MARIE JULIE JAHENNY: Lessons on the Importance of Prayer

MARIE JULIE JAHENNY: 

Lessons on the Importance of Prayer

Eyewitness account by Abbé Gouron: An unknown martyr comes to visit: St. Grelut – The Necessity of Prayer, Especially Mental Prayer – Mental Prayer Bread of the Soul – Which Type of Mental Prayer is More Pleasing to God

Ecstasy date November 6, 1878.

“We are three travel companions: Father Le Golf, vicar of Plougoumelen, Father Bihan, vicar of Mériadec and I. On Wednesday, November 6, 1878, we took the train to St. Anne. The next day we were walking towards Fraudais, a small country village, famous for the presence of the stigmatized Marie-Julie ... We are in the mud of a dirty road that leads directly into the hamlet so desired.

We entered, it was on Thursday evening about half past one. A young peasant came to receive us, and her first word is this: "We do not accept strangers on Thursday."

Her mother, a woman of 60 years, came out of a room, she considered us and repeated the same refusal. However, we said we came from afar to attend the ecstasy today.

“That does not matter,” she replied, “we can not accept visits on Friday.”

Then after a moment's reflection, she says:

“Where are you from?”

“We are from the vicinity of Sainte-Anne d'Auray.”

At the name of Saint Anne, there is a comforting smile on all their faces:

“So you who have written from Sainte-Anne Auray?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“We do not accept strangers on Thursdays, however, enter.”

And the door to the room opens. We are in a sanctuary. Vis-à-vis from the door in the end of the room, there is a bed, and on the bed, there was lying on their back, a person of 28 years. Although fully clothed, she was under blankets that were folded up to her chest to leave her arms out. Her hands were joined to hold and tighten two crucifixes with a few wild flowers, if the flowers were natural or not, I do not know. Her head rested gently on a pillow, and her eyes remained closed as in ecstatic sleep. From the first glance, I saw very well the crown of thorns and the stigmata of her hands. She was there, speaking in a slow voice, accentuated and strong enough. Beside her in the casing of the window was a man bent over a hand(ful) of paper: He wrote with all the speed of his fingers, the words that fell from the lips of the stigmatist. This scribe is an old notary from Nantes who, like Clement Brentano, left everything to gather the visions and revelations of Marie-Julie.

(Note: Clemens Brentano was a German author who set aside his career to record the famous biblical revelations of Bl.. Catherine Emmerich.)

The noise of us as we sat in chairs, passed completely unnoticed. The ecstatic saw and heard nothing. So finally, we gave her ear. For three hours, Monsieur Charbonnier, the former notary wrote what was dictated by the young person. But as we were forbidden to take notes, I can only remember the main ideas that I will try to coordinate (reproduce) here.

First, she spoke of a Saint and this Saint would be there before the eyes of her soul, dictating what she had to say. At the time of our entrance, she said:

“Your name, O Saint, is difficult to pronounce.”

“My name is Grelut,” said the Saint.

Here, as at the end of each sentence, the stigmatist experienced a very pronounced chest movement as if to breathe in the Holy Spirit. Then she continued:

“It was,” he said (St. Grelut), “during the great persecution. I was lying on iron bars. They had put under my body hot coals, they also put them equally on top, so I was locked in fire, as in a tomb. Never,” said the Saint, “did I spend a day so delectable! The next day I was tied to a pole topped with iron spikes. They bound me with small bands covered with sharp points. They opened my chest with a sharp cutting instrument, and they introduced flaming coals by this wide opening that they reclosed by means of strips, the hour of my deliverance was at hand,” says the Saint. “My body was thrown into the river and my soul flew to heaven.”

Then comes a beautiful description of heaven, it is impossible to reproduce.

After this historical vision, Marie-Julie was silent for three or four minutes. Then, as if waking up, she breathed strongly and spoke on another topic.

“I see,” she says, “the Holy Spirit descending from heaven. I see Him resemble a dove. He says 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. I come to spread on the earth a spirit of love, a spirit of truth, knowledge, wisdom. Let us rest a moment in the Heart of Our Lord before entering the Holy Novitiate in the love and the splendours of God.'

While waiting for the continuation, we chat among ourselves. I remember also that she is in the 13th degree of her novitiate. (I.e. The Holy Novitiate of the Cross). It is the mystic ladder that she climbs gradually as she advances in holiness. This ladder is only 14 degrees, Jesus walked the 14 degrees Himself since there are 14 stations in the Stations of the Cross. So when she has mounted the 14th, her novitiate is completed and she will enter eternal splendour. Louise Lateau also journeys (spiritually) on the same mystical ladder and it is said she was some time ago in the fifth degree.

