Saint Therese of the Child Jesus

of the Holy Face

Pope Benedict mentions St. Therese of Lisieux among those who "helped the sick to appreciate the human and spiritual value of their suffering"

 

 In his message for the World Day of the Sick 2013, Pope Benedict mentioned Saint Therese of Lisieux as among the saints who "helped the sick to appreciate the human and spiritual value of their suffering."  An excerpt is below:

"The Year of Faith which we are celebrating is a fitting occasion for intensifying the service of charity in our ecclesial communities, so that each one of us can be a good Samaritan for others, for those close to us. Here I would like to recall the innumerable figures in the history of the Church who helped the sick to appreciate the human and spiritual value of their suffering, so that they might serve as an example and an encouragement. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, "an expert in the scientia amoris" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 42), was able to experience "in deep union with the Passion of Jesus" the illness that brought her "to death through great suffering" (Address at General Audience, 6 April 2011).
Read the full text of the Pope's message.  The World Day of the Sick is observed on February 11th, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.  The Pope released his message on January 8th.

Film of Cardinal Pacelli consecrating the Basilica of St. Therese in 1937

 

 View this film, just under two minutes, which shows Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, later Pope Pius XII, consecrating the Basilica of St. Therese at Lisieux in 1937 before an immense crowd. 

The exhibit of Nativity sets from the whole world at the basilica of Lisieux

 

Every year the Shrine at Lisieux sponsors an exhibit of Nativity sets from all around the world.  This year, thanks to GloriaTV, you may view a film of the Nativity sets which lets you see many in detail.  The exhibit, open till February 2, 2013, shows more than two hundred Nativity sets.

Posted on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 10:41PM by Registered CommenterMaureen O'Riordan in , | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

The New Year's wishes of St. Therese of Lisieux to her aunt and uncle, December 30, 1889

Thanks to the work of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux and their helpers, the first one hundred letters written by St. Therese of Lisieux are available online in English.  Please read her New Year's letter to her uncle and aunt, Isidore and Celine Guerin, written December 30, 1889.  She wrote at the end of the year 1889; the "bitter chalice" to which she refers is the illness of her father, who on February 12, 1889 had to be interned in a psychiatric hospital at Caen, where he remained for more than three years. 

A brief reflection on the birthday of St. Therese of Lisieux, January 2

On the anniversary of the birth of little Therese Martin, I am thinking of her in the context of this reflection by Rodney Kissinger, S.J.:

 Whether we live a long life or a short one, whether we are sickly or healthy, whether we are rich or poor, learned or uneducated, whether we accomplish much or little in this world, is only incidental. What is important is that I make the love of God visible in me, that I give the love of God credibility so that others may believe, hope and love – and be happy to be themselves.

How Therese let God's love be visible in her.  How much credibility she gave it in the world.  How does that love want to be made visible in you this year? 

Posted on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 10:42PM by Registered CommenterMaureen O'Riordan in , | Comments1 Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint