Her message

Although every conversation with Marthe was unique, they followed a common pattern:
When you entered her room, after passing through a small corridor, you would initially be surprised by the darkness. Marthe could not bear the light. Only a small ray of light filtered through from behind a thick curtain. Then you would sit beside the bed, right next to her.
A quiet and astonishingly young voice would gently ask you to introduce yourself. "Her greeting was friendly and warm, as if you had always known each other," said one of her visitors. You would be struck by her polite and friendly demeanour and the tone of her voice. She spoke simply, but very clearly. The order in which the words were spoken and the tone of the voice would be just right. She had a remarkably good mastery of the French language and all its nuances.

Marthe took a great interest in each person as an individual and in the life of the visitor: "What struck me the most... was her simple way of speaking, asking all sorts of questions about my family: how many brothers and sisters I had, what was my social background, and even if we had chickens." Through these conversations, Marthe could already perceive a considerable amount. What was amazing was that, if she had already met the visitor, she would usually remember. She had a prodigious memory, a memory of the heart aided by the grace of God.

Then the conversation would go further. The person would sometimes find it hard to say what they had to say. "Is something on your mind?" she would say to prompt the person to open up. More often than not, people would be surprised to see how easily they were able to express things that were sometimes difficult, even complicated. In the room, things would become less complicated. Sometimes, the person would sense that she "knew" something: "I had the distinct impression, in speaking with her, that she could see into my soul, without being indiscreet or insensitive.”

Once the problem was explained, she would react in a number of ways. Marthe would sometimes says nothing, other than, "we will pray". The person would then feel disconcerted, but in the following hours or days, something positive about the issue would often occur. Generally, she would answer the question in a very clear, very simple way. She would give her opinion or a word of advice. She would often ask a question that would clarify everything. It was sometimes unusual and unexpected: "She usually had a solution... There was always something simple that one had not thought of." In this way, she sorted out many seemingly insoluble situations.

Lastly, on occasion – albeit very rarely – she felt that her visitor had some inner blockage, something that was not converted and that did not want to move forwards. She would then speak louder; There were even a few cases when she went as far as getting angry. The person would be shaken, but would turn to God.

The conversation would finish with a prayer, generally one "Hail Mary", or Marthe would ask the person visiting her to choose a prayer. Finally, you would find yourself outside, in the light: "You felt like you were walking on air, aglow without deserving it, you could only pray and give thanks.”