Contents

Introduction xvii

Part One: KeepClosetoGodLet us pray 3

Only one prayer MaySarton 3Our part CaryllHouselander 4Letting go CaryllHouselander 5Letting God BettyFord 6Don’t give up SaintJulieBilliart 7Remove the mask ElizabethStuart 8Like a child to her father SaintJulieBilliart 9Eyes shut or eyes open? ElizabethStuart 10Pray with your whole heart SaintMechthildofMagdeburg 11Where shall I find God? FlorenceNightingale 12Our Father SaintTeresaofÁvila 13Pray with your lips BlessedBaptistaVarani 14Wisdom through prayer DameGertrudeMore 15

Don’t hang up—hang on 16

Waiting for the answer VictoriaLidiard 16Practicing the presence of God FlorenceAllshorn 17Staying awake KateCompston 18

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Silence SaintJulieBilliart 19In the dark EugeniaPrice 20Clinging to God SaintJulieBilliart 21Trust—like a cat CaryllHouselander 22God keeps his promises MargaretCundiff 23Being God’s friend EugeniaPrice 24Offertory and consecration CaryllHouselander 25See me through HarrietTubman 26A vision on the eve of martyrdom SaintPerpetua 27

Growing in faith, hope, and love 28

Bible reading CatherineMarshallLeSourd 28Letting things fall MadameGuyon 29Dangerous saints MargaretBondfield 30Learning faith, hope, and love FlorenceAllshorn 32The disciplines of life AnneOrtlund 33A new relationship with Mary EmilieGriffin 34Keep the path clear EugeniaPrice 35On receiving a gift SaintBridgetofSweden 36A gift of faith ElizabethBlackwell 37Awareness of God MargaretBondfield 38The hardest lesson HannahMore 39Ready to obey MadameGuyon 40Guard the city of your soul SaintCatherineofSiena 41Seven jewels in a crown of patience SaintBridgetofSweden 42If they had known HarrietTubman 43Advice to a religious person BlessedBaptistaVarani 44

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Fly toward God BlessedBaptistaVarani 45Thou shalt not worry LucieChristine 46Keeping a journal record SisterMaryCecilia 47Cooperating with grace SaintCatherineofGenoa 48

Facing the facts 49

All sinners together CaryllHouselander 49Down-to-earth holiness BlessedJulianofNorwich 50If Jesus is for us MargaretCundiff 51Christ in the sinner CaryllHouselander 52Chance after chance MargaretCundiff 53Run and ask forgiveness HannahWhitallSmith 54The basis of new life MaryF.Smith 55Give me your grace MargaretCundiff 56Love without strings ElizabethStuart 57Trying too hard MargaretHebblethwaite 58God wants to forgive HannahWhitallSmith 59Only afterward ElizabethStuart 61Witness through weakness LinBerwick 62God in our failure MariaBoulding 63Shipwrecked in the port of religion? BlessedBaptistaVarani 64

Part Two: RealLives,RealPainNo insurance policy—only grace 67

Being human Anonymous,quotedbyElizabethStuart 67The grace to endure JoAnnKelleySmith 68Forgivable failures MargaretHebblethwaite 69

c o n t e n t s     •    ix

Nothing is your own SaintCatherineofSiena 70Give me courage MargaretCundiff 71Not alone BarbaraPiller 72Bad times—and good CaryllHouselander 73Unshakable foundation MaryEndersbee 74Communion CaryllHouselander 76A small and imperfect instrument LucieChristine 77God carries us LucieChristine 78

God is there for us 79

Words of strength BlessedJulianofNorwich 79Jesus makes the difference CatherineMarshallLeSourd 80Faith reaffirmed BettyFord 81Not broken CaryllHouselander 82Real peace EugeniaPrice 83A mother’s fears MargaretHebblethwaite 84A mother’s last words to her daughter AmyCarmichael 85Turn the carpet HannahMore 86A wonderful friend AidaSkripnikova 87I have a guardian angel AttributedtoSaintAgnes 88Opening the door to the Spirit CatherineMarshallLeSourd 89Perfect peace AnneOrtlund 90Balance and serenity BettyFord 91God brings about the issue FlorenceAllshorn 92Be still, my soul KatharinavonSchlegel 93

x    •    c o n t e n t s

On death and dying 94

Voice of experience Anelderlywidow 94In death and eternal life JoanPorterBuxton 95Shadows of glory CaryllHouselander 96Fearing death JoAnnKelleySmith 97No fear FlorenceAllshorn 98The leap of faith JoAnnKelleySmith 99Into the hands of Infinite Love CaryllHouselander 100Death of a sister BlessedMaryoftheAngels 101Love creates love CaryllHouselander 102Incomprehensible love MargaretHebblethwaite 103Sorrow irrigates CicelySaundersandMaryCraig 104Reach out in power and love MargaretCundiff 105

