How St. Thérèse called me to help spread her Rose Petals of Love.

"I will seek out a means of getting to Heaven by a little way—very short and very straight, a little way that is new. We live in an age of inventions; nowadays the rich need not trouble to climb the stairs, they have lifts[elevators] instead. Well, I mean to try and find a lift by which I may be raised unto God, for I am too tiny to climb the steep stairway of perfection. Thine Arms, then, O Jesus, are the lift which must raise me up even unto Heaven. To get there I need not grow; on the contrary, I must remain little, I must become still less." St. Thérèse

I don’t understand the fascination with Black Friday. It seems to me the thing that makes Black Friday work is that shoppers must all want to purchase the same thing either for themselves or more nobly to give to someone else, be it the latest appliance, an innovative electronic, that most advertised doll or other toy. Everyone knows that on Black Friday these items will be greatly discounted but available in limited numbers. However, if we are among the few persons that these popular items do not appeal to them, at least there will be surprise super specials throughout the day to entice us to join the crowds for this once a year event and to be waiting at the door when the department stores open at dawn.

I had no reason to believe that this year’s Black Friday would be any different. I had no interest in participating in the drama and excitement of Black Friday. I planned to stay home and do my Christmas shopping at the last minute as usual with hopes of catching at least a few sales. Except I forgot that I would be bombarded with Black Friday deals on the internet as well. I wondered, “Can it really be considered Black Friday shopping if one doesn’t have to leave the house?”

I could have ignored Black Friday via the internet but then I ran across a Catholic online bookstore featuring a 40% off everything plus free shipping Black Friday only. This caught my attention. I thought maybe I could find something to give people in my different church groups and ministries. So, I looked. I scanned through books, booklets, pamphlets and more. I was attracted to a booklet titled “Joy in Suffering.”

In my religious studies, I often seek the answer as to why God sends us suffering. I’ve concluded that suffering is important for our spiritual growth. I pray for the strength to accept suffering in my life as a gift from God. This conforms with my promise to love and trust God unconditionally. So, I bought a box of these booklets to give to my church friends. When the box arrived, I remembered that the booklet is a Novena to St. Thérèse. St. Thérèse suffered much in her short life. She lost her mother when she was only 4 and her beloved Father, who called her his Little Queen, died later. If anyone understood about physical and mental suffering it was St. Thérèse. I learned later that St. Thérèse suffered spiritually as well. "A wall rose up to heaven and hid God from me". "O Mother, I did not believe that it was possible to suffer so much... I can only explain it by my very great desire to save souls".

So, when the booklets arrived, I opened the box, took one out and read the complete title, Joy in Suffering According to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus – A Novena – 9 Days of Instruction and Prayers. My relationship with St. Thérèse was revived just as if she was a dear little friend I very seldom had spoken to since I was a child. I always loved her but sadly I thought of her too little since my school days though I’m certain she never forgot me. And now, even though I didn’t ask for help, St. Thérèse reached out to help me on Black Friday. Later I remembered something that occurred earlier. I looked at the calendar. Exactly one month from the day The Little Flower of Jesus reached out to me on Black Friday she had briefly gotten my attention in another way. Here’s what happened: On the day of a dear one’s funeral my husband parked by the curb at the funeral home shortly before his mother’s body was to be taken to the church. We went inside for more prayers and goodbyes. When I got back in the car, on the curb, right near the front passenger side door lay a fresh red rose petal. “I will let fall a shower of roses.” St. Thérèse

I picked up the perfect rose petal. I thought of St. Thérèse immediately but I was a skeptical. After all we were parked by a funeral home. Roses and other flowers are brought in and out all the time. Still I felt the rose petal was for me. I wanted it to be from St. Thérèse. I felt she understood how hard Mother’s death was for me. I saved the dark red rose petal and later that day placed it in my Bible. So, when the booklets arrived I pulled one out of the box right away and without hesitation I started to pray the Novena. When I came to “state your intention here,” many things came to mind, so many people to pray for but then I decided on one special intention for this Novena to St. Thérèse. *

“St. Thérèse! St. Thérèse! St. Thérèse! How the Sisters who taught me when I was a child loved you. How I love you! And though I had grown distant from you, I do not consider you a lesser saint for whenever I am stirred to remember you by a mention of your name; a holy card; a church named after you; or a quote from you, my heart is moved by this memory. How could my heart forget you? The good Sisters reminded the children what a great saint our beloved Little Flower is and how dearly you want to help us!" -My prayer to St. Thérèse

St. Thérèse presents our petitions to Dear Jesus in whom she placed all her hope and affection when she was still on earth. She dedicated her life to God as a Carmelite Sister with the promise that she would not forget us. She promised to remember us from heaven, “Because I never did my will on earth, the good God will do all that I want in heaven...” St. Thérèse

Thérèse was 15 years old when she entered Carmel Monastery in Lisieux to become a Carmelite Sister. I could say that at this very young age Thérèse gave her life to God, but this little soul had given her life to God at a much younger age, almost as a baby. It is common knowledge that St. Thérèse had an awareness of God when she was only 2 or 3 years old.

