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On Sunday, September 29, 2024, in Brussels, Pope Francis beatified Venerable Anne of Jesus (1545-1621), a Spanish companion of St. Teresa of Avila who bravely defended Teresa's legacy and the constitution of the Order and who established the Carmelite Reform in France and in Belgium.  In 1896, she appeared to St. Therese in a consoling dream which Therese recounts in her memoir, Story of a Soul. 

An Interpretation of St. Therese's Dream

 In The Hidden Face, Ida Gorres interprets this dream.  She pairs it with Therese's earlier dream in which Mother Genevieve of St. Teresa, who founded the Lisieux Carmel, said to Therese three times:  "To you, I leave my heart."   Gorres writes:  "Therese had the consolation of knowing herself to be in accord with the great tradition of the Order, with its founders and with the deceased nun who had established the Lisieux Carmel."  Gorres then recounts the dream in which Mother Anne of Jesus appeared to Therese, and writes:  "Between these two dreams lay Therese's life in the convent: nine years of complete obedience with deep commitment and simple fidelity to the ideal of the Order as represented by its saints." 

The Hidden Face, by Ida Friederike Gorres (New York, New York: Pantheon, 1959, pp.  236-237.

A Short Video and an Article about St. Therese's Dream and about Mother Anne's life:

• For a brief and lively account of the dream and of Anne's life and  extraordinary gifts, please see Jennifer Sokol's story "Miraculous Vision: How St. Therese's Dream Pointed to Blessed  Anne's Beatification" in the Natioinal Catholic Register, September 29, 2024.

Pope Francis's homily at the Mass of Beatification

• For the remarks of Pope Francis about Blessed Anne of Jesus, see the last three paragraphs of his homily at the Mass during which he beatified Mother Anne of Jesus, who founded several monasteries of Discalced Carmelite nuns in Belgium and died in Brussels in 1621

 A  documentary in French by KTO-TV about Blessed Anne of Jesus:

To read the full English text of Pope Francis's speech about St. Therese, courtesy of America magazine, please visit https://tinyurl.com/popefrancisjune62023

"St. Therese on Air" icon by Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS. Available from Trinity Stores.

A nature lover and sustainable development activist

taken up by Pope Francis

The contemplation of nature made Thérèse of Lisieux aware of the depth of the human person. It encourages humanity to care for creation, the development of which also serves the good of humanity.

From her earliest years, Thérèse of Lisieux's relationship with nature, through the elements, such as the sun, animals, flowers, the sea, the countryside, trees, and the earth, gives root to her universal message of love and reconciliation. She places it in a global economy, an ecology at the service of humanity, a society that takes into account the integral human. The education Thérèse of Lisieux received from her parents, in the family, opened her to these principles of life. 

The question of sustainable development refers in the Bible to the Book of Genesis, to the question of Creation, and opens the way to the integral ecology of which Pope Francis speaks in his second encyclical entitled "Laudato si'" ("Praise be to you"). It invites men and women of good will to take care of our earth, our common home, and ultimately to correspond to God's plan in his work of creation that he continues to instill day by day throughout the worl

Taking care of the common home also means taking care of the people we are (or are not) in a relationship with. A common house is made for the meeting of those who live in it.

 In "Laudato si,” Pope Francis draws on the example of "Thérèse of Lisieux"(n. 230 , editor's note) and, in substance, says that integral ecology begins here and now, precisely with a smile, a benevolent attention, an outstretched hand, which bring men and women of good will into contact with one another and awaken in them the desire for a common house where it is good to live, respecting the traditions and cultures of those who inhabit it.

This is the missionary desire of Thérèse of Lisieux, expressed here, to go out to meet the world in order to share with as many people as possible what makes her live and to desire to continue to "do good on earth.”

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).   I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.

In this ninth and last day of the days of prayer before Therese's feast, although I include a few lines from Therese, it is hardly necessary to quote her directly because the Holy Father's words express so well what she knew in her heart and experienced in her life.  I recommend that you pray over paragraphs 23, 24, and 25 of Misericordiae Vultus to prepare to celebrate the feast of St. Therese, Missionary of Mercy.  

The Mother of Mercies

Toward the end of Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis writes:

My thoughts now turn to the Mother of Mercy.

(“The Mother of Mercy” evokes Zelie Martin’s words to Pauline when the family was praying for Zelie’s cure from breast cancer:  “Pray trustingly to the Mother of mercies.  She will come to our aid with the goodness and sweetness of the most tender of mothers.”).

May the sweetness of her countenance watch over us in this Holy Year, so that all of us may rediscover the joy of God’s tenderness. No one has penetrated the profound mystery of the incarnation like Mary. Her entire life was patterned after the presence of mercy made flesh. The Mother of the Crucified and Risen One has entered the sanctuary of divine mercy because she participated intimately in the mystery of His love.

Compare this with the bold words of Therese:

You love us, Mary, as Jesus loves us . . . .
The Savior knew your immense tenderness.
He knew the secrets of your maternal heart.

Pope Francis continues: 

Chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, Mary, from the outset, was prepared by the love of God to be the Ark of the Covenant between God and man. She treasured divine mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with her Son Jesus. Her hymn of praise, sung at the threshold of the home of Elizabeth, was dedicated to the mercy of God which extends from “generation to generation” (Lk 1:50). We too were included in those prophetic words of the Virgin Mary. This will be a source of comfort and strength to us as we cross the threshold of the Holy Year to experience the fruits of divine mercy.

At the foot of the Cross, Mary, together with John, the disciple of love, witnessed the words of forgiveness spoken by Jesus. This supreme expression of mercy towards those who crucified him show us the point to which the mercy of God can reach. Mary attests that the mercy of the Son of God knows no bounds and extends to everyone, without exception.