Good out of evil 106

Hard times, and sweet CaryllHouselander 106My purpose is to receive EnidHenke 107Lesson in pain JoanPorterBuxton 108Real healing LinBerwick 109Entitled—by suffering CorrietenBoom 110Released from fear JosephineHilton 111A limit to self-pity CicelySaundersandMaryCraig 112Taking stock CicelySaundersandMaryCraig 113Blessings outweigh ValerieHadert 114Counting blessings EugeniaPrice 115Good out of all evil MargaretSpufford 116How great is God’s love PaulineWebb 117

c o n t e n t s     •    xi

The suffering creator MargaretSpufford 119Share the stories GwenCashmoreandJoanPuls 120The people we need CaryllHouselander 121Affirm me JoAnnKelleySmith 122Don’t give up on me MargaretCundiff 123A happy Christ FlorenceAllshorn 124

Part Three: TheRealWorldOur daily work 127

Spend it wisely SaintJulieBilliart 127Start where we are ElizabethFoxHoward 128Real Christian work DorothyL.Sayers 129Drop by drop MotherTeresaofCalcutta 131Today CaryllHouselander 132The imprint of Jesus MargaretCundiff 133Into all the world HannahMore 134Advice for women in the world MargaretBlagge 135A blessing SaintClareofAssisi 136Women’s work ElizabethFry 137Faith and life MargaretHebblethwaite 138The results are not important SaintJulieBilliart 139Reverence for things MaryF.Smith 140Sweeping statement LoisWilson 141Gift and work EvelynBence 142Prayer and the cook SaintGertrudetheGreat 143The imperfect boss SaintGertrudetheGreat 144

xii    •    c o n t e n t s

Justice for all 145

Open KateMcIlhagga 145Individuals wanted SueRyder 147Turning the world upside down ElizabethStuart 148Thy kingdom come EvelynUnderhill 149Will he find faith on earth? JoanPuls 150Caring for the poor HannahMore 151An example of service ElizabethL.Comstock 152Nothing is too small for God ElizabethL.Comstock 153Giving from a distance CaryllHouselander 154The gospel of peace MargaretHolden 155Solidarity with the poor JanetMorley 156Great joy among the poor DorotheeSoelle 158The gift of liberation DorotheeSoelle 159The poor are our teachers DorotheeSoelle 160

The power of love 161

Real power PennyJamieson 161How we love one another FlorenceAllshorn 162Christian love HannahMore 163Do not ask . . . CorrietenBoom 164The servant SylviaMaryAlison 165Only channels CorrietenBoom 167Love like Jesus FlorenceAllshorn 168We do not love ElizabethGrayVining 169Children—the real VIPs MargaretCundiff 170Strong enough love CaryllHouselander 171The way of self or the way of love FlorenceAllshorn 172

c o n t e n t s     •    xiii

Much and warm loving SaintTeresaofÁvila 173Lessons in charity SaintThérèseofLisieux 174To a friar claiming his love better than hers SaintCatherineofGenoa 175Why we love SaintCatherineofSiena 176Head and heart SaintTeresaofÁvila 177

Life together 178

Only one course AidaSkripnikova 178Ships in the night FlorenceAllshorn 179Keeping on FlorenceAllshorn 180Careful with that plumb line! EugeniaPrice 181I give you TheGrailSociety 182A gift from God ElizabethGrayVining 183Go deep KateCompston 184You too can be a survivor BettyFord 185Harvest festival CaryllHouselander 186Special Sunday MargaretCundiff 187What good is freedom? AidaSkripnikova 188Messengers MartaWilhelmsson 189Christ for the world ASisterfromBukidnon 190Married or unmarried FlorenceAllshorn 191Family or household? MarionBeales 192Changes FrancesRidleyHavergal 193Follow the light MargaretFairlessBarber 194How to negotiate LucieChristine 195Good judgment SisterMaryCecilia 196

xiv    •    c o n t e n t s

Part Four: TimetoRejoiceGratitude, thanksgiving, and praise 199

Celebrating Christmas MargaretHebblethwaite 199Bathed in light MargaretHebblethwaite 201The sheer loveliness of the world CaryllHouselander 202Holiday FlorenceAllshorn 203Give thanks EugeniaPrice 204Begin EugeniaPrice 205Say thank you MelodyBeattie 206Expect the good KatieWhitelegg 207Cheering us on HarrietBeecherStowe 208The God of all happiness SaintCatherineofSiena 209

