A Rose Blossoming Among Thorns

The prophet Isaiah proclaims these words concerning Christ’s Church: “The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: the glory of Libanus is given to it: the beauty of Carmel and Saron, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the beauty of our God” (Is. 35:1-3)

The Catholic Church is the New Jerusalem, the New Chosen People of God, continually springing forth new fruits through the heroic lives of Saints. Palestine, that holy land, is hallowed by Mary Immaculate, through the coming of the Word made Flesh, hallowed by His most sacred feet and blessed by receiving His sacrifice on Calvary for the salvation of all mankind. It is the cradle of the early Church, a land that is permeated with a peace and mystery beyond telling. Sorrowful to say, peace in the Holy Land is something little known today. A country that at one time had a large population of Christians is now dwindling through migration — a result of fear and violence. Despite the hopeless attitude we may take to the situation, Jesus has planted a flower in His own region of Galilee to whom we can turn for intercession to obtain peace: Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified.

Jesus, our dearest Savior is the Divine Gardener. This Saint is a seed He planted gently into good soil in the Galilean village of Abellin over a hundred and sixty years ago. Little Mariam was born on January 5th 1846, under the Pontificate of Blessed Pius IX, being the answer to the prayers of George and Mary Baouardy, a pious Greek-Melkite Catholic couple. Indeed, she was to be the apple of their eyes, the treasure of the poor, humble, little household, for, prior to her arrival, they endured the sorrow of having lost all twelve previous infants shortly after birth. Blessed Mary’s parents made a journey on foot to Bethlehem to beg the intercession of the Mother of God for a baby girl. They promised they would name their daughter in her honor and give alms for the divine services consisting of an amount of beeswax equal to the child’s weight at the age of three. The heavenly mother heard their plea. The Beata also had a brother named Paul born not that long after. Little Mariam began her “Way of the Cross” at the tender age of three with the sudden death of her parents leaving both brother and sister orphans. Members of the extended family took them in, causing Paul and Mariam to remain separated the rest of their lives.

It is not certain at what age, but while living with her new family in Alexandria, God made use of an event that placed in her heart the seed of a religious vocation. Some pet birds of Mariam had died and while burying them she had the first of many mystical experiences. Jesus in the depths of her soul said: “This is how all things pass away! If you are willing to give me your heart, I will always remain with you!” She responded with a generous YES. An even greater delight was granted to her to receive Holy Communion at the age of seven — something unheard of at this time. Added to this was the permission to communicate weekly. Gradually she began to have an increasing distaste for the things of the world desiring only the Lord. Mariam wanted to give her entire self to the Lord but her relatives had other things in mind. In the Middle Eastern countries it is not uncommon for marriages to be arranged at a very young age. This is exactly what was looming in the imminent future; and to this angelic girl of thirteen, her virginity meant too much for her to sacrifice. As a sign of her total consecration to Jesus, she cut off her hair as a refusal of the proposed espousal. With the help of Mary Immaculate she endured the harshness of the family with heroic patience and other trials culminating in a most frightful event which some writers refer to as her “Baptism of blood.”

Mariam, seeking solace in midst of the turbulent home of her extended family, sought to invite her brother Paul for a visit. Unfortunately, the household servant she confided in to be the courier of the letter was a Muslim with a ferocious hatred towards Christians. He tried to get her to apostatize from the Catholic Faith and when she would not, the brutal man slit her throat with his ritual scimitar leaving her for dead in an alley way. Left bleeding and alone, Jesus’ little rose was miraculously resuscitated by Mary, His Immaculate Mother, appearing as a nun dressed in blue and healing the gaping wound on her throat. After being fed and comforted by this Heavenly Mother, Mariam began to work as a servant girl in Jerusalem, Beirut, and Egypt, but never stayed in one place for long. Finally, at the age of seventeen she found a place with an Arab Christian family and served as the cook of the house for two years.

Those who are fond of gardening naturally know that there are times when plants need to be trimmed or even transplanted in order to thrive in better soil. This in fact is what God did with His rose, transplanting her to the lush and fertile soil of Marseilles, France in May 1863. It was there that her mystical experiences began to abound. Out of obedience, Blessed Mariam, in her writings, tells of her visions of Heaven, Purgatory and Hell, an ecstasy lasting four days! Her confessor came to the realization that there was something very special about this humble Arab girl; and so he proceeded to assist her ardent wish to enter religious life. Difficulties in this were certainly not wanting as most Religious houses would not accept a poor illiterate woman as a candidate. At last, she was welcomed as a postulant in the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition in Marseilles. Things for the Saint went well until her mystical gifts began to manifest themselves in the community, the most extraordinary of these being her reception of the stigmata in 1866. Such was her humility and simplicity that she believed herself to have leprosy. Unaccustomed to witnessing such heavenly marvels, the community became disrupted and she was dismissed from the convent.

All was not for loss, for in 1867, Jesus once more plucked Blessed Mariam and planted her with a permanent religious family at the Carmelite monastery at Pau in the southwestern part of France. The ecstasies and stigmatic phenomenon continued and she also suffered much from Satan who attacked her frequently, even physically. During the years of 1870-1872 she journeyed to Mangalore, India where she made her profession of vows receiving the religious name Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified. Her humility being most profound in the midst of such extraordinary experiences, she declined frequently the entreaties of fellow sisters for her to become a choir sister. Blessed Mariam always preferred to remain hidden and unnoticed like her Divine Spouse. The legacy that she left to the Universal Church was the founding of a Carmel in Bethlehem in 1878. With the generous help of a wealthy pious laywoman our Saint was able to complete the task after much suffering and labor. For a completely illiterate woman, the founding of the Bethlehem Carmel was truly miraculous as she organized and designed everything herself, not to mention helping in the actual construction! Unfortunately, in August of 1878, during the building process, she fell and broke her arm which developed gangrene that poisoned her system and on the 26th of August at the age of 33, Our Lord called her to Himself. Jesus waited no time in manifesting the heroic sanctity of His little spouse. The same day she passed into eternal life, an inexplicable rainbow was seen over the Carmel and one of the convent sisters testified to her visiting in a dream. In addition, the fragrance of flowers could be detected in the monastery and there was bleeding from cloths she used to wipe her stigmata. Miraculous cures were soon to follow.

In 1983, a little over a hundred years since her passing, Pope John Paul II inscribed Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified in the catalogue of the “Blessed”. On this occasion, he expressed his hope that through her intercession a just peace may be restored in Palestine. In view of the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict to the Holy Land let us renew our zeal in praying for peace. By the same token, as good Catholics, we should also pray for the conversion of the Jewish people that the Lord will lift the veil of darkness from them, giving them the precious gift of faith in Jesus Christ as the only Messiah. This will be highly pleasing to His Sacred Heart and also will be very much according to the desire Blessed Mary Baouardy had for the conversion of sinners, especially those of her homeland. As the Holy Father journeys to take Christ’s presence and comfort there, let us likewise strive to bring Jesus and the Catholic faith to others each day of our lives.

Copyright 2009 Catholic Exchange

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