by e-mailing [email protected]
a Carmelite nun from Lisieux,
France, who lived in the late
1800�s, developed a beautiful
�Little Way� to love Jesus and
make Him loved by others.
She is often referred to as the
Little Flower because she re-
solved to remain in spirit at the
foot of the Cross, that she might
receive the Divine dew of salva-
tion and pour it out upon souls�
a flower which unfolded itself
under the shadow of the Cross.
St. Therese became a Doctor of
the Church in 1997 and is
Patroness of the Missions�
imagine a little cloistered nun
reaching out to all the world!
At Confirmation, we were all
strengthened to accept our
�mission from God� and thus
become a saint. Let�s face it,
the alternative is most unpleas-
ant! Therese Martin M.D. (Missionary Doctor) just may
have the �prescription� to help
you in your struggle towards sainthood�
perhaps in even thinking of
yourself as a saint. She�s the
Saint for our modern times.(up)
the bad, God had a plan.
2.)She learned to make her
daily duties far more holy by
doing them well and keeping
Jesus in her mind and heart
as she went about doing them.
3.)She actively sought �little
ways� of penance ~ self-
initiated acts of love~a smile,
a kind word to some one she found irritating, a little less
food, a little straighter posture,
acceptance of medicine and medical procedures with no grumbling. She �created�
endless possibilities from her everyday, ordinary life.
How creative could we be
today if we truly thought
these little acts of love would please God. After all, a true
lover wants to find ways to
please their lover!
her life to trust the intercession
of Our Blessed Mother. After
all, it was Our Lady of Smiles
who appeared to her as a child
and obtained the grace to cure
her of a serious condition.
She lived only twenty-four
years, nine of which were in Carmel, but in those short
years, she developed a fast-
track to heaven!
You will simply not find a statue
of Therese without her holding a cross and a few roses � the
crucifix seems to be an import-
ant key to her holiness � and to ours!
She found a way to cooperate
with God�s graces and con-
sciously unite her sufferings to Jesus� on the cross.
Basically, her system consisted
of:
1.)Accepting any suffering that
came her way ~ that which she
wouldn�t have asked for, but
was willing to accept.
�Everything is Grace!!!!!!!!!!!�
she wrote in her autobiography,
Story Of a Soul with eleven ex-
clamation points. (up)
this little suffering of mine,
make God loved
beyond the seas."
develop this Little Way so don�t think that you�re going to slide right into sainthood overnight! Try accepting any and all sufferings that come to you on one day; come up with creative little penances on another, and do your daily duties with a mind towards drawing smiles from heaven.
Obviously, the key to her Little Way is to start to include God in everything we do ~
everything! And once we realize He�s present, do it well!
Finally,Therese said �I have come to save souls~especially priest�s souls�.
Pick a priest who is dear to you or that you feel could use a spiritual helper. Remember at the foot of the cross, most of the newly-ordained priests betrayed Jesus. The priesthood is a magnificent, but difficult calling. So�pray for that priest.
�There are no bad priests ~ just priests whose people have not prayed for them� says St. John Vianney, the Patron Saint of Priests.
Is Only
One
Mediator
to the
Father
~Jesus~
the Power
of the
Holy
Spirit
Your
Mother
will
"Birth"
You
Into a
Living
Jesus.
Chose
to come
through
Mary
Imitation,
We
Should,
also.
Great
Saint!
