All Else Confusion

I knew I'd miss the beginning. I just can't seem to start novenas on time. Anyway, Women for Faith & Family has a Novena for the Protection of the Unborn on their website. It started on Sunday (now I know why I missed it - I was distracted by the Pats/Chargers game!) and ends on January 22, the 34th Annivesary of Roe v. Wade.

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A photo taken four days after the death of St. Therese, when she was still exposed in the choir adorned with flowers.

Happy Feast Day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus!!

St. Therese of the Child Jesus:
Master of Her Temperament

Marian Therese Horvat, Ph.D.

On September 30, 1897, a 24-year-old nun lay dying in the Carmelite Convent in Lisieux, France. She had done so little in her life that one of sisters remarked that while she was charming, what would Mother Superior write about her at her death in the report she would make for the community?

The question is amusing to us now. For the fame of this young nun would spread beyond the Convent and throughout the Church with remarkable speed. One year after her death, her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, was published. Her devotees multiplied as miracles were worked and favors granted through her intercession. During World War I French pilots carried a photo of her in their aircrafts to protect them.

In less than 30 years, in April of 1923, Pope Benedict XV declared her Blessed, and in 1925 Pius XI canonized her and named her feast day October 3. St. Pius X called St. Therese of the Child Jesus one of the greatest saints of modern times. In less than a century, she had become one of the most popular saints throughout the world.

Labels: Novena

"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul."

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Prayer of St. Therese

O my God! O Most Blessed Trinity! I desire to love Thee and to make Thee loved – to labor for the glory of the Holy Church by saving souls here upon earth and by delivering those suffering in Purgatory. I desire to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will and to reach the degree of glory Thou hast prepared for me in Thy Kingdom. In a word, I wish to be holy, but knowing how helpless I am, I beseech Thee, my God to be Thyself my holiness.

Since Thou hast loved me so much as to give me Thine Only-Begotten Son to be my Savior and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His merits are mine. Gladly do I offer them to Thee, and I beg of Thee to behold me only through the Eyes of Jesus, and in His Heart aflame with love. Moreover, I offer Thee all the merits of the Saints both in Heaven and on earth, together with their acts of love, and those of the holy Angels. Lastly, I offer Thee, O Blessed Trinity, the love and the merits of the Blessed Virgin, my dearest Mother – to her I commit this Oblation, praying her to present it to Thee.

During the days of His life on earth, her Divine Son, my sweet Spouse, said to us: “If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it to you.” Therefore I am certain Thou will fulfill my longing. O my God, I know that the more Thou dost wish to bestow, the more Thou dost make us desire. In my heart I feel boundless desires, and I confidently beseech Thee to take possession of my soul. I cannot receive Thee in Holy Communion as often as I would like, but O Lord, art Thou not all-powerful? Abide in me as Thou dost in the Tabernacle – never abandon Thy little Victim.

I long to console Thee for ungrateful sinners, and I implore Thee to take from me all liberty to sin. If through weakness I should chance to fall, may a glance from Thine eyes straightaway cleanse my soul and consume all my imperfections – as fire transforms all things into itself.

I thank Thee, O my God , for all the graces Thou has granted me, especially for having purified me in the crucible of suffering. At the Day of Judgment I shall gaze on Thee with joy as Thou bearest Thy scepter of the Cross. And Since Thou has deigned to give me this precious Cross as my portion, I hope to be like unto Thee in Paradise and to behold the Sacred Wounds of thy Passion shine on my glorified body.

After earth’s exile, I trust to possess Thee in our Father’s Home. But I do not seek to lay up treasures in Heaven. I wish to labor for Thy Love alone – with the sole aim of pleasing Thee, of consoling Thy Sacred Heart, and of saving souls who will love Thee throughout eternity.

When the evening of life is come, I shall stand before Thee with empty hands, because I do not ask Thee, my God, to take account of my works. All our works of justice are blemished in Thine eyes. I wish, therefore, to be robed with Thine own Justice, and to receive from Thy Love the everlasting gift of Thyself. I desire no other Throne, no other Crown, but Thee, O my Beloved! In Thy sight, time is naught – “One day is a thousand years.” Thou can, in a single instant, prepare me to appear before Thee.

In order that my life may be one Act of perfect Love, I offer myself as a Victim of Holocaust to Thy Merciful Love, imploring Thee to consume me unceasingly, and to allow the floods of infinite tenderness gathered up in Thee to overflow into my soul, so that I may become a very martyr of Thy love. O My God, may this martyrdom, after having prepared me to appear in Thy Presence, free me from this life at the last, and my soul take its flight – without delay – into the eternal embrace of Thy Merciful Love!

O my Beloved! I desire at every beat of my heart to renew this Oblation an infinite number of times, “till the shadows retire,” and everlastingly I can tell Thee my love face to face. Amen.

