Elisabeth of the Trinity - on Spirit and Truth

Elisabeth of the Trinity was a Carmelite nun who died in 1906 of Addison's Disease. Prior to beatifying her in 1984, John Paul II identified her as one of the most influential French mystics in his own life of prayer. He appreciated the intimacy with the Holy Trinity she promotes in her writings. This intimacy is not only one of prayer but also action, prayer and action centered on Jesus. In the following passage, she reflects on the encounter of Jesus with the Woman at the Well. At one point in this encounter, Jesus explains that God the Father seeks worshippers "in spirit and in truth:" "To give joy to His Heart, let us be these true adorers. Let us adore Him in "spirit," that is, with our hearts and our thoughts fixed on Him, and our mind filled with His knowledge imparted by the light of faith. Let us adore Him in "truth," that is by our works for it is above all by our actions that we show we are true: this is to do always what is pleasing to the Father whose children we are. And finally, let us "adore in spirit and in truth," that is, through Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ, for He alone is the true Adorer in spirit and truth." Complete Works, vol. I, I Have Found God, trans. Sr. Aletheia Kane, O.C.D., Washington D.C.: ICS (1984). p 108. Her feast day is Nov. 8.