui
l’avaient persécutée verront clair et lui exprimeront leur repentir.
Voilà Sœur Marie de Jésus
Crucifié, la “petite arabe” comme on l’appelle familièrement, le “petit rien”
comme elle se nomme elle-même, la voilà de retour au Carmel de Pau.
C’est une période de
calme où les grâces extraordinaires prennent la forme, entre autres, de
lévitations (jusqu’au sommet des arbres !) et d’extases au cours
desquelles elle improvise dans l’élan de sa reconnaissance envers Dieu des
poésies d’une grande beauté pleines de charme tout oriental.
Nombreux aussi sont ceux
qui viennent chercher auprès d’elle réconfort, conseils, prières. Il faut bien
noter que tous ces charismes sont vécus chez Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié dans
un climat de grande humilité et simplicité ; elle pense même que ses
stigmates sont une maladie. Son obéissance est tout aussi remarquable.
En suivant les
inspirations du Seigneur, elle parle de la fondation d’un Carmel à Bethléem.
Les obstacles sont nombreux, mais se lèvent progressivement grâce entre autres
à une ‘fondatrice’, Berthe Dartigaux qui lui sera toute dévouée, et à son
confesseur, un Père de Bétharram.
L’autorisation de Rome
étant finalement donnée, un petit groupe de Religieuses s’embarque pour cette
aventure au cours de l’été 1875.
Mariam, seule à connaître
l’arabe, est plus particulièrement chargée de suivre les travaux. Elle s’attire
vite la sympathie des ouvriers.
La Communauté peut
commencer à habiter les lieux dès le 21 Novembre 1876. Elle se préoccupe
également de la Fondation d’un Carmel à Nazareth, et s’y rend pour
l’acquisition d’un terrain.
Elle a la grande joie de
revoir le village de son enfance, Abellin. (En fait le Carmel de Nazareth ne
sera construit qu’en 1910.)
De retour à Bethléem elle
reprend la surveillance des travaux. C’est en portant à boire aux ouvriers
qu’elle tombe dans un escalier et se brise un bras. La gangrène s’y met très
rapidement et elle meurt en quelques jours, le 26 Août 1878, à 33 ans.
On remarque que la durée
de sa vie recouvre exactement le pontificat du Bienheureux Pie
IX 2 (16
juin 1846 - 7 février 1878).
De fait elle avait pour
le Saint Père une piété filiale d'une grande tendresse et le voyait dans ses
extases.
A diverses reprises, elle
lui fit même parvenir des messages importants concernant les intérêts de
I'Église.
Son affection filiale se
traduisait, à certains jours, d'une manière extraordinaire, jusqu'à reproduire
sur son visage les traits du Saint Père.
Un jour deux compagnes
lui en font la remarque; elle répond simplement : « Il faut bien que
l'enfant ressemble à son père ! » Elle annonça la mort de Pie IX et le nom de
son successeur, le futur Léon XIII.
Il faut encore évoquer le
lien étroit qui unit Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié et les Pères de Bétharram (à
15 km de Lourdes).
C’est en 1835 que le
Père Michel
Garicoïts 2 (Canonisé
en 1947 par Pie XII) fonde la Congrégation des Prêtres du Sacré-Cœur de Jésus
pour l’évangélisation des campagnes et l’éducation des enfants. Un des
Pères est l’aumônier du Carmel de Pau.
A son retour de Mangalore
en 1872, Sœur Marie de Jésus Crucifié prend comme directeur le Père Estrate.
En 1875, 12 ans après la
mort du Fondateur, elle prend connaissance dans une vision des graves tensions
qui agitent la Congrégation et reçoit les consignes du Seigneur pour que les
constitutions soient approuvées par Rome.
Ce qui advient le 30
juillet de la même année.
Les Pères de Bétharram
reconnaissent en elle comme la seconde Fondatrice de leur Institut. C’est
encore grâce à elle qu’une petite Communauté de Pères peut s’installer, après
de nombreuses
difficultés, près du
Carmel de Bethléem. Mlle Berthe Dartigaux a été dans toutes ces démarches d’un
précieux secours.
Signalons la remarquable
biographie de « Mariam la petite arabe, Bienheureuse Sœur Marie de Jésus
Crucifié » par le Père Amédée Brunot, Père de Bétharram, aux éditions
Salvator (1981 pour la 1e édition).
Sainte Marie de Jésus Crucifié
Religieuse Carmélite libanaise
Commémoration :
Martyrologium Romanum : le 26 août (dies natalis).
Ordre des Carmes Déchaux : le 25 août, sauf en France, le 30 août, car le 25 est la Fête de St Louis.
Marie de Jésus Crucifié,
au siècle Mariam Baouardy, naît le 5 Janvier 1846 à Abellin, en Galilée.
La définition de sa
nationalité est difficile à indiquer car elle a vécu dans un pays (l'Empire
ottoman), aujourd'hui disparu, qui regroupait en son sein diverses populations
et nationalités.
Aujourd'hui, le village
natal de Mariam, Abellin, fait partie de l'état d'Israël.
L'origine libanaise de
ses parents la fait parfois qualifier de "libanaise", alors que son
lieu géographique de naissance lui fait attribuer à tort une origine "palestinienne".
Il ne semble pas y avoir de consensus actuellement sur sa nationalité à ce
jour.
La famille Baouardy, de
rite melkite et d'origine libanaise voit ses douze garçons mourir en bas âge.
Les parents décident de faire un pèlerinage de 170 km jusqu'à Bethléem
pour prier Dieu de leur accorder une fille par l'intercession de la Vierge
Marie.
Cette fille naît neuf
mois plus tard le 5 Janvier 1846.
On lui donne le nom de
Marie, Mariam. Elle est baptisée et confirmée suivant le rite grec-melkite
Catholique.
L'année d'après, un
garçon, Boulos, vient agrandir la famille.
Ses parents meurent à
quelques jours d'intervalle quand elle a trois ans. Mariam et son frère sont
séparés et ne se reverront plus. Elle est recueillie par un oncle paternel,
tandis que son frère Boulos est recueilli chez une tante maternelle.
À l'âge de 8 ans, elle
fait sa première Communion. Puis peu de temps après son oncle (et elle-même
avec toute la famille) part s'installer à Alexandrie.
À l'âge de 13 ans, son
oncle veut la marier. Elle refuse car elle se sent appelée à consacrer sa vie à
Dieu. Elle s'enfuit.
Un musulman la recueille,
mais comme elle refuse de renier sa Foi Catholique, cet homme lui tranche la
gorge.
Il la croit morte et la
dépose dans une rue d'Alexandrie. Mariam se réveille dans une grotte où une
Sœur vêtue en bleu la soigne pendant plusieurs mois.
Mariam racontera plus
tard (à ses Sœurs Religieuses) avoir reconnu en cette femme la Vierge Marie.
À cette époque-là, Mariam
étant seule au monde, travaille comme servante là où le destin la
conduit : Alexandrie, Jérusalem, Beyrouth. Elle aboutit à Marseille.
À 19 ans, elle entre
comme novice chez les Sœurs de Saint-Joseph-de-l'Apparition à Marseille.
Elle ne sait ni lire ni
écrire, et ne parle pas bien le français.
Au bout de deux ans, elle
n'est pas admise à prononcer ses premiers vœux. Sa maitresse des novices, Mère
Véronique de la Passion l'oriente vers un autre Ordre Religieux : le
Carmel.
Elle entre alors au
Carmel de Pau comme Sœur converse et y reçoit le nom de Sœur Marie de Jésus
Crucifié.
Trois ans plus tard, en
1870, Mariam fait partie d'un petit groupe qui part fonder le premier Carmel en
Inde, à Mangalore.
Elle prononce ses vœux
perpétuels à Mangalore le 21 Novembre 1871. En 1872, elle est renvoyée au
Carmel de Pau en France par l'Évêque de Mangalore.
En 1875, elle fait partie
du groupe de 10 Carmélites dirigées par Mère Véronique de la Passion, qui
quittent Pau pour fonder un nouveau Carmel à Bethléem en Terre sainte. Elle
s'occupe particulièrement des travaux de construction du nouveau Couvent, étant
la seule à parler l'arabe.
Elle meurt le 26 Août
1878 dans sa 33e année à la suite d'une chute et d'une fracture du bras (qui
entraina une gangrène). Mariam était perçue comme humble, obéissante et
charitable selon son épitaphe.
Le biographe Amédée
Brunot a rapporté, dans son ouvrage ‘Mariam, la petite arabe’, de nombreux dons
mystiques, qu'aurait reçus Mariam et dont des proches ont témoigné :
extases, lévitations, stigmates de la Passion, don de prophétie, don
d'ubiquité, transverbération du cœur, apparition et visions de nombreux Saints,
don de poésie. Une de ses visions a contribué à l’identification du lieu saint
d’Emmaüs (Luc 24,13).
Marie de Jésus Crucifié
(Mariam Baouardy) a été Béatifiée le 13 Novembre 1983 par Saint Jean-Paul
II (Karol Józef Wojtyła, 1978-2005) et Canonisée à Rome, le
17 Mai 2015, par le Saint Père François (Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 2013-).
Son Blog
> > > Sainte
Marie de Jésus Crucifié
Mariam
Baouardy, b. 1846 d. 1878 (Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, Discalced Carmelite
nun). The picture was taken in Summer 1875 before her departure to the Holy
Land. August 1875. Amédée Brunot, Johannes Maria Höcht (ed.), Licht vom
Tabor. Mirjam - die kleine Araberin, Stein am Rhein (2nd ed.) 1992, p. 88.
Also
known as
Al Qiddisa
Maram Baouardy
Maria di Gesu Crocifisso
Mariam Baouardy
Marie of Jesus Crucified
Mary Baouardy
Maryam Bawardi
The Little Arab
Profile
Born to Giries Baouardy
and Mariam Shahine, a poor Greek Melchite Catholic family.
Twelve of her thirteen brothers died in infancy,
and Mary’s birth was an answered prayer to Our Lady.
Her parents died when
Mary was only two, and she was raised by a paternal uncle. Moved to Alexandria, Egypt at
age eight.
Betrothed in
an arranged marriage at
age 13, she refused to go along with it, insisting on a religious
life. As punishment for her disobedience, her uncle hired her out as
a domestic
servant, making sure she had the lowest and most menial of jobs. A
Muslim servant with
whom she worked began to act as her friend with an eye to converting her
from Christianity.
On 8
September 1858,
Mary convinced him she would never abandon her faith;
in response he cut her throat and dumped her in an alley. Mary lived, an
apparition of the Virgin
Mary treated her wound, and she left her uncle’s house forever.
She supported herself as
a domestic,
working for a Christian family
and praying.
In 1860 she
moved in with the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Supernatural events began to
occur around her, and the Sisters would not let her join their house.
She was taken to the Carmel at
Pau by a Sister in 1867,
and became a lay sister. Later that year she entered the cloister,
taking the name Mary of Jesus Crucified, and making her final profession
on 21
November 1871.
She continued to
experience supernatural events. She fought off a demonic possession for 40
days, received the stigmata,
was seen to levitate,
had the gift of prophecy and knowledge of consciences, and permitted her guardian angel to
speak through her. Helped found the missionary Carmel of Mangalore, India.
Returned to France in 1872.
Built a Carmelite monastery in Bethlehem in 1875.
Supernatural gifts aside, she was known for her devotion to the Holy
Spirit, even sending word to Pope Pius
IX that the Spirit was
not emphasized enough in seminaries.
Born
5
January 1846 at
Abellin, Galilee, Palestine as Mary
Baouardy
26
August 1878 at Bethlehem of
gangrene following an injury received at the construction site of the Bethlehem monastery
27
November 1981 by Pope John
Paul II (decree of heroic
virtues)
13
November 1983 by Pope John
Paul II
on 6
December 2014 by Pope Francis issued
a decree acknowledging a miracle received
through the intervention of Blessed Mary
on 14
February 2015 Pope Francis approved
the canonization
canonization recognition
celebrated 17 May 2015
Additional
Information
other
sites in english
Beatifications of Pope John Paul II
Billy Ryan: This Saint Had Her Throat Slashed, and Mary
Saved Her in Person
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Readings
Everything passes here on
earth. What are we? Nothing but dust, nothingness, and God is so great, so
beautiful, so lovable and He is not loved. – Blessed Mary
Holy
Spirit, inspire me. Love of God consume me. Along the true road, lead me.
Mary, my good mother, look down upon me. With Jesus, bless me. From all evil,
all illusion, all danger, preserve me. – Blessed Mary
Always remember to love
your neighbor; always prefer the one who tries your patience, who test your
virtue, because with her you can always merit: suffering is Love; the Law is
Love. – Blessed Mary
I desire to suffer always
and not to die. I should add: this is not my will, it is my inclination. It is
sweet to think of Jesus; but it is sweeter to do His will. – Blessed Mary
The proud person is like
a grain of wheat thrown into water: it swells, it gets big. Expose that grain
to the fire: it dries up, it burns. The humble soul is like a grain of wheat
thrown into the earth: it descends, it hides itself, it disappears, it dies;
but to revive in heaven. – Blessed Mary
Observance of the rule is
of more value than all extraordinary states, more than the stigmata and the
gift of miracles. – Blessed Mary
Here in the peace of the
Lord reposes Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, professed religious of the white
veil. A soul of singular graces, she was conspicuous for her humility, her
obedience and her charity. Jesus, the sole love of her heart called her to Himself
in the 33rd year of her age and the 12th year of her religious life at Bethlehem, 26
August 1878. –
inscribed on Blessed Mary’s
tombstone
MLA
Citation
“Saint Mary of Jesus
Crucified“. CatholicSaints.Info. 28 January 2022. Web. 26 August 2022. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-mary-of-jesus-crucified/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-mary-of-jesus-crucified/
This Saint Had Her Throat Slashed, and Mary Saved Her
in Person
By George Ryan
July 23, 2019
Throat slashed and left for dead in an alley, Saint
Mariam Baouardy found herself miraculously healed by the Virgin Mary.
Saint Mariam Baouardy was
a Discalced Carmelite nun of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church born January 5,
1846, known for her service to the poor and her bearing of the stigmata.
At the age of 8, she
moved to Cairo with her uncle after her parents passed away. At 13, she was
customarily engaged at 13 to her wife’s brother, but the night before the
wedding had a religious experience where she felt called to offer her life to
God.
After her decision, her
uncle beat her and treated her thereafter poorly. Feeling depressed and alone,
she wrote a letter to her brother in Nazareth asking she visit her. She asked a
young male servant to deliver the message, who attempted to woo her for himself,
and convert her to Islam. Feeling he had less than noble intentions, she denied
his advances, saying
“Muslim, no, never! I am
a daughter of the Catholic Church, and I hope by the grace of God to persevere
until death in my religion, which is the only true one.”
Enraged, the man slit her
throat and dumped in an alleyway. It was the night of September 8th, 1858 – the
feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Baouardy described how she was
miraculously saved by a “nun dressed in blue,” having visions of Heaven.