Labels: Novena

This is a letter written by Therese to her sister Celine who stayed at home to care for their father before joining Therese and their two older sisters, Marie and Pauline, at the convent. Celine was a talented artist and was allowed to bring her camera to Carmel - as a result, we have over 40 pictures of St. Therese in the convent.

What first attracted me to St. Therese, when I was a freshman in high school and was assigned her autobiography for our Lit. class, was how simple her little way is. She's so ordinary. She didn't have visions, trances, or perform great miracles. She seems to struggle with the same little problems that I face - the annoyances of daily life, living with sisters, distraction in prayer - and she knew how to win the fight. You only have to look at her face to see her determination. In her letter, Therese tells Celine:

...when I am feeling nothing, when I am INCAPABLE of praying, of practicing virtue, then is the moment for seeking opportunities, nothings, which please Jesus more than mastery of the world or even martyrdom suffered with generosity. For example, a smile, a friendly word, when I would want to say nothing, or put on a look of annoyance, etc., etc.

A smile when I'm annoyed or want to be left alone. How simple. How incredibly difficult.



From Thérèse to Céline.

July 18, 1893

J.M.J.T.

Jesus

Dear Céline,

I was not counting on answering your letter this time, but our Mother wants me to add a note to hers. What things I would have to tell you! But since I have only a few moments, I must first assure the little drop of dew that her Thérèse understands her… After having read your letter, I went to prayer, and taking the gospel, I asked Jesus to find a passage for you, and this is what I found: "Behold the fig tree and the other trees, when they begin to bear tender leaves, you judge that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things taking place, know that the kingdom of God is near." I closed the book, I had read enough; in fact, these things taking place in my Céline’s soul prove the kingdom of Jesus is set up in her soul…. Now I want to tell you what is taking place in my own soul; no doubt, it is the same things as in yours. You have rightly said, Céline, the cool mornings have passed for us, there remain no more flowers to gather, Jesus has taken them for Himself. Perhaps He will make new ones bloom one day, but in the meantime what must we do? Céline, God is no longer asking anything from me…in the beginning, He was asking an infinity of things from me. I thought, at times, that since Jesus was no longer asking anything from me, I had to go along quietly in peace and love, doing only what He was asking me…. But I had a light. St. Teresa [of Avila] says we must maintain love. The wood is not within our reach when we are in darkness, in aridities, but at least are we not obliged to throw little pieces of straw on it? Jesus is really powerful enough to keep the fire going by Himself. However, He is satisfied when He sees us put a little fuel on it. This attentiveness pleases Jesus, and then He throws on the fire a lot of wood. We do not see it, but we do feel the strength of love’s warmth. I have experienced it; when I am feeling nothing, when I am INCAPABLE of praying, of practicing virtue, then is the moment for seeking opportunities, nothings, which please Jesus more than mastery of the world or even martyrdom suffered with generosity. For example, a smile, a friendly word, when I would want to say nothing, or put on a look of annoyance, etc., etc.

Céline, do you understand? It is not for the purpose of weaving my crown, gaining merits, it is in order to please Jesus…. When I do not have any opportunities, I want at least to tell Him frequently that I love Him; this is not difficult, and it keeps the fire going. Even though this fire of love would seem to me to have gone out, I would like to throw something on it, and Jesus could then relight it. Céline, I am afraid I have not said what I should; perhaps you will think I always do what I am saying. Oh, no! I am not always faithful, but I never get discouraged; I abandon myself into the arms of Jesus. The little drop of dew goes deeper into the calyx of the flower of the fields, and there it finds again all it has lost and even much more.

Your little Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face

Letter taken from General Correspondence Volume Two Translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. Copyright (c) 1988 by Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, ICS Publications, 2131 Lincoln Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 U.S.A.

Labels: Novena

St. Therese as a novice in January, 1889 - not yet 16 years old.



He whose Heart ever watcheth, taught me, that while for a soul whose faith equals but a tiny grain of mustard seed, He works miracles, in order that this faith which is so weak may be fortified; yet for His intimate friends, for His Mother, He did not work miracles until He had put their faith to test. Did He not let Lazarus die through Martha and Mary had sent to tell Him that he was sick? At the marriage at Cana, the Blessed Virgin having asked Him to come to the assistance of the master of the house, did He not reply that His hour was not yet come? But after the trial, what a recompense! Water changed to wine, Lazarus restored to life...

Story of A Soul, Chapter VI

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St. Therese portraying St. Joan of Arc in a play put on by the novices at Carmel.

Labels: Novena

At the age of 14, Therese approached her father for permission to enter the Camelite convent in Lisieux. Though saddened at the thought of losing his beloved "Queen", her father gave his permission. However, Therese ran into difficulties with the Carmelite authorities who thought she was too young and would not admit her. In November of 1887, while on pilgrimage to Rome, Therese begged Pope Leo XIII to allow her to enter the convent at age 15. He told her, "Go - go - you will enter if God wills it." On New Year's Day, 1988, the prioress of Carmel notified Therese that she would be allowed to enter the convent. On April 9, 1988, at the age of 15 years, 3 months, Therese bid a tearful good-bye to her father and entered "the desert" of Carmel.


