St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face

Today's the most beautiful Feast day of my dearest dearest patron, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face! :) Yesterday and today were beautiful days for me. :) There was time (yay!) to go for morning Mass (yay!) and everything was beautiful even amidst all the tests and work that has to be done. I wonder how it must be in heaven. I can't wait. Haha. Pray for me, my dear blog readers, patience really is a necessary virtue.

Now, I'd like to write a little more about St. Thérèse. Here's a link to all I have written about her on my blog. I am sure many of you know a lot about her, after all, she's really really famous =D, "the greatest saint of modern times!" as Pope Saint Pius X said, almost prophetically, way before even St. Thérèse became Saint Thérèse. :) (I mean way before St. Thérèse was canonized.) Thus, I will write more about her prayers and her writings that really characterize and "show-off" what a beautiful most pretty and dear dearest soul St. Thérèse is. Most dear to Jesus and Mary! :)

[All excerpts and phrases etc, taken from various sources, including, The Story of the Soul, St Thérèse of Lisieux By Those Who Knew Her, the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal, Douay-Rheims Holy Bible etc. etc.]

Her ideal throughout her entire life was simple, direct and heroic: "I want to be a saint." and that was all. Her whole life centred on this one ideal. "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth." Her beautiful autobiography, The Story of a Soul, changed my life in a way I didn't know possible. Deo gratias et Mariae.

As Saint Paul in his second epistle to Timothy wrote: "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of prudence." (2 Tim. 1:7) St. Thérèse brought this truth to light for us especially in this modern (or rather now, post modern) world in which we live in. Her holiness, a holiness founded on unshakeable confidence in God and absolute love for Him. Her doctrine of sanctity is enshrined for the ages in her own phrase, "the little way of spiritual childhood." This teaching was not original with St. Thérèse. It was Jesus Himself who taught it. Jesus Himself who urged His followers to become "as little children", as we read in today's Gospel. And today's Epistle is also very very beautiful. This epistle, taken from the old testament (the prophet Isaias) was something special to St, Thérèse during her short but extremely beautiful life. Here it is:

"Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring upon her as it were a river of peace, and as an overflowing torrent the glory of the Gentiles which you shall suck; you shall be carried at the breasts, and at the knees they shall caress you. As one whom his mother caresseth, so will I comfort you: and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants." (Is.66:12-14)

And also, the Gradual of the Mass today is also very very beautiful:

"I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to little ones. My hope, O Lord, from my youth." (Mt. 11:25; Ps. 70:5)

What is love?

St. Thérèse explains in her own good way:

Here's an excerpt from a testimony by Sister Marie-Joseph of the Cross, O.S.B. who was the maid and governess under the service of M. Guerin, St Thérèse's uncle, before she joined the Benedictine nuns of the Blessed Sacrament at Bayeaux. She was the 8th witness and she testified this on 12-15 December 1910:

"Shortly after her first communion, when she was about twelve, she used to talk to me about God: how good he was to those who loved him, the love he bore each of us individually. As I did not feel all that much love for him, and said as much to her, she explained that love was not a matter of what you felt but of practising virtue, and that we should always try to please God in the least of our actions, without any attempt to draw attention to ourselves."

When the witness, Marcelline, before she became a nun, told St Thérèse that she intended to become a nun, St Thérèse told her this:

"we must always Love God a great deal, and to prove that love we must make all the sacrifices he asks of us. Don't worry, I'll be praying for you. Love God so that you won't be too afraid of him; he is so kind, really! Remember too to pray for those who do not love him, so that we can convert many souls."

As such, love of God equates love of sacrifice. The true definition of love is:

Love = Sacrifice

Love and Sacrifice are 2 things so interconnected, they cannot be separated. If you say you love someone, you say that you are willing to give your life for that someone. And, how beautiful that love is, so gentle, so warm, so tender, so infinite, that He would give up his life, hanging on something most disgusting, in order to bear the burden of our sins, our iniquities?

God chose St. Thérèse to dramatize this truth, to love and be like "little children", anew, reminding us always that great love, not great deeds, is the essence of sanctity.

What is perfection?

Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.

As St. Thérèse wrote in her autobiography.

"Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.

It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.

I also understood that God's love shows itself just as well in the simplest soul which puts up no resistance to His grace as it does in the loftiest soul. Indeed, as it is love's nature to humble itself, if all souls were like those of the holy doctors who have illumined the Church with the light of their doctrine, it seems that God would not have stooped low enough by entering their hearts. But God has created the baby who knows nothing and can utter only feeble cries. He has created the poor savage with no guide but natural law, and it is to their hearts that He deigns to stoop. They are His wild flowers whose homeliness delights Him. By stooping down to them, He manifests His infinite grandeur. The sun shines equally both on cedars and on every tiny flower. In just the same way God looks after every soul as if it had no equal. All is planned for the good of every soul, exactly as the seasons are so arranged that the humblest daisy blossoms at the appointed time."

Beautiful. Dearest Jesus, help me only to do what Thou wilt want me to do. Thy Holy Will is most perfect.

Saint Thérèse's name in religion was Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face.

She composed a beautiful prayer in honour of His Most Holy Face:

"Jesus, Who in Thy bitter Passion didst become "the reproach of men and the Man of Sorrows", I venerate Thy Holy Face on which shone the beauty and gentleness of Divinity. In those disfigured features I recognize Thine infinite love, and I long to love Thee and to make Thee loved ...

May I behold Thy Glorious Face in Heaven!"

And here's a beautiful prayer I'd like to add here in this post to dearest St. Thérèse, my patron:

St. Thérèse, the little flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favour I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him each day more and more.

And here's an excerpt from Alone with God by Fr. Heyrmann S.J.:

October 3

St. Thérèse of the Child Jésus and Holy Face

1. In the Mass we read a passage of the Gospel hat is most appropriate to this Saint. It sounds as if Jesus was introducing “Little Thérèse” to the modern world: “Amen I say to you, unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3). Thérèse of Lisieux never had any need of being converted: she was a child to the very marrow of the bones; never was she anything else; never did she wish to be anything else. She said, “Even if I were to live many more years, I would take care to remain a little child.”

