I finished reading The
Autobiography of The Little Flower, Story of a Soul and learned about the
extraordinary life of St. Therese of Lisieux. Who among us can say that their parents
sought entry into religious life but were turned down before getting married?
Or that their parents desired a religious vocation for each of their children,
grooming them toward this end by immersing them in their faith through daily life?
Amazingly, all five surviving daughters became nuns!
What a different world this would be if we responded as St.
Therese: “Whenever I find myself faced with the prospect of an attack by my
enemy, I am most courageous; I turn my back on him, without so much as looking
at him, and run to Jesus. I tell Him I am ready to shed all my blood to prove
my faith in Heaven. I tell Him I am quite happy that the eyes of my soul should
be blind, while I am on earth, to the heavenly wonders in store for me, so long
as He will open the eyes of unbelieving souls for all eternity. So, in spite of
the fact that this trial takes away all sense of joy, I can still say: ‘Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in Thy
doings’ (PS. 91:5), for what can give such keen delight as suffering for
love of You! The more personal the suffering and the more hidden from the eyes
of the world, the more pleasing it is to You, my God.” (pp. 121-2)
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