St. Therese wrote "My Weapons" for the profession of her cousin, Marie Guerin, Sister Marie of the Eucharist. Marie was the last of Therese's five novices to enter and thus the last to profess her vows (on March 25, 1897).  Therese had only a little more than six months to live when she wrote:

Smiling, I bravely face the fire.

And in your arms, O my Divine Spouse,

I shall die singing on the battlefield,

My Weapons in hand!...

 You may read the English translation of the poem Natasha Saint-Pier is singing in French right here at the Web site of the archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.

The exhibit "St. Therese of Lisieux, or burning with love" will be part of the Youth Festival of World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro.  This exposition, organized by the Carmel of Lisieux and the Association of the Friends of Therese and of the Carmel of Lisieux, drew seven million visitors at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris last summer.  The trip to Brazil for World Youth Day, of which St. Therese is co-patron, is its first visit to the New World.

See the exhibit (set up at Notre Dame) in the film below:

The exposition consists of 36 photographic panels designed to show the different kinds of love Therese experienced:

• love for her family (her environment, family, the Blessed Virgin, the Carmelite Order, the saints, and, of course, Jesus – child, suffering, and risen);
• love for the people of her time;
• love for people beyond this earthly life.

The goal of the exposition, as translated from the Web site of Notre-Dame Cathedral:

The exhibition is designed to be shown in places of solitude and of distress – prisons, hospitals, retreat houses, public places … to show the extraordinary fruitfulness of the life of Thérèse with her double message of hope. The exposition wants to tell us, on the one hand, that Thérèse is a source of graces and of abundant consolation to all who suffer and who call upon her; and, on the other hand, that no life, however poor and limited it may be, is necessarily wasted – that is the life of Thérèse herself, who had always suffered, and who died at the age of 24 years (1873-1897), in the Carmel where she had withdrawn.

Please see the PowerPoint of this exposition created by World Youth Day (with thanks to www.rio2013.com).

Where to see the exposition:

The exposition will be held in the Praça do Conhecimento at Morro do Alemão.  World Youth Day reports that more information may be available at the WYD Media Center. 

On Wednesday, July 10, to honor the feast of Louis and Zelie Martin, Father Jim Kubicki, the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer, a great friend of Therese and a dear friend of mine, spoke about Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin and about the vocation to family prayer on "Inner Life,' a call-in radio show for spiritual direction on Relevant Radio. He spoke sensitively and in depth about the marital spirituality of Louis and Zelie as it applies to us and about the vocation of prayer, and graciously recommended both "Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway" and the book "A Call to a Deeper Love," the letters of Louis and Zelie. Please listen to the show at http://www.relevantradio.com/audios/the-inner-life (select the date July 10).

 Zelie and Louis Martin

For the fifth feast of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, I present a cornucopia of different resources to learn, teach, and celebrate their lives and sanctity:

Books - gifts for the feast of Louis and Zelie Martin

A photo gallery of Louis and Zelie Martin

The healing of little Carmen: the miracle which may make Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin canonized saints

Yesterday, July 10, Fr. James Kubicki, national director of the Apostleship of Prayer and a great friend of Therese, appeared on a call-in show for spiritual direction, "The Inner Life" on Relevant Radio. He spoke about the importance of family prayer and used Louis and Zelie as the theme. 

Prayers:

a litany to Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin

a novena to Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin

a prayer to Louis and Zelie for spouses

Finally, almost all the resources the site offers for Louis and Zelie can be seen at the oages below, which contain many beautiful films, photos, and articles.:

The lives of Louis and Zelie Martin

The beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin

The pastoral significance of Louis and Zelie Martin

A Prayer to Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin for Parents and Spouses - 

"to remain in joy and Christian hope"

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, today we turn to you in prayer. By fulfilling the duties of your state in life and practicing the evangelical virtues as spouses and as parents, you have modeled for us an exemplary Christian life.

May the example of your unwavering trust in God and your constant willingness to surrender all the joys, the trials, the sorrows and sufferings that filled your life encourage us to persevere in our daily challenges and to remain in joy and Christian hope. Amen.

[courtesy of Father Jean-Claude Lange, from the Web site of Sainte-Therese parish in Metz, France.  Translated by Mary Davidson, OCDS]