2. Petition: The grace to grasp the Lord’s doctrine about becoming like little children: may we tread courageously the “Little Way” of St. Thérèse, which she paved and followed so heroically.

I. Little in Appearance

At first sight, and on a superficial estimate, St Thérèse does by no means appear a “grand Saint”. She made no foundations, worked no striking miracles, had no ecstasies, did nothing extraordinary, taught no wonderful doctrine. Her “teaching”, however original and personal it may have been, was exceedingly simple: “My little doctrine,” as she used to say. Nothing in her life, before or after her entrance into religion, could be described as extraordinary. When at the age of 24 she died, a fellow religious is recorded to have observed, “I wonder what one can say about her in her obituary notice.” Of that, God Himself had taken care. At the command of her Superior, she herself had written an account of her life. She did know that God had something to say to the world through her.

Yet, in her own eyes, she was and remained little. God was her Father and she was His child; and of this relation of child to Father she was fully convinced; this fact pervaded her whole life and her spirituality. Her style of writing and her figures of speech are childlike – perhaps they border on the childish; she is a ball with which Jesus plays as He pleases; if she meets an obstacle, she does not dash against it; being small, “she creeps beneath”.

“I am too little to be damned,” she once said humorously, yet very profoundly; her style bristles with diminutives.

If in all sincerity the great St. Paul could think and say that in him “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, and the things that are contemptible, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27, 28), then we can readily understand what a poor opinion little Thérèse entertained of herself. But because of this poor opinion God chose to do great things through her.

II. Great in Truth

In this “little soul”, there is nothing that is petty, or childish. She loves to draw her figures of speech from the world of children, but in her spiritual life she is an adult, perfectly mature, and brave, who, like St. Paul, “had put away the things of a child”. Sensible devotion and consolation in prayer, anxiety to calculate what progress one is making or to gather merits she had gone beyond all these trappings of the spiritual life, that she might cling firmly to God’s holy will. “I have only one joy: to suffer for Jesus; and this joy, though not a matter of feeling, still surpasses every other joy … I have found the secret how to suffer in peace and joy: we need only will what God wills.” She was courageous: “True courage,” she wrote, “consists in this: to desire the cross, even with dread in your heart, and with internal repugnance, as Jesus in the garden.” Her “Little Way” of total surrender to God in self-forgetting love, comes indeed very close to the “yet a more excellent way”, of which St Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:31).

Her zeal for the Missions throughout the world, and the letters she wrote to missionaries, proved the largeness of her heart: from the narrow window of her cell her eyes surveyed the whole world. Pope Pius XI appointed her Patroness of the Missions, together with St. Francis Xavier, the great Apostle of modern times.

III. God’s Work in Her

Little Thérèse was aware that she was a privileged child of God, and that God wanted to give through her a message to the Church. “Mother,” she once said to her Prioress, “you thought you were not imprudent when you told me that God had enlightened my soul, and had given me the experience of mature years. I am too small to grow vain on that account; too small to look for appropriate words to express how humble I am; I prefer to say the simple truth: He that is mighty hath done great things to me.” Throughout life her love of truth and of absolute sincerity was very great. She abhorred whatever savoured of sham, or pretence, or insincerity. To the world, and more still to all who in religion strive after perfection, she has announced the glad tidings that the greatest perfection can be achieved in the humblest surroundings, and in the most complete separation from the world.

Prayer: O Lord, who hast said, Unless you become as little children you shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven; we ask of Thee the grace so to follow, by humility and simplicity of heart, in the footsteps of the virgin Saint Thérèse, that we may win eternal rewards. Who livest and reignest world without end (Collect of the Mass of today).

(as with St. Thérèse:) O Mon Dieu, comment je T'aime!

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Dearest Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face

This is dear Saint Thérèse of Lisieux :) , my lovely heavenly patron.

(her name in religion was Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face)

and today is her feast day! :)

I wonder how it must be like in heaven today. ;)

-------

Here's a link to a post I blogged on dear St, Thérèse some time back. :)

-------

And here is the very beautiful proper of the mass of today.

INTROIT Cant. 4:8-9; Ps. 112:1

Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come; thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart. (Psalm) Praise the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, its now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECT

O Lord, Who hast said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven: grant unto us, we beseech Thee, so to follow in humility and simplicity of heart the footsteps of Saint Theresa, the Virgin, that we may obtain everlasting rewards: Who livest and reignest.

EPISTLE Is.66:12-14

The Church applies these words of the Prophet to St. Theresa

Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring upon her as it were a river of peace, and as an overflowing torrent the glory of the Gentiles which you shall suck; you shall be carried at the breasts, and at the knees they shall caress you. As one whom his mother caresseth, so will I comfort you: and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants.

(This excerpt from the old testament was something special to St, Thérèse during her short but extremely beautiful life.)

GRADUAL Mt. 11:25; Ps. 70:5

I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to little ones. My hope, O Lord, from my youth.

ALLELUIA Ecclus. 39:17-19

Alleluia, alleluia. Bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters: Give ye a sweet odor as frankincense. Send forth flowers as the lily, and yield a smell, and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with canticles and bless the Lord in his works. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Mt. 18:1-4

At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, thinkest Thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? and Jesus calling unto Him a little child, set him in the midst of them, and said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven etc.

OFFERTORY Lk.1:46-48,49

My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour: because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid. He that is mighty hath done great things to me

(A little note: this is an excerpt from Mother Mary's beautiful Magnificat, Mother Mary's hymn of thanksgiving to God when she met St, Elizabeth after she found out the news from the archangel Gabriel -during the Annunciation- that St, Elizabeth was with a child, St, John the Baptist, the Precursor, Jesus's cousin.)

