Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

 Day 4 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."  Please pray in thanksgiving for them.

Fourth Day
 
Breakup of the family

"Let there be among you abundant generosity and tenderness, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Yes, try to imitate God because you are his beloved children.”


Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

"O fire of the Spirit, the Paraclete, giving life to every creature, you are holy and your life takes many forms. You are holy, you who cover the most painful fractures with balm; you are holy, you who heal the most fetid wounds. O breath of holiness, O fire of love, O sweetness in the hearts and souls, raining down fragrant virtues. O purest fountain where we see God together and seek the lost. O breastplate of life, hope of the union of all men, beautiful respite, savior of souls. Free those who are imprisoned and deliver those who are bound; save them with divine power." (St. Hildegard)

Psalm 133
 Of David

1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Psalm 134
A song of ascents.

1 Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord.

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Reflection:

Any event in life can serve as a foundation for establishing a family in heaven. For example, those who go before us, our dead, can prepare a way for us. Never forget the beautiful prayer for the souls of our dead, who need our prayers. We also pray for our divorced families, the ones whose marriages have ended. Remember what the Gospel tells us: "It is by your wounds, Jesus, that we are healed." Think positively about all the wounds to love, with an attitude of welcome, not rejection. It may be that we are led to live in separation for a more rewarding life for ourselves and also for our other relationships. Were not the little sisters and brothers of Therese angels in heaven for their family here on earth? Therese herself tells us in P. N. 16. 5: "Lift up your eyes towards Heaven, and you will see on thrones of honor a beloved father, a beloved mother to whom you owe your great happiness.” So we can establish links between this world and Heaven. “Listen to my voice. I give thee counsel, and God be with you. You will discern and your load will be lightened. Others will share it with you…Moses listened to the voice of his father, and he did as he had suggested.” Exodus 18: 13-27.

If we are divorced, we can for example remain faithful to a particular sacrament, an absent husband or wife, preserving in the hope of mercy, a dialogue of love with our Father in Heaven. Whatever our state of separation and waiting to be restored to our union with the Father, learn to bless because we are called to bless. Let us give and receive forgiveness. Louis and Zelie Martin, in fidelity to their covenant, always received the blessing of the Father to keep the family in peace, and their children around them. Yes, cement the union with God because our identity is in our Father. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine."(Isaiah 43: 1-5) With John remember the words of our Lord: “Do not murmur among yourselves.” Sing the Psalm: "Behold it is good, it is sweet, to live together in unity."

For Meditation:

Louis and Zelie Martin, teach us to make paths of healing in our broken families. Louis and Zelie Martin, teach us to say our "yes" or "no." May we see the events of our lives in the light of truth and charity.

Daily Prayer: Our Father; Hail Mary; Our Father

"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.