“When I was still a child, and before I was old enough to receive Jesus in Communion, I used to rush to the front door to greet my mother when she returned from Mass. There I stood on tiptoe to reach up to her and cried, 'I want God too!' My mother would bend down and softly breathe on my lips; I immediately left her, and placing my hands across my chest, full of joy and faith, jumping for joy I would keep repeating: 'I have received God too! I have received God too!”
Bl. Maria Candida, ora pro nobis
March 21st is the Feast of Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist, Virgin and Mystic. Born on January 16, 1884 in Catanzaro, Calabria, Maria Barba felt the calling to a religious life at an early age, but was discouraged by her family. Receiving her First Holy Communion on April 3, 1894 in Palermo, Sicily (her parents' hometown), she had a strong devotion to the Eucharist. Finally entering the Order of the Discalced Carmelites in 1919, she assumed the name Maria Candida of the Eucharist and made her solemn profession on April 23, 1924. Eventually serving as Prioress and Mistress of Novices at her convent in Ragusa, Sicily, Mother Candida wrote extensively about the Mystery of the Eucharist. She died of cancer on June 12, 1949.
During his homily at the Beatification of Four Servants of God in St. Peter’s Square on March 21, 2004, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Pope St. John Paul II said of her
Carmelite Prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God, Who, by the breath of the Spirit, inspired Blessed Maria Candida, virgin, to contemplate the riches of the Eucharist, by her intercession, grant we beseech you, that gratefully offering the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may always glorify You in this Sacrament, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen
Sources:
• http://www.meditationsfromcarmel.com/content/blessed-maria-candida-euchrist
• http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2004/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20040321_beatifications.html
• http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20040321_candida_en.html
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| Relic at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Newark, New Jersey |
Maria Barba became a 'new creature' who offered her entire life to God in Carmel, where she received the name Maria Candida of the Eucharist. She was an authentic mystic of the Eucharist; she made it the unifying centre of her entire life, following the Carmelite tradition and particularly the examples of St. Teresa of Jesus and of St. John of the Cross.
She fell so deeply in love with the Eucharistic Jesus that she felt a constant, burning desire to be a tireless apostle of the Eucharist. I am sure that Bl. Maria Candida is continuing to help the Church from Heaven, to assure the growth of her sense of wonder at and love for this supreme Mystery of our faith.In celebration, I’m posting the Carmelite Prayer for Blessed Maria Candida. The photo of the relic of Bl. Maria Candida at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Newark, New Jersey comes courtesy of Eric Lavin. Evviva Beata Candida!
Carmelite Prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God, Who, by the breath of the Spirit, inspired Blessed Maria Candida, virgin, to contemplate the riches of the Eucharist, by her intercession, grant we beseech you, that gratefully offering the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may always glorify You in this Sacrament, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen
Sources:
• http://www.meditationsfromcarmel.com/content/blessed-maria-candida-euchrist
• http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2004/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20040321_beatifications.html
• http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20040321_candida_en.html