“A nun dressed in blue
picked me up and stitched my throat wound. This happened in a grotto somewhere.
I then found myself in heaven with the Blessed Virgin, the angels and the
saints. They treated me with great kindness. In their company were my parents.
I saw the brilliant throne of the Most Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ in His
humanity. There was no sun, no lamp, but everything was bright with light.
Someone spoke to me. They said that I was a virgin, but that my book was not
finished.”
On her death bed
suffering from gangrene of the lungs, her last words were of the soup the
Virgin Mary had made for her during her recovery.
“She made me some soup!
Oh, such good soup! There I was a long time, looking, and never ate soup like
that. I have the taste in my mouth. She promised me that at my last hour, she
will give me a little spoonful of it.”
On May 17th, 2015, Pope
Francis canonized Saint Mariam Baouardy. She was the second Greek Catholic to
be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, the first being Josaphat
Kuntsevych in 1867.
SOURCE : https://ucatholic.com/blog/this-saint-had-her-throat-slashed-and-mary-saved-her-in-person/
Church
of St. Mariam Bawardi in Hurfeish
Mariam Baouardy 1846-1878
Mariam Baouardy was born on January 5th 1846 at
Ibillin, a village in the Holy Land near Nazareth. Her
parents were George Baouardy and Mariam Shashyn, they were Greek Catholics in a
predominantly Muslin area. They were both persecuted for their faith and George
spent some time in prison. Their first 12 children, all boys, died
in infancy so they decided to go on pilgrimage to Bethlehem, to beg Our
Lady for a daughter and they promised to call her Mariam. Their prayers were
answered when little Mariam was born, followed two years later by her only
surviving brother, Paul. Mariam was baptised and confirmed when she was ten
days old according to the Greek Catholic Rite. Sadly before she was
three years old both her parents died from an infectious illness, within a few
days of each other. When her father was dying he commended Mariam to the
care of St. Joseph, looking lovingly at a picture of him, he said ‘Great
saint, here is my child; the Blessed Virgin is her mother; deign to look after
her also; be her father’.
Mariam was taken to the
home of a wealthy paternal uncle and Paul went to live with a maternal
aunt but they never saw each other again. Mariam was treated kindly
but surprised the family by her intense devotion to Our Lady. From
the age of five she fasted every Saturday in her honour and she frequently
gathered flowers to place before her icon. Mariam received her First Communion
when she was eight, in spite of the hesitancy of the priest; she was unable to
contain her longing for the Sacrament and went to up to receive with others.
The priest accepted her and she said that Jesus came to her ‘as a child’.
Soon afterwards the
family moved to Alexandria and when she was nearly thirteen Mariam’s uncle told
her that he had arranged a marriage for her, according to the customs of the
time. Mariam, who had already made up her mind that Jesus would be her only bridegroom,
informed the family of her decision. Her uncle was so infuriated
that he sent her to work as a servant in the kitchen. After a few
months she decided to try to contact her brother and attempted to send him a
message through a Muslim servant who was going to Galilee. When she told him
her story her tried to make her deny her faith and because she refused he
slashed her throat and dumped her body on the roadside, convinced that she was
dead. Later doctors agreed that the wound inflicted on her should have caused
her death, but Mariam telling of this event said that a nun in blue brought her
to a cave, stitched her wound and gave her some delicious soup. Then she told
her, ‘You will never see your family again you will go to France where you
will become a religious. You will be a child of St. Joseph before
becoming a daughter of St. Teresa. You will receive the habit of Carmel
in one house, you will make your profession in a second and you will die in a
third, at Bethlehem’. Mariam
did not know who the ‘nun’ was at the time but she later believed that she was
miraculously cured by Our Lady and all she said was fulfilled in Mariam’s
life.
Mariam never saw her uncle again and her search for
her brother was unsuccessful, but she spent an eventful few years working as a
servant in various places and going on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she made
a vow of chastity at the age of 15.When she was 18 Mariam was offered work with
a Syrian family who lived in Marseilles. It
was there that she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, but
after a two year postulancy she was asked to leave because she did not get
enough votes to be accepted as a novice. This was because some of
the sisters were disturbed by her mystical graces, which included ecstasies and
the stigmata; some doubted her authenticity, although her prioress and novice
mistress would have accepted her. In fact, Sr. Veronica, her novice
mistress, was waiting for permission to transfer to the Carmel in Pau and she
suggested to Mariam that she go with her. Mariam agreed and was
accepted by the Carmel. They both entered there in June
1867. Mariam was given the religious name, Sr. Mary of Jesus
Crucified.
Very soon Mariam’s
mystical experiences became obvious as the stigmata manifested itself again
that same year and later she was seen to levitate. Throughout her
life she frequently fell into ecstasies. The Carmelites in Pau were
able to accept this unusual phenomena, as they could see her genuine devotion
and willing obedience.
Mariam was very devoted
to the Holy Spirit and in 1869 she wrote the prayer:
Holy Spirit, inspire me.
Love of God, consume me.
To the right path lead
me.
Mary my mother, look down
upon me.
With Jesus, bless me.
From all evil, all
illusion, all danger, preserve me.
In 1870 Mariam was one of a group of nuns from the Carmel of Pau who set out to found a Carmel in Mangalore, India. It was there that she made her Profession on November 21st 1871. Mariam had entered as a lay sister but when she received the habit she did so as a choir sister, although she had not wanted this herself and she asked to become a lay sister again while she was in India. Her mystical experiences continued to be a trial to her and some of the sisters in Mangalore thought that they were a sign of demonic possession so Mariam was ordered to return to France. Later the sisters realised their mistake and apologised profusely. Mariam replied, ‘All that has taken place was willed by Jesus. May His name be praised! It is God who has permitted everything’.
Mariam had returned to the Carmel of Pau in November 1872. Three years later
she went to the Holy Land where she was instrumental in founding the Carmel at
Bethlehem, Berthe Dartigaux, a young aristocrat from Pau made this possible by
investing her entire fortune in the foundation. She went to Bethlehem herself
with the seven nuns from Pau who set out to make the Foundation. Mariam
was already planning to found another Carmel in Nazareth when she became ill.
As the only sister who spoke Arabic, Mariam oversaw the workmen who were
building the Carmel at Bethlehem and it was when she was carrying water to them
that she fell and badly injured her arm. Very soon the wound became
gangrenous and the infection affected her lungs and respiratory tract. Mariam
knew she was dying.
Early on August 26th 1878 she felt as if she was suffocating and she died at 10 past 5 in the morning, having uttered the words ‘My, Jesus, mercy.’
She is buried in the Carmel that she founded in Bethlehem and the inscription on her tomb reads:
‘Here in the peace of the Lord reposes Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, professed religious of the white veil. A soul of singular graces, she was conspicuous for her humility, her obedience and her charity. Jesus, the sole love of her heart called her to Himself in the 33rd year of her age and the 12th year of her religious life at Bethlehem, 26 August 1878.’
Pope John Paul II declared Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified Blessed on November 13th 1983 and she was canonised on May 15th 2015.
Her feast day is celebrated on August 25th.
SOURCE : https://www.carmelitesisters.ie/blessed-mary-of-jesus-crucified-miriam-baouardy/
Tomb
and statue of St. Mariam Baouardy, St. Joseph Church, Carmel of Bethlehem
SAINT MARIAM BAOUARDY (ST MARY OF JESUS CRUCIFIED)
Posted onMay 17, 2015
8:39 am byPaul
Zalonski
Earlier today in Rome, the Holy Father canonized some
new saints. Among the 4 new saints is Saint Mariam Baouardy
(5 January 1846 – 26 August 1878), a Discalced Carmelite nun of the
Melkite Catholic Church. She was born to Greek Catholic parents in Ibillin,
Galilee. Saint Mariam had the distinguished reputation of being a mystic and a
person gifted with the experience of the holy stigmata (the physical
wounds in the hands and feet that Jesus suffered and which redeemed us).
The Pope said of Saint
Mariam,
An essential aspect of
witness to the risen Lord is unity among ourselves, his disciples, in the
image of his own unity with the Father. Today too, in the Gospel, we heard
Jesus’ prayer on the eve of his passion: “that they may be one, even as we are
one” (Jn 17:11). From this eternal love between the Father and the Son, poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5), our mission and our fraternal
communion draw strength; this love is the ever-flowing source of our joy in
following the Lord along the path of his poverty, his virginity and his
obedience; and this same love calls us to cultivate contemplative prayer.
Sister Mariam Baouardy experienced this in an outstanding way. Poor and
uneducated, she was able to counsel others and provide theological explanations
with extreme clarity, the fruit of her constant converse with the Holy Spirit.
Her docility to the Spirit also made her a means of encounter and fellowship
with the Muslim world.
SOURCE : https://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2015/05/saint-mariam-baouardy/?sfw=pass1661514916
Mangaluru: Canonization of Blessed Mary of Jesus
Crucified - A brief history
By Sr M Olivia
Mangaluru, May 10: The canonization of Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mary Baouardy), by Pope Francis on May 17 and the celebration held in Mangaluru will remain etched in the hearts of the people - especially the Sisters of the Cloistered Carmel, Kankanady, Mangaluru; simultaneously all the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel and in particular to their Mother House St Ann’s Convent Rosario, Mangaluru where Mary arrived as a Novice and lived for nearly two years. The Fathers of Sacred Heart Betharram too have a large share of their gratitude to this great saint who had befriended them and miraculously guided the moves of getting approval for their constitutions from Rome and getting their Congregation under ‘Propoganda de fide’. The Betharram Fathers came to Mangaluru in 1999 and stay at Maria Kripa Maryhill.
Mary’s birth and childhood
Mary was born at Abellin, a hill country of Upper
Galilee, Palestine, the land of Jesus and Mary. Her father Giries (George)
Baouardy and mother Mariam Chahyn had 12 sons born to them and all died in
infancy; they walked 170 kilometers on foot to the Grotto of the Nativity,
Bethlehem and prayed for a girl child The Mother of God blessed them by
granting their request – the miracle child of Bethlehem was born on 5 January,
1846, baptized Mariam, on 15 January 1846 in the Greek Catholic Church. After
two years God gave them a second child a boy whom they named Boulos (Paul), but
very soon both the parents died and the two children became orphans
God’s Call
God looked upon Mariam (Mary) as a child of
predilection, From the tender age of 3 she was blessed with the gift of interiority.
She referred to herself as “the Little Nothing”. People ordinarily called her
“the Little Arab” or “the little one”. Mariam’s paternal uncle took charge of
her, and when she attained the age of 12, made all preparations to get her
married. But Mariam was in love with Jesus of Nazareth and had already made up
her mind to remain a virgin and so escaped her uncle’s gaze and disappeared.
Being an illiterate child, for seven years she spent time working as a servant
in four or five different places in Greece and France, in homes of God-fearing
families and at last, God called her to join the Convent of St Joseph of the
Apparition in Marseilles, France where Mary was received with much affection,
she edified everyone through her saintly and childlike ways.
She stayed there as a Postulant for two years. She was sincere and transparent,
fully given to God in Jesus her Spouse. She was also endowed with extraordinary
gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the ‘stigmata’ which appeared on her body
on Fridays. Yet God had a different plan for her, for she did not get selected
to the Novitiate and therefore had to leave the Convent.
The Miraculous second call
As Divine providence had willed it, her second Novice Mistress Mother Veronica of the Passion recognized the unique and extra- ordinary working of the Holy Spirit in this young maiden and took special care of her. Mother Veronica was chosen by God to be the foundress of a new Active Carmelite Congregation to work for the education of girls in Mangaluru and the Malabar coast, and for this purpose had received from Rome the authorization to transfer to the Carmel of Pau, and was about to leave Marseilles. With great compassion in her heart she proposed to her dear child ‘the Little One’, that she introduce her to the Mother Prioress of Pau. She wrote and the reply was immediate and positive. God put a close spiritual and genuine bond between the two souls and they from that moment forward grew as ‘soul mates’ on the path to sanctity, always pursuing God’s will and seeking perfection through prayer, obedience and openness to the Holy Spirit to gain spiritual insights and led forward on the path of holiness.
Mary Baouardy and Mother Veronica - The Twin Eagles
They are likened to twin Eagles soaring high in the heavens.
The two religious presented themselves at the door of Carmel of Pau on Saturday
June 15, 1867, the eve of the feast of the Blessed Trinity, and were received
by the prioress Mother Elias with open arms.
Mary became a Postulant and then a Novice and chose to stay as a Lay Sister engaged in all the hard and hidden work in the cloister, she took the name of Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified. The stigmata reappeared on Good Friday 10 April 1868. All the extra-ordinary gifts and graces God gave her were always exercised as led by the Spirit and in submission to holy obedience. She always used them for the good of others, even outsiders, and to render help in all difficult circumstances. Mary always remained humble.
The Apostolic Carmel Sisters of Bayonne and Cloistered Carmel Sisters of Pau
In the meanwhile Mother Veronica, after a training of 3 months in Carmel, made
her simple profession and set out a week before Christmas, guided by the Bishop
of Mangaluru, Marie Ephrem OCD, on the arduous journey of recruiting vocations
for the active Carmel of Mangaluru. Bishop Marie Ephrem wanted the mission of
his diocese to be made fruitful by the power house of prayer and therefore also
worked to get a group of Cloistered Carmel Sisters from Pau to start a convent
in Mangaluru. All were eager to volunteer to join the group. Mary the Arab was
a choice of the Bishop though she was still a Novice! The Prioress made it
known that they did not have funds to start the foundation in Mangaluru. But
due to the gift received from the Lord, Mary had a vision and she asked the
prioress to contact the Count of Belgiusm George Nedonchel to be the founder of
the Indian Carmel, and it all took place as Mary foretold.
As per God’s plan and ordinance, three Apostolic
Carmel sisters who had just made their first vows in the Little Carmel of
Bayonne, and the six Cloistered Carmel sisters of Pau set out as pioneers of
the twin mission – the Apostolic Carmel and the Cloistered Carmel in Mangaluru,
India. While on a strenuous and tiring journey of three months by sea, three
cloistered Carmel nuns, including the prioress Mother Elias died on the way.
The three Cloistered Carmel nuns and the three Apostolic Carmel sisters reached
Mangaluru Bunder on November 19, 1870 and were welcomed with a prayer service
in the Rosario Cathedral by Bishop Marie Ephrem, the clergy and faithful of
Mangaluru. And were led in procession to St Ann’s Convent Mangaluru, where the
Cloistered Carmel and Apostolic Carmel sisters lived side by side in two
different enclosures for 12 years. It was only on March 19, 1882 the sisters
moved to Cloistered Carmel, Kankanady.
Prior to her Profession, the Bishop himself guided
Mary with a retreat of 21 days! It was a privilege too, that Mary made her
solemn vows on 21 November, 1871 in St Ann’s, at the altar of the Cloistered
Carmel chapel received by the Bishop.
