(St. Thérèse of Lisieux)
Biography of a Wisdom Master and Ascended Light of God
Lady Rowena is an Ascended Wisdom Master who works alongside those who serve on Ray Three (Active Creative Intelligence) to transmit and reflect the Will and Wisdom of God through the discipline and Power of God’s Infinite Love. As a spiritual champion in the pursuit of activating our Higher Self and of manifesting the Christ Light Consciousness, she works with the advanced Initiates and Disciples of the Third Ray of Divine Love in the Etheric Realm over the Rhone River in Southern France, as well as the custodians of the Liberty Flame to focus the Three-Fold Immortal Flame of Life
and the Flame of Liberty into humankind through the power of transmutation, transformation, self-empowerment, and ascension into the Light and Love of the Eternal Source. It is as this flame of constancy and loyalty to the Light of God’s Will that she stands on and by which she vows to assist, thereby shining the way forward for all those who desire to emulate her spirit of confidence, love, trust, and selfless acceptance to the Creator of All That Is.
All the direct quotes in this article, with the exception of the poem at the end, were taken from the memoir of St. Thérèse. The exact date of her writing is not known but is estimated to have occurred between 1893-1896. As you become familiar with her beliefs, it will be apparent that she used her expertise with active creative intelligence to find a way to be a point of Light under the most strenuous circumstances. She strove always to bring forth more Light and struggled to remain in communion with God all of her short life. Sacrifice, devotion, and idealism strongly conditioned her perceptions and this is also an example of spirituality as it was understood during that particular century.
This lifetime, as St. Thérèse took place under the previous Age of Pisces which is considered to be a time of darkened distorted Maya for all people. This single Age was also included in a much large bloc of time known as the Kali Yuga. The Kali Yuga is known to be an extensive period of darkened Light called: The Dark Night of the Soul. All the Ascended Wisdom Masters found some way throughout the portal of time to free themselves from this massive darkened distorted field of Truth. To “free” oneself is to take the advanced Initiation known to the Mystics as “The Ascension”. One had to become a powerful point of love and compassion in order for ones individual Light to penetrate the thick Maya Field and thus to perceive the ever-present Truth of the Divine. The power of Love to Liberate (Freedom Flame) is demonstrated by Lady Rowena in the lifetime of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
“I feel called to the service of God. I should like to accomplish the most heroic deeds. The spirit of the Crusader burns deep within my soul. Like the Prophets and Doctors, I would be a light unto souls. I would travel to every land to preach. O my Beloved. I have always understood that my mission was to lead souls to the Light and to our Creator who on this earth holds His place in their regard, and whom, therefore, they must love and respect. One mission alone would not satisfy my longings. I would spread the Gospel’s message to the ends of the earth, even to the most distant isles. I would be a Missionary, not for a few years only, but, were it possible, from the beginning of the world till the consummation of time. I am only too happy to follow the dictates of my heart and hasten to console with a little sweetness. All the glory that you help me to acquire will be offered up in your name. I offer myself to Thee, O my Beloved, that Thou may perfectly accomplish in me Thy Holy Will. Grant that I may fulfill my engagements in all their perfection.” (Martin, 2005).
others for the development and balancing of the intuitive and creative faculties of the heart and heart chakra by the methods of empowerment, compassion, and humbleness, is a champion in the pursuit of our Higher Self through his devotion to ingenuity and splendor. Embodying these and other third ray virtues, he exemplifies the power of Spirit that is transmitting the Loving Life of God, the pink/rose flame of freedom, compassion, empowerment, omnipresence, healing, beauty, and a desire to be God in action through example and effort in both deed and intention by use of authentic power that lifts up another’s soul.
She assists in teaching the way of the Divine Heart through her own amplified qualities of
compassion, creativity, beauty, forgiveness, unity, community, and joy, as well as a longing to be in service to God by virtue of example, endeavor, and actions as the victorious Light and Love of the Divine to lift up another’s soul in order to bring forth peace and abundance for all. In her present lifetime, her love and passion for God’s Will is plainly visible and her commitment to the Rose Light and The Freedom Flame is just as strong today as it was in the Nineteenth Century. She is making her transition from the passing sixth ray of devotion and idealism into the incoming seventh ray of reality and practicality. Today, Rowena seeks to unify the pairs of opposites into the wisdom of harmony and mutual empowerment. To expand the reality and Truth of the Rose Ray on Earth is a top priority. Working closely with the angelic and elemental kingdom, she is one who guides souls to seek their support in order to become the immaculate perfection of the Sacred Three-Fold Flame of Immortal Life and the Infinite Love of the Christ Heart through gratitude, dedication, and involvement with Life.
