Happy Wednesday ladies! I always heard time flies when you’re having fun, but this is ridiculous…it’s already the end of January…2013! Remember when we were all realizing the world was still here and operating the end of January 2000? Anyway; it is the end of January, we are wrapping up any thoughts and reflections we have on St Therese’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul
We’re also checking in on our memorization verses, Ephesians 4:25-32. Do you remember being back in high school, writing page after page of verb conjugations so you could memorize the endings for the regular verbs or the conjugations themselves for the irregular verbs? Or maybe all the way back to elementary when we wrote our spelling words three, four, five or more times so we would have them memorized for the test? Well I do and I am going to have to resort back that practice.
I regret to inform you, I do not have my verses memorized. I could blame it on all sorts of things: nursing momma brain, sleep deprivation, lack of motivation, lack of time, or my new favorite–”Work related_____” memory loss, hearing loss, you name it. And maybe that’s some of it, but some of it has to do with priority and my Scripture memorization just did not make it to the top of that list this month.
Ouch, that looks pretty bad and felt even worse typing it out.
But I am not going to beat myself silly or let the devil do the same. I’m going to make it a priority, move it to the top of my list and catch up with you all in February.
I’m pretty sure after confessing I did not get my scripture verses memorized, you won’t be surprised to know I also did not finish the book. I know…really?! But that’s not keeping me from discussing it and it shouldn’t you either. Don’t sit there with something to share and not share it. I am positive we would benefit from your perspective. As a matter of fact, a couple of years ago my small parish had a women’s book club and I rarely read the book, but that did not stop me from attending the discussions, enjoying the company of other women and their thoughts on a book I had not read, but could still contribute to the conversation and enjoy the snacks. So please jump in and let’s learn from each other.
Even at that age I loved far-stretching views, sunlit
spaces and stately trees; in a word, all nature charmed me and
lifted up my soul to Heaven.
–St Therese the Little Flower
A few years ago I was really struggling, I mean really struggling. I called a friend, a kind soul I refer to as my soul sister. She told me to make myself a scrambled egg sandwich, go sit outside and get some sun on my legs, arms, and face. Being the piglet (and Rabbit) temperament that make me, me…I worried about skin cancer but worried more about me if I did not heed her advice. The above passage reminds me of that day. “…all nature charmed me and lifted my soul to Heaven.” I’m also reminded of a recent post by Ginny at Small Things.
There is something very beatific about placing oneself in nature.
Another brief passage, this taken from St Therese’s recollection of her mother’s death and her sister Genevieve. St Therese is speaking of herself in the third person, “…for trials had matured and strengthened her soul, so that nothing on earth could make her grieve.” Pray for me sisters; I am not there. I still cry frequently over a rough 2012 having to leave our family parish home of almost 17 years. I grieve not sitting in the pews I sat in before the baptism of each of my children. I pray this trial is maturing me and strengthening my soul for Heaven, but most days it just leaves me in a sloppy puddle of tears for being misunderstood and maligned.
And that’s why Holy Mother Church has given us these holy examples found in the saints. They were so human that we can relate and yet so pious that we strive to imitate them.
?
Which saint do you strive to imitate and why?
The next passage I wish to discuss is her description of her first confession.
Shortly after this I made my first confession. It is a very sweet memory. Pauline had warned me: “Thérèse, darling, it is not to a man but to God Himself that you are going to tell your sins.” I was so persuaded of this that I asked her quite seriously if I should not tell Father Ducellier that I loved him “with my whole heart,” as it was really God I was going to speak to in his person. Well instructed as to what I was to do, I entered the confessional, and turning round to the priest, so as to see him better, I made my confession and received absolution in a spirit of lively faith–my sister having assured me that at this solemn moment the tears of the Holy Child Jesus would purify my soul. I remember well that he exhorted me above all to a tender devotion towards Our Lady, and I promised to redouble my love for her who already filled so large a place in my heart. Then I passed him my Rosary to be blessed, and came out of the Confessional more joyful and lighthearted than I had ever felt before. It was evening, and as soon as I got to a street lamp I stopped and took the newly blessed Rosary out of my pocket, turning it over and over. “What are you looking at, Thérèse, dear?” asked Pauline. “I am seeing what a blessed Rosary looks like.” This childish answer amused my sisters very much. I was deeply impressed by the graces I had received, and wished to go to confession again for all the big feasts, for these confessions filled me with joy.
St Therese the Little Flower
The Story of a Soul
As you’ve been reading through or just picking out snippets here and there, what words of this holy and little saint have made you stop and ponder?