Immediately after this event, Mary had extraordinary experiences
of the Spirit as well as sufferings from the evil one, but she always obeyed.
She occupied a room very next to the sanctuary and was a victim soul who had
The gift of prophecy and mysterious knowledge. There took place a lot of
misunderstanding within the Cloister and so the Bishop influenced by the
report, decided to send her back to Pau.
God leads Mary to Pau, Bethlehem, Nazareth
Mary left Mangaluru on 23 September 1872 and reached
her dear Carmel of Pau on 5 November. In spite of the turmoil and humiliations
suffered in the recent past, her soul was in peace back in Pau amidst warmth
and welcome by the Community and the Bishop of Bayonne. Now she desired nothing
but Jesus, His will and silence. Mother Veronica too according to God’s mysterious
plan, after founding the Apostolic Carmel for the Missions of India, was not to
come to India, but returned to Pau and the two ‘soul-mates’ continued to soar
high and live the contemplative life of grace and sacrifice. Jesus spoke to
Mary in visions and spoke to her about the foundation of a Carmel in Bethlehem
and later that in Nazareth. Though she was not the prioress, the sisters
regarded her holiness and humility and respected her revelations and supported
the project.
There were many obstacles, and finally Rome gave and
on 20 August 1875 a small group of nuns along with Mary and Mother Veronica set
out on this adventure. The Lord guided Mary in choosing the location and the
design of the buildings. Assisted by Mother Veronica in the paper work, Mary as
the only Arabic speaker oversaw the works “diving into the sand and lime”. The
community began to live in the convent from 21 November 1876, as some works
continued. She also prepared for the foundation of a Carmel in Nazareth. She
went there to buy a site in August 1878. During the journey she had a vision of
the location of Emmaus, which was then purchased for the Carmel by Bertha
Dartigaux.
Last days of her earthly journey
Upon returning to Bethlehem she watched over the works, the heat was unbearable. She fell down the stairs while bringing drinks to the workers and broke her arm, gangrene soon set in and May died a few days later, on 26 August 1878 in the 33rd year of her earthly life. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 13 November 1983.
Mary and the Holy Spirit
Mary was a mystic from her early years of childhood.
She is known as the ‘Patron of Peace’ for the Holy Land. She was enamoured by
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who was moving over the waters at the beginning of
Creation, bringing harmony from chaos. She leaves us this Spirit as our
inheritance, because when he comes to take the place of our selfish selves, he
transfigures all things and is ‘creating anew’ (Is 43)
“Address yourselves to the Holy Spirit who inspires
all things…The people who have the ‘self’ bring sorrow and anger with them.
Those who do not have the ‘self’ have all the virtues, peace and joy; With the
Holy Spirit all things are possible. “Source of peace and light, come to
enlighten me. I am ignorant, come and teach me…The disciples were ignorant.
They were with Jesus and they didn’t understand Jesus…When you gave them a ray
of light, they were no longer as they were, their power was renewed…
Holy Spirit, I abandon myself to you”
Mary’s prayer to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, inspire me
Love of God, consume me,
To the true path lead me
Mary my mother look down upon me,
With Jesus, bless me,
From all evil, from all illusion
From all danger, preserve me.
Statues
of Mariam Baouardy in the Philippines
Saint Mariam Baouardy The Little
Arab and Lily of Palestine
Saint Mariam Baouardy (St. Mariam of Jesus Crucified) -The Lily of Palestine Extraordinary Mystic, Stigmatic and Victim Soul (1846-1878)
Saint Mariam Baouardy (also spelled Mariam Bawardy) is known in religion as St Mariam of Jesus Crucified, was born in Ibillin, located in the hill country of upper Galilee, Palestine. Her family originated in Damascus, Syria. They were Catholics of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Rite, descendants of the Archeparchy of Antioch, the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians.
Her father, Giries (George) Baouardy, came from Horfesch, Palestine; her
mother, Mariam Chahine, came from Tarshish, Palestine.
Her miraculous birth
The birth of Mariam in 1846 came after many tears and much prayer by her parents Giries and Mariam Baouardy. Prior to Mariam they had had twelve sons born to them, and sadly all had died in infancy. Their grief was immense at the loss of all twelve of their children. Broken-hearted, but full of hope, the mother had an inspiration that she confided to her husband: "Let us go to Bethlehem on foot, and ask the Blessed Virgin for a daughter. Let us promise Her that if our prayers are answered, we will name her Mariam and will offer for the service of God a quantity of wax equal to her weight when she is three years of age."
Full of confidence, the husband and wife left for Bethlehem, at that time a
very long trip of 170 kilometers, which they made on foot.. We can guess their
hope and fervor as they prayed at the Grotto of the Nativity, where the Mother
of God blessed them by grating their request. The parents were overjoyed when
their prayers were answered and Mariam was born to them on the eve of the
Epiphany, January 5, 1846, and as promised they then named her after the Virgin
Mary, in whom they had a great devotion.
Ten days later in the local Melkite Catholic Church in her hometown of Ibillin
she received Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. A few years later Mariam
would be joined by a little brother named Boulos (Paul), but this joy was to be
short-lived as both of little Mariam's parents died.
The tragic death of her parents –Mariam is orphaned at the age of two
When Mariam was only two years old both her mother and father died within a few days of each other of an unspecified disease.. An aunt later related to Mariam her father`s last words. Thet were concerning his beloved daughter Miriam. Looking at a picture of St. Joseph, he had murmured: "Great saint, here is my child; the blessed Virgin is her mother; deign to look after her also; be her Father."
A maternal aunt, living in Tarshish, took her younger brother Boulos into her home; as for Mariam, she was adopted by a paternal uncle in her hometown of Ibillin. The brother and sister were never to see each other again.
Mariam received every care and attention in her uncle`s home, where the
situation was one of comfort. But how could she forget that she was an orphan?
The loss of her parents left their mark on her.
Enlightened by God -Her first spiritual premonitions
Mariam lived in the comfortable home of her uncle who kindly cared for her as
if one of his own. One incident from the time of her childhood revealed
significant insight into her forming character. It clearly indicated the
direction of her life to come. It took place in her uncle’s orchard amidst the
apricot, peach and pecan trees. She kept a small cage filled with small birds,
a gift given to her. One day she decided that her little beloved birds needed a
bath. However she unintentionally drowned them in spite of her well-intentioned
efforts. Their death broke her small heart. Grief-stricken she eventually
decided to bury them when deep inside she heard a clear voice, “This is how everything passes. If you will give me your
heart, I shall always remain with you.” These words penetrated and took
root in the young heart of Mariam.
Later in a “dream” that she was always to remember, she saw a merchant come
into her uncle`s house and offer a fine big fish for sale. She understood that
the fish was poisoned, then she woke up. "It was only a dream!" she
told herself. But in the morning a man did present himself to sell a fish just
like the one in her dream. She warned her uncle, who nevertheless stubbornly persisted
in waiting to buy the fish. Mariam wept and insisted that her uncle not eat the
fish, and since her would not give in she insisted that she should take the
first bite, happy to sacrifice herself for the others. In the face of her
persistence, her uncle and aunt finally opened the fish, and to their great
astonsishment and surprise the fish was indeed poisoned, as it had swallowed a
small poisionous snake!
On another occasion somehow a snake managed to get into the house and came into
the room as she was eating by herself. Unafraid, she picked it up, and just
then a servant opened the door,and seeing the snake and the child, he screamed.
Surprised, Mariam let go of her hold and the snake escaped, while the rest of
the family came in running because of the servants scream. The snake incidents
seemed to be a precursor to her future mystical battles against evil. During
her life, Mariam often had a visions of snakes, and later her very life as a
Carmelite and a Mystic was to be a fierce battle against "the ancient
Serpent", who is called the Devil or Satan, the seducer of the whole
world, (Apoc. 12, 9.). But like the Woman of the Apocalypse, she would emerge
victorious.
Her childhood devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
The Blessed Virgin was to surround with much tenderness this young girl whose
parents had asked for her at the grotto of Bethlehem. Mariam
was to be the privileged child of Our Lady. In Her honour, from the age of
five, she fasted every Saturday, taking only the evening meal to the great
admiration and edification of her aunt and uncle, who were continually in
amazement by the devotion of such a young child. In the springtime she would
gather flowers choosing the loveliest and most fragrant from the garden or on
the hills of Ibillin to place before the icon of the Blessed Virgin. And what
was not her surprise one day to find that the cut flowers had taken root in the
vase? She showed her uncle who, in turn informed the local pastor. In an effort
to keep her humble, he scolded her as though her sins were responsible for this
phenomenon. Mariam fell on her knees, humbled herself and asked pardon for her
sins.
"What do you think will become of this child?" wondered the
pastor, the relatives, and the neighbours at the sight of such spiritual piety
and devotion from a five year old child.
The attempted prearranged marriage
When Mariam was 8 years old her uncle moved his family to Alexandria, Egypt,
and once again Mariam was saddened to leave her home which she had come to
love. Mariam was quickly learning to understand how fleeting the happiness of
this world was, as suffering and loss seemed to follow after her. She was not
to see her beloved Abillin until shortly before her death in 1878.
According to the oriental custom of that time and place, Mariam, then age 13,
was promised in marriage to her aunt`s brother who lived in Cairo. The wedding
was prearranged without the bride-to-be’s consultation or consent. This was a
common custom among Middle Eastern Christians as well as Muslims. Mariam’s
reaction was one of shock and deep sadness, for she earnerstly desired to give
herself to God alone. In her great distress, she could not sleep the night
before the wedding ceremony, and she prayed fervently that God might intervene,
or show to her His holy will. In the depths of her heart she again heard a
familiar voice, “Everything passes! If you wish to give me your heart, I
will remain with you.”
Mariam knew it was Jesus’ voice, the one, the only spouse she would have – Jesus! The remainder of the night was spent in deep prayer before the icon of the Virgin Mary, beseeching her for her help. Having dozed off for a moment, she suddenly heard within her a voice which said “Mariam, I am with you; follow the inspiration I shall give you. I will help you.”
In the morning Mariam informed her Uncle that she would not marry. Her first
tried to reason with her, explaining the material advantages and benefits of
the prearranged marriage. Her adoptive uncle then flew into a wild rage when he
saw that Mariam would not marry, but would remain a virgin. The uncle then beat
Mariam and screamed his rage at her insubordination and disobedience to his
order. This did not change Mariam’s mind as she withstood the beatings and
insults hurled at her by her uncle. Mariams heart was deeply saddened that she
had upset her uncle, but she stood firm in her resolve, for her love for God
was greater than anything else.
In punishment, her uncle then resorted to have her treated as the lowest
household servant, giving her the most difficult kitchen tasks, and subjecting
her to a position lower than his hired help. Mariam sank into a deep sense of
desolation and desperation. In her suffering she turned to her younger brother,
Boulos. She wrote a letter to her brother inviting him to come and see her in
Alexandria.
Her martyrdom and miraculous cure through the Blessed Virgin Mary
In her isolation from her uncle’s family, she turned to a Muslim servant to have him deliver her letter to Nazareth. For his part, the young man encouraged Mariam to reveal her personal troubles. He became outraged at her uncle’s treatment of her and played upon the mind and feelings of the young girl. He introduced conversion to Islam as a remedy to Mariam’s problems. His words and actions focused young Mariam directly upon her Christianity. However, she soon realized the young man’s true intentions, and this caused her to draw back. She denied his advances and loudly proclaimed her faith in the Church of Jesus. “Muslim, no, never! I am a daughter of the Catholic Church, and I hope by the grace of God to persevere until death in my religion, which is the only true one.”
Her so-called protector, furious at being rejected by this young Christian,
became violent. Eyes flashing with hatred he lost control and kicked her to the
floor. He then drew his sword and slashed her throat. Thinking her dead, he
dumped her bloody body in a nearby dark alley. It was the feast of the Birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8,1858. What followed was a strange and
beautifully moving story, told years later by Mariam to her Mistress of Novices
at Marseilles, France:
“A nun dressed in blue picked me up and stitched my throat wound. This happened
in a grotto somewhere. I then found myself in heaven with the Blessed Virgin,
the angels and the saints. They treated me with great kindness. In their
company were my parents. I saw the brilliant throne of the Most Holy Trinity
and Jesus Christ in His humanity. There was no sun, no lamp, but everything was
bright with light. Someone spoke to me. They said that I was a virgin, but that
my book was not finished. "
She then found herself
once again in the grotto with the “nun dressed in blue”. How long did
Mariam remain in this secret shelter? She later spoke of one month, but she was
not sure. One day, the unknown nurse prepared some soup for her that was so
delicious that she greedily asked for more, and all her life she was to remember
the taste of this heavenly soup. On her death bed she was heard to say
tenderly, "She made me some soup! Oh, such good soup! There I was a
long time, looking, and never ate soup like that. I have the taste in my mouth.
She promised me that at my last hour, she will give me a little spoonful of
it."
Her call to religious life
Toward the end of her sojourn in the grotto, the nurse in blue outlined for
Mariam her life`s program, "You will never see your family again, you
will go to France, where you will become a religious. You will be a child of
St. Joseph before becoming a daughter of St. Teresa. You will receive the habit
of Carmel in one house, you will make your profession in a second, and you will
die in a third, at Bethlehem."
The scar on her neck remained the rest of her life. It was confirmed during
Mariam's illnesses by the doctors and nurses at Marseille, as well as at Pau,
Mangalore, and finally at Bethlehem. This scar measured 10 cm in length and 1
cm in width, and marked the whole front of the neck, the skin there was finer
and whiter. Several cartilaginous rings of the tracheal artery were missing, as
the doctors at Pau attested June 24, 1875. The Mistress of Novices was to
write:
"A celebrated doctor at Marseille, who had taken care of Mariam, had confessed that, although he was an atheist, there must be a God, for from a natural point of view, she could not have lived."
As a result of this deep cut Mariam`s voice was always hoarse. The martyrdom of
the little Arab had not been a dream, it remained inscribed in her flesh.
Mariam herself later wrote:
“After my wound was healed I then had to leave the grotto and the Lady took me to the Church of St. Catherine served by the Franciscan Friars. I went to confession. When I left, the Lady in Blue had disappeared.”
Years later when in ecstasy, on September 8, 1874, the anniversary of the
attack and the feast of our Lady’s nativity, Sr. Mariam said, “On this
same day in 1858, I was with my Mother (Mary) and I consecrated my life to her.
Someone had cut my throat and the next day Mother Mary took care of me.”
Once again, in August 1875, when she was on a boat going toward Palestine, she
recounted what she remembered to her director, Father Estrate, and she stated
precisely, "I know now that the religious who cared for me after my
martyrdom was the Blessed Virgin."
Mariam never saw her aunt and uncle again. They knew nothing of the tragedy and
they thought that Mariam had run away to escape the ill treatment and to
perhaps to become a nun. They had every interest in keeping silence about their
adopted child, as she could only bring them dishonor by her refusal to
marriage.