Saint Thérèse, you who are a beloved child of God and who boldly trusted God's mercy, teach me how to let myself be loved by God, who is love. Help me to fall into His arms like the prodigal son, and to give back to God my life and my death. Help me to open myself freely to His tenderness, so as not to take away from His Father's heart the joy of loving me.

Our Father

Saint Thérèse, you who are in love with Jesus, you were filled with passion for the Gospel and the Eucharist. Revive in me a thirst for the Word of God. May it light my path on this "little way" of trust where, with you, I take the elevator of love. May your motto "living in love" free my deep desire. In this way, like you, all I want is to love Jesus and help others love Him.

Hail Mary

Saint Thérèse, you who are embraced by the Holy Spirit, you have become the Spirit in my prayer and my actions. Prepare me to welcome the Spirit humbly in the little things of every day with Mary, who smiled at you in your time of testing. May your hope inspire me in times when I am not able to love.

Glory be to the Father

Prayer for Vocations
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, you who have been rightly proclaimed the patroness of Catholic missions throughout the world, remember the burning desire which you manifested here on earth to plant the cross of Christ on every shore and to preach the Gospel even until the end of the world. I ask you, according to your promise, to assist all priests, missionaries, and the whole Church of God. Help us to implement the new evangelization which our world and our diocese[s] so badly need. Pray for us that Jesus will inspire in the hearts of our youth a burning desire to serve Him as priests, sisters, and missionaries so that the Gospel may radiate anew to dispel the darkness of sin and death.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Labels: Novena

St. Therese was the youngest of nine children - 5 girls survived to adulthood. All 5 entered the convent.


Saint Thérèse, you who are a beloved child of God and who boldly trusted God's mercy, teach me how to let myself be loved by God, who is love. Help me to fall into His arms like the prodigal son, and to give back to God my life and my death. Help me to open myself freely to His tenderness, so as not to take away from His Father's heart the joy of loving me.

Our Father

Saint Thérèse, you who are in love with Jesus, you were filled with passion for the Gospel and the Eucharist. Revive in me a thirst for the Word of God. May it light my path on this "little way" of trust where, with you, I take the elevator of love. May your motto "living in love" free my deep desire. In this way, like you, all I want is to love Jesus and help others love Him.

Hail Mary

Saint Thérèse, you who are embraced by the Holy Spirit, you have become the Spirit in my prayer and my actions. Prepare me to welcome the Spirit humbly in the little things of every day with Mary, who smiled at you in your time of testing. May your hope inspire me in times when I am not able to love.

Glory be to the Father

Prayer for Vocations
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, you who have been rightly proclaimed the patroness of Catholic missions throughout the world, remember the burning desire which you manifested here on earth to plant the cross of Christ on every shore and to preach the Gospel even until the end of the world. I ask you, according to your promise, to assist all priests, missionaries, and the whole Church of God. Help us to implement the new evangelization which our world and our diocese[s] so badly need. Pray for us that Jesus will inspire in the hearts of our youth a burning desire to serve Him as priests, sisters, and missionaries so that the Gospel may radiate anew to dispel the darkness of sin and death.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Labels: Novena

Today is the first day of the Novena to St. Therese of the Child Jesus whose feast day is on October 1.


Saint Thérèse, you who are a beloved child of God and who boldly trusted God's mercy, teach me how to let myself be loved by God, who is love. Help me to fall into His arms like the prodigal son, and to give back to God my life and my death. Help me to open myself freely to His tenderness, so as not to take away from His Father's heart the joy of loving me.

Our Father

Saint Thérèse, you who are in love with Jesus, you were filled with passion for the Gospel and the Eucharist. Revive in me a thirst for the Word of God. May it light my path on this "little way" of trust where, with you, I take the elevator of love. May your motto "living in love" free my deep desire. In this way, like you, all I want is to love Jesus and help others love Him.

Hail Mary

Saint Thérèse, you who are embraced by the Holy Spirit, you have become the Spirit in my prayer and my actions. Prepare me to welcome the Spirit humbly in the little things of every day with Mary, who smiled at you in your time of testing. May your hope inspire me in times when I am not able to love.

Glory be to the Father

Prayer for Vocations
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, you who have been rightly proclaimed the patroness of Catholic missions throughout the world, remember the burning desire which you manifested here on earth to plant the cross of Christ on every shore and to preach the Gospel even until the end of the world. I ask you, according to your promise, to assist all priests, missionaries, and the whole Church of God. Help us to implement the new evangelization which our world and our diocese[s] so badly need. Pray for us that Jesus will inspire in the hearts of our youth a burning desire to serve Him as priests, sisters, and missionaries so that the Gospel may radiate anew to dispel the darkness of sin and death.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Novena courtesy of Women for Faith and Family

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