St Elizabeth of the Holy Trinity

Elizabeth was born into a military family and she was the oldest child. Her father was a captain and he died when Elizabeth was only 7 years old. Because she was the oldest child, she had many responsibilities as she grew up. But she had a very bad temper which she couldn't control very well... until she had her First Communion. Receiving Communion brought her closer to Jesus and this relationship helped her to control herself more. As she grew up she loved Jesus more and more and she decided she wanted to join the Carmelite convent close to home so that she could give her whole life to Jesus. Her mother did not want her to go; she wanted her to marry one of the many men who had asked Elizabeth to marry them. Elizabeth said no and she joined the convent when she was 21 years old. She felt so close to Jesus in the convent; whether she was doing a chore or praying, she knew Jesus was with her. She didn’t live a very long life - she was only 26 years old when she died - but she wrote down many things about God to help us get closer to Him, too. She tells us that we should hold on to God just by loving Him and to let God speak to us by being quiet and listening for His voice. She says that by holding on to God and listening to Him, He will change us slowly into Himself. She loved the mystery of God in the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and would spent a lot of time praying to God in His three person. One simple prayer that she left for us to say too is, “Holy Trinity Whom I Adore”. Before she died she said, “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!”