She was only thirteen and was now on her own. At first she supported herself by
working as a domestic servant. An Arab Christian family named Najjar hired her
to work for them. They gave her food, room and a small salary.. She lived as
one of the poor, with just one dress, and her salary was given to the poor,
except for a few piastres to provide oil for the little lamp that burned before
an icon of the Blessed Virgin. Her spare time she devoted to the less
fortunate.
Hoping to see her brother, and especially desiring to walk in the footsteps of
the Lord and to visit His holy places, after about a year she left and joined a
caravan that was heading for Jerusalem
The appearance of an Angel
One day in the streets of Jerusalem, a young man, very handsome, and with an
air of sincerity, came up to her and began a conversation. She was fifteen
years of age. The conversation was one of great delicacy, the young man spoke
to her in praise of perfect chastity. Some days later he met her again, said
his name was John George, and offered to show her the way to the Holy
Sepulchre. Having arrived at the holy place, she promised her mysterious guide
that would take a perpetual vow of virginity if he would do the same. And thus
it was that at the sacred edifice, on the very place of the glorious tomb of
the risen Lord Jesus, these two young people became "children of the Resurrection"
by pronouncing the definitive vow of chastity.
Before taking leave of Mariam, John George recalled to her the main stages of
her life as the Blessed Virgin had sketched them for her in the grotto of
Alexandria. Ten years later at Mangalore, India, Mariam was to see her
"spiritual brother" again, this was shortly before her perpetual
profession in Carmel. The young religious then understood that John George was
an angel that the Lord had sent her, to help guide her, as he had in former
days to the young Tobias.
After her stay in Jeruselem, Mariam returned to Jaffa to go from there to Saint
Jean d`Acre, however the boat she was travelling was forced by inclement
weather to change direction and to port in Beirut. Feeling it was perhaps the
will of God, she once again took up an occupation as a household servant.
Miraculous cure of blindness and another cure after a dangerous fall
Two exceptional facts stand out during this period. She had been working for
scarcely six months when suddenly she was struck with total blindness. This
lasted for forty days. Once again Mariam turned to the Blessed Virgin, "See,
my Mother," she said, "all the trouble that I am causing in
this house. I was not even better cared for by my parents. Oh, if it would
please you and your divine Son, give me back my sight!" Immediately
something fell from her eyes and they opened, and she could then once again
see.
An Arab in Marseille, France
A couple of months after that she suffered a tragic fall when she was hanging
clothes on the terrace. At first the family win whom she was working for
thought she was dead; her bones seemed to be badly broken and crushed, and the
doctors gave no hope of recovery. Her employers cared for her as for their own
child. A month later, in front of her little night lamp that she kept burning
before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she saw - as did Therese of the
Child Jesus later on - the Blessed Virgin smile at her, recommending three
things to her, obedience, charity and confidence. A perfume and light filled
the room. Mariam was cured, and she immediately became hungry. The family and
neighbours came flocking in, and at the sight of the prodigy everyone,
Christian and Moslem, went down on their knees, giving thanks and proclaiming
God`s miracle through the Virgin Mary.
These facts were later confirmed in a letter in 1869, when the prioress of the
Carmel of Pau where Mariam was then a sister, wrote to Sister Gélas, the
superior of the Daughters of Charity of Beirut, asking her to verify the accuracy
of these facts, and the superior confirmed that the events had happened exactly
as stated, and even added some further details.
At age eighteen, circumstances led her to leave Lebanon for Marseille, France
at the beginning of May, 1863. There she became a cook for an Arab woman named
Madame Naggiar. Each morning Mariam usually went either to the church of St.
Charles or to the church of St. Nicholas, the latter being of the Greek
Catholic rite, which was her rite. In this church she once again enjoyed the
sumptuous ceremonies of the confessor she chose Father Philip Abdou, the rector
of the church, a Lebanese.
During one of her first communions there, she was rapt in a wonderful ecstasy.
Her mistress, when informed of it, came for her in her carriage. The phenomenon
lasted for four days, and the doctors did not know what to make of it. Mariam
acknowledged later that she had gone through heaven, hell and purgatory. While
in ecstasy she received the order to fast for one year on bread and water to
expiate the sins of gluttony in the world, and to wear poor clothing to expiate
the sins of immodesty and luxury.
An appearance of St Joseph
As stated earlier in this article, we can recall that in the marketplace of Jerusalem she had been approached by a handsome young man who gave her excellent counsel. In Marseille, one morning when she was going up to Notre Dame de la Garde for Mass, she saw she was being followed by a man who was holding a child by the hand. This happened several times. Troubled by such persistence, Mariam approached the stranger and asked him to please stop following her. Surprisngly, the stranger answered with a beautiful smile and said:
"I know that you want to enter the convent and I will follow you until you
are in the convent."
From that moment onward, Mariam felt herself called to the religious life. Who
was this stranger? The young girl had no doubt that it was St. Joseph. In her
efforts to follow her vocation, Father Abdou was of great help to her. But, as
always in her life, the stages were many and laborious. The young Palestinian
went first to the Daughters of Charity and applied to enter. Forestalled by
Madame Naggiar, who did not want at any price to be deprived of her cook, they
refused under the pretext that she was a servant. Mariam then went to see the
Poor Clares, whose style of poverty and silence appealed to her immediately.
But her delicate health did not allow her to enter the cloister, she had been so
greatly weakened by her fast that she had been given the sacrament of the sick.
But once again, rapidly and contrary to all expectations, she found herself
cured.
A postulant at the Capelette in Marseille, France
She made a fresh attempt, at the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition,
founded by Emily de Vialar. For was it not St Joseph who had appeared to her
repeatedly in the street encouraging her to become a nun! The motherhouse and
novitiate were located at "the Capelette" in the suburbs of Marseille.
The little Palestinian could neither read nor write, and she spoke only Arabic.
She was accepted, however, because the novitiate in fact had a few Palestinians
among its numbers, and the Congregation had several communities in the East,
especially in the Holy Land. Upon entering she was familiarly called “Mariam
the Arab”, or ”the little Arab”. She remained a postulant for two years. Thus
the first part of the vocation that had been given to her by the Blessed Virgin
had been realized, for she was now a daughter of St. Joseph.
An ecstasy and the first appearance of the stigmata
Her fellow sisters were always amused by her broken French, but they were most
impressed by her remarkable virtues and piety. Fortuneately for Mariam, two
women of great virtue were directing the Capelette at that time, the Superior
General, Mother Emily Julien, and Mistress of novices, Mother Honorine Piques.
They were excellent spiritual guides for Mariam and to their surprise they soon
began to notice some strange phenomena in little Arab. The ecstasies of the
church of St. Nicholas were multiplied, with some disturbing peculiarities.
Thus it happened that in January 1866 - the postulant was twenty years of age -
Mother Honorine came upon Mariam in the dormitory, prostrate, with her face to
the floor and her left hand covered with blood. From Wednesday evening to
Friday morning each week, to the ecstasies there soon was added another
remarkable phenomenon, the stigmata.
The stigmata of the heart was the first to be manifested. She was twenty years
of age, and it happened in August, 1866 at Marseille. She was praying in the
chapel one evening, when, in the tabernacle she saw Jesus, who appeared to her
with His five wounds and the crown of thorns. It seemed to her she saw coals of
wrath in His hands. She heard Jesus say to His Mother prostrate at His feet:
"Oh, how My Father is offended!" The little postulant then sprang
toward Jesus, she put her hand on the wound of His Heart, exclaiming: "My
God, give me, please, all these sufferings, but have mercy on sinners."
Coming out of the ecstasy, she saw her hand covered with blood, and she
experienced a severe pain in her left side: the latter would bleed every
Friday.
On March 27, 1867, the other stigmata appeared. The privileged one of the
Crucified confided to the mistress of novices:
"It seemed to me
that I was gathering roses to decorate Mary´s altar: these roses appeared to
have thorns on both sides, and the thorns were thrust in my hands and into my
feet. When I came to myself, my mouth was very bitter, my feet and hands
swollen: in the middle of my hands and on my feet there were black bumps." The
following day, Thursday, the sufferings continued to increase until Friday. It
was the Feast of the five wounds of Christ. In the morning, about ten o'clock,
the black scabs fell off, the crown of thorns appeared on her forehead, blood
flowed from her head and feet. The prodigy was renewed during the months of
April and the first two weeks of May. It ceased upon an order of the mistress of
novices. This latter, in order to put an end to the rumors that were
circulating in the community, asked the postulant to obtain from God that
nothing would appear exteriorly. To the great joy of the stigmatist, the wounds
closed and healed up.
Faced with such facts, Mother Honorine acted with as much prudence as
understanding in regards to both the ecstasies and also the stigmata. Obedience
being, in such cases, the litmus test of the Church, she thus forbade Mariam to
have ecstasies during the day and in the presence of the religious. Even during
the night she was not to get up, and she was not to attract attention. Mariam
obeyed, and God, Whom loves obedience, seconded and approved of her actions .
The Mistress of novices, seeing that she was dealing with a person
extraordinarily fashioned by the Holy Spirit, asked the child to relate for her
what she remembered of her childhood and adolescence. Everything was put in
writing. One copy would later be sent to the Carmel of Pau with this note of
Mother Honorine, "I am sending you copy of what I myself have gathered
together from what she related to me, not without much resistance, but
complying solely through obedience. She asked of me the greatest secrecy which
I have guarded until this day... I have omitted everything I did not entirely
understand, because of the difficulty this dear child experienced in explaining
herself in French."
Mother Honorine fell ill, and was replaced in the novitiate by Mother Veronica.
This religious was to hold a large place in the life and heart of Mariam. She
was English and a convert from Anglicanism. After seventeen years of religious
life with the Sisters of St. Joseph, she was later to enter the Carmel of Pau
with Mariam, and it was in her arms that “the little Arab” would die, at the
Carmel of Bethlehem. Mariam, had foretold that, contrary to all expectations,
Sister Veronica would become mistress of novices at the Capelette. She held
this office for one month, until the reception of the Indult permitting her to
enter Carmel. And it was at Mother Veronica’s wish that Mariam`s stigmata
disappeared at Marseille, and in accordance with Mariam’s prophecy at that
time, the stigmata would not reappear until the following Lent, at Pau.
Opposition from some religious
As may be imagined in such a large and diverse community, Mariam became an
object of contradiction. While the majority of religious were favorable to her,
there was a group of Sisters who were in opposition to her because of the
extraordinary mystical graces that was receiving. For such is a common problem
with mystics and victim souls who are called to religious life. After all, is
such a person with such strange manifestations suitable for an active
congregation? And then, with regard to such phenomena, were they authentic? The
day came for the votation for admission to the novitiate. Of the seven eligible
to vote, there were two abstentions, two in favour and three against. Mariam
was not admitted!
It was a hard blow, first of all for Mother Honorine, who had good reasons to
believe in her manner of life. As for the Superior General who, absent at the
time of the votation, declared later at her return that had she been present,
that would never have happened. Later, on December 12, 1868, the Mother
Superior wrote to the Prioress of the Carmel of Pau, "Our ecclesiastical
superiors did not believe we should keep her in our midst, saying that a
cloister was a better place to hide such souls. Our sisters obeyed. And so you
now have this privileged soul. May God be praised for it!"
Obviously the blow was hardest for Mariam. What was to become of her? Unknown
to her the Holy Spirit was preparing the next course of action for her. Mother
Veronica, who had received from Rome the authorization to become a Carmelite
nun and transfer to the Carmel of Pau, proposed to Mariam that she might
introduce her to the Mother Prioress. Mariam agreed so Mother Veronica wrote
and the reply was immediate and positive. In her letter of introduction, Mother
Veronica had passed over in silence Mariam`s extraordinary mystical privileges,
but she had added, "She will obey even miraculously."
Mariam enters the Carmelites –becomes Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified
Having both gained admittance into the Carmelites, the two religious presented themselves at the door of the Carmel of Pau, France on Saturday, June 15, 1867. Mariam knew nothing at all of Carmel or of St. Teresa. But that day she understood that the mysterious words of her miraculous nurse at Alexandria were realized, "You will be a child of St. Joseph before becoming a daughter of St. Teresa".
Before we explore the extraordinary mystical graces given to Myriam, below is a outline of dates pertaining to her religious life:
May 1865 - June 1867, Novitiate of the sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition at Marseille,
June 1867 - August 1870, Carmel of Pau, France
August 1870 - November 1872, Carmel of Mangalore, India
November 1872 - August 1875, Carmel of Pau, France
September 1875 - August 1878, Carmel of Bethlehem.
She helps found two Carmelite houses
In 1870 she went with the founding group to establish the Carmel of Mangalore
in India. It was there in Mangalore that Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified made
her profession. She returned to the Carmel of Pau, France in 1872. Three years
later she went to the Holy Land where she built a monastery in Bethlehem and
began the planning for another at Nazareth.
Her Ecstasies
Those who read her life discover that Myriam had experienced ecstasies all her
life: from her early childhood, in the garden, in her home, and in the church
of Ibillin; during the bloody night at Alexandria, at her employers in Beirut
and Marseille. In the church of St. Nicholas she was rapt in an ecstasy that
lasted four days. But it was especially from the time she entered religious
life that the phenomena began to be intensified. At the Capelette, when she was
with the Sisters of St. Joseph, she was found in ecstasy in the chapel, at
recreation, and especially at night in the dormitory.
After she entered Carmel, we note a crescendo, to the degree that at Mangalore
the ecstasies occurred almost daily: she had as many as five a day. At
Bethlehem, during her last years, they were still more frequent, but at the
same time more serene and more painful.
The ecstasies would sometimes occur suddenly, and at other times
progressively. "There are times," she said, "when
I can do absolutely nothing: no matter what I do to prevent it; and at other
times I can distract myself a little in order not to go off." In fact
she did struggle against the raptures. In her ignorance of mystical things she
did not even suspect the privilege she enjoyed for she spoke of her ecstasies
as “sleep” And how she fought against going to “sleep”! She begged Father
Manaudas, her spiritual director, to forbid her to this sleep."My
child," the priest replied, "do not worry; you can go to sleep in all
security." She began to cry. She made the same request to Bishop Lacroix,
who ordered her to abandon herself to God instead of struggling against such a
sleep. It was in fact a real struggle. In order to resist the rapture she moved
around, she shook herself, she dashed to the fountain to wash herself, she
worked more diligently. She even tried pricking her skin with pins, and in
refectory she put burning hot food into her mouth. Nothing helped.
To the mistress of novices, who asked her how she could easily go to sleep, she
replied innocently: "I feel as though my heart is open; as though there
was a wound in it; and when I have certain ideas and impressions of God which
move me, it feels like someone touched the wound in my heart, and I fall in
weakness, I lose myself."
