St Therese of the Child Jesus is also known as Thérèse of Lisieux.
At birth, she was named Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin.
She was a Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun born on January 2 1873 in Alençon, Normandy, France, and died on September 30 1897 at the age of 24 in Lisieux, Calvados, France.
Her feast day is celebrated on October 1 every year in the Catholic Church.
| St Therese of the Child Jesus Biography | |
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| Date of Birth | January 2 1873 |
| Place of Birth | Alençon, Orne, France |
| Profession | Virgin and Doctor of the Church |
| Place of Work | Lisieux, Normandy, France |
| Date of Death | September 30 1897 (aged 24) |
| Place of Death | Lisieux, Calvados, France |
| Feast Day | October 1 |
| Beatification | By Pope Pius XI on April 29 1923 |
| Canonization | By Pope Pius XI on May 17 1925 |
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St Therese of the Child Jesus Life History
St Therese’s father was called Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and a jeweler, and her mother was called Marie-Azélie Guérin.
They were very devout and pious Catholic Christians who got the rare opportunity to be canonized together as a married couple as Saints Louis Martin and Marie-Azelie Guerin in 2015 by Pope Francis.
Both Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin had strong desires to join religious congregations. Louis Martin wanted to enter the Great St Bernard Hospice but was discouraged because he did not know the Latin language.
Marie-Azélie Guérin wanted to take care of the sick but was also discouraged from joining the Hôtel-Dieu in Alençon. She later started a very successful lacemaking business.
Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin met at the beginning of 1858 and on July 13 1858 they got married at the Basilica of Notre-Dame d’Alençon.
Due to their previous callings, they decided to abstain from copulation but a priest counseled them and encouraged them to embrace the marriage life.
The couple was blessed with nine children but unfortunately lost four of them. All the remaining five became nuns and were as follows;
- Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, born on February 22 1860. She became a Carmelite nun in Lisieux and died on January 19 1940.
- Pauline, (Mother Agnes of Jesus), born on September 7 1861. She became a Carmelite nun in Lisieux and died on July 28 1951.
- Léonie, (Sister Françoise-Thérèse), born on June 3 1863. She became a Visitandine at Caen and died on June 16 1941.
- Céline, (Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face), born on April 28 1869. She became a Carmelite nun in Lisieux and died on February 25 1959.
- Marie Françoise-Thérèse, (St Therese of the Child Jesus)
Saint Therese’s health was very frail after birth such that Rose Taillé, a nurse, was entrusted to take care of her.
After she got better, she continued to live with her parents who pampered her with lots of affection and love.
She attended a Catholic School where she got acquainted with the rich and rigorous Catholic observances like mass attendance, prayers, fasts, acts of charity, and visiting the sick and the elderly.
Therese was a good, happy, and intelligent child even though she was sometimes carried away by emotions and would break down into tears at the slightest provocation.
She would throw tantrums and roll on the floor if things did not happen or go her way. When she became a nun, she admitted that she was far from being a perfect little girl.
Therese’s mother, Zélie, died of breast cancer on August 28 1877 at the age of 45 and left the care of the 4½ years old Therese in the hands of her elder sisters Pauline and Marie.
The death of her mother was a major blow to her, as she later admitted that the first part of her life stopped that day.
She said that her happy disposition changed and became oversensitive to the point that she would even cry if somebody looked at her.
After the death of her mother, Her father, Louis Martin, sold the lacemaking business and moved to Lisieux. This is where Marie and Pauline, her sisters, took care of Therese.
Therese joined the school, operated by the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of Notre Dame du Pre in Lisieux when she was eight and a half years.
She was very smart in class and scored high grades. Her young age and good grades attracted bullying from other learners, which was very emotionally draining for her.
She wept in silence but her sister Céline always came to her rescue whenever she was down and her father’s kiss at home washed away her worries.
When she was nine years, her sister Pauline who was acting like her “second mama”, joined the Carmelite convent at Lisieux in October 1882.
This was another major blow to Therese because she came to know that her sister would live in a cloistered community and would not be coming back to her.
The trauma of her mother’s death was reawakened and not wanting to be left behind, she insisted on joining the Carmelites but her age would not allow it.
