The Unprofitable Servant: St. Therese in her own words

Saturday, January 29, 2011

St. Therese in her own words

"You know, Mother, how I have always wanted to be a saint. But alas, I have always noticed , when I compare myself to the saints, that between them and me there is the same distance that exists between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and the obscure grain of sand trodden under-foot by passersby. Instead of becoming discouraged, I said: 'God would not inspire unrealisable desires, I can, therefore, despite my littleness aspire to sanctity. It is impossible for me to grow up, so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I am going to look for a means of going to Heaven by a little way that is very direct, very short and very new.' "

4 comments:

KeystoneJanuary 29, 2011 at 6:22 PM
"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
---Matthew 17:20

I spent my first Christmas away from family, in Santa Fe, NM. Mountains surrounded us. A friend said "Tomorrow, you and I will climb that mountain", and he pointed which one, under a moonlit eve.

Christmas, we walked. And walked. And walked.
We walked nearly 20 miles. I was exhausted.
But the worst part of all, was that we were no closer to that mountain than when we began.
(I later learned the mountain was almost 200 miles away). Imagine the immensity of a mountain to appear so close, yet be so far away.

I never raised mustard from seed, but in traveling the Holy Land last year, the yellow abundance of mustard is so prevalent that NO ONE in those parts could mistake Christ saying above.

Then again, He took up a Cross, enroute to a higher Home in Heaven. And, as an expression of His humanity, He needed help in carrying His cross....from Simon the Cyrene.
Indeed, Jesus Christ needed help from Simon three times.

I am not sure the way is little, for I have seen mountains appear close, but remain far away.

I am not sure the way is direct, for I have meandered into quicksands of life, nearly drowning at times, until I learned the secret of being still....and KNOW that He is God.

But I am sure that as I continually fall, I need help to carry crosses. Christ made even THAT okay to have. Help. From strangers.

May Hebrews 13:2 help you at work this week number three:
"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."
ReplyDelete
Replies
Mary ChristineJanuary 29, 2011 at 7:23 PM
What an inspiration she is!
ReplyDelete
Replies
TLWJanuary 29, 2011 at 10:02 PM
Yes, Keystone, that is why I am partial to the 9th Station of the Cross. But I think St. Therese is referring to a different kind of littleness.

"I rejoice to be little, because only children and those who are like them will be admitted to the Heavenly banquet." - St. Therese in "A Story of a Soul"
ReplyDelete
Replies
KeystoneJanuary 29, 2011 at 10:49 PM
Mrs. Little Way,

I have been curious as to why Theresa has escaped my mind from long ago. It came to me this day. She is huge at my childhood church; but there, the nuns referred to her as "The Little Flower".

I understood your post, and made my comment at mid-weekend, to edify you in your new job in the coming week. I suspect that would be a Little thing.

My childhood church is one of two on the globe, with life sized Stations of the Cross. Recently, a high school friend, now living in Kansas, asked me to pray Memorare for her son, ill, and undetermined cause, yet very significant. I agreed.

I had time to do Stations of the Cross and I did so at my childhood church, although it is sad to see the doors locked (mid-day) and only one side-entrance open, under camera.
Alarms galore inside is a sign of our times.
Homeless are kept OUT!

Anyway, if you do life sized Stations, once the Cross appears, EACH new Station has a life sized Cross to be carried.

Jesus has fallen a second time came up. The creator of this Station was true to form. I was in the Holy Land last year, and observed closely all aspects of the Bible come to life.
The background scenery is correct in these Stations, but a significant moment came at the second fall, for me.

I was praying there and noticed the stump of a tree. When Christ fell, the artist had Christ's left hand grab this stump, to brace himself, as Cyrene was not doing a great job (hence three falls instead of no more with help).

So I peered closely at this stump, for the very Cross could have been crafted from the dimensional size of the tree.
Christ's hand covered the cross-section of this small stump of a former tree. So I thought I would count the rings of the tree stump, as one does to determine age of the tree.

There were no rings to count! Only the bark, and a stump of no rings!

The artist had made the stump, and the Creator of the stump, and the Christ bracing the stump, ALL ageless. I stepped back in awe, at "the little details" that made an extraordinary pilgramage home.

The Little Flower is still there to the left, and St. Patrick way to the right, but the long communion rail is gone. They use no gold patten plates to catch crumbs at Communion.

The moment was a bracing for Christ on the stump, and a bracing of change in the Church in my lifetime, for me.

I wish you a marvelous, miracle filled week.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Comments which reflect true Christian charity are always welcome. Comments which attack the Pope, the Church, priests or other bloggers will go in the dustbin, especially if they are anonymous. Thank you and God Bless you!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Mary, Queen of Peace

