The story of María Josefa Menéndez, a Spanish religious sister and mystic, still inspires astonishment and admiration today in those who discover her spiritual experience.
Josefa was born on February 4, 1890, in Madrid, the firstborn of five children, to deeply religious parents. From an early age, she felt called to religious life and entrusted herself to her spiritual director, the Jesuit priest José María Rubio, who was canonized by Saint John Paul II in 2005. She made her final decision on the occasion of her First Communion, on March 17, 1901. Her plans were abruptly interrupted by her father’s death, which left the family in a precarious financial situation and forced Josefa to help her mother by working as a seamstress and caring for her siblings.
At the age of thirty, she finally managed to enter the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Poitiers, France, where she began her novitiate in 1917 and took her religious vows in 1922.
It was during the period from 1920 to 1923 that Josefa experienced her intense mystical visions, which she transcribed in detail, as Jesus had requested: “I desire that My Words be made known. I want the whole world to know Me as a God of love, forgiveness, and mercy. I want the world to read that I desire to forgive and save.” This Diary was published by Editrice Shalom under the title Invitation to Love, becoming one of the most widely read and beloved books of meditation.
In her visions, Jesus asked Josefa for help in bringing back to Him the souls that had lost their way and invited her to renew devotion to the Sacred Heart in the world and spread His message of merciful love for all humanity: “The world does not know the Mercy of My Heart. I want to make use of you to make it known... I want you to be an apostle of My goodness and My mercy.” And again: “I desire to forgive; I rest in forgiving. I am always ready, waiting with love for souls to come to Me. Let them not be discouraged. Let them come and throw themselves into My arms.” The way Jesus insists with Sister Josefa on sharing intimacy with her is also extraordinary: He wants her to confide in Him, tell Him about herself, and express her feelings to Him: “Tell Me about yourself, your thoughts, your doubts, the small realities of your life.”
Josefa also saw the Virgin Mary, who always addressed words of love to her: «How can I not love you, my daughter? For all souls, my Son has shed His Blood. They are all my daughters. But when Jesus fixes His eyes on a soul, I place my heart in it».
In addition to these moments of intimacy with Jesus and the Madonna, the nun also experienced unpleasant and painful situations, especially when she had the vision of Hell. She herself endured the torments of the damned souls: «They put me in one of those niches, where it seemed they were squeezing me with red-hot grates, and it was as if large needles were being passed over my body, burning me. […] But what has no comparison with any torment is the anguish the soul feels when it sees itself far from God». When she awoke from these visions, her clothes continued to be impregnated with the smell of sulfur and burning flesh.
The nun also agreed to participate in the salvation of others by accepting suffering. These were not symbolic sufferings, but afflictions of body and spirit.
Sister Josefa Menéndez died on December 29, 1923, at the age of 33, in the same convent where she had professed her vows a few years earlier. It is remarkable that, like Jesus, Josefa spent thirty years at home and then three years away from home carrying out her mission. In the year before Josefa’s death, the Lord spoke to her at length about what He experienced during the Passion, from the Last Supper on Thursday to His death on the cross. These are beautiful pages.
The book Invitation to Love is difficult to forget… it has left a deep impression on everyone who has read it. Do not miss the opportunity to rediscover how much Jesus loves each one of us and how, in His Mercy, He is always ready to embrace and forgive us.