Let’s discuss our little saint in the comments. Share the saints you strive to imitate and why. How did you do on our scripture memory?
Our theme for February is “Home” and we will be reading Splendor in the Ordinary: Your Home as a Holy Place
(Thanks to Angela in the comments for letting us know that Hallowed Be This House: Finding Signs of Heaven in Your Home
is the reprint.) We will be memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
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St. Therese was my confirmation saint–well, I guess still is, right?
And I picked her because her life seemed a lot like mine, except for the whole mom dying part. And I survived TB–yay modern medicine! I’ve always liked the story about her choosing all the items in the sewing basket, and that’s sort of my motto, which echoes Mother Teresa’s saying that she’d take whatever Jesus gave her. I try very much to do that.
My middle name is Michele, so I have St. Michael, too, and there’s quite a few St. Emilys, although I wasn’t named for any of them (got the Wizard of Oz to thank for that).For the Dominican third order, I chose Bl. Lucy of Narni, who was also the inspiration for Lucy Pevensie. Not a lot is known about her, however.
My other patron is St. Catherine of Alexandria. A reader, a student, unmarried, and kicked scholar butt. I like that very much, very much indeed.
Emily recently posted..Catholic Women’s Almanac No. 21
The role models assigned to me in my childhood are Saint Francis of Assisi (my patron saint) and Saint Teresa of Avila (school patroness). From Saint Francis I learned simplicity and abandonment to God’s providence. Emulating his detachment from material goods is definitely a big challenge in our modern world. I love Saint Teresa’s passionate intentions to be of service to God even as a young child, and the work that she did for her order.She was just so full of deliberateness and passion in the things that were of and for God.
Making sense of my first job after college, I encountered Saint Josemaria Escriva and from him, I learned about the sanctification of ordinary work. The idea that every small thing that we do can be one step closer to Heaven. That is just awesome.
I just started reading “The Story of a Soul.” Honestly, I am just starting to seriously learn about childlike faith in its true sense. So I do need to spend more time with Saint Therese in the next days and weeks.
And I will have to catch up on the memory work… I am excited about the idea of writing down the text as a memory technique. Great suggestion, Jenny!
Thanks heaps to all of you ladies of Suscipio. God bless you always…
Marcia recently posted..Stay with Me, Lord
I read this book a few years ago and loved it so much! Theresa, I just adore that quote you posted. It is so true! I cannot say that I have one favorite saint. I have more of a handful that I *try* to keep in mind as my day progresses. I too love St. Augustine and his patient and loving mother. Being a mom of three young boys, I pray to her often for more understanding and patience to do His will when it comes to these little people he graced me with, not my will. I greatly admire Blessed Mother Teresa and if I was pressed to pick one saint, I guess I would pick her. I have been trying over the past few years to really sort through all of the “things” (material things, external stimulus like the media and all of the other things that influence our living that surround my family. I really want us to live simply and just to enjoy the short amount of time that we all have here without being so bogged down with and to all of the stuff! She has really been a great inspiration for me.
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The saint I try to imitate is the Blesses Virgin Mary herself: she had only one child and (apparently) did not grieve for the others she might have had; she was calm in the face of extreme anxiety-inducing events (unwed motherhood, son convicted and executed like a common criminal); and she followed St. Joseph everywhere he went (Bethlehem, Egypt). That’s the only part I’ve done consistently: followed my husband everywhere for 24 years until he retired from the Army. We have only one child, and sometimes I still grieve that there aren’t more. And I’m never calm. Never.
I’ll get back to you on the memorization after I finish memorizing the Act of Contrition . . . !
Kaethe…this was really a beautiful reflection. I appreciated you sharing it.
I have four children and have mourned the fact I could not have more after losing my last two pregnancies. I also have a close friend in the Carmelites that could only have one child (at 40). She looks to the Holy Family when she feels discouraged about having an only child.
So, I think it is important that you have the Blessed Mother to look to in those difficult times.
God bless…
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Thank you, Theresa!
I read this book last year, and loved it. I will not dwell on it too much here, though remembering that the little things we do, or sacrifice, or offer to God are so important that we need not worry if we are not called to do ‘great things’. This is a relief! God knows I am not a brave person. I feel a little overwhelmed with her whole goodness and desire to be a saint as I could never have related to that as a child. Since my conversion I have loved St Augustine, as before his conversion he was such a terrible sinner! I can relate… And now I love his mother St Monica who kept praying for him throughout.