From then on, Therese started to fall sick. She started having nervous tremors which began one night when her uncle talked about her mother Zélie. The doctors diagnosed that Therese was reacting to an emotional frustration with a neurotic attack.
Therese recovered from that nervous attack after she gazed at the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was in her sister Marie’s room where she had been placed. Therese said that the Blessed Virgin Mary smiled at her and she felt happy.
On May 13 1883, when she was requested by the Carmelite nuns to narrate this vision, she lost confidence and her self-doubt made her start questioning herself what happened. She thought she had lied about the vision.
Her sister Marie also joined Pauline in the Carmelite monastery in October 1886. Therese was left with her sister Céline and their father. She continued to weep another ‘loss’ of her sister.
She also suffered from scruples which is the pathological guilt/religious anxiety about moral or religious issues. Therese says that this experience was very excruciating for her.
It was on Christmas Eve of 1886 that the fourteen-year-old Therese says she made her turning point in life. She turned a new leaf from an emotional girl who would cry at the slightest provocation to a strong girl who would withstand emotions.
They went home from the Christmas Eve Mass. At Christmas time in France, young children would leave their shoes by the hearth, and parents would put gifts inside.
By the time the children were fourteen years old, most children would grow up and leave that habit to the younger ones. But Therese, at fourteen, still left the shoes by the hearth. Her sister Celine however filled the shoes with gifts.
When Therese and Celine went upstairs, their father said in a loud voice, “Therese is of age now. Fortunately, this will be the last year we shall have this kind of thing!”
Therese stood still and Celine immediately knew that her sister would start crying from that comment from their father.
To Celine’s shock, the tantrums never came and Therese walked downstairs and happily reacted to the gifts.
Therese says that Jesus entered her heart and converted her, a thing she, herself was unable to do for ten years.
Jesus made her become more sensitive to her father’s feelings than her own. Therese says, “I felt the need to forget myself to make others happy.”
In May 1887, Therese told her father that she wanted to join the Carmelites. He picked a little white flower and gave it to her and explained how God had taken care of it from its germination.
Therese then approached the priest-superior of the Carmelite monastery and requested to join but again her young age worked to her disadvantage.
With much courage now, the previously shy little girl went to the bishop with the same request but he too said no. Therese did not give up, she decided to go to the Pope.
Louis took her daughters Therese and Céline to Rome on pilgrimage in November 1887. As they went on their pilgrimage, they got a chance, during a general audience, to meet with Pope Leo XIII.
When Therese’s chance came, on November 20 1887, she went and knelt before the pope and sought his permission to join the Carmelites.
The pope told her to follow God’s will and the advice of her superiors. Therese would not leave the presence of the Pope. She insisted on being granted permission but unfortunately, the Noble Guard whisked her out of the room.
After coming back from Rome, the Bishop of Bayeux who had seen her courage and zeal to join the Carmelites, authorized the permitted Therese to join, and on April 9 1888, she became a Carmelite postulant.
Therese joined the Carmelite convent where there were 26 religious nuns and the prioress was Mother Marie de Gonzague.
They followed a very strict routine of personal and collective prayer, one meal a day, silence and solitude, and a little free time for work and relaxation.
When Therese entered the Order, she was given, by Mother Marie de Gonzague, the religious name ‘Therese of the Child Jesus’ but later on she requested to have a second name ‘Therese of the Holy Face’.
While in the Carmelite convent, her father suffered from a stroke that left him physically and mentally affected.
He was confined into a nuthouse and her father endured so much humiliation, gossip, and pity from their friends and neighbours.
This affected Therese so much because, as a cloistered nun, she could not visit her father. On June 23 1888, her father disappeared from his home. His health began to decline and on July 29 1894 after he was found he died.
She would pray but she felt her prayers were not working and that Jesus was not ‘doing much to keep the conversation going’.
She would pray until she fell asleep in prayer but she would console herself by saying, “just as mothers love children when they lie asleep in their arms, so will God love me when I sleep during prayer.”
In the convent, Therese was reunited with Marie and Pauline. The prioress assigned her the role of an assistant to Pauline in the refectory and thereafter, in the sacristy.
