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Showing posts with label Celebrities. Show all posts
Biography St Therese of Lisieux
St Therese of Lisieux
St
Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) was a French Catholic who became a
Carmelite nun at an early age. She died in obscurity at the age of 26,
however, after her death her autobiography – Story of a Soul
was published and became a best-seller around the world. Her books
explained her spiritual path of love and selflessness, and she became
one of only three females to be considered a doctor of the Catholic
Church.
Short bio of St Therese of Lisieux
From
an early age it was Therese’s ambition and desire to be a saint. She
was born into a pious and loving Catholic family. She remembers the
idyll of her early childhood, spending time with her parents and five
sisters in the un-spoilt French countryside. However this early
childhood idyll was broken by the early death of her Mother (from breast
cancer). Aged only 4 years old, she felt the pain of separation and
instinctively turned to the Virgin Mary for comfort and reassurance. The
next couple of years of St Therese’s’ life was a period of inner
turmoil. She was unhappy at school, where her natural precociousness and
piety made other school children jealous. Eventually her father agreed
for Therese to return home and be taught by her elder sister, Celine.
She
enjoyed being taught at home, however after a while, her eldest sister
made a decision to leave home and enter the local Carmel Convent at
Lisieux. This made Therese feel like she had lost her second mother.
Shortly afterwards Therese experienced a painful illness, in which she
suffered delusions. The doctors were at a loss as to the cause. For
three weeks she suffered with a high fever. Eventually Therese felt
completely healed after her sister’s placed a statue of the Virgin Mary
at the foot of the bed. Therese felt her health and mental state
returned to normal very quickly. Soon after on Christmas Eve 1884, she
recounts having a remarkable conversion of spirit. She says she lost her
inclination to please herself with her own desires. Instead she felt a
burning desire to pray for the souls of others and forget herself. She
says that on this day, she lost her childhood immaturity and felt a very
strong calling to enter the convent at the unprecedented early age of
fifteen.
St Therese was drawn to pray for sinners. Although her
father tried to keep newspapers out of the house, she became aware of
the notorious – unrepentant killer Henri Pranzini, who was due to be
executed in 1887. Therese prayed for his last minute conversion and was
able to read in the newspaper of his last-minute grab for a crucifix as
he approached the scaffold. He kissed the wounds of Jesus three times
before being guillotined.
St Therese audience with the Pope
Initially
the Church authorities refused to allow a girl, who was so young to
enter holy orders. They advised her to come back when she was 21 and
“grown up”. However Therese’s mind was made up, she couldn’t bear to
wait; she felt God was calling her to enter the cloistered life. Therese
was so determined she travelled to the Vatican to personally petition
the Pope. Breaking protocol she spoke to the Pope asking for permission
to enter a convent. Slightly taken aback Pope Leo XIII replied “Well, my
child, do what the superiors decide.” Soon after, her heart’s desire
was fulfilled, and she was able to join her two sisters in the Carmelite
convent of Lisieux.
“Our fulcrum is God: our lever, prayer; prayer which burns with love. With that we can lift the world!”
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