Mrs. Elizabeth told us about their family name:
Due to her father’s Italian origins, their family name was originally SANTO. When Elizabeth was registered at birth, the official arbitrarily decided that there was no such Hungarian word as SANTO, and changed it to SZÁNTÓ instead.
(The Italian word “santo” means “saint” in Hungarian. It is used as an adjective (e.g., Santo Cielo – Holy Heaven) or as a noun (e.g., Il Santo – The Saint) and appears in many expressions, such as pan santo (Christmas cake) or vin santo (aszu wine).)
This became the name of the author of the Spiritual Diary of the Flame of Love; instead of “Italian Saint Elizabeth,” it became “Hungarian Szántó Elizabeth.” Today, she is known by this name throughout the world.
(In ancient times, the plowman was the most important member of the organic society of that time. In order to support himself and his family, he had to be skilled in almost everything. His life, which was a year-round struggle close to nature, was accompanied by a deep reliance and trust in God the Provider.)
Mrs. Elizabeth’s father was a printer. He always went to work dressed impeccably. Suit, white shirt, tie. Perhaps this was his way of emphasizing his Italian origins, his foreign nobility. I think Elizabeth inherited her self-confidence and striving for independence from her father.
In her spiritual diary, Szeretetláng (Flame of Love), Elizabeth recounts a dream in which she visited an old church lined with white statues of saints on columns. She received an explanation in her soul: “These are your ancestors!”
Twelve of the thirteen members of Elizabeth Szántó’s family died. By the age of thirteen, she was completely alone. She had to flee from her relatives because of harassment. She tried to start a new life as a homeless person in Budapest. It is a miracle that, despite the blows of fate, she retained her original purity, her optimistic good faith, and her unique trust in God… At that time, she had no idea why all this was happening to her, because it was only decades later that the Lord Jesus himself revealed it to her: “… I have written suffering on the parchment of your life…”
Mrs. Károly Kindelmann, a widow and mother of six children, exhausted by the daily struggles and spiritually burned out after some thirty-five years, receives a call at the funeral of her deceased soul mate: “Go back to Carmel!” Elizabeth obeyed and “left her battered soul in Carmel…” (After the funeral, Mrs. Elizabeth went to the Balogh family to ask for their brown cloth scapular, and to her surprise, she received it. I found such a scapular in Mrs. Elizabeth’s estate, but I did not know who it actually belonged to.)
Later, the Lord Jesus himself turned to Elizabeth and said: “Renounce yourself, for I want to give you great graces!” To this, Elizabeth replied: “But for what, Lord?” The Lord Jesus repeated his request: “Renounce yourself, for I wish to grant you great graces!” To this, Elizabeth replied: “All right, Lord, but then grant me the grace to be able to receive them!”