SECRET

May the holy prayers of Saint Theresa Thy Virgin, we beseech Thee, commend our sacrifice to Thee, O Lord: in her honor we solemnly offer it: in view then of her merits do Thou accept it. Through our Lord.

COMMUNION Deut. 32:10-12

He led her about and taught her, and He kept her as the apple of His eye. As an eagle He has spread His wings and hath taken her on His shoulder. The Lord alone was her leader.

POSTCOMMUNION

May the heavenly mystery, O Lord, inflame us with the fire of that love by which Saint Theresa, Thy Virgin, offered herself to Thee as a victim of charity for mankind. Through our Lord.

-------

Theresa is the english translation from the french, Thérèse. Dear Saint Thérèse was French.

She lived in the Normandy region of France, (Northern France) and entered the Carmel at Lisieux when she was only 15.

-------

One of Saint Thérèse's famous phrase that eloquently sums up her whole life is:

"I want to spend my heaven, doing good on earth."

-------

O yes, Happy Feast Day to all the Thérèse's! =p.

Happy feast day to my dearest sister, Denise Elizabeth Thérèse,

Happy feast day to my 'sister' also, Angeline Marie Thérèse!

Happy feast day to Noelle Theresa too!

Dearest Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, please pray for us!

O happy day!!!

-------

In Christo et Maria! =)

rachel anne thérèse

From my favourite saint, my heavenly patron .. St. Thérèse!

I'd like to take some time off my work to write a little on my favourite heavenly patron, Dearest Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, whose name was Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face.

I have a book on Saint Thérèse, providentially given to me by a very good priest,

it is titled St Thérèse of Lisieux By Those Who Knew Her edited and translated by Christopher O Mahony, its basically a compilation from testimonies submitted by various blessed people, who knew St Thérèse, taken from the process of her beatification. The whole book is a real treasure! especially on the Saint herself and insights on various aspects of her 24 year, most beautiful life on earth. =) Deo gratias et Mariae!

A question one can ask is: Why do I want to study a Saint's life so intimately?

The Answer that is given says this - and this is true wisdom: The Saints are definitely in heaven and they are there already because of their very saintly lives - they imitated Christ, and attained very high levels of perfection. Studying a Saint's life is like reading a score from which music is played and interpreted. The music here being how your life should be lived. A Saint's life is like a manuscript from which we can imitate and from which we can draw on the fruits of living a saintly life here on earth, so that we may, in our stead too, attain the very end that we were called to fufill, paradise for eternity, praising and loving God in saecula saeculorum.

Saint Thérèse in a popular representation.

Here's an excerpt from a testimony by Sister Marie-Joseph of the Cross, O.S.B. who was the maid and governess under the service of M. Guerin, St Thérèse's uncle, before she joined the Benedictine nuns of the Blessed Sacrament at Bayeaux. She was the 8th witness and she testified this on 12-15 December 1910.

"Shortly after her first communion, when she was about twelve, she used to talk to me about God: how good he was to those who loved him, the love he bore each of us individually. As I did not feel all that much love for him, and said as much to her, she explained that love was not a matter of what you felt but of practising virtue, and that we should always try to please God in the least of our actions, without any attempt to draw attention to ourselves."

When the witness, Marcelline, before she became a nun, told St Thérèse that she intended to become a nun, St Thérèse told her this:

"we must always Love God a great deal, and to prove that love we must make all the sacrifices he asks of us. Don't worry, I'll be praying for you. Love God so that you won't be too afraid of him; he is so kind, really! Remember too to pray for those who do not love him, so that we can convert many souls."

As such, love of God equates love of sacrifice. The true definition of love is:

Love = Sacrifice

Love and Sacrifice are 2 things so interconnected, they cannot be separated. If you say you love someone, you say that you are willing to give your life for that someone.

And, how beautiful that love is, so gentle, so warm, so tender, so infinite, that He would give up his life, hanging on something most disgusting, in order to bear the burden of our sins, our iniquities? And as I posted up a few months ago, in July,

-Whosoever on earth would endure all that, just to cleanse us of our iniquity?-

None other than the greatest love of All - Jesus.

I am now reminded of a paragraph I read some time ago in St Alphonsus Ligouri's book on The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ.

(This is taken from Chapter 1: The Love of Jesus Christ in being willing to satisfy the Divine Justice for our sins.)

I.

We read in history of a proof of love so prodigious that it will be the admiration of all ages.

There was once a king, lord of many kingdoms, who had one only son, so beautiful, so holy, so amiable, that he was the delight of his father, who loved him as much as himself. This young prince had a great affection for one of his slaves; so much so that, the slave having committed a crime for which he had been condemned to death, the prince offered himself to die for the slave; the father, being jealous of justice, was satisfied to condemn his beloved son to death, in order that the slave might remain free from the punishment that he deserved: and thus the son died a malefactor's death, and the slave was freed from punishment.

This fact, the like of which has never happened in this world, and never will happen, is related in the Gospels, where we read that the Son of God, the Lord of the universe, seeing that man was condemned to eternal death in punishment of his sins, chose to take upon himself human flesh, and thus to pay by his death the penalty due to man: He was offered because it was His own will - Isa. liii. 7.

And his Eternal Father caused him to die upon the cross to save us miserable sinners: He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. - Rom. viii.32 .

What dost thou think, O devout soul, of this love of the Son and of the Father?

Thou didst, then, O my beloved Redeemer, choose by Thy death to sacrifice Thyself in order to obtain the pardon of my sins. And what return of gratitude shall I then make to Thee? Thou hast done too much to oblige me to love Thee; I should indeed be most ungrateful to Thee if I did not love Thee with my whole heart. Thou hast given for me Thy divine life; I, miserable sinner that I am, give Thee my own life. Yes, I will at least spend that period of life that remains to me only in loving Thee, obeying Thee, and pleasing Thee.