“How happy does Our Lord make me. He has always given me what I desired, or rather, He has made me desire what God wishes to give. I have never given the Good God anything but love. A heart given to God loses nothing of its natural affection--on the contrary, this affection grows stronger by becoming purer and more spiritual. These events which Our Lord lavished upon me, far from doing me any harm, drew me towards Him; I saw that He alone is unchangeable, He alone can fill the vast abyss of my desires. The highest inspirations are of no value without good works. It is my dearest wish never to bend beneath the weight of God's gifts, acknowledging that all comes from Him for a purpose.” (Martin, 2005).
She embodies these and other third ray virtues where she works to inspire the development
and works closely with students of art, music, architecture, and engineering in the technique and creation of harmony, grace, majesty, form, light, symmetry, and design so as to increase the potency within the heart and to exalt the qualities found in God’s Triality flame.
“From afar it seems so easy to do good to souls, to teach them to love God more, and to give even a little guidance. But, when we draw nearer, we quickly feel that without God's help this is quite as impossible as to bring back the sun when once it has set. We must forget the effort and put aside our tastes and ideas, and guide souls not by our own way, but along the path of the Heart which Our Lord has revealed. I am glad to stand before all for the glory of bringing Heaven to Earth.” (Martin, 2005).
She is working to help develop and expand the consciousness of the collective heart center
through the transformative and healing power of the Rose Ray as expression of the Holy Spirit in action in order to restore balance and add stability to an exclusive domination of global perception by the male standpoint. Working with the pink/rose flame of healing and transformation, she is one who is committed to liberating the soul of humankind into a higher consciousness and to restore it to its original purity and Light through integrating and transmitting the energy and Light of the Cosmic Holy Spirit and through the strength of the Ascension Flame as it is anchored on Earth by the power of Infinite Love To this end, she collaborates with all the other members of God’s Council of Light to teach the new way and to initiate evolution through the new reality of unity consciousness and God’s Cosmic Law as it ends into and sanctifies the Age of Aquarius.
Copyright Onhi 2008
“There is no comparison to describe the intensity of the Freedom Flame of Divine Love. It seemed as though an invisible force plunged me wholly into fire…But oh! What fire! What sweetness. If through me Thou wilt give to each what is suitable, then fill my hands, and without leaving the shelter of Thine Arms, or even turning away, I will distribute Thy treasures to the souls who come to me asking for food. I ask but Peace...Peace, and above all, Love … Love--without limit. I understood that without love even the most brilliant deeds count for nothing.” (Martin, 2005).
Augmenting the new growth method of harmony through wisdom as opposed to growth through
conflict, as well as to the accomplishment of unity within diversity, she is here to advance the greater perception of a new reality on Earth and to guide the way forward by achieving enlightenment through more understanding and higher Truths. In this way, she is working to ensure a superior quality of life for All and of bringing Heaven to Earth through the Infinite Power of Divine Love. This new way of evolving is as according to God’s Will, and it is the happiness of Heaven of which she spoke as Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
"It is Love! To love, to be beloved, and to return to Earth to win love for all! Love attracts love. Thy love has gone before me, even from the days of my childhood. It has grown with my growth, and now it is endless whose depths I cannot fathom. This place, O my God, Thou hast Thyself given to me: I will be Love’s Light! I feel that my mission is soon to begin--my mission to help others love God as I love Him. My desire is to continue my work for ascending all souls. If the mere desire of Thy Love awakens such delight, what will it be to possess it, to enjoy it forever? Child of light, as I am, I understood that my desires to be all things, and to embrace all vocations, were riches that might well make me unjust; so I set to work to use them for the making of friends. I ask for Love.” (Martin, 2005).
Recognized for her will of steel, the message she has for us today is still as compelling and
explicit as it was in her embodiment as Saint Thérèse of Lisieux where she came to be known for her piety as well as her devoutness to the Christ Light and her dedication and consecration to God. Never to be discouraged, it was God’s Will that fueled her determination and provided her with a sense of peace and calm of which nothing else could enter.
