CHILDREN'S MASS Sunday October 3rd 2010
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October 3rd |
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| Today our children, plus helpers, provided
the music for mass , some prayers and the readings. We welcome Julia
Louise, who played her violin with us for the first time.
We were delighted that Harry was able to be with us for the first time
in many months. Welcome back, Harry, and please continue to get well.
:)
Father John talked to us about Saint Theresa and took the children to
see the display about her life which can be seen behind and to the right
if our main altar.
Father John told us that Saint Theresa of Lisieux ( a town in northern
France) began life as an ordinary child like us.
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She was born on January 2nd 1873 - the
youngest of nine children-into an ordinary household. Her Father made
watches and her mother made lace. In her earliest years, she was often
looked after by her big sister, Marie, but it was her second sister, Pauline,
who most influenced her. It was said Pauline would be a nun, so Therese
thought she would be, too, though she wasn't sure at first what this meant.
She was gently loved by her other two sisters as well, but returned all
this love by loving others deeply herself. Most of all, she loved God.
Then, when she was four, her mother died. She became quiet , serious and
shy. Because her mother was now in heaven, she thought of heaven as her
real home and no longer placed much importance in the things of the world.
She gave her heart to God.
She went to school when she was eight, but was often bullied, as she was
put with older children, as she was so bright. This made others jealous.
Still she never stopped loving. She said,"My little way is all love."
Less than a year later, her sister, Pauline, entered Carmel (she became
a nun in a closed order in a convent). Grief stricken,Therese became very
ill. One night, she was much worse and her sisters thought she would die.
They were prayed at her bedside. When Therese looked at the statue of
Our Lady, it seemed to come to life and smile at her. After this, she
was completely better. She was able to cope when sister Marie also entered
Carmel. She began to pray for souls, wanting everyone to get to heaven,
no matter what they had done.
Therese longed to enter an enclosed order herself, so she could spend
all her time praying, loving others. She realised that she could love
through little ordinary actions every day; she did not need to travel
like the mission nuns, or to do anything very noticeable.
When she was fourteen, she told her father she wished to enter Carmel.
Though so sad at the thought of losing her, he agreed. Next came several
refusals by church officials and finally, the bishop of Bayeux, as no-one
usually entered a convent till the age of twenty-one.
However, her father had already planned to take Therese and her sister,
Celine, on a pilgrimage to Rome. There she had the chance to meet the
pope, LeoXIII at an audience. However overwhelming and frightening the
experience, she pleaded with him to be allowed to enter Carmel once she
reached fifteen. He did not say yes- only if it was God's will, which
appeared to be a refusal of all her heart's desires.
When she returned to Lisieux, her sister Pauline, now sister Agnes, the
prioress of the Carmel, advised her to write again to the bishop. Silence,
followed, then finally, the following year ,1888, she was given permission.
We may have thought things would have become easy for her after this,
but nothing could be further from the truth: she was misunderstood by
her superiors; her father became ill and she was not there at home to
care for him; for a long time she felt as if she were in a dark tunnel-
she had to keep on loving and praying for others without answers
or comfort for herself.
She wrote that she realised it was enough to give oneself up as a child
in the arms of God. She had read the words of Scripture,"Whosoever
is a little one, let him come to me" and her reply was,"I must
be little and I must become even smaller". Being "small"
consisted of lovingly attending to every detail of caring for the other
sisters, not minding what was said or done by others, not criticising,
sitting by the one she didn't easily like, doing things for others without
their knowing, seeing everyone as a child of God. Prayer was simple- raising
one's mind and heart to God in any moment- not reciting long prayers in
words.
Although she tried not to be noticed by the other sisters, she was noticed
and the Mother Prioress asked her to write an account of her childhood.
On reading it, she realised what a help to others would this description
of her "Little Way" be. Today, you can read her book called
by this title.
Therese's health began to fail as she looked after the sick and worked
without complaining. Even her faith was put to the test, when she at times
lost her ability to believe in heaven. She contracted tuberculosis.
Therese began to talk of her death. She told her sisters not to worry;
that after her death she would let fall a shower of roses; that she would
spend her heaven in "doing good on earth". And some of her last
words were,"It is love alone that counts".
She died on October 1st 1897.
After her death, many sick people were cured when they prayed to her,
people's doubts and fears were removed and missions succeeded. These were
the mystical roses that were scattered round the world. She became known
as Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus.
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