Therese only met with her sisters during the hours of common recreation after meals. She would choose to sit with them or any other nun who she felt drawn to.
She had come to realize that for four of them being there as blood sisters, they attracted some scorn from other nuns. She, therefore, tried as much as possible to balance between family and her mission in the convent.
Saint Therese knew that she would not be able to do great deeds to prove love. But to show love to others, she scattered flowers in the compound. She came to be known as the Little Flower of Jesus.
She dedicated herself to praying and offering her suffering to priests and to forgetting herself in order to increase discreet acts of charity.
Other simple but very important little virtues she did was smiling at the sisters she didn’t like and eating everything she was given, even the worst leftovers, without complaining.
On one occasion, when she was accused of breaking a vase even though she was innocent, she never argued, she fell on her knees and begged for forgiveness.
When Pauline was elected prioress on February 20 1893, and became “Mother Agnes” she asked Therese to make one sacrifice. Many of the sisters in the convent were worried that the sisters would control the convent.
In order to pacify the fears of the other nuns, Pauline asked Therese to remain a novice, meaning she would wait a little longer to become a fully professed nun. This however was made bearable after her sister Celine entered the convent after her father’s death.
Therese felt very little in her own way but still wanted to become a saint. When she compared herself with other saints she felt like a grain of sand while the saints looked like towering mountains beyond the clouds. Instead of being discouraged, she aimed to go to heaven by doing great things in a little way.
She said that in order to reach the top storey of a building one would need to use a lift instead of manually climbing the stairs.
She, therefore, chose the arms of Jesus Christ as the lift to carry her to heaven instead of struggling to climb the steep stairs of perfection. Therese said, “There is no need for me to grow up; I must stay little and become less and less.”
St Therese of the Child Jesus worried a lot about her vocation. Although she felt that her vocation was becoming a priest, through charity, she came to realize that her vocation was Love!
In 1896, she began to show the signs of Tuberculosis when she coughed blood. She hid this condition until one year later when it was inevitably hard to conceal the ailment.
In her convalescence, her sister Pauline instructed her to continue writing down her memories to circulate in the journal about her life after her death.
The pain from the TB was so much such that if it were not for her faith, she says she would have taken her own life. But she endured her pain with a smile until her fellow nuns joked that she was only pretending to be ill.
After Pauline collated Therese’s memories together and sent them to other convents, Therese’s message resonated well with the thousands of Catholics who read her writings.
Her “little way” of trusting in small sacrifices to become Holy instead of mighty deeds captured the hearts of many.
Also, her reliance on Jesus Christ’s arms to take her to heaven also found favour with the Christians who were trying to find holiness in ordinary lives.
St Therese of the Child Jesus’s Death
St Therese of the Child Jesus died of tuberculosis on September 30 1897 at the age of 24 years old. She was buried on October 4 1897, in the municipal cemetery at Lisieux near where her parents had been buried.
In September 1910, her body was exhumed, placed in a lead coffin, and transferred to another tomb.
Before she was beatified in March 1923, her remains were returned to the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, where it remains until today.
Beatification
St Therese of the Child Jesus was beatified on April 29 1923 by Pope Pius XI. On August 14 1921, Pope Benedict XV had started the process of her beatification by declaring her “Venerable”.
Canonization
St Therese of the Child Jesus was canonized on May 17 1925 by Pope Pius XI.
St Therese of the Child Jesus Feast Day
Her feast day is celebrated on October 1 every year in the Catholic Church. Between 1927 and 1969, it was celebrated on October 3.
St Therese of the Child Jesus is the Patron Saint of
- Alaska, United States
- Antipolo, Philippines
- Australia
- Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
- Florists and gardeners
- France
- Fresno, California, United States
- Gardens of Vatican City
- HIV/AIDS sufferers
- Homeless people
- Kisumu, Kenya
- Missionaries
- Orphans
- Pasay, Philippines
- Pueblo, Colorado, United States
- Russia
- Santa Teresita, Batangas, Philippines
- Stateless people
- The Russicum
- Tuberculosis
- Witbank, South Africa
St Therese of the Child Jesus Quote
“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star that guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth. My love discovers the charms of Your Face adorned with tears. I smile through my own tears when I contemplate Your sorrows.”
