The Mystical Life of Marthe Robin
The Passion of Christ and the Stigmata
Over the course of her life, suffering from an extremely debilitating illness, Marthe Robin was more and more united with Christ. She offered all her suffering to Jesus out of love and gradually Christ gave Himself to her, bringing her into the intimacy of His sufferings, more particularly of the Passion.
From 1930 on, Martha received the invisible stigmata, which became visible afterwards. She relived the Passion of Jesus every Friday and felt like Jesus, charged with all the sins of the world.
Her spiritual father allowed some people to witness this passion, the number of testimonies is such that the phenomenon is indisputable. Moreover, Father Faure, parish priest of the village, would scrupulously note the words of Martha during her "passions," so this remains as a testimony of what was happening in her at that time. She herself spoke of this experience as follows: "All Christians have to participate in the Passion of Christ, to complete in their bodies what is lacking in the Passion of the total Christ. I am only a sign, a reminder for all Christians."
Her Only Food, the Wafer
Martha's disease (encephalitis) worsened over the years, and paralysis spread. It was this paralysis of the muscles that prevented her from swallowing. Yet, inexplicably, Martha could still swallow the wafer, which became her only food. In an equally incomprehensible way, Martha remained alive for more than fifty years without receiving any other food. She explained: “I only eat that. My mouth is moistened, but I can't swallow it. The wafer gives me a physical impression of food. Jesus being my whole body, it is He who nourishes me. It is like a Resurrection."
Marthe Robin experienced the full power of the sacrament of the Eucharist. She lived all the promises that Jesus made in the Gospel to those who ate his flesh and drank his blood: “My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” She explained it in a very simple and lively way: “I want to cry to those who ask me if I eat that I eat more than they, because I am nourished by the Eucharist of the blood and flesh of Jesus. I want to tell them that it is they who stop the effects of this food in them, they block the effects ".
After each Eucharist, Martha had an ecstasy of several hours where she felt totally united to Jesus.
The gift of advice
Marthe received about 100,000 people in her small room in Châteauneuf de Galaure. The many testimonies that relate these encounters overlap with Marthe's exceptional listening skills. She had an extraordinary memory and a gift of understanding of the soul of every person she met. She could thus have an inspired word for each visitor.
Marthe Robin's prayer of intercession is recognized as very powerful. Like Jesus, she had great compassion for people, her prayer was lived from within and many graces were poured out on those who came to see her. For example, many couples who had come to confide their suffering from being childless left with hope. Many other difficult and even desperate situations had been resolved as a result of her intercession.
Fighting the Demon
As are often those who belong fully to Christ, Martha was pursued all her life by demonic attacks. She always remained in trust in Jesus.
Like Saint Padre Pio, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John Bosco or the Curé d'Ars, Martha had to face evil directly. The demon's attacks, visible and invisible, went so far as to reach her body. In these moments, Martha remained solid thanks to the spiritual weapons that Jesus gave to her, thanks to the presence of the Blessed Virgin and by offering all her torments for the salvation of the world and the conversion of sinners.
Concerning the intervention of the Virgin Mary, here is what Marthe Robin says: “When the Virgin Mary appears, the demon can do absolutely nothing about her. Nothing, nothing. She's so beautiful, not just her face... He has no power over her. None at all. When it appears, if you saw this flight, this downfall of all the demons, who are opposed to each other, who have hatred for each other. What a show, what a fight!".
Martha's union with Christ was such that the devil could do absolutely nothing against her, and all her words show that the most important thing is trust in Jesus.
