Saint Therese Of The Child Jesus

The Feast Day of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and The Holy Face is today, October 3, according to my 1962 Roman Missal. The date was changed to October 1 in 1969, but being a Roman-ish kind of gal, I'm celebrating it today. :o)

Not long after our conversion to Catholicism, I read Saint Therese's autobiography, The Story Of A Soul. What a beautiful young woman, and what an amazing love she had for Jesus. Her "little way" showed me that my life didn't have to be extraordinary, that just by living my simple life I could love God with all my heart. Saint Therese used every instance and circumstance of her life to love God, everything from household chores to a walk in the garden to caring for an elderly nun--everything brought her closer to Him. Even the illness she suffered for nine years was offered as a sacrifice to Him.

When she was asked what she meant by her "Little Way," she said, "It is the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and complete self-surrender. I want to teach others the means I have always found so completely successful, to let them know that the only thing to do on earth is to offer Our Lord the flowers of little sacrifices and win Him by our proofs of love. It is the way I have won Him and why I shall find such a welcome."

A little over two years before her death, Therese predicted that she would die, even though at the time she was in good health. She told one of the nuns, "I do not say it will a matter of months, but at most within two or three years."

Two months before her death, knowing that death was coming, Therese said, "I feel that my mission is soon to begin, to make others love God as I do, to teach others my 'little way.' I will spend my Heaven in doing good upon earth." She died on September 30, 1897 and was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI who approved Therese's "Little Way" as a way for all of us to attain holiness.

Therese died at the young age of 24. The other nuns in the cloistered Carmelite convent had no idea that she was anything more than a sweet young woman. They had no idea how extraordinary she was until they read her autobiography after her death.

Saint Therese said that after her death she would "...let fall a shower of roses." Many people who ask for her prayers have received "a shower of roses," a sign that she has heard their prayers and intercedes for their intentions.

In the Adoration chapel in the church where I was confirmed there was a statue of St. Therese. At the time I didn't know who the beautiful young woman was, but I soon learned. Every Monday morning from midnight to 1 AM, Therese and I would adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, she would pray with me for those on my prayer list and I would ask for her intercession for the loved ones in my life. I love her very much.

A priest at our church once said that we should get to know the Saints, talk to them, ask for their aid, so that when we get to Heaven they will know us well. I pray that I will meet my dear Saint Therese there one day.