Monday, 28 July 2014

St.Therese

For the Love of St.Therese

The Little Flower

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
(Born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, January 2, 1873 – September 30, 1897),
or Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, O.C.D.,
was a French Carmelite nun who is popularly known as
"The Little Flower of Jesus"
or simply,
"The Little Flower."

Thérèse has been a highly influential model of sanctity for
Roman Catholics and for others because of the "simplicity and practicality of her approach to
the spiritual life." She is one of the most popular saints in the history of the church. Pope Pius X called her "the greatest saint of modern times."

Therese felt an early calling to religious life, having to
overcome various obstacles before joining the Carmelite Order.

In 1888, at the early age of 15, she became a nun and joined two of her elder sisters in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. After nine years as a Carmelite nun, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress, and having spent her last eighteen months in Carmel, she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24.

Her feast day is on the 1st October.

The impact of The Story of a Soul, a collection of her autobiographical manuscripts, printed and distributed a year after her death to an initially very limited audience, was great, and she rapidly became one of the most popular saints of the twentieth century. Pope Pius XI made her the "star of his pontificate".

She was beatified in 1923, and canonized as a Saint in 1925.

St. Theresa is known as the Little Flower because she always viewed herself as 'the little flower of Jesus'. She loved nature and would use it to explain how the presence of God was everywhere. St. Theresa compared herself to wild flowers that are not noticed by people, yet they grow and give glory to God as He shows them His love and care.

PRAYERS TO ST. THERESE

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus,
Please pick a rose for me
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 your hands.
(Mention your specific requests)
St. Therese,
help me to always believe,
As you did,
In God's great love for me,
So that I might imitate your
"Little Way" each day.
Amen

Let your prayers to St. Therese shower you with a fragrant spiritual bouquet to help you on your “little way” to Heaven with God’s help and His love. Remember, no one is too little or no task is insignificant in God’s eyes if it is done out of love for Him in accordance with his will.