Obedience

[Denise]

Once Jesus told me, Go to Mother Superior [probably Mother Raphael 18 ] and ask her
to let you wear a hair shirt for seven days, and once each night you are to get up
and come to the chapel. I said yes, but I found a certain difficulty in actually going to the
Superior. In the evening Jesus asked me, How long will you put it off? I made up my
mind to tell Mother Superior the very next time I would see her.

The next day before noon I saw Mother Superior going to the refectory and, since the
kitchen, refectory and Sister Aloysia’s little room are all close to each other, I asked
Mother Superior to come into Sister Aloysia’s room and told her of the wish of the Lord
Jesus. At that, Mother answered, “I will not permit you to wear any hair shirt. Absolutely
not! If the Lord Jesus were to give you the strength of a colossus, I would then permit
those mortifications.â€￾

I apologized for taking up Mother’s time and left the room. At that very moment I saw
Jesus standing at the kitchen door, and I said to Him, “You commanded me to ask for
these mortifications, but Mother Superior will not permit them.â€￾ Jesus said, I was here
during your conversation with the Superior and know everything. I don’t demand
mortification from you, but obedience. By obedience you give great glory to Me
and gain merit for yourself. (Diary #28)