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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2018 12:38:13 GMT
Short Biography of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus Feast Day - October 3rd
Thérèseof the Child Jesus was born of good and devout parents, Louis and Zellie Martin, at Alencon in France. When she was five years old and had lost her mother, she committed herself completely to God’s providence under the care of her loving father and older sisters, and with such teachers “rejoiced as a giant to run the way” of perfection.
When she was nine, she was sent to the Benedictine nuns at Lisieux to be educated. Then, at the age of ten, she was tormented by an unknown and serious illness, from which she was divinely freed by the aid of Our Lady of Victory. When, filled with angelic fervor, she went to the holy banquet for the first time, she seemed to daw from it an insatiable hunger for this food.
She desired to enter the Order of Discalced Carmelites but, because of her youth, met with many difficulties in embracing the religious life. These difficulties she courageously overcame and happily entered the Carmel of Lisieux at the age of fifteen There she burned with love for God and neighbor.
She followed the spiritual way of childhood according to the teaching of the Gospels, and taught it to others, especially to the novices. Inflamed with desire for suffering, she offered herself two years before her death as a victim to the merciful love of God.
At the age of twenty-four, on September 30, 1897 she hastened to her heavenly Bridegroom.
Pius XI, enrolled her as a Virgin among the Blessed, and, two years later on the occasion of the great jubilee, solemnly placed her among the Saints appointed and declared her the special Patroness of all Missions.
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2018 12:40:47 GMT
Prayers of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Would you like to meet one of our most beloved saints? The prayers of St. Therese of Lisieux below can help you to get better acquainted with this wonderful Carmelite Nun! Her autobiography Story of a Soul, published posthumously after her untimely death from tuberculosis at age 24 in 1897, reflected both her humility and her profound love of God. This book so touched hearts everywhere that she was canonized as a saint in 1925 and made a Doctor of the Church in 1997! The prayers of St. Therese (who is also known affectionately as the “Little Flower”) have helped inspire the faithful everywhere to follow her “little way” of spirituality. St. Therese noted that it wasn’t necessary to do great or heroic deeds to attain holiness, admirable though these might be, but rather to do the little things in life with love for God and others. It isn’t necessary to be a “big shot” to follow her “little way.” Doing household chores can be just as pleasing to God as winning a Nobel Prize (perhaps even more so!) if you do them as best you can for Him and His glory! St. Therese took as her religious name “St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.” This reflected her devotion to approaching Jesus with the simple trust of a child, as well as her inspiration by the image of His Holy Face to do His work “hidden” and “forgotten,” as she put it. She wished to emulate our Lord in His profound humility and love for us in His passion! The first of these prayers of St. Therese concerns the Child Jesus: (On a side note, don’t be confused by her name for herself at the end of this last prayer. She is called “St. Therese of the Child Jesus,” “St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face,” or even “St. Therese the Little Flower of Jesus” in different prayer books and websites. Sometimes her name is spelled “Teresa,” as above, but usually with one of these descriptions added to distinguish her from St. Teresa of Avila.) The second is an eloquent Morning offering. And, last, but not least, of our prayers here is this beautiful tribute to our Lord's Holy Face in His Passion! We can see in these prayers of St. Therese her wonderfully all encompassing love for God. She wanted our Lord to be able to show others His love and mercy as much as possible through her! Her prayer for humility reflects her deep desire to be our Lord's "Little Flower" in the face of her imperfections. To St. Therese being “little” in humility meant that, as John the Baptist once said about Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). May we be similarly inspired by her prayers and her example to be able to say, like the Blessed Mother, that "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Luke 1:46).
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2018 12:51:24 GMT
The Happiness of Waging a Holy War
Nowadays, at a time when peace and love are exalted ad nauseam, and even among conservatives and traditionalists Pacifism makes its progress, it seems opportune to transmit a much different thought of the saint of love par excellence. Here St. Therese of the Child Jesus speaks about the happiness she would have to go to war. Perhaps her words will make those persons think a bit more about their own concessions to Liberalism. At least this is our sincere wish. St. Therese of the Child Jesus Words addressed to Mother Agnes of Jesus on August 4, 1897, two months before the death of the Saint: ( Novissima Verba, First edition, p. 115) |
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2018 13:08:42 GMT
MY NOVENA ROSE PRAYER
O little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the Heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in thy hands . . . (Mention specific requests) St. Therese, help me to always believe as thou didst, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate thy "Little Way" each day. Amen. Say for nine days.
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THE LITTLE FLOWER CHAPLET
This chaplet consists of 24 beads commemorating the 24 years of St. Therese's life, and 1 additional bead, on which the following short prayers is recited: St. Therese of of the Infant Jesus, Patroness of Missions, pray for us. On the other 24 beads is said the Glory be to the Father . . . etc. to honor the Holy trinity in thanksgiving for having given us the Little Saint who lived in this world but 24 years. The use of the of this chaplet is encouraged by the Carmelite Fathers. You may use your regular Rosary beads by counting off 24 of the Hail Mary beads on the first 2 decades and 4 from the third decade, saying the Glory Be prayer. Simply use the next bead [bead 5 of this third decade] as the one for reciting the short prayer above. I have often used regular Rosary beads for various chaplets.
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Post by Deus Vult on Oct 4, 2018 0:48:33 GMT
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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 16, 2018 20:46:08 GMT
"Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God's hands, and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child."
- St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
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