During her professions ceremony at Mangalore, November 21, 1871, it required an
order of the prioress to awaken her so that she could pronounce the vow
formula. On June 28, 1873, at Pau, the prioress went into the little one´s cell
after the recitations of matins. The latter was seated before the open window:
she was in ecstasy. She said to the mother prioress: "The whole world
is asleep, and God so full of goodness, so great, so worthy of all praise, and
hardly no one is thinking of Him! See, nature praises Him, the sky, the stars,
the trees, the grass, everything praises Him, and man, who knowledge of His
benefits, who ought to praise Him, sleeps! Let us go, let us go and wake up the
universe!" She skipped out of her cell: "Let us go and
praise God, and sing His praises. Everyone is sleeping, the whole world is
asleep, let us go and wake them up. Jesus is not known, Jesus is not loved. He,
so full of goodness, He who has done so much for man!"
During her ecstasies, her body sometimes remained supple, but often it became
rigid, remaining in the same position that it was at the beginning of the
ecstasy. During this time, nothing and no one could make her move. It was
impossible to have her sit or lay down, or to take her from her any object she
was holding, or to lower her raised arm. Only obedience could overcome this
immobility. She was also completely insensible to any external stimulus. Once,
she injured her knee with a nail, which caused her much pain and she could not
help but to limp when walking.due to the pain. Suddenly she was rapt in
ecstasy, and remained for two hours on her knees.
On another occasion, on November 30, 1874, she began to sing "in a clear
and strong voice", although since her martyrdom her voice had been hoarse
because of the fact that her neck was cut so severely. On January 7, 1875, a
violent blow on the head resulted in one eye being injured. Mariam, "later
being rapt in ecstasy", wrote the faithful secretary, "we
brought a light near her injured eye, which we had not yet been able to examine
due to her humility and also the pain caused when opening it. It was open, and
although quite inflamed, it remained steady when we put the light in line with
its gaze."
Another notable detail was that when she came to herself she had no remembrance
of what had transpired. With one exception however: the memory of it returned
to her when authority asked her to give an account of what she had seen and
heard. "I remember these things," she acknowledged , "to
tell them to whom I should.”
A few sayings of Blessed
Sister Mariam while in ecstasy:
"I am in God, and God is in me. I feel that all creatures, the trees, the flowers belong to God and also to me. I no longer have a will, it belongs to God. And all that is God´s is mine.
"Only love can fill the heart of man. The just man is satisfied with love and a pinch of earth, but the wicked man, with all the pleasures, honors, riches (he can acquire), is always hungry, always thirsty. He is never satisfied.
"Pay attention to little things. Everything is great before the Lord. The Lord does not want robbery in the sacrifice. Offer and give Him everything.
"In heaven, the most beautiful souls are those that have sinned the most and repented. But they made use of their miseries like manure around the base of the tree."
"Be very charitable; when one of your eyes sees what is not right, shut it and then open the other one! Change everything into good."
"If you love your neighbor, it is by this that you will know if you love Jesus. Each time you look at your neighbor without seeing Jesus, you fall very low."
Miraculous Levitations
We see in the lives of many mystic saints that an ecstatic, while in ecstasy,
can be drawn a little above the ground through a supernatural and mysterious
grace. However, Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified was one of the only ones, along
with Saint Joseph of Cupertino, to make real flights. The phenomena was
verified for the first time on June 22, 1873 in the garden of the Carmel of
Pau. Noticing her absence at supper, the mistress of novices looked for her in
vain in the cloister and the orchard, then another nun heard a song:
"Love! Love!" She looked up and discovered Mariam balancing herself
without support at the top of an enormous lime tree.
Advised of this, the prioress arrived and confronted with this phenomena she
initially did not know what to do. After a prayer she addressed the little one:
"Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, if Jesus wishes it, come down through
obedience without falling or hurting yourself."
At the simple word obedience, the ecstatic descended in fact "with the
radiant face" and perfect modesty, stopping on some of the branches to
sing Love."Hardly was she on the ground," noted a witness, "and
as if to make amends to our mother and sisters for our anxiety in looking for
her and in seeing her perched up so high, she embraced us with a sort of
enthusiasm and affection impossible to express."
Eight ecstatic levitations were documented: Beginning in 1873 on June 22, July
9, 19,25, 27, 31, August 3, 1873 and finally on July 5, 1874. "How
did you manage to climb like that?" the mother prioress asked her.
And she replied: "The Lamb held out His hands to me:" Some
of the nuns wanted to make sure of this so they spied on her. One day a lay
sister who was working in the garden was witness to the flight: "She
had taken hold of the tip of a little branch that a bird would have bent; and
from there, in an instant, she had been lifted on high." On July 5,
perched on the lime tree, she addressed the mother prioress: "I was
on that one there and I came up here. Look, see, my alpargates (a kind of soft
slipper) are still there."
On July 19, 1873, when the order was given for her to descend, she hesitated a
moment. She begged to be allowed more time with the Lamb. "No,"
insisted the prioress, "through obedience, come down." She obeyed,
but the shadow of hesitation had been fatal: the vision had disappeared. "The
Lamb went away." Sighed the sister, "He left me alone to
come down." In fact, because of her hesitance in obedience it was
with effort that she got down to the ground and for four days of grief she
expiated that unhappy moment. On July 25, the levitation lasted from four to
seven o'clock in the evening; on July 31, it lasted from the end of recreation,
which follows supper in the evening, until nine o'clock. This phenomenon
occurred only at the Carmel of Pau.
In a letter dated February 14, 1927, Father Buzy, the Carmelite´s biographer,
wrote the following statement to bishop Oliver Leroy: "Sister Mary
used to raise herself to the top of the trees by the tips of the branches: she
would take her scapular in one hand, and with the other the end of a small
branch next to the leaves, and after a few moments she would glide along the
outside edge of the tree to its top. Once up there, she would remain holding on
to branches normally too weak to bear a person of her weight. "
The following are some depositions given by witnesses at process: "Sister
E., now deceased, told me that one day when she happened to be in the garden
with the servant of God, the latter said to her: "Turn around." She
had hardly turn her head when looking back again, she saw the little one
already seated on the top of the lime tree, on a little branch, balancing
herself like a bird and singing divine love. Another person declared:
"Once I saw her in ecstasy at the top of the lime tree, seated at the tip
of the highest branch, which, normally would never have been able to support
her. Her face was resplendent! I saw her come down from the tree like a bird,
from branch to branch, with great nimbleness and modesty."
Her Stigmata
First let us read, in the memoirs of Mother Veronica at the Capelette, the description of the first stigmata of the little Arab:
"On the first Thursday, May 2, 1867, when I went to see Mary, I found her
sitting near her bed in great pain. She showed me her side,
her feet and her hands. On these latter, in the place where they had been
imprinted, that is to say on the upper part, there was a sort of blister, which
formed the head of the nails, and in the palms the spot was black and swollen.
At the place on her side, a little above the heart, there was the form of a
cross all red and inflamed; and in the middle three small blisters with a
little hole…I spent the night near her, and at five o'clock in the morning
blood flowed from the wounds in her hands which I bathed, and the pain seemed
to be alleviated. The blood flowed from the palm. The fingers were contracted
and curved around, as if the nail had really gone into the palm, she could not
extend them, nor take hold of the glass when I gave her a drink from time to
time…
At about nine o'clock blood flowed from the crown of thorns all around her
head. I can solemnly attest that I saw blood coming from the holes of the
thorns, one of which, in the center of her forehead, opened before me, and
blood gushed from it. While I was washing it, it closed again, leaving her
forehead without any mark, except the traces of blood. Her feet were white; one
would have said the feet of a corpse, and the toes were stretched like those of
one crucified. The wounds on the upper part bled, as did the wound on her side.
After three hours she was completely herself again, experiencing only a little
weakness. I told her to get up, which she did by herself, and that evening she
came to supper with the community."
In the notes of the Carmel of Pau, we read that on Thursday, February 27, 1868: "She could not get up, she was suffering so much in her hands and feet. We took her to the infirmary. All that evening when passing near there, we would smell a strong sweet fragrance, but we could not detect its source. The novice´s veils and mantle also had a pleasant odor. The night was a bad one for her and the next morning blood began to flow from her feet and hands. The crown of thorns bled profusely at two different times, then the wound in her side, all with unspeakable pain. At noon all the bleeding stopped but the wounds remained open and became deeper each day, which prevented her from walking or putting her feet on the floor, for forty days. She could hardly bear any contact with the linens used to wrap her wounds, especially on Friday and Saturday. From that day until the following Friday, the wounds only oozed, but on Thursday of each week, a large pimple formed, black likea nail, which grew in size until Friday, then at the hour she designated in advance, this sort of blister fell off and the blood flowed; afterward the wound closed until the following week."
During the Mangalore period, we have above all the testimony of Father Lazare, a Carmelite and her director. On November 24 and 25, 1871, he attentively examined the stigmata. From his report we selected some precise statements:
"The hands were swollen on the palm and the wounds were open;but all
around the edge of the wounds there was a little coagulated blood, no doubt
because this wound had begun to open several days before. On the inside of the
hand there was a sort of button, forming the head of the nail. The flesh of the
palm seemed to have been separated violently; it was torn, if I may thus
express it, on the inside there were no tears, only the head of the nail was
visible. The feet were similarly pierced through and through. The wounds were
fresh, the flesh torn perhaps more than on the hands. One of the perforations
was exactly in the middle of the sole of the foot, and there it ended with a
quite newly formed small round hole, just as if the point of a sharp nail had
been driven through it and then pulled out. It was the same with the other
foot."
Lastly, for the Bethlehem period (1875-1878), we have chiefly the testimony of
the mistress of novices, mother Mary of the Child Jesus. The stigmata appeared
during the Lent of 1876. On March 3, the first Thursday of Lent, the little one
called the mother into her cell and said to her: "See my humiliation;
I don't anyone to come here, look at my hands." And the witness
stated precisely: "We were able to ascertain that the blackish
swelling, that looked like a large nail in the palm of her hands and also on
the top of the hand, was formed much more quickly than during the Lent of 1868.
Towards nine o'clock, the marks were still darker and more extended; her
contracted fingers prevented her from using her hands. At noon, we saw the same thing on the upper part of
her feet, but she absolutely refused to let us cover them with linen, which
would greatly increased her suffering."The following day the stigmatist
was covered with a sweat of blood. Friday, March 10, the
mistress of novices and the sister infirmarian saw the crown of thorns take
form on her bloody forehead. The same phenomenon on Friday, March 24: Here is
their testimony:
"About five thirty,
all around the front of her head was bleeding; she had a sort of crown of
little button shaped holes, some of which were still open as we looked on.
During this time she wiped the blood from them. She got up right after that and
all traces disappeared."
Holy Week was frightful.
Every part of her was bleeding: head, heart, hands and feet. During the course
of her life she came to relive and act out certain scenes of the passion. She
became the crucified spouse of a crucified God! Identified with her Spouse to
the very details of Good Friday! "When she was in the state, she
could have been called an 'ecce homo,' " declared Mother
Honorine, in 1867 at the Capelette.
The next year at Pau, France, on Good Friday April 10, 1868, the stigmatist was
truly on the cross; all her wounds reopened and the blood flowed from her head
as well. We cannot conceive the intensity of the suffering she experienced.
First she felt her legs pulled one after the other; and the same with her arms;
then she felt her nails being driven in…Later, the heart bled as usual, and
immediately after that, the wounds began to heal. She remained very weak all
week and continued to suffer from her knees which were injured, swollen and
full of bumps, perhaps resembling those our Lord must have had after all His
Falls.
At certain moments, even her cheek became red as if someone were slapping her
in the face. The most terrible scene took place on Friday, April 14, 1876 in
temporary Carmel of Bethlehem. Let us once again allow the mistress of novices
to speak:
"She was groaning
and she trembled in her whole body. It was heart rending to see her like that.
She often repeated these words: "My God, do not abandon me; my God I offer
it to You! Pardon, my God, pardon!" At a quarter past two in the afternoon
she began a painful agony; we were all around her. Her legs were stiff, her
feet down and crossed one over the other; her arms extended in the form of the
cross, were supported by two of the sisters; her chest was distended, she even
emitted a few sighs, as though she were breathing forth her soul…After three
and a half hours, she had a little relief and spoke again to those
"children" (angels) saying to them: "Have pity on me, call me
today." She also experienced transports of desire and love: "Call me
so that I may leave this earth!" Then she was heard to say: "Fiat,
Jesus!" We then had the impression that the crucified one was descending
from the cross and from Calvary in order to prepare for the Easter joys."Don
Belloni, confessor of the stigmatist at Bethlehem, asserted that when holding
one of her hands against the light, the flesh appeared transparent at the place
of the stigmata.
Besides being deeply grounded in humility, in her ignorance she did not realize
that the stigmata was a privileged grace from God; she looked upon it as an
illness and begged God and Blessed Virgin to take from her what she
called "the wretched marks." According to her prediction,
the wounds reopened the following Lent, at the Carmel of Pau. They caused
atrocious suffering and flowing of the blood. That was renewed every Friday
during the Lent of 1868.The Carmelite nuns were admitted to see the prodigy;
and the superior of the Carmel, Father Guilly entered the enclosure. He
verified the phenomena, he put his finger on one of the wounds: at this contact
the novice´s entire body shuddered. On Holy Saturday the Stigmata disappeared.
The wounds appeared again at Mangalore. On November 20, 1871, the eve of her
profession, the little one confided to the mistress of novices: "If I
tell you something will you keep my secret?" - "Yes."
- "Look, this illness that I fear so much has returned." And
she showed her her swollen hands and feet. The day after her profession the
stigmata bled profusely. Frightened, the sister earnestly begged God to cure
her. This time again she was heard. For more than four years she experienced nothing.
The last period of stigmatization took place at Bethlehem in April 1876. It was
the longest and most painful. It made witnesses think they were on Calvary
before the spectacle of Crucifixion! Sister Mariam said: "Do you
know? Five rosebushes are blooming, quick, quick. They have given the roses to
others, and the thorns to me." And she added with a smile: "We
do not like that; here we give at least a few roses! And not to let me smell
the perfume at all, nothing but thorns! Oh, well - I deserve it! That Jesus may
be content, that is all I desire. I accept all the thorns on my body, but tell
the Master of the rosebushes to close the roses." After these red
flowerings at Marseille, Pau, Mangalore, and Bethlehem, the "five
roses" of her Stigmata were closed for the last time on April 26, 1876.
Her special devotion to the Holy Spirit
Mariam's devotion to the Holy Spirit was not common in her time. And yet her
spiritual journey seemed to be guided by the Spirit in unprecedented ways.
Inspired by having received a special prayer to the Holy Spirit during one of
her ecstatic experiences, she was convinced that devotion to the Holy Spirit,
who was then commonly known as the Paraclete, was needed by the whole Church.
She even sent a petition to Pope Pius IX asking him to cultivate a greater
devotion within the Church to the Holy Spirit. No one knows what the pope
thought of this at the time, but 20 years later Pope Leo XIII published an
encyclical about devotion to the Paraclete.