As a Carmelite, Thérèse was obedient to her Superiors. She was joyful even in her suffering and she suffered much for Thérèse accepted whatever God gave her. The Carmelites have a vow of silence but enjoyed free time for an hour a day. During this hour they were allowed to visit and talk to each other. Thérèse was an animated storyteller. She loved to tell stories of her childhood. The others enjoyed her stories and looked forward to hearing them. Although Thérèse wrote poetry she had no intention of writing her life story until Mother Prioress of Carmel requested her to do so. Thérèse obediently complied. Thus, we are blessed to have “Story of a Soul,” St. Thérèse’s autobiography. Her life and teachings are an inspiration to us.

Thérèse thought a lot about eternal life. She wanted to be certain she was going to heaven when she died. Thérèse accepted that she was not capable of doing some of the great things that many other saints had done. She came to depend on a loving and merciful God to call her to heaven. Thérèse believed in mercy over justice and spoke and wrote about this in letters at a time when it was not popular to think this way. She helped others to understand that it’s not the greatness or number of deeds one accomplishes it’s the love and humility of the person doing the deeds that our Lord sees no matter how great or small the deeds. What she could do was to practice her faith, keep her vows such as the vow of obedience, which may be hard for many of us, and trust in God in all things. Thérèse believed she would die young but, she said that even if she lived to be very old, she wanted her soul to be little as a child and to remain little her whole life.

Thérèse was so in love with Our Lord that she worried about those who refused His love. She felt compassion and concern for those who had the blessed opportunity to be close to Christ but would not accept His love. Sweet Thérèse was even more concerned about the love Jesus was willing to give, love that was not being accepted. Thérèse could not bear this thought until she found a solution. She decided to make a bold offer to Jesus. Thérèse offered to take all the love that she knew Jesus was willing to give. So much love to so many people, she was willing to receive all the love Jesus was not able to give because some souls were not willing to accept it.Thérèse would accept all this love herself. She did not now know if she could handle that much Divine Love. This was the prayer she offered to God, “That I may live in one Act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO THY MERCIFUL LOVE, imploring Thee to consume me without ceasing, and to let the tide of infinite tenderness pent up in Thee, overflow into my soul, that so I may become a very martyr of Thy Love, O my God!” Thérèse was willing to die rather than have this Divine Love turned away, refused.

Thérèse lived to tell us that Jesus did indeed take her offer seriously and flooded her with the love she desired. “A few days after the oblation of myself to God’s Merciful Love, I was in the choir beginning the Way of the Cross, when I felt myself suddenly wounded by a dart of fire so ardent that I thought I should die. I do not know how to explain this transport’ there is no comparison to describe the intensity of that flame. It seemed as though an invisible force plunged me wholly into fire…But oh! What fire! What sweetness!”

St. Thérèse suffered immensely during the last few years of her life and almost unbearably during the last several months before she died. She was in such agony. Her body had wasted away so much that exposed bones protruded from her legs yet her act of dying was a miraculous. When St. Thérèse only had a short time left to live, all the Sisters were called around her bed to pray with her. St. Thérèse was awake waiting patiently to be with her beloved. As she held her crucifix and gazed at Jesus on the cross, Our Savior whom she loved with all her heart, St. Thérèse spoke her last words, “Oh…I love him…my God…I love…Thee!” Then it is said that she raised her head and shoulders up off the bed and her face became radiantly beautiful. St. Thérèse was in ecstasy. She was said to be in this state for the length of a Credo. On reading this, I was confused but then acknowledged that the Sisters were praying and perhaps at the moment they were praying the Creed, it was remembered that St. Thérèse had her heavenly vision from the start of the Creed to the end when she lay her head back down on the pillow and breathed her last breath. After St. Thérèse died her face kept this peaceful countenance with all signs of agony and suffering gone, the beautiful face of Thérèse they remembered.

Indeed, I have no doubt that St. Thérèse called me. I’m doing what I can to tell stories of this great saint, her life and the countless miracles attributed to her intercession, her tremendous love and what she taught about her LITTLE WAY TO HEAVEN.

*My intention involved bringing a little family of souls closer to God by asking her to help them with financial and other problems. I can see that St. Thérèse has already presented this family to Our Lord. She gives signs that she has already stared answering my petition.