St Therese's Feast Oct. 1 - her poem to Mary

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How appropriate to begin Our Lady’s Month of the Rosary, celebrating the Feast of “Little” St. Therese of Lisieux! St. Therese has been called “a ravishing miniature of the Most Holy Virgin.” St. Therese’s poem on Mary (the last of her poems written the year she died) : “Why I Love You O Mary!” is one of my favorites.

The second stanza moves me to tears each time I read it:

…If a child is to cherish his mother,
She has to cry with him and share his sorrows.
O my dearest Mother, on this foreign shore
How many tears you shed to draw me to you !…
In pondering your life in the holy Gospels,
I dare look at you and come near you.
It’s not difficult for me to believe I’m your child,
For I see you human and suffering like me…

Full poem can be read HERE

St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us
Mother of the Church, pray for us.

 

[therese14]

Thanks for sharing.

Don’t forget to read St Therese of Lisieux’ Autobiography - Story of a Soul, Letters, Counsels and Reminiscences

And all her poems in one book.
Poems by St Therese of Lisieux (PDF)

Happy feast day, St Therese!

St Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks for sharing.

Don’t forget to read St Therese of Lisieux’ Autobiography - Story of a Soul, Letters, Counsels and Reminiscences

And all her poems in one book.
Poems by St Therese of Lisieux (PDF)

Happy feast day, St Therese!

St Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.

Dear therese14,

Thanks for your reply. My favorite is Last Conversations of St. Therese. I had read her Autobiography, as a young person, but was not so impressed as I was by the words of the mature saint as she spoke and suffered during her last days on this earth. Of course, I had grown a bit more mature myself perhaps. I also purchased a copy of her poetry and the explanations published by ICS. I go back to re-read parts of her Autobiography, and letters, but I go back to the poetry and “Last Conversations” most often – and especially when I am tempted to be discouraged – by anything.

 

[Megan7]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How appropriate to begin Our Lady’s Month of the Rosary, celebrating the Feast of “Little” St. Therese of Lisieux! St. Therese has been called “a ravishing miniature of the Most Holy Virgin.” St. Therese’s poem on Mary (the last of her poems written the year she died) : “Why I Love You O Mary!” is one of my favorites.

The second stanza moves me to tears each time I read it:

Full poem can be read HERE

St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us
Mother of the Church, pray for us.

Thank you:thumbsup: I love her!

I loved it all!!

“Oh ! I would like to sing, Mary, why I love you,
Why your sweet name thrills my heart,
And why the thought of your supreme greatness
Could not bring fear to my soul.
If I gazed on you in your sublime glory,
Surpassing the splendor of all the blessed,
I could not believe that I am your child.
O Mary, before you I would lower my eyes !”

God bless you!

+PAX

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you:thumbsup: I love her!

I loved it all!!

“Oh ! I would like to sing, Mary, why I love you,
Why your sweet name thrills my heart,
And why the thought of your supreme greatness
Could not bring fear to my soul.
If I gazed on you in your sublime glory,
Surpassing the splendor of all the blessed,
I could not believe that I am your child.
O Mary, before you I would lower my eyes !”

God bless you!

+PAX

Dear Megan,

Thanks for your reply, and most especially for your love of Mary! Like St. Therese may we, and all God’s children, learn to love Mary our Mother more! In re-reading, yesterday, a portion of the book, Last Conversations of St. Therese I was especially touched by something she said close to her death. Someone had mentioned that she might “fear death” but that would be a “purifying thing”. St. Therese said that would not be what would purify her; St. Therese said that it would be the Fire of God’s Love that purified her. That continues to be in my mind and heart today:

It is God’s Love that purifies us.

 

[Mark121359]

As she lay dying, one of her fellow sisters in Carmel said, loud enough to be heard by the Servant of God; “What is it we might really say about Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus after her death?” My reply would’ve been…Where would one possibly begin?

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is my favorite saint. She’s my “Big Sister” and “My Little Mother,” all rolled into one! One of the first things that attracts me to her is her deep love for Mary. This love for Mary was instilled in the Martin children at an early age. In fact, their parents consecrated all of their children to the Virgin by giving all of them the first name of Mary, even the boys! As a family they said their morning and evening prayers before a statue of the Blessed Virgin. (Our Lady of the Smile). The poem “Why I Love You O Mary!” that MariaChristi mentioned in her OP is a classic. After Jesus, Thérèse speaks and writes about Mary more than anyone. And these words; “0 Mary, if I were Queen of heaven and you were Thérèse, I would wish to be Thérèse, so that you might be Queen of Heaven!!!” …were the very last words she ever wrote on earth, three weeks before her death, on a picture of Our Lady of Victories.

Another thing about Thérèse was her amazing sense of humor. She was an exceptional mimic and story teller, which they say came from her father. She had the ability to mimic one’s mannerisms to a tee. If she missed recreation, the other sisters would say*; “we are not going to laugh today,”* which shows how much she brightened up community recreation with her immitations and stories. One of the stories that makes me smile comes from her favorite novice, Sr. Marie of the Trinity of the Holy Face;

“When my character was still young and in its process of formation, the Infant Jesus inspired me, in order to help me to practice virtue, to play with Him. I chose the game of nine-pins. I pictured them to myself as being of all sizes and of all colors in order to personify the souls that I wished to conquer. The ball with which I played was my love.”