-------

St Alphonsus Ligouri's writings are fabulous!! =) don't you agree? =)

and here's a link to one of the books I was blogging about in my previous post, its a really really really good book! =)

The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda

-------

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee, Save Souls!

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face

St, Thérèse at age 8

-

St, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face - The Little Flower

I'd like to take some time off my now busy schedule to post a little something about my favourite saint, my patron also, St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Interestingly, Pope Saint Pius X, he himself a great saint, called her The greatest saint of modern times, way before she was even beatified. This young little carmelite, dearest St. Thérèse, only 24 years when she expired into the joys of eternal life, has much much much much to teach all of us about her "little way of spiritual childhood".

To find out more about her and her life, I recommend to you reading her Autobiography. It changed my life as I know it and I am very sure it will touch you most profoundly too. Her Story of a Soul is written in a language so very simple, it speaks of "profoundity", it speaks so deeply!

-------

Here are 2 of the great Saint Thérèse's - the LITTLE flower's poems, for you to contemplate, meditate upon.

Here she speaks on love, and how loving is to give oneself up to suffering, just like what Jesus did when he willingly embraced his cross for our sakes.

Here on earth, to live for love

does not mean settling on Thabor;

it means climbing Calvary with Jesus

and looking on the Cross as a treasure.

Another poem she wrote on faith, when she was experiencing temptations against her faith which were troubling her more than usual,

Since the Son of God wished his Mother

to undergo darkness and heartfelt anguish,

Mary, is it therefore a good thing to suffer here on earth?

Yes, to suffer out of love is purest happiness.

Jesus can take back everything he has given me,

But tell him never to get angry with me.

He can hide if he likes, and I will wait for him

Till that undying day when my faith will cease to be.

-------

In Christo et Maria!

rachel anne thérèse

St. Thérèse, Ora pro nobis

St. Thérèse, the Little Flower,

Please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favour I thee implore, and tell Him that I love Him more and more.

Amen.

Dankeschoen. :))

Rachel Anne-Thérèse

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Therese, I love You; Save Souls!

Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus

On this day, in the year we got married, we enthroned our house to the Sacred Heart, and as a way of remembering this, decided to post this:

Sharing this because St Therese has helped me so much and in so many different ways. I’ve learnt and grown in this life because of her. Her little way to perfection is so very easy to understand. Only a silly person like me needs so much help on this journey towards perfection. 

St Therese’s beautiful offering each day in her native French 🤗🤗🤗 It’s beautiful because she most certainly said it in French... just like how singing Je vous salue Marie is so beautiful also because countless saints from the eldest daughter of the church said it in French of course and Mother Mary said the Rosary with St Bernadette in Lourdes ... in French too! 

Mon Dieu, je vous offre toutes les actions que je vais faire aujourd'hui, dans les intentions et pour la gloire du Coeur Sacré de Jésus ; je veux sanctifier les battements de mon coeur, mes pensées et mes oeuvres les plus simples en les unissant à ses mérites infinis, et réparer mes fautes en les jetant dans la fournaise de son amour miséricordieux.

O mon Dieu ! je vous demande pour moi et pour ceux qui me sont chers la grâce d'accomplir parfaitement votre sainte volonté, d'accepter pour votre amour les joies et les peines de cette vie passagère afin que nous soyons un jour réunis dans les Cieux pendant toute l'éternité.

Ainsi soit-il.

Prière de Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus - Offrande de la journée

Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâce,

Le Seigneur est avec vous,

Vous êtes bénie entre toutes les femmes,

Et Jésus le fruit de vos entrailles est béni.

Sainte Marie, Mère de Dieu, priez pour nous pauvres pécheurs,

Maintenant et à l’heure de notre mort.

Amen

https://www.littleflower.org/…/…/her-life-at-lisieux-carmel/

Wash day at Le Carmel. Therese is the second from the left. Her sister, Celine is next to her on the right.

St Therese with her real blood sisters! and the older Mother Prioress

Last Sunday after Pentecost and St Catherine of Alexandria

Thank you for this very beautiful day, my Jesus and my Mother Mary. :) It was a happy and beautiful day. Thank you to everyone who made it nice and happy. I guess, you know who you all are.

And here's the same post I posted last year, for my sentiments are still the same, last year and this year =D haha.

The Feast Day of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr

Patron Saint of Philosophers

St. Catherine, an illustrious virgin of Alexandria in Egypt, was famous for her learning. The emperor Maximian assembled learned men to bring her to the worship of idols, but they were converted to Christianity. Maximian then ordered her to be beheaded after many cruel torments in 305.

-From the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

On this the day, Rachel Anne Thérèse would like to offer her humble thanksgivings, for her whole life, to the Most Holy Trinity, to God the Father Almighty, to God the Son, Jesus, the Redeemer of the World, to God the Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit Fount of Love, to the Most Blessed Virgin her Mother, to her Angel and all Angels, especially Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Raphael and Saint Gabriel, and to the most beautiful seraphims, to her patron Saints (here is a list of her favourite saints), especially Saint Joseph (Foster Father of Dearest Jesus), Anne (Mother of the Most Blessed Virgin), Thérèse (The Little Flower, a Great Saint), Elizabeth (Cousin of the Most Blessed Virgin), Pius X (Staunch Anti-Modernist, Pope), Padre Pio (The Stigmatist of our times), Maria Goretti (Virgin, Martyr for Purity), Thomas Aquinas (Patron of Students/Teachers/Educators), Francis De Sales (Patron of Writers), Don Bosco (Patron of Educators), Albert the Great (Patron of Scientists), Catherine of Alexandria (Patron of Philosophers), Alphonsus Ligouri (Doctor of the Church), Anthony of Padua (“Hammer of Heretics”), Ignatius of Loyola (AMDG and the Spiritual Exercises), Philip Neri (Great Lover of Jesus whose heart grew so big for love of the Almighty), Bernadette (Visionary at Lourdes, Incorrupt), Jerome (Doctor of the Church, Translator of the Latin Vulgate), Cecilia (Patron of Musicians), John of the Cross (Doctor of the Church and reformer of Carmel with St. Teresa of Avila), Benedict (Founder of western monasticism), John the Apostle (The Apostle whom Jesus loved), John the Baptist (Jesus's cousin - the "Elias" - the precursor), Francis Xavier (Missionary), Francis of Assisi (Seraphic Doctor), Aloysius Gonzaga and to all the Saints in heaven for guiding her to spiritual salvation, for aiding her always in her wants and fancies, for everything that has happened and that will occur in her life!

