“Beautiful Holiness”: Learning From Blessed Conchita
“Become a saint … Fall in love with Jesus, give yourself to Jesus, and let yourself be done and undone by the One who loves you so much” (Blessed Conchita).
It is said that we do not choose saints, but they choose us. Blessed María Concepción Cabrera de Armida, also tenderly known as Blessed Conchita, is one such saint for me.
In 2019, I saw a brief announcement in a local Catholic newspaper about recently beatified and canonized saints and was intrigued by her short biography. Born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, in 1862, Bl. Conchita was a wife, mother of nine, foundress of five Apostolates, and a mystic on the level of St. Teresa of Ávila. She was also a prolific writer who published 46 books and 66 diary volumes, a number that rivals the work of St. Thomas Aquinas.
With just a few sentences about her life, I was convicted that I had no excuse not to strive for sainthood.
Recently single at the time and feeling the tug to start my own small business, I briefly asked for her intercession regarding my vocation but quickly forgot about her. Fast-forward to April 2023. I learned Kathleen Beckman had written a new book about Conchita’s life and spirituality: “Beautiful Holiness: A Spiritual Journey with Blessed Conchita to the Heart of Jesus,” and I was reminded of this powerhouse saint.
Now married, with our first child on the way and said business operating, I was eager for Conchita’s motherly and spiritual advice.
Issuing a Challenge
In the preface of the book, Beckman describes Conchita as “an antidote to mediocre discipleship,” and I could not agree more. Reading her writings has inspired me to be a better Christian, wife, mother, and business owner. Specifically, she has through this book, challenged me to:
Love more sacrificially and deeply and serve others more perfectly.
Embrace the cross rather than fearing where Jesus is leading me.
Choose more ascetical practices and nurture virtue.
Rejoice and laugh more.
Receive Holy Communion every day, and hold nothing back from Christ.
Pray for priests.
In the 11 chapters of the book, Beckman shares about Bl. Conchita’s family, her prayer life, mystical incarnation, union with Mary, Eucharistic life, love for priests, relationship with the Holy Spirit, and mystical encounters with Christ. Each chapter ends with a Scripture passage to ponder, discussion questions, and a prayer, making it ideal for group or individual study.
Beckman’s book is not meant to be a biography; instead, it dives deeply into how each aspect of Conchita’s seemingly ordinary life was the place of intimate encounter with Christ and her path to holiness. She writes, “Her communion with Christ only deepened her love for her husband and her children.” It was never in competition with or an obstacle to her daily duties.
For example, in her book “A Mother’s Spiritual Diary,” Bl. Conchita writes about the time of her betrothal to Pancho, her husband, saying:
When I went to bed and was alone, I thought of Pancho, then of the Eucharist which was my delight. I went to Communion every day and it was on those days that I saw him going by … I made myself look as lovely as I could, and I dressed myself elegantly to please him … But amid of all this I never forgot God. I dreamed of Him constantly as I could, and He drew me to Him in an indescribable way.
When she was married, she wrote:
I will make every effort not to lose his trust in me but rather increase it more and more. I will keep myself informed about his business; I will ask God for light to make some sage suggestions … I will act in such a way that he will find in me consolation, holiness, sweetness, and total abnegation.
An Ordinary Saint
Although Bl. Conchita was a saintly woman with a remarkable resume, Beckman is good at showing her humanity. She shares about her love of sweets, sense of humor, and gusto for life. Beckman also includes quotes showcasing Conchita’s struggles in prayer, her doubts about God’s love, and her many sufferings. She does not present a sugar-coated saint with a perfect life that is difficult to imitate but, instead, presents a woman who is human in her responses—and who clings to God in all things.
One such example is after the passing of three of her young sons and her husband. Conchita turned to Jesus, overcome with grief, and said, “Let me cry.” Beckman beautifully explains:
“Let me cry” in no way indicates resistance to God’s will. Rather, we are asking God to give us a moment to grieve, because in choosing His will, it comes at the cost of dying to ours.
This surrender to God’s will is further expressed in a letter Bl. Conchita wrote to one of her older sons, Manuel, who was a Jesuit priest in Spain. She wrote, “Always love the Cross in whatever manner it comes to you, because it is always kind to the heart that sees the sacred will of God wrapped in its seeming ruggedness.”
The middle and latter part of Beckman’s book expresses Bl. Conchita’s intimate and profound experiences in prayer with Christ. However, even with these mystical experiences, she was remarkably ordinary in her interactions with family and others.
After her death in 1837, Vatican investigators interviewed her living children and asked them if their mother was a saint. One child said he did not know, but she was a good mother and a very good cook! This is the kind of saint I wish to be. Like such saints as Josemaría Escrivá, Bl. Conchita teaches us to be contemplative souls in the midst of the world.
Beckman’s book is ideal for anyone wishing to grow in holiness by learning about a woman who lived her life fully for God and for others, holding nothing back. I am thankful for her example and her intercession, and I know you will be too.
Blessed Conchita, pray for us!
Valentina Imhoff, MBA is a career coach helping women encounter God through their work. She has lived and worked in 6 countries and has 10 years of experience in manufacturing, dental research, state government, and people analytics. In addition to coaching, she facilitates online courses with Encounter Ministries and does part-time recruiting. When she isn’t working, you can find her snuggling on the couch with her husband, a good book and their crazy cat. You can connect with her at fiatcareercoaching.com.