“The Lord's Will fills my heart to the brim, and hence, if aught else is added, it cannot penetrate to any depth, but, like oil on the surface of limpid waters, glides easily across. I turn to God and all His Saints of Light, and thank them notwithstanding; I believe they want to see how far my trust may extend. Notwithstanding my exceeding littleless, I dare to gaze toward the Divine Sun of Love. O my God, I understand Thy Love for me. I am happy to feel myself so small, so light in Thy sunshine, and I am in peace.” (Martin, 2005).
She was conscious even then, in her embodiment as Thérèse of Lisieux, of the mission which
the Creator had intended for her and recognized the priceless value of achieving a perfect union with God. She strove always to earn that right through humility and humbleness acknowledging this as a gift from God and an act of Love which should be generously shared with others. “My one interior occupation was to unite myself more and more closely to God, knowing that the rest would be given to me over and above. And indeed my hope has never been deceived. I desire to receive Our Lord, not for my own satisfaction, but simply to give Him pleasure.” (Martin, 2005).
To this day, her ways serve as a constant reminder of the necessity to build spiritual power and
how to keep the Kingdom of God growing and expanding through the practice of humbleness in honor of God’s Love, in obedience to Its Will, in acknowledgement of Its Wisdom and Its Power, and in compliance with Its Divine Word. “I understood how easily one might become wrapped in self and forget the sublime end of one's vocation. I will make light of my own small interests by thinking of the greatness and majesty of God. He has ever chosen human instruments for the accomplishment of His work.” (Martin, 2005).
The history of humankind for the many thousands of years has been recorded through a dense perception filter identifying the importance of the male form over the female and failing to give the female equal value. The populations were taught blind faith as well as strict obedience to the Global World Religions through adherence to and devotion for the masculine principle. The Divine Feminine aspect was ignored as having the same essential worth or value. In fact, the presence of the Divine Feminine was almost non-existent in the human psyche because the focus was always placed on the Divine Masculine principle as the dominant factor. In St. Theresa’s writings therefore, it is not surprising to find references to the Creator as he or his. Thankfully, today this is recognized as a harmful and incorrect distortion of the Truth. Clearly, it is a lack of understanding of the self as a balanced whole with the integration of both the female and male polarities as well as an expression of nurturing and dynamic energies. Obviously, the Creator recognizes this disparity and has sent forth one of the great Lights, a Cosmic Avatara, Lady Emanuella, to restore balance and to return humanity to the Truth of its original purity. Together in united partnership, they have achieved an incredible victory for the Light. A new energetic and psychological matrix is now in place, and the original Truth of humankind’s Divine Heritage is to be restored.
Born Francoise-Marie Thérèse Martin at Alençon, Normandy, France on January 2, 1873, she
was the youngest of nine children from pious parents Louis and Zélie Martin, five of whom became religious, one to the Visitation Order and four in the Carmelite Convent of Lisieux. In aspiring to dedicate their lives to God, her parents raised her in an atmosphere of absolute faith and carefully nurtured and developed those virtues while she was still a young child, thereby firmly establishing her religious vocation and dedication to the service of God. When Thérèse as four years old, her mother died of breast cancer, and her father moved to Lisieux in the Calvados Department in Normandy. The eldest daughter, Marie, although only thirteen, took over the management of the household, and the second daughter, Pauline, gave the girls religious instruction. Pauline became her second mother until she entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux five years later where she became prioress. A few months later, Thérèse became so ill with a fever that people thought she was dying. Praying to a statue of Mary, she became cured. Understanding the great sacrifice that had been made for her, she developed an unshakeable faith as well as the habit of prayer and meditation on God, Life, and eternity, always striving to be good and to do well.
“I only will what He wills; it is what He does that I love. I do not fear the last struggle, nor any pains, however great my illness may bring. God has always been my help. He has led me by the hand from my earliest childhood, and on Him I rely. My agony may reach the furthest limits, but I am convinced He will never forsake me." (Martin, 2005).