Ever glorious and blessed Mary, Queen of Virgins, Mother of Mercy, hope and comfort of dejected and desolate souls, through that sword of sorrow which pierced thy tender heart whilst thine only Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord, suffered death and ignominy on the cross; through that filial tenderness and pure love He had for thee, grieving in thy grief, whilst from His cross He recommended thee to the care and protection of His beloved disciple, St. John, take pity, I beseech thee, on my poverty and necessities; have compassion on my anxieties and cares; assist and comfort me in all my infirmities and miseries, of every kind whatsoever. Thou art the Mother of Mercies, the sweet comforter and only refuge of the needy and the orphan, of the desolate and afflicted. Cast, therefore, an eye of pity on a miserable, forlorn child of Eve, and hear my prayer; for since, in just punishment of my sins, I find myself encompassed by a multitude of evils, and oppressed with much anguish of spirit, wither can I fly for more secure shelter, O amiable Mother of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, than under the wings of thy maternal protection? Attend, therefore, I beseech thee, with an ear of pity and compassion, to my humble and earnest request. I ask it, through the bowels of mercy of thy dear Son; Through that love and condescension wherewith He embraced our nature, when, in compliance with the divine Will, thou gavest thy consent, and whom, after the expiration of nine months thou didst bring forth from the chaste enclosure of thy womb, to visit the world, and bless it with His presence. I ask it, through that anguish of mind wherewith thy beloved Son, our dear Saviour, was overwhelmed on the Mount of Olives, when He besought His eternal Father to remove from Him, if possible, the bitter chalice of His future passion. I ask it, through the threefold repetition of His prayers in the garden, whence afterwards, with dolorous steps and mournful tears, thou didst accompany Him to the doleful theatre of His death and sufferings. I ask it, through the welts and bruises of His virginal flesh, occasioned by the cords and whips wherewith He was bound and scourged, when stripped of His seamless garment, for which His executioners afterwards cast lots. I ask it, through the scoffs and ignominies by which He was insulted; the false accusations and unjust sentence by which He was condemned to death, and which He bore with heavenly patience. I ask it, through His bitter tears and bloody sweat; His silence and resignation; His sadness and grief of heart. I ask it, through the blood which trickled from His royal and Sacred Head, when struck with the sceptre of a reed and pierced with His crown of thorns. I ask it, through the excruciating torments He suffered, when His hands and feet were fastened with gross nails to the tree of the cross. I ask it, through His vehement thirst, and bitter potion of vinegar and gall. I ask it, through His dereliction on the cross when He exclaimed, "My God! my God! why hast Thou forsaken me?" I ask it, through His mercy extended to the good thief, and through His recommending His precious soul and spirit into the hands of His eternal Father before He expired, saying, "It is consummated." I ask it, through the blood mixed with water, which issued from His Sacred Side when pierced with a lance, and whence a flood of grace and mercy has flowed to us. I ask it, through His immaculate life, bitter passion and ignominious death on the cross, at which nature itself was thrown into convulsions, by the bursting of rocks, rending of the veil of the Temple, the earthquake, and the darkness of the sun and moon. I ask it, through His descent into hell, where He confronted the Saints of the old law with His presence, and led the captivity captive. I ask it, through His glorious victory over death, when He arose again to life on the third day, and through the joy which His appearance for forty days after gave thee, His blessed Mother, His Apostles, and the rest of His Disciples; when in thine and their presence He miraculously ascended into heaven. I ask it, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, infused into the hearts of His Disciples, when He descended upon them in the form of fiery tongues, and by which they were inspired with zeal in the conversion of the world, when they went to preach the gospel. I ask it, through the awful appearance of thy Son, at the last dreadful day, when He shall come to judge the living and the dead, and the world, by fire. I ask it, through the compassion He bore thee in His life, and the unspeakable joy thou didst feel at thine assumption into heaven, where thou art eternally absorbed in the sweet contemplation of His divine perfections. O glorious and ever blessed Virgin! comfort the heart of thy supplicant, by obtaining for me, (Mention your prayer intention here...) And as I am persuaded my Divine Saviour doth honour thee as His beloved Mother, to whom He refuses nothing, because thou asketh nothing contrary to His honour, so let me speedily experience the efficacy of thy powerful intercession, according to the tenderness of thy maternal affection, and His filial loving heart, who mercifully granteth the requests and complieth with the desires of those that love and fear Him. Wherefore, O most blessed Virgin, beside the object of my present petition, and whatever else I may stand in need of, obtain for me also of thy dear Son, our Lord and our God, a lively faith, firm hope, perfect charity, true contrition of heart, unfeigned tears of compunction, sincere confession, condign satisfaction, abstinence from sin, love of God and my neighbour, contempt of the world, patience to suffer affronts and ignominies, nay, even, if necessary, an opprobrious death itself, for love of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Obtain likewise for me, O sacred Mother of God, perseverance in good works, performance of good resolutions, mortification of self-will, a pious conversation through life, and, at my last moments, strong and sincere repentance, accompanied by such a lively and attentive presence of mind, as may enable me to receive the last Sacrament of the Church worthily, and die in thy friendship and favour. Lastly, obtain through thy Son, I beseech thee, for the souls of my parents, brethren, relatives and benefactors, both living and dead, life everlasting, from the only Giver of every good and perfect gift, the Lord God Almighty, to Whom be all power now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of St. Bonaventure

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, and with true, calm and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with entire love and longing for Thee, may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and super substantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, Whom the angels desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst for Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the fullness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, come up to Thee, meditate on Thee, speak of Thee, and do all for the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, with perseverance to the end; and be Thou alone ever my hope, my entire confidence, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession, my treasure; in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably. Amen.

What You Read On This Blog....

You may use anything I have written on this blog. You do not need to credit me, though it would be nice if you did to increase traffic to this blog. Somewhere in "The Story of a Soul", St. Therese commented that she could not concern herself with whether someone took credit for one of her ideas or observations because, after all, everything that is good and holy is inspired not by ourselves but by the Holy Spirit. If you find something useful here that you'd like to print on your own blog or elsewhere, be my guest. It doesn't "belong" to me in the first place.

If you email me, rest assured nothing you send me will be used, unless you have explicitly granted me permission to do so.

Blog links which appear on The Unprofitable Servant may contain content with which I do not necessarily agree.

God Bless You!

The Unprofitable Servant

Saturday, January 29, 2011

St. Therese in her own words

4 comments:

Mary, Queen of Peace

St Michael the Archangel

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross