St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Little Flower

I sense in myself the vocation
of Warrior, Priest, Apostle,
Doctor, and Martyr.


In the heart of the Church,
my Mother,
I will be love.

—St. Thérèse

Today is the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who is also known as "The Little Flower". She is the patron of Missions, even though she herself never left her cloister. How can this be? Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24, yet she is one of the most popular Saints of our day.

From Saint of the Day:

All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."

Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her illnesses and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that divine alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness, into service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is patroness of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with their love really convert the world?

Some people today may mock St. Thérèse and her simple love for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; the simplicity and unobtrusiveness of her life is the very opposite of what most people in the modern world aspire towards. In the simple day to day duties of life inside a convent, Thérèse found a simple way to Jesus - which is outlined in her Spiritual Autobiography, "Story of a Soul". St. Thérèse described her "little way" as "being a lift (elevator) to the arms of Jesus". It is a simple, practical way to live a holy life in the modern world.


Novena prayer to St. Thérèse:

"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 favor I thee implore [state intention here], and tell him I will love him each day more and more."

Tradition holds that if you say the novena prayer, followed by five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Be's each day for five days, you will receive a shower of roses on the fifth day.

A Special Note:
Later this month, Thérèse's parents will be beatified. Slated to take place at their daughter's shrine at Lisieux, the 19 October rites for Louis and Zelie Guerin Martin will coincide with Mission Sunday -- the same day when, in 1997, Therese became the second woman declared a Doctor of the Church.