Aug 26th - Mary of Jesus Crucified

Sometimes I wonder if because of tragedy we are drawn to tragedy. Mary, the thirtheenth child lost twelve sibling and her parents. Moved to Egypt by her uncle, and at twelve, when a servant failed to convert her from Christianity, he slit her throat and dumped her body, leaving her for dead. She survived, aided she said by an apparition of Mary. She abandoned her uncle's home and worked as a domestic. I would think that by this point, at such a young age, most of us would let our lives be ruled by tragedy.
By 24 she entered the Carmelites and began to be surrounded by many supernatural experience from fighting off demonic possession for 40 days, receiving the stigmata, levitatation, prophecy, finally dying of gangrene following an injury received during the construction of a Bethlehem monastery.
Tragedy and daily difficulties seemed to followe her about her whole life, yet they seemed to have no negative effect on her attitude to God, and if anything heightened it.
It is logical that she would be drawn to the Crucifiction but, in a triumph over worldly wisdom, she was drawn to it for its redemptive power.
Mary pray that we can view our tragedies and dailly struggles into blessings and joy.

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Here in the peace of the Lord reposes Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, professed religious of the white veil. A soul of singular graces, she was conspicuous for her humility, her obedience and her charity. Jesus, the sole love of her heart called her to Himself in the 33rd year of her age and the 12th year of her religious life at Bethlehem, 26 August 1878.

-- Inscribed on her tombstone