She thanks God for giving her many many things, for all the trials and tribulations, all the Crosses, and also for all the graces and favors. She humbly asks Jesus to let her do what only He wills. She thanks God for her family, her close friends, her everything. For she knows she is nothing without Him.

She consecrates her family and herself to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Most Immaculate Heart of Mary.

She asks you humbly, if you have the time, to please offer a small prayer for her intentions, Let us Storm Heaven together! =)

1) For a very important special intention

2) For her family

3) For her close family and friends

4) For those who have asked for her prayers

5) For her coming exams on the 26th of November, 4th and 6th of December

She asks Jesus and Mother Mary dearest to bless all.

She thanks her Daddy, Mummy and her dearest Sister (nisey), her other family members, the dear spiritual fathers, her spiritual director, her god-parents and god-siblings, her fellow brethren, and all very important others (a long list to name) that have helped her so very much, so far, in this her temporary sojourn on earth.

She asks all of whom she has made angry or whom she has displeased for forgiveness and she recommends herself to your prayers.

She thanks you for reading her blog and she asks you to pray for her.

Deo gratias et Mariae!

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

St. Peter Canisius

A short break now, from the mountain of books (ah the horror, lol, not so terrible, not so terrible) :). O Beautiful Cross! Deo gratias et Mariae, One more major one to go, I am so glad biostats, cell bio and nutrition are over. My brain is utterly squeezed dry of its ability to retain any memory whatsoever though, haha, but, Deo volente, its alright! :)

I'll be typing a little - on St. Peter Canisius, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, whose blessed feast day this 27th of April is.

Peter Kanis (or Canisius), born at Nimeguen in Holland, after brilliant studies at Cologne and Louvain, entered the Company of Jesus, of which he is one of the chief glories. The wisdom of his controversy, his eloquent preaching, his instructive writings (for example, the first catechism) caused him to be called the Hammer of Protestantism. He died at Fribourg in Switzerland in 1597.

As taken from the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

And here's something really really beautiful that my patron saint, St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face wrote in one of her poems:

Here on earth,

to live for love,

does not mean settling on Thabor;

it means climbing Calvary with Jesus

and looking on the Cross as a treasure.

How beautiful is that. :)

Saint Thérèse, Ora pro nobis!

Jesus, Mary, I Love Thee; Save Souls!

Regina Caeli, Laetare, Alleluia!

p/s: do you hear the beautiful gregorian chant when you get into this page? :) Deo gratias et Mariae, I found out how to put music on this blogpage. Now playing is the beautiful Regina Caeli, which is said during Paschal Time. Link to the full prayer is as above. :) God Bless.

St Catherine of Alexandria

The Feast Day of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr
Patron Saint of Philosophers

St. Catherine, an illustrious virgin of Alexandria in Egypt, was famous for her learning. The emperor Maximian assembled learned men to bring her to the worship of idols, but they were converted to Christianity. Maximian then ordered her to be beheaded after many cruel torments in 305.
-From the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

On this the day, on the occasion of her 20th Birthday, Rachel Anne Thérèse would like to offer her humble thanksgivings, for her whole life, to the Most Holy Trinity, to God the Father Almighty, to God the Son, Jesus, the Redeemer of the World, to God the Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit Fount of Love, to the Most Blessed Virgin her Mother, to her Angel and all Angels, especially Saint Michael the Archangel, to her patron Saints (here is a list of her favourite saints), especially Saint Joseph (Foster Father of Dearest Jesus), Anne (Mother of the Most Blessed Virgin), Thérèse (The Little Flower, a Great Saint), Elizabeth (Cousin of the Most Blessed Virgin), Pius X (Staunch Anti-Modernist, Pope), Padre Pio (The Stigmatist of our times), Maria Goretti (Virgin, Martyr for Purity), Thomas Aquinas (Patron of Students/Teachers/Educators), Francis De Sales (Patron of Writers), Don Bosco (Patron of Educators), Albert the Great (Patron of Scientists), Catherine of Alexandria (Patron of Philosophers), Alphonsus Ligouri (Doctor of the Church), Anthony of Padua (“Hammer of Heretics”), Ignatius of Loyola (AMDG and the Spiritual Exercises), Philip Neri (Great Lover of Jesus whose heart grew so big for love of the Almighty), Bernadette (Visionary at Lourdes, Incorrupt), Jerome (Doctor of the Church, Translator of the Latin Vulgate), Cecilia (Patron of Musicians), John of the Cross (Doctor of the Church and reformer of Carmel with St. Teresa of Avila), Benedict (Founder of western monasticism), John the Apostle (The Apostle whom Jesus loved), John the Baptist (Jesus's cousin - the "Elias" - the precursor), Francis Xavier (Missionary), Francis of Assisi (Seraphic Doctor) and to all the Saints in heaven for guiding her to spiritual salvation, for aiding her always in her wants and fancies, for everything that has happened and that will occur in her life!

She thanks God for giving her many many things, for all the trials and tribulations, all the Crosses, and also for all the graces and favors. She humbly asks Jesus to let her do what only He wills. She thanks God for her family, her close friends, her everything.
For she knows she is nothing without Him.

She consecrates her family and herself to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Most Immaculate Heart of Mary.