The goodness of God 210

Jesus, my center and life BlessedMaryoftheAngels 210Drinking draughts of God MargaretHebblethwaite 212God loves us as we are ElizabethStuart 213God is there ElizabethStuart 214Ah, Mary we hardly know you KarenSummers 215My angel PaulineWebb 217Believe in God and make someone happy Olave,LadyBaden-Powell 218God understands MelodyBeattie 219God loves and keeps us BlessedJulianofNorwich 220God’s goodness to women CatherineBooth 221Certain of God’s help ElizabethFoxHoward 223God’s love is everywhere JosephineButler 224

c o n t e n t s     •    xv

The soul experiences life BlessedMarieoftheIncarnation 225Look forward EvelynUnderhill 226The goodness of created things SaintTeresaofÁvila 227

Seeing God face-to-face 228

God within us SaintTeresaofÁvila 228Accept God’s graces SaintTeresaofÁvila 229The interior castle SaintTeresaofÁvila 230What the heart enjoys with her God SaintVeronicaGiuliani 231The palace of love SaintVeronicaGiuliani 232All shall be well BlessedJulianofNorwich 233Prayer and a learned lady SaintGertrudetheGreat 235God is my being SaintCatherineofGenoa 236Union with God BlessedMarieoftheIncarnation 237Come into my soul BlessedMaryoftheAngels 238Timeless existence LucieChristine 239

AbouttheContributors 241

IndexofAuthors 253

IndexofSubjects 256

Acknowledgments 260

xvi    •    c o n t e n t s

Pa r t O n e

Keep Close to God

Women of vision keep close to God. Most pray. Some chat in friendly terms; some sit in silence. Some read the Bible, and some watch birds! All consider the time spent with their Heavenly Father as pivotal in their lives. It is from this space that they find the resources they need for their life, their work, and their growth as children of God. And they recognize that growth as needing application and dedication, just as in any gar-den. As one writer says, we need to keep the path clear!

But paths can easily become overgrown with weeds and so, too, do lives fall into sin and failure. Women of vision are honest about their failings. They recognize the masks we all hide behind—and they take them to God.

There is an assurance and a freedom to be who you are and to become who God wants you to be—fulfilled, filled with joy and his Spirit.

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Let us pray

Only one prayer

There is really only one possible prayer: Give me to do everything I do in the day with a sense of the sacredness of life. Give me to be in your presence, God, even though I know it only as absence.

May Sarton

�    •    k e e p c l o s e t o g o d

gOur part

We are only syllables of the perfect Word.

Caryll Houselander

l e t u s p r a y     •    �

gLetting go

I finally decided that I must give up stating the case in my prayers and telling God what I thought he ought to do, and instead just kneel down before God and put it before him simply by saying a name. Like the old peasant who had a bad foot. Since he did not know which was best for him, to be cured, to be lame, to be in pain or out of pain, he just went to church and said, “Lord—foot.”

Caryll Houselander

Dorothy Stewart is a freelance writer and editor. She has compiled a number of anthologies, including Women of Prayer (Loyola Press, 1999). Astonished to find women so poorly represented in tradi-tional anthologies of spiritual writing and prayer, she began the research that led to this collection.

Cover design by Shar Coulson/Amy Evans McClureCover art by Meltem Aktas

$17.95 U.S.

An anthology of spiritual words from women

across the centuries

ISBN 0-8294-1556-4

“Each page of Women of Vision offers stunning wisdom and golden insight, plus good old common sense . . . here is fresh spiritual fuel. Thank you, Dorothy Stewart and your most visionary women!” —Suzanne Strempek Shea, author of Lily of the Valley

“Dorothy Stewart’s use of women writers from the past to the pres-ent celebrates the need for God in a meaty and realistic way that offers both hope and challenge for the searcher. . . . The faith expe-rience of these magnificent women is deeply grounded in who they are in relationship to God.” —Joan Margret Schwager, R.S.M., Council of Women Religious

Spirituality/Inspirational Wom

en of Vision

Stewart

led by dorothy

Women of

Vision

Compiled by dorothy Stewart

“I always told God, I’m going to hold steady on you, an’ you’ve got to see me through.” —Harriet Tubman

“We are neither factories nor reservoirs

of [God’s] love, only channels. When we

understand that, all excuse for pride is

eliminated.”

—Corrie ten Boom

“It may be a drop in the ocean, but the

ocean is made up of drops.”

—Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Spanning decades and continents, this remarkable collection is a testa-ment to the vitality of women’s spiri-tual writing. Dorothy Stewart’s latest anthol-ogy, compiled in the style of her highly regarded Women of Prayer, offers a wonderful example of this rich tradition of inspirational writ-ing. From age-old to contemporary, Stewart’s selections feature works from Saint Gertrude the Great and Florence Nightingale to Betty Ford, Harriet Tubman, and Elizabeth Fry. The women in this collection will help you deepen your spirituality and find God in the ordinary and extraordinary events of everyday life.

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