St Therese of Lisieux 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 your hands…..
(Mention specific request)
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.
St Therese of Lisieux Novena
Novena Day One
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more. Amen.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
St. Thérèse, privileged Little Flower of Jesus and Mary, I approach you with childlike confidence and deep humility. I lay before you my desires, and beg that through your intercession they may be realized. Did you not promise to spend your heaven doing good upon earth? Grant me according to this promise the favors I am asking from you.
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena, and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Confidence in God. We can never have too much confidence in the good God who is so powerful and so merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we hope for.
If you are nothing, do you forget that Jesus is everything? You have only to lose your nothingness in His Infinity and think only of loving Him.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Therese, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Two
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
O dear little Saint, now that you see the crucified Jesus in heaven, still bearing the wounds caused by sin, you know still more clearly than you did upon earth the value of souls, and the priceless worth of that Precious Blood which He shed to save them. As I am one of those children for whom Christ died, obtain for me all the graces I need in order to profit by that Precious Blood. Use your great power with our divine Lord and pray for me.
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Sin. The only grace I ask, O Jesus, is never to offend Thee.
By love and not by fear, does a soul avoid committing the least fault.
Yes, even if I have on my conscience every possible crime, I should lose none of my confidence; my heart breaking with sorrow, I should go and throw myself into the arms of my Savior.
The remembrance of my faults humbles me and makes me afraid to rely on my own strength, which is nothing but weakness.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Three
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Dear Little Flower, make all things lead me to heaven and God, Whether I look at the sun, the moon, the stars and the vast expanse in which they float, or whether I look at the flowers of the field, the trees of the forest, the beauties of the earth so full of color and so glorious, may they speak to me of the love and power of God; may they all sing His praises in my ear. Like you may I daily love Him more and more in return for His gifts. Teach me often to deny myself in my dealings with others, that I may offer to Jesus many little sacrifices.
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
The Use of God’s Gifts. How much benefit have I received from the beauties of nature, bestowed in such abundance. How they raise me to Him who placed such wonders in this land of exile which is only to last a day.
O sparkling nature, if I did not see God in you, you would be naught but a great tomb.
With your little hand which caresses Mary, You sustain the universe and bestow life; and You think of me, O Jesus my little King.
I do not wish creatures to have one atom of my love. I wish to give all to Jesus since He has shown me that He alone is perfect happiness.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Four
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Dear Little Flower of Carmel, bearing so patiently the disappointments and delays allowed by God, and preserving in the depths of your soul an unchanging peace because you sought only God’s will, ask for me complete conformity to that adorable Will in all the trials and disappointments of life. If the favors I am asking during this Novena are pleasing to God, obtain them for me. If not, it is true I shall feel the refusal keenly, but I too wish only God’s Will, and pray in the words you used, that I ‘may ever be perfectly fulfilled in me.’
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Abandonment to God. I fear only one thing—to keep my own will; take it, my God, for I choose all that You choose.
The only happiness here below is to strive to be always content with what Jesus gives us.
I can demand nothing with fervor, except the perfect accomplishment of God’s will in my soul.
O my Beloved, I offer myself to You, that You may perfectly accomplish in me Your holy designs, and I will not allow anything created to be an obstacle in their path.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Five
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Little Flower of Jesus, from the very first moment of your religious life you thought only of denying yourself in all things so as to follow Jesus more perfectly; help me to bear patiently the trials of my daily life. Teach me to make use of the trials, the sufferings, the humiliations, that come my way, to learn to know myself better and to love God more.
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Patience in Sufferings. I do not fear trials sent by Jesus, for even in the most bitter suffering we can see that it is His loving hand that causes it.
When we are expecting nothing but suffering, we are quite surprised at the least joy; but then suffering itself becomes the greatest of joys when we seek it as a precious treasure.
