Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

Day 2 of the novena to Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin prepared for Sainte-Therese Parish in Metz, France.  Used with the permission of Fr. Jean-Claude Lange and translated by Mary Davidson, OCDS for "Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway."  I thank them both warmly and ask you to pray for both these persons and for Sainte-Therese Parish.

The shrine and relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin at St. Patrick's Church, Columbus, Ohio

 Fruits of the Spirit

"The Lord gave me parents more worthy of Heaven than of Earth." (St. Therese of the Child Jesus).

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

"O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, come upon me and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little creature; cover her with Your shadow, seeing in her only the 'Beloved in whom You are well pleased.'" --Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

Psalm 21

The king rejoices in your strength, O Lord.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!

2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.

3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.

5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

Reflection

The "Yes" given in the breath of the Spirit is a commitment to the path of trust and abandonment, so dear to St. Teresa: "Lord Thy will be done, not mine." Indeed, if we listen to the Spirit, it will be easier to discern the call to holiness amid the noise of the world. This particular path can be daunting, or like an arid desert, unless one lives in the sacraments, the Eucharist. Each time we choose this path, we hear the echoes of Hosea's voice so close to us today: "I will espouse you to me forever, in right and in justice, in love and in mercy. I will espouse you to me in faithfulness: and you shall know the Lord "(Hosea 2: 21-22). Hope is a forceful dynamic, for those who recognize God's life in themselves: "The Spirit overshadows you; you welcome into yourself the dew of heaven. Already the time has come. In the distance is the harvest of those who cross the Jordan, the land of Israel "(Chronicles). Louis and Zelie Martin knew the voice of the Spirit and they recognized the scents of the dawn. They always desired to consecrate their union in memory of Tobias and Sarah: "Tobias rises from bed and said to Sarah: arise my love. We must pray and ask our Lord for His grace and protection. She stood up and they began to pray for God’s deliverance.”  (Tobias 8). That is why it is important that the composition of our families here on earth reflects the image of the Father of mankind, the family of Nazareth, and the holy family. We are all called to be architects of hope and love: “As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder will marry you, and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you" (Isaiah 62:5). Through this sweet relationship with our Father, St. Therese reassures us about our calling as parents. As the Blessed Virgin Mary said: "You will not let families be destroyed." Louis and Zelie Martin teach how to say "Yes" so that we also may build. Through the "Yes" that we give, may we become like prodigal children. May we give life so that life may be given to us.

For meditation:

 Louis and Zelie Martin, in the essence of your love you confirmed your desire for the conception of each of your children. Help us to obtain the grace of peace in our lives given to the Father. May we consecrate all our actions to Him and give Him all of our love.

Daily prayers:

Our Father, . . .  Hail Mary, . . . 

"God Our Father,

I thank you for Louis and Zelie Martin,

a couple united in faith, giving the witness of an exemplary Christian life

through the exercise of the duty of their state in life

and the practice of the evangelical virtues.

In the education of a large family,

through trials, mourning, and suffering,

they generously expressed their trust in You

and their submission to Your will.

Deign to grant, O Lord, the graces that I seek,

in the hope that the father and mother of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

will one day be proposed as models for today's families for the entire Church. Amen.”