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| I was doing my laundry when it rained. I couldn't find anything to cover my head. So I put on a towel over my head. It hang lose over my shoulder. Then a certain feeling came to me. I was amused imagining myself with the towel over my head. I felt like a nun. |
This is Sister Josefa Menendez. She was born on February 4, 1890 in Madrid,
Spain. I stumbled upon her profile on the Internet because of the feeling I had one time when I was doing my laundry. It was drizzling. So I put a towel over my head and it looked like a nun's veil. I was very amused at how it looked like. It made me feel like a nun.
Sister Josefa is of Spanish descent. She initially sought to enter the
religious life in Spain, but God’s Providence lead her elsewhere and
eventually, after many trials, she entered a French Convent and became a
Coadjutrix Sister of the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1920 at age
29. As far as external appearances go, nothing signalized that Josefa
was in any way fitted for so high a mission as to bring forth a Message
of Jesus to the world. She was a religious Sister for only 4 years
before her death and prior to this she repeatedly delayed entering into
the religious life. Then if we take in consideration her humble rank
in the Community, her status as a mere novice, her reserved natures and
great love of retirement, and the very real obstacle of her ignorance
of the language of the country (French), -all these hindrances combined
would at first sight appear insurmountable to the proclamation of a
Message to the world.
Her daily life within the Convent
was very ordinary as she carried out her humble tasks and chores with
grace and humility. Her fellow Sisters did not know of the
extraordinary graces and lights that God was bestowing upon His humble
servant, nor did they know of the inner struggle Josefa was undergoing
as the devil tempted her to doubt God's voice and her Religious
calling, but through it all Josefa maintained a strong prayer life,
which aided her in resisting the deceitful voice of the evil one.
It was because of her simplicity, humility and ordinary life that our Lord said to Sister Josefa:
"You yourself shall be My sign."
And elsewhere our Lord said to her:
I will reveal to you the burning secrets of My Heart and many souls will profit by them. I want you to write down and keep all I tell you. It will be read when you are in Heaven. Do not think that I make use of you because of your merits, but I want souls to realize how My Power makes use of poor and miserable instruments."
Sister
Josefa Menéndez, died a holy death at age 33 on December 29, 1923, at
the Convent of Les Feuillants, Poitiers, France. She lived as a sister
in the Society of the Sacred Heart only four years, and in so hidden a
way that the world ought never to have heard of her, and even in her
own community she should have soon been forgotten. It was not until
after her death that her fellow religious Sisters heard of all the
extraordinary graces that God had bestowed upon her.