Far from resembling those beautiful saints who practiced all sorts of austerities from childhood, my penance consisted in breaking my self-will, in keeping back a sharp reply, in doing little kindnesses to those about me, but considering these deeds as nothing.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Six
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
St. Thérèse, Patroness of the Missions, be a great missionary throughout the world to the end of time. Remind our Master of His own words, ‘The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.’ Your zeal for souls was so great, obtain a like zeal for those now working for souls, and beg God to multiply their numbers, that the millions to whom Jesus is yet unknown may be brought to know, love and follow Him.
Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Zeal for souls. Let us work together for the salvation of souls. We have only the day of this life to save souls and to give them to the Lord as proof of our love.
I tell Jesus that I am glad not to be able to see, with the eyes of my soul, this beautiful heaven which awaits me, in order that He may vouchsafe to open it forever to poor unbelievers.
I cannot perform brilliant works; I cannot preach the Gospel or shed my blood. But what matter? My brothers work in place of me, and I a little child, keep very close to the royal throne. I love for those who are carrying on the warfare.
My deeds, my little sufferings, can make God loved all over the world.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Seven
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Dear little martyr of Love, you now understand even more than when you were on earth that Love encompasses all callings. You know that Love is the most important, connecting us closely to God and aligning our will with His. Your earthly quest was for love, to love Jesus in an unparalleled way. Please use your influence in heaven to help us love Him too. If our hearts are filled with love for Him, we will naturally want to share that love with others and pray earnestly for souls. We won’t be afraid of death, as it will bring us closer to Him eternally. Please obtain for us the grace to do everything out of love for God, to bring Him joy, and to love Him so deeply that He may be pleased with us, just as He was with you.
Intercede for us throughout our lives, especially during this Novena, and secure for us from God the graces and blessings we seek through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Love of God. I will love God alone and will not have the misfortune of attaching myself to creatures, now that my heart perceives what He has in store for those who love Him.
What attracts me to the kingdom of Heaven is the call of our Lord, the hope of loving Him as I have so desired, and the thought that I shall be able to make Him loved by a great number of souls who will bless Him forever.
When Christ said, ‘Give Me a Drink,’ it was the love of His poor creatures that He, the Creator of all things, desired. He thirsted for love.
Remember that the dear Jesus is there in the Tabernacle expressly for you, for you alone. Remember that He is consumed with a desire to come into your heart.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Eight
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more. Amen.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Dear St. Thérèse, I ask for your help in getting a good and holy death. Please remind God about your own death and request for me to die with the support of the Church sacraments, fully accepting God’s will, and filled with love for Him. When my time comes, may my final words be, ‘My God, I love You.’
Please pray for us every day, especially during this Novena, and ask God to grant us the blessings we seek through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
Death. It says in the catechism that death is nothing but the separation of the soul and body. Well, I have no fear of a separation that will unite me forever with the good God.
I am happy to die because I shall be able to help souls who are dear to me, far more than I can here below.
Life is not sad; it is very joyous. If you say, ‘This exile is sad,’ I understand you. We are wrong to give the name ‘life’ to something which will end; it is only to the things of Heaven that we should apply this beautiful name.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thérèse, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Novena Day Nine
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love:
O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more and more. Amen.
The Act of Contrition:
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Dear Little St. Thérèse, When you were alive, your love and hardships earned you favor with God, and now in heaven, you share blessings with the world. You’ve been a tool of your divine Spouse, performing numerous miracles. I ask you to remember my needs. I know that challenges will come my way; may I use them to love God more and follow Jesus better. You’re known as the little missionary of love, so help me love Jesus more and care for others for His sake. I am grateful to the Holy Trinity for the blessings you received and shared.
Please intercede for us throughout our lives, especially during this Novena, and obtain the graces and favors we seek through your intercession. Amen.
Thought for the day:
The Mission of the Little Flower. I do not intend to remain inactive in Heaven. I want to work for the Church and for souls. I have asked this of God and I am certain that He will grant my request.
I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth. This is not impossible, since the angels though always enjoying the beatific vision, watch over us. No, I cannot be at rest until the end of the world.
I beseech Thee, O Jesus, to cast Thy divine glance on a great number of little souls. I beg of Thee to choose in this world a legion of little victims, worthy of Thy Love.
Concluding prayer
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Therese, that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.
Catholic Saint Feast Days in October
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