Compare these last lines with Therese:

Refuge of sinners, He leaves us to you
When He leaves the Cross to wait for us in Heaven.

The Pope continues:

Let us address her in the words of the Salve Regina, a prayer ever ancient and ever new, so that she may never tire of turning her merciful eyes upon us, and make us worthy to contemplate the face of mercy, her Son Jesus.

 Make this prayer ("Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy" by listening to the chant below:

Time of Prayer

Choose any of the passages above or from paragraphs 23, 24, or 25 of Misericordiae Vultus and pray over them. 

Let's conclude the nine days of prayer to prepare for Therese's feast during the Jubilee of Mercy with the Pope's words:

 I present, therefore, this Extraordinary Jubilee Year dedicated to living out in our daily lives the mercy which the Father constantly extends to all of us. . . . . From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he or she can approach it, because the mercy of God never ends. The profundity of the mystery surrounding it is as inexhaustible as the richness which springs up from it.

Just before offering the Prayer of Pope Francis below, pray with him for the Church in these last words from Misericordiae Vultus:

In this Jubilee Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old” (Ps 25:6)..

The Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee 

Click here to read the Prayer of Pope Francis.

Thank you for making these nine days of prayer.  May God bless you through them.

An English translation of the homily
Pope Francis delivered
at a penance service in St. Peter's Basilica
on Friday, March 13, 2015,
the second anniversary of his election as Pope. 
Thanks to Vatican Radio.

At the end he announces the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

The penitential liturgy

This year as last, as we head into the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we are gathered to celebrate the penitential liturgy. We are united with so many Christians, who, in every part of the world, have accepted the invitation to live this moment as a sign of the goodness of the Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, in fact, allows us with confidence to draw near to the Father, in order to be certain of His pardon. He really is “rich in mercy” and extends His mercy with abundance over those who turn to Him with a sincere heart.

"God is rich in mercy"

To be here in order to experience His love, however, is first of all the fruit of His grace. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, God never ceases to show the richness of His mercy throughout the ages. The transformation of the heart that leads us to confess our sins is “God's gift”, it is “His work” (cf. Eph 2:8-10). To be touched with tenderness by His hand and shaped by His grace allows us, therefore, to approach the priest without fear for our sins, but with the certainty of being welcomed by him in the name of God, and understood notwithstanding our miseries. Coming out of the confessional, we will feel God’s strength, which restores life and returns the enthusiasm of faith.

The gospel of the woman who washed the feet of Jesus

The Gospel we have heard (cf. Lk 7:36-50) opens for us a path of hope and comfort. It is good that we should feel that same compassionate gaze of Jesus upon us, as when he perceived the sinful woman in the house of the Pharisee. In this passage two words return before us with great insistence: love and judgment.

The loving woman receives the judgment of mercy

There is the love of the sinful woman, who humbles herself before the Lord; but first there is the merciful love of Jesus for her, which pushes her to approach. Her cry of repentance and joy washes the feet of the Master, and her hair dries them with gratitude; her kisses are pure expression of her affection; and the fragrant ointment poured out with abundance attests how precious He is to her eyes. This woman’s every gesture speaks of love and expresses her desire to have an unshakeable certainty in her life: that of being forgiven. And Jesus gives this assurance: welcoming her, He demonstrates God’s love for her, just for her! Love and forgiveness are simultaneous: God forgives her much, everything, because “she loved much” (Luke 7:47); and she adores Jesus because she feels that in Him there is mercy and not condemnation. Thanks to Jesus, God casts her many sins away behind Him, He remembers them no more (cf. Is 43:25). For her, a new season now begins; she is reborn in love, to a new life.

This woman has really met the Lord. In silence, she opened her heart to Him; in pain, she showed repentance for her sins; with her tears, she appealed to the goodness of God for forgiveness. For her, there will be no judgment except that which comes from God, and this is the judgment of mercy. The protagonist of this meeting is certainly the love that goes beyond justice.

Judgment

Simon the Pharisee, on the contrary, cannot find the path of love. He stands firm upon the threshold of formality. He is not capable of taking the next step to go meet Jesus, who brings him salvation. Simon limited himself to inviting Jesus to dinner, but did not really welcome Him. In his thoughts, he invokes only justice, and in so doing, he errs. His judgment on the woman distances him from the truth and does not allow him even to understand who guest is. He stopped at the surface, he was not able to look to the heart. Before Jesus’ parable and the question of which a servant would love his master most, the Pharisee answered correctly, “The one, to whom the master forgave most.” And Jesus does not fail to make him observe: “Thou hast judged rightly. (Lk 7:43)” Only when the judgment of Simon is turned toward love: then is he in the right.

No one can be excluded from the mercy of God

The call of Jesus pushes each of us never to stop at the surface of things, especially when we are dealing with a person. We are called to look beyond, to focus on the heart to see how much generosity everyone is capable. No one can be excluded from the mercy of God; everyone knows the way to access it and the Church is the house that welcomes all and refuses no one. Its doors remain wide open, so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, so much the greater must be the love that the Church expresses toward those who convert.

A Holy Year of Mercy

Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual conversion. For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord's words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36)”

This Holy Year will begin on this coming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will end on November 20, 2016, the Sunday dedicated to Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – and living face of the Father’s mercy. I entrust the organization of this Jubilee to the Pontifical Council for Promotion of the New Evangelization, that [the dicastery] might animate it as a new stage in the journey of the Church on its mission to bring to every person the Gospel of mercy.

I am convinced that the whole Church will find in this Jubilee the joy needed to rediscover and make fruitful the mercy of  God, with which all of us are called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time.  From this moment, we entrust the Holy Year to the Mother of Mercy, that she might turn her gaze upon us and watch over our journey.

From Vatican Radio (subtitles added)