She asks you humbly, if you have the time, to please offer a small prayer for her intentions on this her birthday, Let us Storm the Heavens together! =)

1) For a very important special intention
2) For her family
3) For her close family and friends
4) For those who have asked for her prayers
5) For her coming exams on the 28th, 29th, 30th of November and 6th of December

She asks Jesus to bless all.

She thanks her Daddy, Mummy and her dearest Sister (nisey), her other family members, the dear spiritual fathers, her spiritual director, Uncle Clement, Aunty Magdalene, Angeline, Kenneth, her fellow brethren, and all very important others (a long list to name) that have helped her so very much, so far, in this her temporary sojourn on earth.

She asks all of whom she has made angry or whom she has displeased for forgiveness and she recommends herself to your prayers.

She thanks you for reading her blog and she asks you to pray for her.

-------

Deo gratias et Mariae!

In manus tuas domine, commendo spiritum meum.

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum cor tuum.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee, Save Souls!

Pray unceasingly!!!

Solomon's Canticle Of Canticles

Our Holy Guardian Angels =)

O Holy Guardian Angel!

God's love for us was not satisfied with giving us His Son, Jesus, for our Redeemer, and Mary for our Advocate; He has been pleased to give us also His Angels to be our guardians: "He hath given His Angels charge over thee: to keep thee in all thy ways" (Ps. 90:2). These holy spirits and princes of heaven are always present with us, and assist us in all our actions. And on this account, out of regard to our guardian Angels, we ought carefully to refrain from every action which can displease them.

-Taken from the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Angel of God,

my Guardian Dear,

to whom God's love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side,

to light and guard, to rule and guide.

From stain of sin, O keep me free,

and at my death, my helper be.

Amen.

-------

In Christo et Maria,

rachel anne thérèse

p/s: tomorrow's the feast of dear Saint Thérèse! =) yay!

Quid est caritas?

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Jesus, Mary, I love You; Save Souls!

The Prelude

Quid est caritas?

I have been reading through my old blog posts and I realize I have been writing on this one topic most of the time but sometimes I don’t get it across the way I want it. So this time around I will try to approach this from another angle.

I was playing the piano the other day. Instead of my usual Beethoven sonatas, I decided to play a piece by Schumann, Traumerei. Traum in German means dream. My piano teacher who is also my god-mother told me a long time ago when I was just a little girl, that this piece meant a dream of love. Schumann lived in the romantic era. His pieces are a stark different from my favourite baroque (D. Scarlatti) and classical-romantic (Beethoven) composers. I said on my blog that I play the piano. But before you have any ideas that I can play the piano very well, let me assure you that my fingers are a bunch of bananas – literally and I am very sure that the composers would turn in their grave if they heard me play. Coming back to the point, it was a change that day when I decided to take out my old pieces to play. I was pondering and wondering about this one thing, caritas or love. Why? Don’t ask me why, for the reason lies in my heart alone. There comes a time when every person wonders and thinks and reasons, I believe. I have been thinking about loads of things lately; part of growing up and loving I suppose.

Quid est caritas? What is love? Pilate asked Quid est veritas? What is truth? The answer to that question lies in pondering what really love is. There’s an old saying that love makes the world go round. Yes it does I will say right from the start. It is the very essence of the human spirit. Divine love takes this love a notch higher. It uplifts the soul. When you find this love, you comprehend a little what truth is. I can’t explain what truth is but when you find out the truth, when you ask questions and you get the correct answers, you will find, in your heart, that Veritas liberabit vos (John 8:32). Yes, the truth will set you free. It is a kind of liberation, when the knowledge sets in and knowledge then will bring understanding, then the love comes in and unites everything. So love is always the end product.

Thing is you don’t need a lot of knowledge to love. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t love, the knowledge does not bear fruit, nothing will bear fruit. :) I must confess I do not know a lot. What I’m writing here today, is a compilation of my thought process, something that I don’t know why I like to pen down, in case I forget (a little “hyper-compulsive”) and also because in the end, you want to share the love, you feel like telling and shouting it over the mountain top, because you are happy and because the other party involved is also happy, be it the love of God or purely human love. Some of you dear readers might be married, or might be in love so I guess you know what I’m trying to say. I’m not married yet and I must state again that I do not know a great deal but here, on my blog, I’d like to write about love/charity. Be it purely divine or human love, I hope you are able to relate to it, I hope at least I will try my very best, Deo volente, God willing.

I have the tune of the Traumerei somewhere playing at the back of my mind now. My piano is next to my family altar, where we have a huge crucifix hung up. (picture) As I was playing and thinking, I looked at Jesus hanging on the Cross. It became clearer, my head. Everything I was reading about, I was thinking about – just this one simple sentence. And to think it took me so long, so long to comprehend. :)

Love is the Cross.

I don’t want to make this sound overtly religious, or it might just scare everyone into not reading this long piece of writing. (Don’t mind me because I’m also a little long-winded, my mother sometimes calls me a grandmother, for a reason I guess, yucks.) But I guess you need to understand about the way I view certain things, to put things into perspective. St. Augustine defines religion as the science of God and men. Religion to me also, is a way of living life; it shows us how to live life. I was born a Catholic, but it took me a while to be a convinced Catholic. There was a turning point way early in my life, Deo gratias et Mariae. I was then still in the novus ordo. Then I started asking questions about the Church, because I was sick of praise and worship, tired of all the fake answers to simple questions. To put it very simply, I didn’t find any answers; it was all too simplified, too “man-centered”. I come from one of the “most modern” parishes in Singapore, maybe that’s why. I stumbled into tradition and soon after that, I became a traditionalist. And I love Latin. But that’s another story, for another time if I decide to write about it. But it was all part of the process of how I became a convinced Catholic, a convinced Roman Catholic. Mein Glaube ist mir sehr wichtig. My Faith is very important to me. And I have to thank God and Mother Mary for everything.

The Cross has taught me a lot about living life.

The Cross is Sacrifice. Love is Sacrifice.

