Today we commemorate the 360th anniversary of the death of the venerated Mother Maria Electa of Jesus, the founder of the Prague Carmel.
My most dignified, most obedient mother,
I easily believe, dear mother, that Your Dignity thinks I have forgotten you, because I write to you so seldom. However, I am not the kind who would forget my dear mother so soon, but time in this monastery, especially for the prior, is very precious.
I sincerely regret, Your Dignity, that you are so burdened by illness, yet, dear mother, we must let Our Lord act, who, out of the love He has for you, directs everything for the greater good of Your Dignity. And so there is nothing better than to let Him act. The fact that you are often ill does not necessarily mean that you will die soon, even though it is good to live as if we should die today. And to tell the truth, we will die very soon, because our life passes quickly. It is necessary, dear mother, that Your Dignity practice trust in God greatly, and completely and in all things surrender into His goodness and infinite mercy, and this greatly helps us to lose the fear that often deeply unsettles us…
(br. Simon of St. Paul OCD,
letter to the venerated Mother Electa /1605–1663/, January 3, 1663, a week before her death)
