“Rekindle the Love That Is Dying out in the World.”

Marthe Robin was a French Roman Catholic mystic and stigmatist and foundress of the Foyers de Charité. She became bedridden at the age of 21, and remained so until her death in 1981. According to witnesses, she ate nothing, her only sustenance being the Holy Eucharist. She also visibly bore the Stigmata on her body every Friday. A file of documents supporting her beatification was submitted to the diocesan authorities in 1987, and transmitted to the Vatican in 1996. She was declared venerable by His Holiness, Pope Francis, on November 7, 2014. —AMJ

Marthe-Louise Robin was born on March 13, 1902, the sixth and youngest child of Joseph-Michel and Amélie-Célestine Robin. They were poor but hard working farmers, owning 32 acres of land in Châteauneuf-de-Galaure (Drôme, France). Marthe attended primary school until the age of thirteen and, as did other children of her rural community, she helped out on the family farm and participated in village life. Her personality is described by some witnesses as being "a happy young girl, open to the future, helpful, and sometimes mischievous...". In spite of the fact that her parents were not regular practicing Catholics, Marthe was always drawn to prayer. She would say:

"I always really loved God when I was a little girl. I have always prayed throughout my life".

Sickness

In 1903, when Marthe was but 20 months old, she and her older sister, Clémence, became ill with typhoid fever, of which Clémence died. Though she too seemed close to death, Marthe recovered, but remained in fragile health throughout the rest of her childhood. On December 1, 1918, she fell into a coma. The doctors were at a loss: she was thought to have a cerebral tumor at first, then possibly the Spanish influenza... The reality is that her symptoms, which were severe migraines, fevers, sudden and total stiffness of the whole body, comas, intense weakness of the limbs, blurred vision and extreme sensitivity to light, with periods of remission and periods of relapse — all indicated that she was suffering from lethargic encephalitis.

Family and friends became her primary caregivers and gave her the best of care. But the incomprehension of her sickness oftentimes caused her greater suffering. When the mistaken rumor spread throughout the village that Marthe was inflicted with the terrible Spanish influenza, neighbors feared coming in contact with her and very soon, no one would come to see her at all — in the space of a few short years, her entire world seemed to be collapsing around her. This was when, in 1921, Marthe was visited by Our Blessed Mother who comforted her greatly.

Her mission

By this time Marthe’s lower body and arms were paralyzed, and for the remainder of her life, Marthe was bedridden at her family’s home. Through it all, she tried never to allow for discouragement. Rather, her faith and trust in God began instead to strengthen. It was after a parish mission, which was preached by Capuchin monks from Lyon, that she wrote an Act of abandonment and love to the Will of God. Guided by Fr. Marie-Bernard, a monk from the mission, she consecrated herself to Christ, and from that moment onwards her intense love for souls and for the Holy Eucharist grew.

This was when Jesus Himself appeared to her in the night, between the 4th & 5th of December, 1928, and this Apparition changed her forever. She became more focused on Christ’s Passion while, at the same time, drawing closer to the Blessed Mother.

“The more my life will be submitted to God and compliant with that of the Redeemer, the more I will participate in the fulfillment of His work. Thus, by uniting my obscure work, my poor little actions, my prayers unknown to men, all my sacrifices, all my sufferings and all my immolations, and even the apparent sterility of my life to the oblation of the Infinite Victim, I can be sure that I will not only be working for my own sanctification, but also to give God an immense crown of chosen souls.”

Marthe lives solely on the Eucharist

Her spiritual life was marked by many mystical phenomena. A dramatic consequence of the paralysis of her digestive tract and the complete atrophy of her oesophagus, was that Marthe could no longer eat anything. It was discovered though that she was able to swallow, without any difficulty, the Holy Eucharist that she received from the hands of the priest at Holy Communion. This was surely nowhere near enough to keep someone alive under normal circumstances, but from the 1930’s until her death in 1981, Marthe’s only nourishment was Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist — no food or water would ever again pass her lips!

The Stigmata

Another phenomena was the stigmata — the manifestations of bodily wounds in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Christ — which first appeared on her body in early October 1930. Every Friday, when she received Holy Communion, she would relive the Passion of Christ. At first invisible to those around her, but then it later became visible. The stigmata — the Holy Wounds of Christ — could be seen by anyone present in her room. This lasted until her death in 1981, and was witnessed by family members, friends, and numerous religious. Never wanting to draw attention to herself, Marthe’s attitude was always an appeal for discretion concerning these phenomena, and she encouraged Christians not to focus on them.