I shall start with words from my dear patron saint, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Holy Face:

Here on earth, to live for love does not mean settling on Thabor; it means climbing Calvary with Jesus and looking on the Cross as a treasure.

The Cross has always been a fascinating feature of Christianity. Holy Scripture tells us that the doctrine of the Cross is a doctrine that was taught by Christ Himself, a point to note, way before He was actually crucified. [See Matthew 16:24, just before the transfiguration. See also Mark 8:34] One of the things that we can grasp by just looking at the Cross is that we see a man, bleeding and dying, hanging on it by nails so huge. We can see that the man is making a sacrifice; a sacrifice of his own life. We ask why he is doing that. His innocence, as we can read in the gospels, was shown throughout His whole trial. Even Pilate said that He was innocent. No one could give substantial evidence against Him. All they wanted and they wanted it really badly, edged on by their leaders, were to kill Him and ensure that He died by the cruelest way possible - Crucifixion. If we look closer, we see the blood on the man; we see the body mutilated on the Cross. We can infer that he was scourged and whipped to the bone then made to carry the heavy wood, then crucified. The body of the two thieves crucified by his side looked very different from this particular man. This man was but one bloody wound. This one innocent man who died in such an unjust manner committed this one supreme act of sacrifice, no one can compare. Faith teaches us that this man is Jesus and history and evidence can prove this. Faith teaches us that Jesus died to save us from iniquity; he bore the whole brunt, the whole burden of our sins. Saint Thomas Aquinas also says that one precious drop of blood from the Son of God was sufficient for appeasement, but Jesus went all out, He went all out for you and for me.

Well, only because He loves us, so much, even I cannot comprehend; for He is infinite love as much as He is infinite everything else, because He is God.

Love and sacrifice are two things so interconnected, they cannot be separated. Let us look at this from another perspective, one that we can relate to in our daily lives. If you say that you love someone, you say that you are willing to give your whole life to that someone. You sacrifice, you give and you just keep giving, trying to make the other person happier, makes you happy. The gift of this your whole self to that other someone constitutes a sacrifice on your part. First it makes you happy, second and albeit almost simultaneously, it makes the other party happy. There is a kind of joy in giving, a joy in adversity, a joy in sacrifice when you love someone. And in marriage, when two people decide to unite because they love each other, to be together for the rest of their lives, they give of themselves freely to the other, a very noble act of sacrifice; for as long as they live, they have to be of one heart and of one mind in order for a marriage to work. The two shall become one flesh. Sacrifice thus is an integral part of love, and integral part of charity that is needed for lasting, patient love, just like the love that we see on the Cross. Besides the love between a man and a woman, let us now look at the love between a mother and a child. And the greatest of this love, I must say, is the love between dearest Mother Mary and her Son, Jesus. Look again at the Cross. We see a woman, the mother of this man at the foot of the Cross. We cannot comprehend how she feels, for the sorrow she feels surpasses all the sorrows in the world. Her own flesh and blood is dying and she is just there, at the foot of the Cross, suffering in her heart. See her agony and contemplate her sorrow. How would a mother feel, seeing her son die in a battlefield?

A mother gives her life to her children. And most mothers do that, I hope. Sacrifice and love, two things so interconnected, they cannot be separated.

I see and observe my mother daily. She’s human too, with her faults, just like me, with all my horrible defects. But I see her giving her life to us, for the family. This valuable lesson I learnt also, that love is sacrifice, from her constant example. She gave me one very precious gift and till this day I thank her, that is she showed me how to look at the Cross, how suffering must be endured in a marriage, she showed me how suffering must be endured in a family and she showed me in a way what love is. She is still showing me and so is my father showing me, in his way, don’t worry daddy, I love you too. Deo gratias et Mariae.
Because Love is Sacrifice, ...

Love Unites

Onto the second point on what love is. Love unites. It is what brings souls together. One essential point about charity is that love craves for unity, for togetherness. That’s why the love between a man and a woman leads to marriage, a very obvious example. But of course, an integral part of marriage is also sacrifice as we expounded earlier. Marriage is not all about conjugal love and passions, it is about sacrifice. Unity in love entails that the two become one flesh that the two remain as one heart for the rest of their lives – that requires sacrifice.

Love craves for union. And there’s no greater union than that of divine love, the love of Jesus with us, through the Holy Eucharist. By Faith, we believe that the bread and wine is trans-substantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ at the august sacrifice of the Mass. The Holy Mass is the un-bloody sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, repeated on our altars daily. I wrote this on the Holy Eucharist and Holy Mass sometime back last year, on Christ my King. We eat Jesus; He gives Himself entirely to us. Something, only love can comprehend. The Cross shows that love is unity and that there is no love that does not want to unite himself to the object of his love. Jesus, by His supreme act of sacrifice on the Cross, brought together almost all nations under His fold, in a certain sense, for He died for all those from all nations that would finally go to heaven to be with Him. His death on the Cross signified the start of a new religion, the religion of the Cross, as distinct from that of the old religion (of the Jews), uniting diverse peoples under one banner, that of the Cross.

Love bears Fruit

Yes, it does bear fruit. Literally, we can see this in marriages, when whole families are formed. The children come into picture; they are the fruit of their parents’ love. Love is sacrifice, love craves union, this union brings souls together, brings two people together to become one flesh, which bears fruit – very simple, we see it in our very own lives.

Divine love does exactly the same thing. And the Cross bears fruit, in a manner, very sublime. We have established a relationship in the previous section, that of the Cross, the Crucifixion and the Mass. The fruit of the love of Jesus for souls culminates in the supreme act of the giving of Himself entirely, body and soul, to us in Holy Communion. It certainly is very beautiful as much as love is painful.

As Ruysbroeck wrote: “To be wounded by love is the sweetest solace and the most harrowing torture which a soul can bear. To be wounded by love: there is no fuller assurance that the cure is at hand. This spiritual wound causes joy and pain at the same time."

Love submits.

