St. Therese of Liseux

This is from Matthew Collins, at http://www.interbit.com/blogger/2003_09_28_archive.html. Please check it out. There is a movie out now in a limited run, Therese, about St. Therese of Liseux.

Matthew writes, "I've never had much devotion to St. Therese of the Little Flower - until now. It's not that I had anything against her, it's just that I never paid her too much attention. I thought all this stuff about roses was rather maudlin. My particular devotion has been to St. Francis of Assisi and St. Josemaría Escrivá.

"Recently, though, I started attending daily Mass at the Shrine of the Little Flower, in Baltimore, MD, on my way to work. It's particularly convenient because it's on the way from my son's school to my office. There's been a long-standing issue in my family that we needed to find a solution to. So one day before Mass I thought I'd ask St. Therese to find a solution. I didn't say anything to anyone about it. Sure enough, within a week the problem was solved. I asked my sister-in-law who she had been praying to, and she said "I just started praying to St. Therese last night!" Even though no unexpected rose was involved there was no doubt in my mind that St. Therese had been the one who solved the problem.

"Last week the priest at Little Flower started a novena to St. Therese in preparation for her feast day yesterday. After Communion we would say some short prayers, one of which was addressed to St. Therese. The prayer contained a promise (for the rest of my life, no less) to bring others to Jesus by making St. Therese better known. I figured "What the heck?!", if she answers my petition (which was a very private one) I would be happy commit to spread devotion to her for the rest of my life.

"So yesterday morning she and I had a little chat. Actually, it was mostly I who did the talking. I said "OK, St. Therese, today's the last day. I haven't received that rose yet, and my prayer hasn't been answered. So if you're going to do it, you don't have much time left." Well, within 10 minutes of that chat, and within about 5 minutes of venerating her relic, my petition was granted! I didn't recognize it at first, but during the day an awareness kept growing that what had happened that morning was, in fact, the answer to my prayer. But still no rose.

"Yesterday was my 15th wedding anniversary. When I opened the mail after getting home from work there was a card from my godmother telling me that my wife and I would be remembered weekly in the Masses said by the Vincentian fathers. On the front of the card was a single rose!!

"Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so. My godmother is a very good and holy woman, but she has NEVER sent us a card for our anniversary. And what are the chances that she would send a card with a rose on it when NO ONE, not even my wife, was aware of the novena I was making? And that it would arrive on the very day my prayer was answered?

"So, I've decided I will have to find out more about this great saint so I can keep my promise to make her better known. Today's blog is my first step in keeping that promise.

"One thing I do already know is that St. Therese proposed the "Little Way" in which we can find holiness by doing the ordinary things of our lives with great love and perfection. "