(Note: Ann Louis Lateau was a Belgian mystic and stigmatist. 1850-1883. She has been officially declared a “Servant of God” and her cause for beatification was opened in 1991.)

This is the awakening, we listen: here she (Marie-Julie) talks about the mystic study, that is to say the highest part of theology that St. Thomas, St. Therese, Saint Francis de Sales have cultivated so much. After a magnificent preamble in which the words dictated show that the Holy Spirit speaks for Itself, It addresses the prayer of the soul, that is to say one of the most sublime parts of the mystical divine.

“The soul,” says the Holy Spirit, “needs to pray. Its prayer ascends to God as a pleasant fragrance. God hears and immediately there descends upon this soul a heavenly dew which penetrates, moistens it and fragrances it. Strengthened by these graces, the soul ascends to God. Its prayer rises to the throne of the Eternal, and there, turns into thousands of little pearls. In the middle of each of these little gems is the object of the prayer. God hears and causes to descend on (the soul) a great pearl full of the riches and divine grandeurs. This large pearl penetrates the soul and fills it with virtues. The soul in this state lives only for God and, like its Beloved, is eager to carry His cross. Oh! They are happy to suffer on earth,” says the Holy Spirit.

Then, with admirable developments, she shows the immortal soul, taking her cross by communication with her body all the effects of this carrying of the cross. First come the stigmata, then the delivery of all the corporal necessities of the cross. “I see,” she said, “the pipes that accept their refreshment.”

(Note: “Pipes”? Strange expression that I am unable to translate from the French. Could be a reference to 'conduits', i.e. the sources of grace that come from the Cross.)

Finally, demonstrating the cross became the only consolation, the only hope, happiness of the soul and body. Then she exclaimed:

"How happy we are to suffer on earth. The Cross, said the Holy Spirit is the pledge of love that the Spouse gives to His spouse. The Holy Spirit told me that the work of high contemplation is much more tiring than the work of all the earth, we need to relax a moment."

Then she was silent for about five minutes. Suddenly we see her chest rise, breathing strongly and she recommences as follows:

“The Holy Spirit reminds me right now with a very short word about mental prayer. Mental prayer is the bread of the soul, the fortress of the soul. 'Three things are absolutely necessary,' He said, 'He, God, to make mental prayer. The first, that the soul penetrates this thought; that it speaks to its God, its sovereign, its Creator, Redeemer, and that it is detached from all exterior objects, it forgets all to move in God.'” Then he said, the Holy Spirit, 'It (the soul) must have a great uprightness (purity) of intention, a calm and untroubled mind, it must be (abased? i.e. brought low) in its meanness and its nothingness by a sincere humility.' Then she goes on to corroborate this thought by several beautiful periods of phrases. She ended by saying: “ 'This pleases God supremely,' says the Holy Spirit.

Meanwhile, He said, He, the Holy Spirit: 'The meditation by words is less perfect than the meditation by thoughts, for certain words are sufficient to preoccupy the mind and lead it off of prayer. Just a thought to meditate for an hour or even two hours,' said the Holy Spirit 'is what the soul feeds on and advances it quickly in perfection. This is how it takes off and flies like a dove to the bosom of God.'.”

At this moment, Marie-Julie was silent. The ecstasy came to an end because it was 4½. (i.e., the time of day, 4:30?) However, she raised her voice again to say that the Holy Spirit would close the way, and invited her to rest.

Then occurred the return of ecstasy. I approached the bed and I bent my head to understand the words she whispered, holding her crucifix to her lips. There she was, eyes open and the pupils fixed looking to the sky. Her tears flowed and her lips murmured against the crucifix these broken words: "My sweet Jesus, inflame me. I pray for X and X". However, the way was closed more and more, (i.e., the light by which she saw heavenly things?) she would be on the earth. So it was with an outpouring of grief and unspeakable love she whispered these words:

"Oh, still on this earth!"

Deeply impressed by this last scene, we left wishing good night to the family and telling him (we would) see him tomorrow. Before leaving that day, I still want to add one thing very remarkable, and which I myself experienced. While Marie-Julie was silent in this state I would call a sleep of ecstasy, we got up to give her our blessing. The ecstatic remained in her immobility and did not notice it. So, we wet the tip of our fingers in holy water, and we commenced. Surprising! Every blessing, she trembled without opening her eyes, but with a visible air of joy and pleasure. We repeated the experiment several times and always with the same success. This was the Thursday visit.

At five and a half, (5:30) we were in the mud, coming painfully to Blain, but the heart was happy.”

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