When two hearts become one, submitting to each other’s will is essential, for a marriage to work. A wife has to submit to her husband, to his will, for the good of the family.

This analogy is similar for divine love where we see that (in Saint Thérèse’s words) Perfection consists in doing God’s will, in being that which He wants us to be. As St. Thérèse wrote, so beautifully, in her autobiography:

"Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.

It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.

I also understood that God's love shows itself just as well in the simplest soul which puts up no resistance to His grace as it does in the loftiest soul. Indeed, as it is love's nature to humble itself, if all souls were like those of the holy doctors who have illumined the Church with the light of their doctrine, it seems that God would not have stooped low enough by entering their hearts. But God has created the baby who knows nothing and can utter only feeble cries. He has created the poor savage with no guide but natural law, and it is to their hearts that He deigns to stoop. They are His wild flowers whose homeliness delights Him. By stooping down to them, He manifests His infinite grandeur. The sun shines equally both on cedars and on every tiny flower. In just the same way God looks after every soul as if it had no equal. All is planned for the good of every soul, exactly as the seasons are so arranged that the humblest daisy blossoms at the appointed time."

Love makes us do things that reason sometimes alone cannot comprehend.

(To be continued)

In September 1939, after the invasion of Poland by Hitler’s armies, almost all the Franciscans of Niepokalanow had to leave their monastery. Before letting them leave for unknown destinations – for some exile, for others prison or death – Maximilian Kolbe said to them:

“Forget not Love.”

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Happy Feast Day of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus! =)))

Never be discouraged!

It's the most blessed and happy feast day of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (more affectionately known as: The Little Flower). She's my name saint! And so today, it's just like my birthday! :D when it is my patron saint's birthday in heaven! :D

I strongly recommend her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul".

In a tribute to my dearest patron saint who has taught me so much, so much and who has guided me so much, so much, here is a post, dedicated specially to her, written almost entirely in her own words:

When she was a child, when her mother asked her a question, "Where dwelleth God, think you?" She replied,

"O, everywhere in all the world,

Then in the heaven so blue."

When I first read her autobiography as a teenager growing up, this struck me:

I often asked myself why God had preferences, why all souls did not receive an equal measure of grace. I was filled with wonder when I saw extraordinary favours showered on great sinners like St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Mary Magdalen, and many others, whom He forced, so to speak, to receive His grace. In reading the lives of the Saints I was surprised to see that there were certain privileged souls, whom Our Lord favoured from the cradle to the grave, allowing no obstacle in their path which might keep them from mounting towards Him, permitting no sin to soil the spotless brightness of their baptismal robe. And again it puzzled me why so many poor savages should die without having even heard the name of God.

Our Lord has deigned to explain this mystery to me. He showed me the book of nature, and I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enamelled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He has also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His Feet, and whose mission it is to gladden His Divine Eyes when He deigns to look down on them. And the more gladly they do His Will the greater is their perfection.

I understood this also, that God's Love is made manifest as well in a simple soul which does not resist His grace as in one more highly endowed. In fact, the characteristic of love being self-abasement, if all souls resembled the holy Doctors who have illuminated the Church, it seems that God in coming to them would not stoop low enough. But He has created the little child, who knows nothing and can but utter feeble cries, and the poor savage who has only the natural law to guide him, and it is to their hearts that He deigns to stoop. These are the field flowers whose simplicity charms Him; and by His condescension to them Our Saviour shows His infinite greatness. As the sun shines both on the cedar and on the floweret, so the Divine Sun illumines every soul, great and small, and all correspond to His care—just as in nature the seasons are so disposed that on the appointed day the humblest daisy shall unfold its petals.

I finally understood a great many things. Of her simplicity in her approach to the spiritual life, of her great trust and love in our Lord Jesus and of course, of his dearest Mother, Our Mother Mary. And because of what she understood, she called herself, "The Little Flower", a nickname how apt and how not so apt! (oh the irony!) Her "Little Flower" way of Spiritual Childhood:

The Way of Spiritual Childhood stresses again that love & not great

outward achievement is the fulfilling of the law...Beneath St

Therese's childlike phrasing the saint has portrayed a life which calls

for an unflagging generousity & courage which, united with the

humility & confidence of a little child, is heroic indeed. Benedict XV

has called her way "the secret of sanctity."

To me, one of the most beautiful things she has said and written about is this:

"Our Lord does not come down from Heaven everyday to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to Him - the heaven of our souls, created in His Image, the living temples of the Adorable Trinity."

I juxtaposed this quote of hers to another I heard, on the 16th Sunday After Pentecost 2011 (also the feast day of The Holy Guardian Angels):

That there are 2 kinds of graces, (1) Sanctifying grace: grace that makes ordinary actions HOLY and (2) Actual Grace: grace that God gives to help us in all our needs.

(1) Sanctifying grace makes us saints, brings us closer to God. When you are in a state of grace (or sanctifying grace), all your ordinary actions become holy, you are in a state of habitual grace or permanent grace: and so it says in Holy Scripture, precious, very precious words of Jesus:

John 14: 23

Christ's discourse after the Last Supper:

[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. [22] Judas saith to him, not the Iscariot: Lord, how is it, that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world?[23] Jesus answered, and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him. [24] He that loveth me not, keepeth not my words. And the word which you have heard, is not mine; but the Father's who sent me. [25] These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you.

And who is this "we", that Jesus speaks about?

It is none other than the Most Blessed Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost!

-------

I want to end off with this quote from a friend:

Admittedly, many a time, the limits of our fallen human nature have

caused me unfortunately to fall , time and time again. However, I

know that St Therese will patiently guide this little sister of hers

towards the rock of eternal life, to Jesus , through His Holy Mother

Mary. For my part, I will strive to imitate her as best as I can, in my

state of life.

And a prayer, a most beautiful prayer to St Therese, asking her help to implore our dearest Jesus to help us:

St Therese the Little Flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favour I thee implore and tell God that I will love Him, always, more and more.

Amen.