Lopez de Rivas, Maria

Maria Lopez de Rivas was born on August 18, 1560 in Tartanedo in Spain in the family of Antonio Lopez de Rivas and Elvira Martinez-Rubio. In 1564, after the death of her father, she remained the only heiress of a great fortune. When the mother got married a second time, Maria was sent to Molina de Aragon and entrusted to the cares of relatives on her father's side.

In early August 1577 , leaving her paternal home in Toledo , Maria entered the monastery of St. Joseph , founded in 1569 by Teresa of Avila . On August 12 of that year, she accepted the monastic vestments and the new name of Mary Jesus. The community in Toledo expressed doubt about the possibility of her admission to the monastery due to poor health, but the founder’s answer to their request for Mary’s candidacy was clearly affirmative. Teresa of Avila became the spiritual mentor of a young nun and she turned to her for spiritual advice, calling her "a little theologian." Subsequently, Mary will be a witness at the process of canonization of the spiritual mother.

At the monastery, she was entrusted with obedience in Sacristy, a nurse and a goalkeeper. She was still a novice when Saint John of the Cross , who escaped from torturers, took refuge in the monastery, whose spiritual experience had a great influence on her. From 1582 to 1591, Mary, due to physical weakness, freed from almost all obediences, devoted herself entirely to prayer. At this time, she revealed secret stigmata on her arms, legs and head. In 1584 she was appointed a novice mentor, and a year later she was assigned the foundation of a new monastery in Cuerva. Having completed the assignment in five months, Maria returned to Toledo.

In 1591, she was elected to the abbess of the monastery and then twice re-elected. However, in July 1600, during the canonical visitation, she was slandered by one of the nuns, and on July 25 of that year, Maria calmly accepted her resignation. Over the next twenty years, she humbly endured slander and persecution from her detractors, for whom she prayed to God. Only a year after the death of the slanderer who took her place, she was completely rehabilitated and apologized to her. On June 25, 1624, Maria was again re-elected abbess, but after three years she herself resigned due to health problems. Then she was appointed the mentor of the novices and this obedience she carried until the end of her life.

Mary of Jesus, having taken the last farewell, quietly died in the monastery of St. Joseph in Toledo on the morning of September 13, 1640 .

Pope Paul VI November 14, 1976 ranked her blessed.

Liturgical memory is performed on September 13th .

• Maria Jesus on Carmelnet (sp.)
• Mary of Jesus at OCDS-Carmelite
• Mary of Jesus at the site of the parish of Bl. Mary Jesus in Guadalajara (Spanish)