Concerning devotion to the Holy Spirit she wrote:
"The world and religious communities are seeking novelties in devotions, and they are neglecting true devotion to the Paraclete. That is why there is error and disunion, and why there is no peace or light. They do not invoke light as it should be invoked, and it is this light that gives knowledge of truth. It is neglected even in seminaries . . . .
Every person in the world that will invoke the Holy Spirit and have devotion to
Him will not die in error."
Her Prayers to the Holy Spirit:
First, there is her famous little prayer to the Holy Spirit, prayed by people
all over the world:
Holy Spirit, inspire me.
Love of God, consume me.
Along the true road, lead me.
Mary my Mother, look upon me.
With Jesus, bless me.
From all evil, from all illusion,
from all danger, preserve me.
And here ia another of her prayers to the Holy Spirit:
Source of peace, Light,
come and enlighten me.
I am hungry, come and nourish me.
I am thirsty, come and quench my thirst.
I am blind, come and give me light.
I am poor, come and enrich me.
Her holy death
On January 5, 1878, Sister Mariam entered her 33rd year of life. In
August of 1878 she broke her left arm when she fell while carrying water to the
workmen in Bethlehem whom she was helping to build the new Carmelite convent. It was clear
that her health had been compromised for quite some time and now her arm would
not heal but rather swelled with gangrene, and the infection spread to her
lungs and respiratory tract. She knew she was dying. Through her suffering she
renewed her vow as a victim for the Church and for her adopted country France.
On August 26, 1878 she felt as if she were suffocating and died soon after
murmuring, “My Jesus, mercy.” It was ten minutes past five in the
morning. Like her Jesus she died at the age of 33.
Her tomb is engraved with this inscription:
“Here in the peace of the Lord reposes Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, professed religious of the white veil. A soul of singular graces, she was conspicuous for her humility, her obedience and her charity. Jesus, the sole love of her heart called her to Himself in the 33rd year of her age and the 12th year of her religious life at Bethlehem, 26 August 1878.”
Sources: "Mariam the little Arab; Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified; 1846-1678", by Amédée Brunot S.C.J.; Published by The Carmel of Maria Regina, 87609 Green Hill Road, Eugene, Oregon 97402. Availible for $8.00. More information here: http://aquerofoundation.com/id19.html
"Louis Massignon and Mariam Baouardy (Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified). A Palestinian Saint for Our Time" by Dorothy C. Buck -Full article located here:
http://www.dcbuck.com/Articles/Baouardy/Baouardy2col.pdf
Blessed Mariam of Jesus Crucified http://vultus.stblogs.org/2007/08/blessed-mariam-of-jesus-crucif.html
SOURCE : https://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/07/blessed-mariam-baouardy-little-arab-and.html
Lunedì, 14 novembre 1983
Beatitudine,
Cari fratelli e sorelle,
1. La beatificazione di
suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso, che vi ha riunito a Roma da tutti i Paesi del
Medio Oriente, è sicuramente stata per voi tutti un grande momento di gioia,
una sorgente di conforto, un invito al coraggio.
Non è una gioia
passeggera: è una fonte di grazie che rimane sempre aperta. La Chiesa che è a
Roma ha partecipato a questa gioia e, oso dire, anche l’intera Chiesa
universale, guardando con emozione questo piccolo fiore della Terra Santa
pervenuto in poco tempo alla pienezza della vita mistica, alla santità. Sono
felice di ritrovarmi questa mattina in mezzo a voi, per salutarvi con tutto il
mio affetto, per conversare con voi, come in famiglia, meditando ancora sul
senso di questa beatificazione, per raccoglierne i frutti.
La vita e le virtù di
Mariam Baouardy vi sono ora sufficientemente note e io le ho ricordate nella
solenne liturgia di ieri. Ma è per noi cosa molto buona sottolineare questa
mattina fino a che punto questa “piccola araba” sia stata una testimone
privilegiata di Gesù, di amore per la Chiesa, di azione per la pace. E voi
potete così comprendere ancora meglio il valore che la Chiesa attribuisce alle
vostre comunità cristiane in Terra Santa e attorno alla Terra Santa.
2. Mariam è il frutto di
questa Terra Santa. In lei, tutto ci parla di Gesù. E innanzitutto i luoghi in
cui ha vissuto: Nazaret, presso la quale è nata, Betlemme ove ha consumato il
suo sacrificio, il monte Carmelo, simbolo della vita di preghiera solitaria che
ha costituito il metodo della sua vita religiosa. Ma soprattutto ella ci
avvicina al Calvario, poiché non ha mai cessato di portare nella sua vita la
croce di Gesù, scegliendo il suo nome di crocifisso. Le beatitudini trovano in
lei il loro compimento. Vedendola, si crede di sentire Gesù dirci: beati i
poveri, beati gli umili, beati coloro che non desiderano che servire, beati i
miti, beati coloro che fanno la pace, beati coloro che sono perseguitati. Tutta
la sua vita traduce un’eccezionale familiarità con Dio, l’amore fraterno per
gli altri, la gioia, che sono i segni evangelici per eccellenza.
3. Suor Maria di Gesù
Crocifisso si mostra allo stesso tempo una figlia senza paragoni della Chiesa.
Riflette i differenti volti della Chiesa: la Chiesa greco-melkita nella quale
ella è stata battezzata e allevata; la Chiesa latina ove è stata iniziata alla
vita carmelitana. Fuori dal suo Paese natale, si è inserita nelle comunità
cristiane del Libano, dell’Egitto, della Francia, dell’India. Ha condiviso
l’ardore missionario della Chiesa, la sua sete di unità, l’attaccamento ai suoi
Pastori e in particolare al Pontefice romano Pio IX. Perché la Chiesa deve
essere una nella diversità e nella ricchezza delle lingue, delle culture e dei
riti.
4. Infine, ella che è
stata spesso maltrattata dagli avvenimenti e dalle persone, non ha mai smesso
di seminare la pace, di avvicinare i cuori. Si considerava la “piccola sorella
di tutti”. Come è prezioso il suo esempio nel nostro mondo lacerato, diviso,
che facilmente affonda nell’ingiustizia e nell’odio, senza tener conto del
diritto che gli altri hanno a un’esistenza degna e serena!
5. Ecco, cari amici,
colei che ora intercede per noi presso Gesù. Oggi, nei diversi Paesi del Medio
Oriente, voi vivete in una situazione di pace molto fragile e talvolta anche in
guerra. Ciò costituisce una grande miseria per tutti gli abitanti di questa
regione, e il mondo intero si preoccupa della loro sorte, senza arrivare ad
aiutarli in maniera efficace nel rispetto della loro libertà. Non voglio questa
mattina affrontare gli aspetti politici del problema. Ma a voi, cattolici
greco-melkiti, latini o di altri riti che condividete le prove di tutti i
vostri compatrioti, cristiani, ebrei o musulmani, io ripeto la sollecitudine
della Chiesa, e i suoi fervidi incoraggiamenti. Come ai tempi in cui san Paolo
patrocinava la causa dei “santi di Gerusalemme”, la Chiesa intera deve
sostenervi. È un dovere di amore fraterno verso di voi. È una necessità per la
vita, la testimonianza e l’onore di tutti i cristiani. Perché, per quanto siano
importanti in Terra Santa le vestigia dell’epoca di Gesù, i ricordi storici, i
monumenti dell’arte sacra che le comunità cristiane hanno edificato o
ricostruito nel corso dei secoli, ciò che più importa è che risplenda la Chiesa
viva, il Tempio che è fatto di membra del Corpo di Cristo, che è testimone
anche oggi della fede, della preghiera e dell’amore, secondo il messaggio di
Gesù di Nazaret, o piuttosto che assicura la stessa presenza di Cristo Gesù,
morto e risorto.
6. È il vostro onore. E
io vi incoraggio a conservare e a manifestare il vostro indefettibile
attaccamento a questa terra che è la vostra, ove avete le vostre radici, come
Mariam Baouardy che vi è ritornata per fondarvi un Carmelo a Betlemme e
progettarne un altro a Nazaret. Questo porta con sé un’esigenza particolare,
evangelica. Voi dovete essere prima di tutto degli artefici di pace, animati da
sentimenti di apertura, di stima, di amore, di perdono, di riconciliazione
verso tutti gli uomini che sono anch’essi legati a questa terra, cristiani,
ebrei e musulmani. In questo Paese, non dimenticatelo mai, voi rappresentate
Gesù e il suo amore universale.
La beata Maria di Gesù
Crocifisso vi accompagni su questo difficile cammino! La santissima Vergine
Maria, Madre di Gesù, vi aiuti a diventare ogni giorno di più discepoli del suo
divin Figlio! E Dio Onnipotente vi benedica, Padre, Figlio e Spirito Santo, vi
mantenga nella pace, permetta a ciascuna delle vostre Patrie di trovare la via
della vera pace, e aiuti ciascuna delle vostre comunità cristiane,
greco-melkita e latina - di cui io saluto con gioia il Patriarca e i Vescovi -
a diffondere il dono di Dio che è stato loro affidato!
© Copyright 1983 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
BEATIFICAZIONE DI SUOR
MARIA DI GESÙ CROCIFISSO
OMELIA DI GIOVANNI PAOLO
II
Domenica, 13 novembre
1983
“Ascolta, figlia” . . . (Sal 45,
11).
1. Oggi la Chiesa applica
queste parole del Salmo a suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso, Carmelitana Scalza,
nata nella terra che vide lo svolgersi della vita di Gesù di Nazaret; terra che
è situata in una regione che anche in questi giorni continua ad essere al
centro di gravissime preoccupazioni e dolorose tensioni.
“Ascolta, figlia”. Ecco,
nella memoria del Popolo di Dio viene profondamente iscritta la via di suor
Maria verso lo Sposo divino. Oggi la Chiesa la incorona con l’atto di
beatificazione. Tale atto vuole rendere testimonianza alla speciale “bellezza”
spirituale di questa figlia della Terra Santa; una “bellezza” che è maturata
nel bagliore del mistero della Redenzione: nei raggi della nascita e
dell’insegnamento, della croce e della risurrezione di Gesù Cristo.
La liturgia dice alla
nuova Beata: “Egli è il tuo Signore: prostrati a lui” (Sal 45, 12).
E allo stesso tempo con
le parole del medesimo Salmo la liturgia manifesta la gioia per l’elevazione
agli altari dell’umile Serva di Dio.
“La figlia del re è tutta
splendore / gemme e tessuto d’oro è il suo vestito . . .” (Sal 45, 14):
tessuto d’oro della fede, della speranza e dell’amore; delle virtù teologali e
morali che essa esercitò in grado eroico come figlia del Carmelo.
2. In quest’Anno che la
Chiesa vive come Giubileo straordinario della Redenzione, molte volte ci siamo
riuniti attorno a figure che hanno raggiunto la gloria degli altari. È un segno
particolare della inesauribile potenza della Redenzione, che opera nelle anime
dei Servi e delle Serve di Dio, permettendo loro di proseguire tenacemente
sulla via della vocazione alla santità.
Questa vocazione ha il
suo eterno inizio nel disegno salvifico della santissima Trinità, di cui parla
la seconda lettura della Messa: “Poiché quelli che egli da sempre ha conosciuto
li ha anche predestinati ad essere conformi all’immagine del Figlio suo, perché
egli sia il primogenito tra molti fratelli; quelli poi che ha predestinati li
ha anche chiamati; quelli che ha chiamati li ha anche giustificati; quelli che
ha giustificati li ha anche glorificati” (Rm 8, 29-30).
In questa grandiosa
visuale paolina noi penetriamo, per così dire, nell’intimo stesso del pensiero
divino, cogliendo in qualche modo la “logica” del piano della salvezza, nel
concatenarsi delle misteriose azioni che conducono alla sua piena attuazione.
Così dunque la vocazione alla santità è l’eterno disegno di Dio nei riguardi
dell’uomo: nei riguardi, oggi, della nostra sorella Maria di Gesù Crocifisso.
3. La vocazione alla
santità, inoltre, è un frutto della rivelazione e della conoscenza. Ne parla
con parole penetranti l’odierno Vangelo. Dice Gesù: “Ti benedico o Padre,
Signore del cielo e della terra, perché hai tenuto nascoste queste cose ai
sapienti e agli intelligenti e le hai rivelate ai piccoli. Sì, o Padre, perché
così è piaciuto a te. Tutto mi è stato dato dal Padre mio; nessuno conosce il
Figlio se non il Padre, e nessuno conosce il Padre se non il Figlio e colui al
quale il Figlio lo voglia rivelare” (Mt 11, 25-27).
La vera sapienza e
intelligenza suppone la “piccolezza”, intesa come docilità allo Spirito Santo.
Con essa sola è possibile, nel Figlio, per il Figlio e col Figlio, conoscere i
misteri del Padre, che restano invece ignoti ai sapienti e intelligenti di
questo mondo, accecati dalla stoltezza e superbia (cf. 1 Cor 1,
18-21).
La vocazione alla santità
viene attuata da quei “piccoli” del Vangelo che con tutto il cuore accettano la
Rivelazione divina. Grazie a ciò “conoscono il Figlio”, e grazie al Figlio
“conoscono il Padre”.
Tale conoscenza infatti
è, al tempo stesso, l’accettazione della vocazione: “Venite a me . . . Prendete
il mio giogo sopra di voi e imparate da me . . .” (Mt 11, 28-29).
Ed ecco che si va a
Cristo proprio come a lui è venuta suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso, cioè
prendendo sopra di sé il suo giogo, imparando da lui, perché è mite e umile di
cuore, e trovando ristoro per la propria anima (cf. Mt 11, 28-29).
4. E tutto ciò è opera
dell’amore. La santità si appoggia, prima di tutto, sull’amore. È il suo
frutto maturo. E nella liturgia odierna, in modo particolare, è esaltato
l’amore:
- “l’amore, forte come la
morte”;
- “l’amore che le grandi
acque non possono spegnere”;
- “l’amore, in cambio del
quale bisogna dare tutte le ricchezze della propria casa” (cf. Ct 8,
6-7).
Così ne parla l’autore
del Cantico dei cantici. E san Paolo, nella lettera ai Romani, insegna che
“tutto concorre al bene di coloro che amano Dio” (Rm 8, 28). Proprio questa
cooperazione traccia la via della santità, direi, giorno per giorno, per tutta
la vita. Su questa via si realizza la santità come eterna vocazione di coloro “che
sono stati chiamati secondo il disegno di Dio” (cf. Rm 8, 28).
5. Le letture della
Liturgia odierna sono uno splendido commento alla vita di suor Maria, nata
vicino a Nazaret e morta nel Carmelo di Betlemme a 33 anni. Il suo amore per
Cristo è stato forte come la morte; le prove più dolorose non lo hanno spento,
ma al contrario lo hanno purificato e irrobustito. Essa ha dato tutto per
questo amore.
