A great French mystic

The "evil" mentioned in the prayer of the Our Father is not an abstract force or a negative energy. It is the Prince of Darkness - a fallen angel - who opposes Christ, the Light of the world. Certain of the victory of the Lord, Marthe never ceased to bear witness to her trust in God. Marthe, who never stopped being attacked by the powers of darkness, remained faithful to the light and the love of God. The struggles she had to face were commensurate to her desire to belong totally to Christ.

"Do not be afraid!" said Jesus several times in the Gospel. "Do not be afraid!" The peace of the resurrected, living Christ lived in her heart and gave her the assurance of being free before the one known as the Evil One in Catholic tradition.

One of the requests made in the prayer of the "Our Father" is to be delivered from evil: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Indeed, every Christian experiences a spiritual struggle against the evil spirits who try to influence them in a negative way. For the saints, this fight often takes the form of a direct confrontation against the devil. St Teresa of Avila, St John Vianney or St John Bosco – to mention some famous examples – were no exception.

"Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
First letter of St. Peter, chap. 5, v. 8

Marthe experienced the fight against Evil in a very special way. This struggle worsened when she decided to choose Christ and to do the will of God. The invisible and visible attacks went as far as harming her body. However, they failed in the presence of the quality of Marthe's soul. She was given spiritual weapons to face up to it.

"Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics."
Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians, chap. 6, v. 11

Marthe experienced this spiritual struggle not only for herself but also for every soul, for every person. The certainty of the presence of the Virgin Mary was a precious aid to her.

In the many pages of her personal diary, there are very few references to the "devil" or "hell". Conversely, the words "love", "trust" and "mercy" are everywhere.

Marthe's struggle against the forces of evil, in her deep union with Christ, is without comparison with the fruits of the Holy Spirit associated with her life in God. The devil can do nothing against those who love God.

What matters is being attached to Christ and docile to God. The victory was won forever by the death and resurrection of Christ.

"Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ?
We come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us.
For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Letter of St Paul to the Romans, chap. 8, v. 35 – 39