Thanks to a tip from another commenter here, I am reading Elizabeth Leseur’s secret journals. Although not yet beatified, I am finding her writing very inspiring, as living with an atheist can be very challenging, and even if you do not have the same circumstances, the way she thinks of others in such a loving way, no matter what their beliefs, is worth reading and reflecting on. A book I would recommend!
I have never tried to do memorisation since school. My English teacher took all the joy out of reading poetry by trying to make us memorise verses. I am always impressed by people who can do it without drama!
I am not finished with the book, and honestly? I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t even know about memorization homework! *grins* I am truly enjoying the book, though. It’s niggling in the back of my brain that I may have actually read it before.
The saint I strive to imitate is St. Angela Merici. Why? Because she had the gumption to stand up and say ‘No’ to the Pope himself! He had asked her to lead a religious order of nurses, but Angela knew in her heart that God had called her to do something bigger. Not bigger in terms of recognition, opportunity and honor; rather, bigger in terms of provision to the world outside of a cloister. St. Angela was a rebel in her time for a cause dear to my heart – the education of women. St. Angela could see how the education of women directly affected the good of a community; educated women raise up educated children who grow up with the spiritual AND physical means to help those in their community who need it.
St. Angela was positively scandalous. Education in her time was only for the very wealthy, and usually reserved for men. She enlisted the aid of unmarried, wealthy women, encouraging them to open their [father's] homes and set up classrooms for girls. This was a slap in the face to leaders in both the secular and religious spectrum, as unmarried women were, for all intents and purposes, kept ‘cloistered’ and protected from the world! These volunteers were not just teaching the daughters of their wealthy neighbors how to read, write, sew, and keep a house, either. They were teaching all of the girls in their communities, daughters of the pig farmers, the street urchins, the prostitutes, ALL of them!
St. Angela’s Company of St. Ursula – the Ursulines – was the very first order of religious and lay women who worked outside of a cloister, and were the first official women teachers. I love teaching, and I really do spend a lot of time speaking to young people, especially girls, about the importance of education in their lives. I mentor as many as I can, encouraging them to finish school and aspire to college as well.
And yes, just in case you’re wondering, I did chose Angela as my confirmation name! I think that makes me Angela Squared, which tickles my mathematical geeky self.
Angela Pea recently posted..Minutes – January 28
Angela,
I loved reading about your patron saint! Thank you for sharing her story. I knew none of that before reading your posting.
Did you know that in undeveloped countries, if the level of education for the girls can be brought up to the 5th grade level, that this makes a huge difference in the rate of infant and child mortality? 5th grade, and fewer babies die. That’s all it takes. How much more, then, is accomplished by even better education?? Praise God for women like St. Angela who saw this need and sought to fill it.
Yes, Angela, thank you for the info on Saint Angela. She did seem to be ahead of her time. There remains so much we can do to help young ladies from all walks of life to fulfill the potentials that God has given them.
Marcia recently posted..Stay with Me, Lord
I can tell you I was doing a good many things and yeah, did not do a very good job memorizing this month, I need to work on that.
As to your question about what Saint I strive to imitate, that is such a difficult question for me. Most would say a female married saint, which I know of some and yes I ask for those saints to please intercede for me.
But, I was thinking of my Confirmation Patron Saint, St. Maria Goretti, when I choose her, it was more she chose me in a way because she was the one that gave me hope that I could forgive that person(s) who hurt me deeply. But, even if I love her, I do not think I am striving to be more like her.
Then I thought about my Patron Saints that I took my religious name into the Dominican Laity. Blessed Diana and Blessed Jordan, O.P. both show the beautiful meaning of true relationship that we all have with God, but with ourselves.
But, I am still unsure but with the Holy Spirit I might know in later years.
God Bless.
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One of my favorite sayings: “”Every flower created by [God] is beautiful…if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. So it is in the world of souls, Our Lord’s living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His feet…”
I feel that I am the simple violets content to be at His feet.
I strive to imitate St. John of the Cross. He is my favorite saint and I have always been drawn to his life and his writings. Quiet and serious by temperament and yet kind and compassionate to others as well as artistic and poetic. He speaks of the path of *nothing*…nada…to reach our Lord who is all…todo. We have to be stripped of all our attachments, our ideas regarding the material and spiritual life, our perceptions of God. All this has to be purified to reach union with God.
Well, I could go on and on so I will leave it there : )
Wonderful post and I have not done any memorization, btw (blush). There are certain things I memorize for the Divine Office so that takes up most of my brain energy.
I have to watch finances so I may not be able to get next month’s book. I will see if I can snatch it from the library.
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