Tag Archives: meditation

Mystic: St. Theresa of Lisieux, 1873-1897

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ST.THofLE

“I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.
After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.”

Therese Martin was the youngest of five daughters born to a very religious couple. At the age of four she lost her mother to breast cancer and the family moved from Normandy, France to the city of Lisieux to be among other relatives. Therese was spoiled by her older sisters and when the eldest joined the convent, she vowed to not only follow her, but to become a saint. She was admitted to the Carmelite cloister at the unusually young age of fifteen. Her sentimental fantasy of convent life was replaced by the reality of menial chores and constant prayer. She came face-to-face with her own doubts and weaknesses when she became ill with tuberculosis and her dream of doing missionary work in Hanoi was shattered Along with her diminished health, Therese had to accept the fact that she would never have the opportunity to travel the world and do great things. Feeling small and ineffectual, Therese went through a period of spiritual dryness where she doubted that her prayers were even heard.

By embracing her powerlessness, she was able to transform her life and develop her “Little Way”. A personal philosophy devoted to performing small, loving acts scattered throughout her day like so many flowers. Gradually, Therese realized that there were no actions that could be considered insignificant, no matter how small. If they were performed with love, they wouldhave great force.

In 1896, while she was bedridden, Therese was ordered to write her autobiography. This self examination is part of the Carmelite spiritual regime. After her death, the book called “The Story of A Soul” was published in a small printing. It soon became spectacularly successful, as ordinary men and women were able to easily identify with its author’s struggle to accept living a hidden, mundane life. It has been translated in at least 50 languages and Saint Therese has a very active and enthusiastic following all over the world.

The international influence of her book realized Therese’s dream to be a foreign missionary. Her Little Way is greatly influenced by the simplicity of children, so the concerns of children are one of her patronages. On her deathbed she vowed that “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.”

A sign that your novena to Saint Therese is being answered is the sight and smell of roses.

Novena to Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
O little Therese of the Child Jesus, Please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O little flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant favors I now place with confidence in your hands.

(Mention your request here).

Saint Therese, help me to always believe as you did, in God’s great love for me, So that I might imitate your “Little Way” each day.

Amen.

Angels: St. Raphael

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St. Raphael Archangele*
St. Raphael the Archangel
Patron of: Travelers, Happy Meetings, To Meet A Life Partner, Blind, The Sciences. Scientific Discovery, Healing, Joy, Consolation, Eye Troubles, Oculists, Guidance.

Of all the seven archangels who sit at the throne of God, Raphael is known as the angel of everyday life. While Michael and Gabriel influence whole nations and predict coming world events and dramatic changes, Raphael accompanies us in our personal daily actions. We pray to him before we take a trip, whenever we are ill or for help in meeting a life partner. The name Raphael means “God heals” and it is said that this was the angel who controlled the healing waters of Probatica, a pond, in ancient times, where desperately ill people would go and wait for the angel to move the waters over them, effecting their healing.
Raphael’s iconography and characteristics are best illustrated by the story in the scriptural Book of Tobit. When Tobit was struck blind he became unable to accompany his son Tobias on a trip across the desert to collect money he had left in the town of Media. He prayed to the archangel for a solution and Raphael appeared to Tobias as a man named Azariah. At the same time, a woman name Sara was invoking the archangel for help in expelling a demon that had killed each one of her seven husbands on their wedding night. The archangel disguised as Azariah made a joyful and happy traveling companion, successfully guiding Tobias and his dog on the long journey. When Tobias and the angel reached the other side of the desert they saw Sara and the archangel insisted that she would make a perfect wife for Tobias. In order to defeat the demon that was plaguing her, he had Tobias catch a large fish, burn the innards and drive out the demon on his wedding night. This resulted in a long and happy marriage for both of them. When Raphael revealed his true identity to Tobias, he ordered him to take the gall from the fish back to his father and heal his eyes with this. In this way, he was able to answer the prayers of the disparate group that petitioned him, bringing a much happier outcome than any one of them would have imagined. He healed a blind man, guided Tobias on his journey, and influenced the happy meeting and joyous marriage between Tobias and Sara.

Raphael is also credited with helping mankind develop scientific knowledge. He helped Noah build his ark and instructed King Solomon on building the great temple of Jerusalem. Intimately involved in the smallest nuance of daily life, he not only delivers us on a safe journey, but also guides us on a more enlightened one.

Prayer

Glorious archangel Saint Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.

I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as you once helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the “medicine of God”, I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (your intention here) and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.