L’intera vita della
piccola araba, colma di straordinari doni mistici, è stata, nella luce dello
Spirito Santo, la risposta cosciente e irrevocabile ad una vocazione di
santità, vale a dire a quel progetto eterno di salvezza, di cui parla san
Paolo, che la misericordia divina ha stabilito per ciascuno di noi.
Tutta la sua vita è
frutto di quella suprema “sapienza” evangelica della quale Dio si compiace di
arricchire gli umili e i poveri, per confondere i potenti. Dotata di grande
limpidezza d’animo, di una fervida intelligenza naturale e di quella fantasia
poetica caratteristica dei popoli semitici, la piccola Maria, non ebbe
l’opportunità di accedere ad alti studi, ma ciò non le impedì, grazie alla sua
eminente virtù, di essere ripiena di quella “conoscenza” che ha il massimo
valore, e per donarci la quale Cristo è morto in croce: la conoscenza del
Mistero Trinitario, prospettiva tanto importante in quella spiritualità
cristiana orientale, nella quale la piccola araba era stata educata.
6. Come si legge nel
Decreto canonico di beatificazione, “l’umile serva di Cristo, Maria di Gesù
Crocifisso, appartenendo per stirpe, rito, vocazione e peregrinazioni ai popoli
dell’Oriente ed essendone in qualche modo rappresentante, è come un dono fatto
alla Chiesa universale da coloro che, nelle misere condizioni di lotta e di
sangue nelle quali stanno versando, specialmente ora ricorrono con grande
fiducia dell’animo alla sua fraterna intercessione, nella speranza che anche
grazie alle preghiere della Serva di Dio vengano finalmente restituite la pace
e la concordia in quelle terre, dove “il Verbo si è fatto carne” (Gv 1,
14), essendo egli stesso la nostra pace”.
La Beata Maria è nata in
Galilea. Per questo il nostro pensiero orante vuole andare oggi in modo
speciale alla Terra dove Gesù ha insegnato l’amore ed è morto perché l’umanità
avesse la riconciliazione. “Quella Terra - come ricordavo già in altra
occasione - vede, da decenni, due popoli contrapposti in un antagonismo finora
irriducibile. Ognuno di loro ha una storia, una tradizione, una vicenda
propria, che sembrano rendere difficile una composizione” (Giovanni Paolo
II, Allocutio
occasione oblata orationis dominicae Angelus Domini habita, 5, domenica 4
aprile 1982: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, V/1 [1982] 1110).
Oggi più che mai le
minacce che incombono ci sollecitano a fare dell’amore e della fratellanza la
legge fondamentale dei rapporti sociali e internazionali, in uno spirito di
riconciliazione e di perdono, prendendo ispirazione dallo stile di vita, del
quale la Beata Maria di Gesù Crocifisso è di esempio non solo per il suo
popolo, ma per il mondo intero. Questo nuovo stile di vita possa darci una pace
fondata non sul terrore, ma sulla reciproca fiducia.
7. Ci rallegriamo oggi
presso l’altare della Confessione di san Pietro per la beatificazione di suor
Maria. Iscriviamo questa gioia della Chiesa nel conto dell’Anno Giubilare della
Redenzione. Lodiamo insieme con Cristo il Padre perché agli occhi dell’anima di
suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso ha rivelato il mistero della verità e dell’amore
e l’ha resa partecipe della gloria del suo Regno.
Preghiamo col Salmista la
nuova Beata perché il Signore conceda pace alla sua terra: “Domandate pace per
Gerusalemme: sia pace a coloro che ti amano, sia pace sulle tue mura, sicurezza
nei tuoi baluardi. Per i miei fratelli e i miei amici io dirò: “Su di te sia
pace!”. Per la casa del Signore nostro Dio, chiederò per te il bene” (Sal 122,
6-9).
© Copyright 1983 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Santa Maria di Gesù
Crocifisso (Mariam Baouardy) Carmelitana
Abellin, Israele, 5
gennaio 1846 - Betlemme, 26 agosto 1878
Mariam Baouardy nacque ad
Abellin in Israele il 5 gennaio 1846, da genitori molto poveri ma altrettanto
onesti e pii cristiani greco-cattolici. Rimasta orfana di entrambi i genitori a
soli tre anni di età insieme al fratello Paolo, venne affidata ad uno zio
paterno, che alcuni anni dopo si trasferì ad Alessandria d’Egitto. Non
ricevette alcuna istruzione scolastica, rimanendo analfabeta. A tredici anni,
per il desiderio di appartenere solo a Dio, rifiutò con fortezza il matrimonio
che, secondo le consuetudini orientali, le aveva preparato lo zio. Seguirono
alcuni anni durante i quali lavorò come domestica ad Alessandria, Gerusalemme,
Beirut e Marsiglia. Qui, all’inizio della Quaresima del 1865, entrò dalle Suore
della Compassione, ma ammalatasi dovette lasciare dopo due mesi. Fu poi
accolta tra le Suore di San Giuseppe dell’Apparizione, ma dopo due anni di
postulandato ne fu dimessa, essendo stata giudicata più adatta per la vita
claustrale. Fu così che il 14 giugno 1867 arrivò al Carmelo di Pau, prendendo
poi il nome di suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso. Il 21 agosto 1870, ancora
novizia, partì per l’India per la fondazione di un Carmelo a Mangalore. Il 21
novembre 1871 fece la sua professione religiosa. Un anno dopo fu rimandata a
Pau, da dove partì con altre religiose nell’agosto 1875 per Betlemme, per la
fondazione del primo Carmelo in terra di Palestina. Morì il 26 agosto 1878 a
Betlemme a causa di una cancrena contratta in seguito ad una frattura prodotta
da una caduta. Beatificata da san Giovanni Paolo II il 13 novembre 1983, è
stata canonizzata da papa Francesco a Roma il 17 maggio 2015. Nel calendario
della Chiesa universale è ricordata il 26 agosto, mentre in quello dell’Ordine
Carmelitano la sua memoria liturgica cade il 25 agosto. La sua tomba, meta di pellegrinaggio
da parte di cristiani e musulmani, si trova nella chiesa del Carmelo di
Betlemme.
Martirologio
Romano: Nella città di Betlemme in Terra Santa, beata Maria di Gesù
Crocifisso (Maria) Baouardy, vergine dell’Ordine delle Carmelitane Scalze, che,
ricca di mistici doni, unì la vita contemplativa a una straordinaria carità.
Un villaggio arabo di Terra Santa, una coppia di sposi poveri ma pieni di fede, e un pellegrinaggio a Betlemme: è il contesto in cui sboccia il "fiore di Galilea", suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso, al secolo Mariam Baouardy, che il Papa ha canonizzato il 17 maggio 2015 insieme ad altre tre Beate.
La vita straordinaria di questa carmelitana, nata nel 1846 ad Abellin, non lontano da Nazareth (allora nella Siria dominata dagli Ottomani) è strettamente legata alla Vergine, alla quale fu consacrata. I genitori infatti, che prima di lei avevano perso uno dopo l’altro 12 figli, fecero un voto e un pellegrinaggio a piedi alla grotta della Natività per chiedere il dono di una figlia; per questo, in ringraziamento, offrirono alla Madre di Dio l’equivalente in cera del peso della bambina.
Fin dall’infanzia, Mariam manifestò doni di grazia particolari, ma soffrì pure prove e tribolazioni di ogni genere; rimasta orfana a tre anni, andò poi a lavorare come domestica, preferendo le famiglie più povere, per le quali chiese persino l’elemosina; fu sospettata di furto, finì in prigione. A 17 anni ebbe la prima estasi.
L’ingresso al Carmelo, a Pau in Francia, all’età di 21 anni, fu preceduto dagli anni vissuti come figlia di S. Giuseppe, (“prima di divenire figlia di Santa Teresa”, le aveva rivelato la Madonna): per 2 anni fu postulante tra le suore di San Giuseppe dell’Apparizione, a Marsiglia. La promessa di verginità, la fece all’età di 13 anni, quando proposta in sposa a un egiziano, si tagliò i capelli in segno di consacrazione, scatenando la furia dello zio, che per questo la umiliò e la trattò come una serva. Di lì a poco, Mariam arrivò alle soglie della morte: in risposta ad un turco che voleva convincerla a convertirsi all’islam, si proclamò figlia della chiesa cattolica.
Per questo il servo musulmano le tagliò la gola. Furono “le nozze di sangue”, l’8 settembre 1859. In seguito racconterà di essersi trovata in cielo; a restituirle la vita “un’infermiera vestita di azzurro” che la curò con delicatezza straordinaria, e dalla quale ebbe rivelazioni sulla sua vita; dichiarò anni dopo, che si trattava della Vergine. A prova dell’accaduto le rimase sempre la voce rauca, una cicatrice di 10 centimetri sul collo, e fu accertato che le mancavano persino alcuni anelli della trachea. Come constatò un celebre medico di Marsiglia, sebbene ateo, “doveva esserci un Dio, perché non avrebbe potuto sopravvivere in quelle condizioni, senza un miracolo”.
Nella sua vita intensa e tormentata, ha viaggiato dai sentieri della Galilea ad Alessandria, a Beirut, alla Francia, fino a Mangalore in India, dove fu la prima carmelitana a fare la professione, all’età di 24 anni, nel 1871. Tornò poi a Pau, a pochi chilometri da Lourdes; di lì nel 1875 partì per la sua Terra Santa.
Per l’aspetto di fanciulla le consorelle la chiamavano “la piccola araba”, lei però si definiva “piccolo nulla”. Fu proprio lei - che parlava a stento il francese, e non capiva certo di architettura - a descrivere il progetto e dirigere i lavori per la costruzione del monastero che doveva sorgere a Betlemme: come una torre, nel luogo indicatole in visione dal Signore, su una collina, prospiciente la Natività. Fece profezie, ebbe persino una rivelazione sul luogo in cui “il Signore spezzò il pane”, Emmaus Nikopolis, a circa 30 km da Gerusalemme, in seguito alla quale furono effettuati gli scavi e trovati resti importantissimi.
Malgrado le molte grazie ricevute, mantenne sempre l’obbedienza ai superiori, “obbedienza fino al miracolo”, fin dopo la morte: fu questa la prova che tutto veniva da Dio. Nella sua semplicità, chiamava le stimmate e le manifestazioni della Passione, che viveva nel suo corpo, “la mia malattia”, e chiese alla sua cara suor Veronica di starle lontano, perché non ne fosse contagiata. Talora invece, svegliandosi dalle estasi si scusava per la sua “pigrizia”.
Ma la passione che viveva, fu compresa meglio dopo la sua morte, avvenuta il 26 agosto del 1878, per una cancrena causata da una caduta, avvenuta portando l’acqua agli operai. Si spense tra dolori indicibili nel monastero in costruzione sulla collina del re Davide. Quando venne estratto il cuore, fu rilevata la cicatrice di un ferita profonda e non recente. Il suo cuore fu “transverberato” come quello di altri santi, tra cui la sua madre S. Teresa d’Avila.
La vita di Mariam ha coinciso con il pontificato di Pio IX che chiamava “mio padre”. E fu perfetta coetanea di Bernadette Soubirous. Con la santa francese, oltre al fatto di essere illetterata, condivide la grandissima umiltà, che ha lasciato a bocca aperta intellettuali e sapienti. Il suo biografo Amedeo Brunot si disse “impressionato dal fascino esercitato da questa misteriosa araba su tanti intellettuali cattolici: Maurice Barrès, Léon Bloy, Francis James, Julien Green, Jacques Maritain, Louis Massignon, René Schwob... Non può essere segno di un messaggio universale? Dai suoi gesti, dalle sue parole, dalla sua persona si diffonde un forte profumo biblico... “
Straordinari i pensieri della piccola carmelitana sull’umiltà: “Domando all’Altissimo: Dove abiti? Egli mi risponde: cerco ogni giorno una nuova dimora… Sono felice in un anima bassa, in un presepio. Domando sempre a Gesù dove abita – In una grotta; lo sai come ho schiacciato il nemico? Nascendo così basso…”. E ancora: “Oggi la santità non è la preghiera, né le visioni o le rivelazioni, né la scienza di parlar bene, né i cilici; né le penitenze; è l’umiltà”. “Nell’inferno –disse la religiosa- si trovano tutte le specie di virtù, ma non l’umiltà; in Paradiso si trovano tutte le specie di difetti, ma non l’orgoglio”.
Significativo il fatto che proprio Mariam, così piena di grazie straordinarie, metteva in guardia dalle cercare rivelazioni e cose sorprendenti. “Non andate a vedere e consultare qui e là lo straordinario, altrimenti “la vostra fede s’indebolirà”, raccomandava da parte del Signore. “Se vi si dice: la Madonna appare qui o là; vi è un’anima straordinaria in tal luogo, non vi andate… Il Signore vi dice: Sii fedele alla fede, alla Chiesa, al Vangelo. Se sarete fedele alla Chiesa, al Vangelo, Egli sarà sempre con voi e non vi lascerà mai.”
Figlia della sua terra, cantò nello stile orientale – e con le immagini semplici, che conosciamo dalle parabole e dai salmi - la bellezza del creato, l’amore del Creatore e la fragilità dell’essere creatura. “Considerate le api; esse svolazzano di fiore in fiore, entrano poi nell'alveare per comporre il miele. Imitatele; cogliete dovunque il succo dell'umiltà. Il miele è dolce; l'umiltà ha il gusto di Dio; fa gustare Dio”.
E’ per l’umiltà di “questa piccola illetterata” che l’intellettuale ebreo, convertito al cristianesimo, René Schwob espresse l’auspicio che ella “possa diventare la patrona degli intellettuali, una volta avvenuta la canonizzazione. Essa è l'ideale che li può liberare dall'orgoglio.”
Di famiglia maronita, battezzata ed educata nella chiesa greco-cattolica, carmelitana, Mariam porta in dote alla chiesa universale la ricchezza dell’Oriente cristiano e una particolare devozione allo Spirito Santo. “Il mondo e le comunità religiose – disse - trascurano la vera devozione al Paraclito. Per questo vi è l'errore, la disunione, e non vi è la pace. Non si chiama abbastanza la luce come deve essere chiamata. Anche nei seminari è trascurata. Chi invocherà lo Spirito Santo, non morrà nell'errore”. E al Papa scrisse: “Mi è stato detto che, nell'universo intero, bisogna stabilire che ogni sacerdote dica una messa dello Spirito Santo tutti i mesi. Coloro che vi assisteranno avranno una grazia e una luce particolarissima”. Venti anni dopo, Leone XIII con l’enciclica “Divinum illud munus” prescrisse la novena allo Spirito Santo in preparazione alla Pentecoste.
Bellissime le invocazioni di Mariam allo Spirito Santo: “Sorgente di pace, di
luce vieni ad illuminarmi; ho fame vieni a nutrirmi; ho sete, vieni a
dissetarmi; sono cieca, vieni a illuminarmi; sono povera vieni ad arricchirmi;
sono ignorante vieni ad istruirmi. Spirito Santo mi abbandono a te”.
