Anyone else into St Therese of Lisieux

[christofirst]

Her simplicity and Victorian sentimentality sometimes blinds people

It was that flowery, over-the-top kind of language that initially put me off, I must admit. I find that I’m often more inspired by books about her, like The Hidden Face you mentioned, than by her own words. I do love the concept of her Little Way, though.

 

[paa]

When my parents both passed away, I constantly recited prayers for them as I loved them very much. When I was at home in my father’s home place I believed they were in heaven and yet I still prayed for them why I asked my self… I began a novena to St Teresa to ask for a definite sign which I knew was not proper as it can question one’s faith, but I persisted my request for " a sign that I would know that when my parents are in heaven so that I can then no longer pray for them but instead, offer prayers for others who need them and for one’s who have no one to remember them" after my novena finished I was sitting in the old kitchen when my phone sounded.this was in 90’s, phones were basic bricks it was a Nokia no photo apps ect. I went into my room opened my message and it was a line drawing of a Rose I immediately knew my parents were in heaven I cried… There were no senders details just a simple line drawing.i still have it to this day though not in use but will not part with it…ive not felt the need to pray for my parents since.i feel their love and peace and happy knowledge by grace of God we will all embrace in the promised Kingdom that I now have no doubt. I have great devotion to St Teresa for intercession with our blessed lady…I’ve had 3 answered novena during my time with St Teresa…and it was her intercession I have now great belief in the Rosary.

 

[Inbetweener]

It seems a lot of you have experienced receiving roses in one form or another!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

She was my mother’s patron saint. Mom was named after her as she had just been canonized a few months before Mom was born, and Mom’s mother had contracted smallpox (yes, smallpox, there was apparently a mini epidemic of it in their family’s area that year) during the pregnancy and may have prayed to the new saint for her intercession in having a healthy child. Mom related the most to St. Therese’s battles with her impatience with other sisters, such as one who had a nervous habit of grinding her teeth at prayer time and making a little annoying noise. Mom had a copy of her autobiography, which I read as a young adult, but as others have said I found it very “flowery” and had some difficulty understanding why she was in such a rush to enter the convent and why couldn’t she just wait till she was old enough. I think she was more suited to my mother’s personality than my own, as I tend to prefer saints who were out in the world doing something. But I often pray when I see a statue or picture of her or light a candle, because she reminds me of my mom.

I recently read that “The Story of a Soul” was posthumously edited or embellished by her family to make the language more “saintly” and I would like to read the new translation that’s supposedly closer to what the saint herself actually wrote. Also, I have been reading about Servant of God Rhoda Wise, who had a devotion to St. Therese and allegedly saw apparitions of her, and the Therese from the apparition testimony does not seem like a flowery person, which piqued my interest.