The Maréchale (Catherine Booth-Clibborn)Strahan, James
Religion
The Maréchale (Catherine Booth-Clibborn)
Strahan, James
Booth-Clibborn, Catherine, 1860-1955
Thus she revealed herself to men who know that the care of all cares is
the "cure" of souls—_cura curarum cura animarum_. She warned them that
the "apostolic life," the most Christ-like of all vocations, is only for
those who are willing to "fill up that which is lacking of the
sufferings of Christ." Prayer and fasting, love and sacrifice, real
asceticism combined with joyful enthusiasm are the conditions of success
in the never-ending warfare with evil. The world will always be a broad
field of battle. But the living Christ gives so much of His real
presence that His service is liberty and His rewards are sure. No
breath of human praise can compare with the fervent and life-long
gratitude which souls rescued from the powers of darkness bear to their
deliverer. Since the Maréchale laid aside the French language—-perhaps
only for a time—and resumed her mother-tongue, she has received
literally thousands of English letters from both continents testifying
to blessings received through her ministry. I here give a few carefully
selected extracts from these letters with a few words of introduction.
One Sunday morning, as the Maréchale was about to address a large
congregation, the minister whispered to her: "You see those two young
ladies in black, if you can do anything with them, it would be a
miracle."
In one of the after-meetings of the mission, the Maréchale approached
the elder of these ladies and ventured to speak with her, but intense
reserve on her part made conversation impossible. A cloud of utter
despair seemed to have settled on her spirit. The look in her eyes
revealed sorrow too deep for words.
This is her story:
"At twelve o’clock one night I was returning home from business with my
mother and only sister. I found the body of my father hanging in the
corridor! I was so horrified that for a moment I could not move, then,
recovering my presence of mind, I put out the lights and called my
mother and sister to another door, just in time to prevent them seeing
the sight. _But I can never forget it!_
"Then my mother’s health broke down, and for four years I faithfully
watched and cared for her.
"During this second painful trial I received the startling news that my
dearest and only brother had met with a serious accident while driving
his own automobile. On arriving at the hospital in all haste I was met
with the words, ’Too late.’ He was gone! The scene which followed is
too terrible for me to speak of. We adored him! The effects of the
shock hastened my mother’s death. We said good-bye to her, and oh, the
recollection of it haunts me still.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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