Fonte: Zenit
La
tomba di santa Maria di Gesù Crocifisso nella chiesa del Carmelo di Betlemme.
Mariam Baouardy nacque ad Abellin in Galilea, tra Nazareth e Haifa (nell’odierno Stato d’Israele), il 5 gennaio 1846, da una famiglia araba ma cattolica, di rito greco-melchita. I genitori Giorgio Baouardy (lavoratore della polvere da sparo) e Mariam Chahyn, erano ferventi credenti ma infelici, perché avevano perso ben dodici figli, morti in tenerissima età. Un giorno intrapresero un pellegrinaggio di 170 km a piedi, diretti a Betlemme per pregare sulla culla di Gesù Bambino, chiedendo alla Santa Vergine il dono di una figlia, che avrebbero chiamata Mirjam in suo onore.
Il loro desiderio fu esaudito e nove mesi dopo nacque la bimba, che fu battezzata e cresimata nello stesso giorno, secondo il rito orientale; un anno dopo nacque anche un maschietto, Baulos (Paolo). Ma la felicità dopo tante angosce, fu di breve durata, quando Mirjam o Mariam non aveva ancora tre anni, morì il padre e dopo pochi giorni anche la mamma per il dolore.
I due orfani furono adottati da alcuni parenti: Mariam da uno zio paterno e Baulos da una zia materna residente in un vicino villaggio. Nel 1854 quando Mariam aveva otto anni, lo zio si trasferì ad Alessandria d’Egitto portandola con sé, così i due fratellini non si rividero più.
La bambina trascorse l’infanzia con tranquillità, ma fece la Prima Comunione un paio d’anni prima del tempo fissato perché, dietro le sue insistenze, il prete distrattamente disse di sì.
Non ebbe un’istruzione (soltanto molto più tardi imparò a leggere e scrivere stentatamente); cresceva nella sua semplicità e umiltà come un angelo. In un momento di sconforto per la morte di due uccellini che accudiva, avvertì dentro di sé una voce: «Vedi, tutto passa! Ma se tu vuoi dare a me il tuo cuore, io resterò con te per sempre».
Verso i dodici anni fu fidanzata a sua insaputa, secondo l’uso orientale, ad un cognato dello zio e quando aveva 13 anni le dissero che era arrivato il momento del matrimonio; giunse il fidanzato portando ricchi gioielli e la sua famiglia adottiva le preparò vesti ricamate e sontuose.
Ma Mariam non voleva affatto sposarsi e lo comunicò agli zii, i quali, pensando ad un capriccio di adolescente, coinvolsero il prete e il vescovo della comunità, affinché la convincessero ad ubbidire a loro, ma tutto fu inutile. Quando il giovane, proveniente dal Cairo, si presentò per la cerimonia, tutti aspettavano che Mariam uscisse dalla sua stanza in abiti nuziali: invece lei si presentò con i lunghi capelli recisi, deposti in un vassoio. Questo gesto l’espose all’ira degli zii, i quali la relegarono in cucina tra le schiave di casa, soggetta alle loro prepotenze.
Dopo tre mesi la ragazza si ricordò del fratello Baulos rimasto in Palestina e tentò di mettersi in contatto con lui. Si fece scrivere una lettera di nascosto e una sera, l’8 settembre, si recò a portarla ad un servo arabo musulmano, conosciuto in casa degli zii e che sapeva in procinto di partire per Nazareth.
Ma a casa di quest’uomo ci fu una sgradita sorpresa. La famiglia inizialmente l’accolse con gentilezze e ascoltò le sue peripezie familiari, poi l’uomo nell’ascoltarla si incolleriva sempre più, finché non esortò Mariam a lasciare il cristianesimo e convertirsi all’Islam.
La ragazza oppose un fiero rifiuto: «Musulmana io? Mai! Sono figlia della Chiesa Cattolica e spero di restare tale per tutta la vita». La risposta imbestialì l’uomo: le sferrò un violento calcio che la fece stramazzare a terra, poi la colpì alla gola con la scimitarra.
Creduta morta, Mariam fu avvolta in un lenzuolo e depositata in un’oscura stradina. Cosa accadde poi, lo rivelò molti anni dopo lei stessa. Come in un sogno, le sembrò di essere in Paradiso e di rivedere i suoi genitori, mentre una voce le diceva: «Il tuo libro non è ancora tutto scritto». Al risveglio, si era ritrovata in una grotta, assistita e curata da una giovane donna, che come una suora portava un velo azzurro. Dopo circa quattro settimane, la donna l’aveva lasciata presso la chiesa dei Francescani.
Per lei non poteva che essere la Vergine Maria, come raccontava mostrando la lunga cicatrice che le attraversava il collo. In effetti 16 anni dopo, un celebre medico non credente, che l’aveva visitata a Marsiglia, constatò che le mancavano alcuni anelli della trachea, esclamò: «Un Dio ci deve essere, perché nessuno al mondo, senza un miracolo, potrebbe vivere dopo una simile ferita».
Abbandonata ormai la famiglia adottiva, con l’aiuto di un francescano, Mariam a 13 anni si mise al servizio come domestica di famiglie non agiate, ad Alessandria, Beirut, Gerusalemme, dove sul Santo Sepolcro emise il voto di castità perpetua. Si spostava volontariamente presso famiglie sempre più bisognose, fino a prendersi cura di una famigliola malata e ridotta in miseria, per la quale si mise lei stessa a mendicare.
Nel 1863, la famiglia siriana Nadjar presso la quale serviva, si trasferì a Marsiglia in Francia, portando con sé la diciassettenne Mariam, analfabeta. Qui avvertì più chiaramente la chiamata di Dio ad una vita consacrata; non riuscì ad entrare fra le Figlie della Carità, a causa dell’intervento della sua padrona, che non voleva perderla.
Nel 1865, a 19 anni, fu ammessa fra le postulanti delle Suore di San Giuseppe dell’Apparizione. Non poteva offrire altro che il suo lavoro manuale, per le incombenze più pesanti, a cui non si sottraeva, anzi anticipava le altre consorelle, tranquillizzandole nel suo approssimativo francese; dava del “tu” a tutti.
Stava quasi sempre in lavanderia o cucina, ma in questi luoghi cominciò ad andare in estasi e aveva visioni. Il giovedì e venerdì le comparivano, sulle mani e sui piedi, stimmate sanguinanti. La prima volta fu il 29 marzo 1867: Mariam credeva che si trattasse di una malattia e, vergognandosene, nascondeva le ferite con cura. Credendo che potesse trattarsi di lebbra, visto che in Palestina aveva contattato dei lebbrosi, raccomandava alla Madre Superiora di stare lontana da lei, ma la Madre, che aveva compreso l’eccezionalità del fenomeno, la tranquillizzava.
Ma qualche mese dopo, sempre nel 1867, in assenza della Madre Generale, che la capiva e proteggeva, fu allontanata dall’Istituto, perché i suoi fenomeni turbavano troppo la comunità. Le venne quindi consigliato di entrare in un Istituto di vita contemplativa, più adatta per lei.
Il 14 giugno 1867 Mariam entrò nel Carmelo di Pau (Bassi Pirenei), presentata dalla sua vecchia maestra di noviziato, suor Veronica della Passione, che garantiva e dichiarò poi: «Quella piccola araba era obbediente fino al miracolo».
Il 27 luglio 1867 indossò l’abito carmelitano, prendendo il nome di Maria di Gesù Crocifisso; la sua condizione di analfabeta la relegava fra le converse. A lei, che voleva solo servire, andava bene così, ma fu deciso invece di ammetterla come corista. La obbligarono ad imparare a leggere e scrivere, purtroppo senza successo, per cui nel 1870 ritornò conversa.
Intanto continuavano le estasi. Lei se ne vergognava, convinta che non sapesse resistere al sonno. Non riusciva a completare una preghiera: come iniziava, dopo qualche strofa, diceva lei, si “addormentava”. Le stimmate sanguinavano nel giorno della Passione di Cristo, e si era aperta una piaga sul costato simile a quella di Gesù in croce.
A ventuno anni ne dimostrava dodici, tanto era minuta e come una bambina ne possedeva il candore, senza conoscere alcuna malizia.
Con le sue visioni, ebbe la facoltà di prevedere alcuni attentati contro il papa, il Beato Pio IX, come la distruzione della caserma pontificia “Serristori” di Borgo Vecchio, che saltò in aria il 23 ottobre 1869. Da allora la Santa Sede prese ad interessarsi di quella novizia in Francia.
Il 21 agosto 1870 fu inviata insieme ad altre carmelitane a fondare il primo Carmelo a Mangalore in India. Anche in terra di missione aveva quegli straordinari fenomeni che lei cercava di nascondere. Benché fosse impedita nel fisico prostrato, non mancava ai suoi doveri in cucina e nei lavori pesanti. Spesso sembrava che il demonio prendesse possesso di lei, alternando momenti nei quali disubbidiva esteriormente alla Regola a manifestazioni straordinarie di grazia. Le sembrava a volte di essere immersa in un lago circondato da serpenti, ma la Madonna le diceva: «Io sono tua Madre. Ti metto io in quest’acqua. Non ti muovere. Tu non mi vedrai, ma io veglierò su di te».
Con l’andare del tempo, la cosa impensierì sia la superiora che il vescovo, che l’accusarono di essere una visionaria, di ferirsi col coltello, di avere una troppa fervida immaginazione orientale e, forse, di essere un’indemoniata.
Alla fine nel settembre 1872 fu rimandata al Carmelo di Pau in Francia, riprendendo la semplice vita di conversa, fatta di tanto lavoro intervallato dagli episodi prodigiosi. Pur essendo illetterata, componeva bellissime poesie incantata dalla natura e inventava strane e dolci melodie per cantarle. Ecco un esempio, quasi un salmo di contemplazione:
«A chi assomiglio io, Signore?
Agli uccelletti implumi nel loro nido.
Se il padre e la madre non portano loro il cibo
muoiono di fame.
Così è l’anima mia,
senza di te, o Signore.
Non ha sostegno,
non può vivere […]».
Intanto i prodigi continuavano. Per sei giorni consecutivi fra luglio e agosto 1873 fu trovata in cima ad un gigantesco tiglio, poggiata sui debolissimi rami. Solo quando la superiora, a voce alta, le ordinava di scendere, lei leggera, quasi senza toccare i rami e le foglie, scendeva e si ridestava dall’estasi, raccontando che Gesù le tendeva le mani e la sollevava mentre saliva, ma in genere non ricordava nulla di tutto ciò. Le consorelle con premura non le dicevano niente, facendole trovare ai piedi dell’albero altri sandali, velo, cintura, perché gli altri le erano rimasti impigliati tra i rami.
Nello stesso 1872 confidò ai superiori che il Signore voleva un Carmelo a Betlemme in Terra Santa, assicurando che le grandi difficoltà sarebbero state superate. Papa Pio IX in persona autorizzò la fondazione e così nell’agosto del 1875, dopo un pellegrinaggio a Lourdes, suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso, con altre otto carmelitane, salpò per il Medio Oriente.
Il 6 settembre era a Gerusalemme e l’11 giunse a Betlemme, dove fu costruito il primo monastero carmelitano a forma di torre sulla “collina di Davide”, secondo un progetto ideato da lei stessa, che diresse anche i lavori di costruzione: fu inaugurato il 24 settembre 1876 e il 21 novembre le suore poterono entrarvi.
Progettò anche la fondazione di un Carmelo a Nazareth, dove si recò nel 1878 a vedere il terreno adatto; si recò in pellegrinaggio anche ad Ain Karem, ad Emmaus, al Monte Carmelo e ad Abellin, senza perdere il contatto con la presenza di Dio un solo istante.
Fece arrivare in Terra Santa i Padri di Betharram, fondati da san Michele Garicoïts, per i quali si adoperò per l’approvazione delle Costituzioni. Umile e illetterata, seppe dare consigli e spiegazioni teologiche con chiarezza cristallina, frutto del dialogo continuo con lo Spirito Santo. Lo Spirito la faceva partecipe degli avvenimenti anche lontani, del mondo cattolico, dalle missioni in Asia all’attività apostolica del “suo” papa Pio IX, alla cui morte partecipò in estasi, il 7 febbraio 1878; sempre in estasi, partecipò all’elezione del successore, papa Leone XIII.
Continuò a vivere a Betlemme i suoi ultimi anni della sua breve esistenza, fra estasi, visioni, levitazioni, bilocazioni, stimmate, ma anche tormenti demoniaci, ossessioni del maligno. Sempre più attratta da Dio, pregava: «Non posso più vivere, o Dio, non posso più vivere. Chiamami a te!».
Il 22 agosto del 1878, mentre trasportava due secchi d’acqua per dare da bere ai muratori che lavoravano nel giardino del monastero, cadde inciampando su una cassetta di gerani fioriti e si ruppe un braccio in più parti. Mentre la soccorrevano mormorò: «È finita»; il giorno dopo s’era già sviluppata la cancrena. Alle cinque del mattino del 26 agosto, baciando per l’ultima volta il crocifisso, morì a soli 32 anni. Fu tumulata nello stesso convento carmelitano di Betlemme.
La buona fama di suor Maria di Gesù Crocifisso, definita “Kedise” (“Santa”) sia da cristiani che da musulmani, ha portato all’apertura del processo per la sua beatificazione. La fase informativa durò dal 1919 al 1922, mentre il 23 luglio 1924 giunse il decreto sugli scritti. La fase apostolica, successiva all’introduzione della causa il 18 maggio 1927, si svolse dal 1928 al 1929; la convalida di entrambe le fasi avvenne il 19 novembre 1930. La sua causa venne ripresa dopo la seconda guerra mondiale: il 27 novembre 1981 fu pubblicato il decreto che la dichiarava Venerabile.
A seguito dell’inchiesta diocesana su un probabile miracolo, il 9 luglio 1983 venne promulgato il decreto per la beatificazione, celebrata da san Giovanni Paolo II il 13 novembre 1983, durante l’Anno Santo della Redenzione. Un ulteriore miracolo, segno della sua continua intercessione, è stato approvato con decreto del 6 dicembre 2014.
Il 17 maggio 2015, in piazza San Pietro a Roma, papa Francesco ha ufficialmente posto alla venerazione di tutta la Chiesa cattolica questa “piccola araba” e altre tre Beate: la sua conterranea suor Maria Alfonsina Danil Ghattas, suor Giovanna Emilia De Villeneuve e madre Maria Cristina dell’Immacolata Concezione (Adelaide Brando).
Autore: Antonio Borrelli ed Emilia Flocchini
Note: Nella Chiesa universale è ricordata il 26 agosto, mentre in quello
dell’Ordine Carmelitano la sua memoria liturgica cade il 25 agosto.
