Today is the memorial of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity - the patron saint of our OCDS community. She has been largely instrumental in keeping me grounded in Carmel. Not by her writings but by her similarity with my life.
To begin with, both of us are born in July. Both of our fathers have been in the defence forces and both were smokers and heavy drinkers. Both of us have a fiery temper and both of us love gardens. Both of us have been influenced by the writings of St. Paul and both of us feel close to Mary Magdalene.
So initially, it was St. Elizabeth of the Trinity who motivated me to be a Carmelite. I did a lot of research on her and started loving Carmel and the idea of being a Carmelite.
I owe my Carmel love and respect to her.
If today I feel the honour and proud privilege of being a Carmelite, it is because of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.
But the reason I did not take her name as my religious name is that every other person was taking it. But most importantly, it is Mary Magdalene's love for Jesus that inspires me. Somehow the idea of being Jesus' Magdalene is what keeps me going in life.
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