St Magdalene's journey of discernment
Taken from: "Impact of Don Luigi Libera in the Formation of Young Magdalene of Canossa"
The thorough study of the sixty-eight letters of spiritual direction written by Don Libera to Magdalene from the time she was eighteen years old to the time she was twenty-six years old, shows the traumatic journey of Magdelene from scrupulousity to freedom.
The letters lay bare her young soul and lay before our eyes and heart, the trials she went through from her childhood through adolesence. From the sudden loss of her father at the age of five, through the remarriage of her mother and being left to her elderly uncles in the palace, her ill-treatment by her governess she continued to have a heart for the poor and needy.
Nonetheless, she felt her calling to join the Carmelites and attempted twice to join them. Don Libera helped her to see that her call was possibly to serve God as a contemplative in the World.
Through the years of Napoleonic Wars, she took care of her family as they had to seek refuge in Venice. All the while she continued to be touched by the needs of the poor around her.
I have been deeply touched by the way Don Libera was able to liberate her from her own attachements and perceptions that chained her from spiritual maturity and freedom.