Today we remember the heroic and sobering faith of the Carmelite nuns of Compiegne, France. During the Terror of the Revolution of France, they were condemned, in essence, for being nuns. They were called fanatics who clung to their superstitious and childish religion, and therefore they were enemies of the state. When the nuns heard that they were being condemned for their faith, they were very happy to be counted among the martyrs. They wrote songs celebrating the day that they would see Jesus face to face. They were marched to the guillotine, and one by one, from the youngest to the oldest, they came before the Mother Superior and asked, "Permission to die, Mother?" And she said, "Go, sister." They were not dying in obedience to the state, but in obedience to their Mother and to God.
After the dozen or so (some accounts say 11, while others say 16) nuns were executed, there was silence in the square. The usually riotous and bawdy crowd was solemn and thoughtful.
Eleven days later, the Terror was over. The sacrifice of the nuns ended the holocaust that had taken thousands of lives. You can read more about them here and watch a video about them here.
This is another scandalous picture of the meeting of sinful man and loving, holy God. What seems like a horrific tragedy is in fact a moment of triumph for the church and for these beautiful nuns, who went to see their savior and joined the church triumphant.
God, thanks for the amazing and inspiring example of these wonderful nuns. Martyrs of Compiegne, saints in heaven with our savior, pray for us.
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