In 1936, Marthe met Fr. Georges Finet, a priest from Lyon, who offered to take over from Fr. Faure, her pastor, the role of spiritual director. This was a relief to Fr. Faure, as his duties in the parish were many. Marthe’s relationship with Fr. Finet was very close and continued through the rest of her life.

Although bedridden, Marthe met countless people. Over the course of the years, she became a key spiritual figure, receiving more than 100,000 visitors: local farmers, many priests and bishops, religious, journalists, actresses, ministers, truckers, composers,…, people from all walks of life. She transformed her own pain and suffering into empathy for others — she was transfigured by the love that she received from her union with God, and she generously gave it back to all those who came seeking her consolation. After one such visit she related:

“I know now the purest joy one can know, that of living for others and for their happiness. My adorable Jesus, may all those who come to me leave feeling comforted; when they are crying, may they be lifted up, when they are overwhelmed, may their joy continue for days with the memory of a word, a look, or a smile.”

The founding of new communities

Despite never leaving the darkness of her room, she participated, through the grace of God, in the life of her village, her diocese, and even the whole Church in the world. In 1934, having been instructed in a vision by Our Lord, a girls'school was founded at Châteauneuf-de-Galaure. She was also a prolific letter writer, which she managed by dictating to a secretary. And she has been linked to the founding of many new communities: Emmanuel, L’Arche led by Jean Vanier, Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem, Community of the Beatitudes, Community of Saint John, Little Brothers of Mary-Mother of the Redeemer, Little Sisters of Nazareth, Missionaries of Our Lady, “Claire Amitié”, Fraternité Bethléem-Saint-Benoît, Communauté Nouvelle Alliance, L’Eau Vive, Focolare Movement, etc...

Cardinal Decourtray, Archbishop of Lyon (1981-1994), was quoted as saying, “When you look at what is currently emerging in the Church, we often find Marthe.”

Probably her greatest legacy though came in 1936, when Our Lord instructed her to found the Foyers de Charité. This she did with the precious collaboration of Fr. Georges Finet. The mission of these Foyers (In French, foyer is the hearth or place where family comes together.) was to facilitate week long retreats for religious and laity in order to revitalize and strengthen Christians in their faith, so that everyone may live out their vocation as a baptized Christian and contribute to the vitality of the Church in serving the whole world.

But the mission also has a further goal beyond the community of believers: to present to all people the opportunity to meet Christ and to grow in humanity. In Marthe’s woprds, the purpose would be to,

“rekindle the love that is dying out in the world… Some people think that they have lost their faith, but it is just buried in the ashes. You need to blow on them to rekindle the flames.”

In 1984, the Foyers de Charité were officially recognized by the Catholic Church as an Association of Lay Faithful of Pontifical Right, under the supervision of the Pontifical Council for Laity. Today there are 76 Foyers present in 44 countries, spread across 4 continents, thus fulfilling Our Lord’s request to Marthe,

“Its [the Foyers] creation will be a refuge for those in great distress [who] will come to draw consolation and hope from it... Countless sinners will come from all over, drawn by My Mother and by Me to find the light and healing of their sorrows in My divine forgiveness. I want it to be a Foyer that radiates with light, charity, love... the home of My heart open to all.”

In early February, Marthe’s coughing attacks, accompanied by a very high fever, became more and more acute. In the evening, as she did on every Thursday, she prayed to be united to Christ in His Passion. Members of the Foyers de Charité gathered around to pray the Rosary, then quietly left her alone. The following morning, around 5 a.m., Fr. Finet entered her room and found Marthe on the floor near her bed. She had died, probably of exhaustion, in the early hours of Friday, February 6, 1981.

Marthe was a faithful witness of God’s great love for mankind. All who came to her seeking consolation in their needs left with renewed hope and courage to persevere in each one’s vocation. Today the Foyers de Charité remain as a legacy throughout the world, continuing to manifest that same love, providing hope to those who suffer, whether mentally or physically and strengthening them in faith and in love, for God and for His Church.

God chose Marthe as His humble servant. Through her He began the renewal of His people, beginning in France, the eldest daughter of the Church.¹ Today we ask God to continue this renewal throughout the whole world, that all Christians may be united, “The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC-279). May we too share in Marthe’s love and zeal for the salvation of souls and

“rekindle the love that is dying in the world.”

Venerable Marthe Robin, pray for us!

***

Information on the life of Ven. Marthe Robin was found at: https://www.martherobin.com/en/

1) “France was the first of the [nations] established by the barbarians after the fall of the Western Roman empire (476), to become Christian and Catholic.” Dr. Warren H. Carroll, R.C. historian, author, and founder of Christendom College, Front Royal, VA