In the month of September 1896, the novices re*ceived, for the benefit of the Missions, different little knick-knacks for a Christmas tree. By chance under the magic box there lay an object that is very rare in Carmel,—a spinning top. My companion said: “Isn’t it ugly. I wonder what it’s for?” and I, who under’ stood the game, took hold of the top and said: “You can have a lot of fun with this. It will spin a whole day without stopping if you know how to make it run.” And then I gave them a sample of what I meant and they were astounded.

Sister Therese of the Child Jesus watched me with’ out saying a word but on Christmas, after the mid’ night Mass, I found in our cell the famous top with a note whose envelope bore this address: "To my dear little spouse, Happy little “ninepin” on Mount Carmel, Christmas Eve — 1896.

"My dear little Spouse: Ah! how content I am with you! All year you have amused me very much with your game of ninepins. I took so much pleasure in it that the Court of the angels was surprised and charmed. Several little Cherubs asked me why I did not make them children; others wanted to know if the music of their instruments was no more pleasing to me than your joyful laugh, whenever you hit a ninepin with the ball of your love.

"I answered all of them that they should not be disappointed in not being children, for, one day, they would all be able to play with you in the fields of Heaven. And I told them that your smile was certainly more pleasing to me than their music, because you could

not play and smile without suffering and forgetting yourself.

"My dear little Spouse, I have a request I would like to make. Are you going to refuse Me? Oh! no, you love me too much for that! Well, I would like to watch your game. It’s true the ninepins amuse me, but now, I would like to see you play with the top.

"And if you want, you will be My top. I gave you one as a model; you see that it has no exterior charms, and whoever does not know how to use it, will throw it away; but if a child were to see it, he would dance with joy and say, ‘isn’t this fun; this top can spin a whole day without stopping.’

“And I, the Little Jesus, I love you even though you have no charms, and I am begging you to spin all day to amuse me. But, as you know, to make the top spin, the string must be pulled, the whip must be used. Well, leave the other Sisters do this for you and be grateful to them who will be the most industrious in making you spin. Then, when I have amused Myself enough with you, I will bring you up there where we both will be able to play without suffering.”

"(Signed) Your Little Brother,

“JESUS.”

You can read more from Sister Marie of the Trinity Here It’s well worth the read!

Her tremendous love for God often left those around her speechless. Her sister Marie, (Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart) wanted from Thérèse an explanation of her little doctrine. This she gave her in Manuscript B. And she did it with such impassioned and fiery intensity, that her sister was very much taken aback after reading it and said to Thérèse; “You are possessed by God…absolutely possessed, just as the wicked are by the devil.”

Wow!!!

Pope St. Pius X called Saint Therese; “The Greatest Saint of Modern Times.” I like to tease her and say to her; Nah…the Greatest Saint of ALL Times! ***

God Love You my Dear Saint Thérèse!***
Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin Pray for us! (Saints in two weeks!!!)

Peace, Mark

 

[MariaChristi]

As she lay dying, one of her fellow sisters in Carmel said, loud enough to be heard by the Servant of God; “What is it we might really say about Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus after her death?” My reply would’ve been…Where would one possibly begin?

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is my favorite saint. She’s my “Big Sister” and “My Little Mother,” all rolled into one! One of the first things that attracts me to her is her deep love for Mary. This love for Mary was instilled in the Martin children at an early age. In fact, their parents consecrated all of their children to the Virgin by giving all of them the first name of Mary, even the boys! As a family they said their morning and evening prayers before a statue of the Blessed Virgin. (Our Lady of the Smile). The poem “Why I Love You O Mary!” that MariaChristi mentioned in her OP is a classic. After Jesus, Thérèse speaks and writes about Mary more than anyone. And these words; “0 Mary, if I were Queen of heaven and you were Thérèse, I would wish to be Thérèse, so that you might be Queen of Heaven!!!” …were the very last words she ever wrote on earth, three weeks before her death, on a picture of Our Lady of Victories.

Another thing about Thérèse was her amazing sense of humor. She was an exceptional mimic and story teller, which they say came from her father. She had the ability to mimic one’s mannerisms to a tee. If she missed recreation, the other sisters would say*; “we are not going to laugh today,”* which shows how much she brightened up community recreation with her immitations and stories. One of the stories that makes me smile comes from her favorite novice, Sr. Marie of the Trinity of the Holy Face; Please read Mark’s account of this story in his post, below my reply here)

Her tremendous love for God often left those around her speechless. Her sister Marie, (Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart) wanted from Thérèse an explanation of her little doctrine. This she gave her in Manuscript B. And she did it with such impassioned and fiery intensity, that her sister was very much taken aback after reading it and said to Thérèse; “You are possessed by God…absolutely possessed, just as the wicked are by the devil.”

Wow!!!

Pope St. Pius X called Saint Therese; “The Greatest Saint of Modern Times.” I like to tease her and say to her; Nah…the Greatest Saint of ALL Times! ***

God Love You my Dear Saint Thérèse!***
Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin Pray for us! (Saints in two weeks!!!)

Peace, Mark

Thanks so very much, Mark. God is glorified in ALL His saints! Little St. Therese is one of my many favorites too! How I rejoice in the coming canonization of her parents!!! Hopefully we will see more lay persons canonized. All of us need to be encouraged to become the “unique and unrepeatable saints” we are ALL called to be, by God’s Grace. As Therese herself said, “Everything is Grace”. May we all like Mary magnify the Lord.