When God’s love touches a person, he recovers. Like a light cloud, the Lord’s love carries the soul towards the Eternal Source of Love, filling it with unquenchable light.

Like the sun that warms flowers and they are drawn to it, the soul that loves God is unceasingly drawn to Him.

Abiding in light, it becomes light-bearer itself. For such a person there is no difference between foreigners and friends, because the lives of everyone become his own life.

The path of Christian love is road to Calvary, but when God’s grace strengthens one’s soul, the person does not feel the difficulty of this path, but he rather is happy to have an opportunity to serve the Lord and his neighbor.

Clouds assemble and dissemble. Each person is alone before God. The quiet light of eternity shows the way. Like a bird in the air, a soul in God is embraced by Him all around. The Lord cares for each soul, calls for it with love. He waits patiently, never forcing a person to answer to His call, because he respects human freedom. And a person chooses light or darkness himself. (Cf. John 3:19).

The way of our heavenly patroness – St. Martyr Grand Princess Elisabeth – is like a beam of light that warms everybody with mercy and good.

Ella (future Princess Elisabeth) was born in the family of Ludwig IV, Duke of Hessen-Darmstadt, and Princess Alice, the British Queen’s daughter.

Children were taught not only taste for music and art, but also diligence, openness, compassion to other people. They visited hospitals and orphanages with their mother in order to speak to the patients and to give them flowers. Young Ella was deeply impressed with the life of her ancestor St. Elisabeth of Thuringia who devoted herself to the deeds of mercy.

The future princess loved nature, flowers, especially white ones, from her early childhood. She was good at drawing. Long after that, people said that the Grand Princess Elisabeth carried the pure fragrance of lily wherever she went. Whiteness was the color of her heart.

She got to know her future husband – the Grand Prince of Russia Sergey Alexandrovich – when she was young.

All the Duke’s family accompanied Princess Elisabeth to her wedding, which took place in Russia. She carried with herself many precious gifts, but most precious of all was her heart full of love and mercy.