(Review to come soon). I had never heard of Marthe Robin before reading this book. She was a French woman who lived from 1902-1981. A mystic, stigmatic, and suffering soul, she founded a Catholic lay movement in France. Her cause for beatification is currently being worked on. One of her major contributions was encouraging the role of the laity in the Church. She predicted a "New Pentecost" long before Vatican II came into being. Living my whole life in the years after this council, I have no personal experience of what it was like to be a lay person before, but I do know that in most circumstances, the laity were considered second-class citizens to the ordained and religious. Vatican II stressed that all are equally called to holiness, that we all have a role to play.
I am a lay woman with a Masters Degree in Theology. Had I been born 40 years earlier, that would have been very unlikely. I am blessed and humbled to be able to speak about God and (hopefully) help others live a life focused on what matters. I am extremely thankful for all the wonderful lay men and women who have received and embraced a similar calling. I am thankful for the gift of modern technology that allows us to share our collective wisdom. I know I do not have all the answers and that I personally have many failings. I am but a fellow traveler on the journey. Still, I have been called to do this and I pray that God uses me in the way He sees fit.
Only God knows why I was put on this earth at this moment in time. Only He knows the lives I will touch and the lives that will touch mine. But, I am extremely thankful that I do live today. It certainly has its challenges, but it is an amazing time to be a lay woman in the Church.
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