I ask Mother Mary to stand at the door of my heart...

Between 1933 and 1938, Father Faure, then parish priest of Châteauneuf-de-Galaure (a small town in France), faithfully recounted in small diaries the words he heard when each Friday Marthe Robin (1), his parishioner, bedridden because of an illness, relived the Passion of Jesus.

In one of his notebooks, Father Faure wrote that, in the first days of November 1921, Marthe was wounded by Love before the altar of the Blessed Virgin:

"The Blessed Virgin holds such an important place in Marthe's spiritual journey that she prepares herself for Eucharistic communion by praying the Rosary. Many pray with her on Wednesday evenings when the priest usually brings her Communion. For Marthe, this is not an abstract exercise, but a real preparation—in order to be worthy to receive communion, she entrusts herself to Mary:

"Come O God of my heart, my joy, my love, my life, my everything, your little bride is hungry and thirsty to receive you, to love you and to give herself wholly to you alone. I ASK MOTHER MARY TO STAND AT THE DOOR OF MY HEART TO RECEIVE HER JESUS HERSELF; I beg my guardian angel and all the saints, our little angel whom I feel here very close, to pray for me and with me, and I say again to Jesus: My little soul is waiting and yearns for you; how good you are, O King of my heart, to want to come and live in me!” (Aug. 18, 1930).

(1) Venerable Marthe Robin (March 13, 1902 - February 6, 1981), was a French Roman Catholic mystic and stigmatist and foundress of the Foyers de charité ("Foyers of Light, Charity and Love.") She became bedridden when she was 21 years old and remained so until her death. According to witnesses she ate nothing for many, many years apart from receiving the Holy Eucharist.

Workshop by Father Dominique Bostyn

International Conference at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, 2004