Four years later, when her other sisters, Marie and Leonie, left to join religious orders (the
Carmelites and Poor Clares, respectively), Thérèse was left alone with her last sister Celine and her father. Thérèse's desire for a life in religion was intensified. Her education during these years was in the hands of the Benedictine nuns of the convent of Notre- Dame-du-Pre. She was confirmed there at the age of eleven. On Christmas Eve in 1886, just a few days before her fourteenth birthday, she underwent an experience which influenced the rest of her life. Referring to it as her conversion, she felt the presence of Jesus filling her soul with light, enabling her to growth in strength. The next year, she informed her father of her desire to become a Carmelite. Though he willingly consented, both the Carmelite authorities and Bishop Hugonin of Bayeux refused to consider it because she was too young. A few months later, in November, accompanied by the Abbe Reverony of Bayeux, her father took her and Celine to visit Notre- Dame des Victoires in Paris. They then went on a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee of Pope Leo XIII. Upon meeting him, she was told of her wish to enter Carmel and to become a nun. The Pope's blessing and the solemn prayers she offered at many shrines during the pilgrimage proved effective. Bishop Hugonin consented, and on April 9, 1888, at the age of fifteen, Thérèse joined her sisters Pauline and Marie in the Carmel at Lisieux. Together, they made up one-fifth of the population in the convent.
“I felt that the Carmel was the desert where God wished me also to stand. I felt this so strongly that I had not the least doubt about it; nor was it a childish dream, but the certainty of a Divine Call.” (Martin, 2005).
During her novitiate, Father Pichon, a Jesuit, testified to Thérèse’s piety and to the existence
of the Holy Spirit within her. Thérèse’s presence always filled the nuns with happiness. She was intensely passionate about the daily round of religious practices, the liturgical prayers, and the reading of Scripture. After entering the Carmel, she began to sign letters to her father and others as “Thérèse of the Child Jesus." She took her final vow on September 8, 1890 at the age of seventeen, carrying out all the austerities of the stern Carmelite rule with the exception of fasting. In 1893, when she was twenty, she was appointed to assist the novice mistress. As a permanent novice in the convent, she was placed in charge of the other novices, teaching them the path of spiritual childhood, and she kept working even when she developed tuberculosis. In 1894, Louis Martin died, and Celine, who had been taking care of him, became the fourth sister from this family to enter the Carmel at Lisieux. Some years later, the fifth, Leonie, entered the convent of the Visitation at Caen.
Thérèse's final years were marked by a steady decline of her health that she bore with great
courage, faith, and without complaining. She experienced a hemorrhage of the lungs, and although her sufferings were extreme, she kept working without telling anyone, bearing her burden in silence. At the same time, she occupied herself with reading and wrote many letters to members of her family and to distant friends, and she continued with her autobiography.
“It is quite a mistake to trouble yourselves as to what I may still have to undergo. It is like meddling with God's Work.” (Martin, 2005).
She was invited to join a Carmelite mission in French Indochina, but could not travel there due
to her illness. She also had on-going correspondence with Carmelite missionaries in Hanoi, China, and often stated how much she wanted to work with them. In July 1897, she was moved to the monastery infirmary in Lisieux, where she died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897, at the age of twenty-four after having lived as cloistered Carmelite for less than ten years.
Realizing that as a Carmelite nun she would never be able to perform great deeds or heroic
acts, she strove instead to show and prove her love by way of little sacrifices for the benefit of others. “We who run in the way of Love must never allow ourselves to be disturbed by anything. Love proves itself by deeds. I wish to profit by the smallest actions, and to do them for Love. I wish to rejoice for Love's sake, thus shall I strew flowers. Not one shall I find without scattering its petals before Thee . . . and I will sing . . . I will sing always, even if my roses must be gathered from amidst thorns; and the longer and sharper the thorns, the sweeter shall be my song.” (Martin, 2005).
Though she never went on missions and never founded a religious order, Saint Thérèse de
Lisieux or more properly Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus et de la Sainte Face (Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face) became famous because of her “Little Ways.” These ways defined her path to God and her saintliness; it was the way of spiritual childhood and comprised love, faith, trust, and absolute surrender in God. “I often compare myself to a little bowl filled by God with good Things. Sometimes, when I read spiritual treatises, in which perfection is shown with a thousand obstacles in the way and a host of illusions round about it, my poor little mind soon grows weary, I close the learned book, which leaves my head splitting and my heart parched, and I take in the promise of the Holy Scriptures. Then all seems luminous, a single word opens up infinite horizons to my soul, I see that it is enough to give oneself wholly, like a child, into the arms of the good God. Leaving to great Lights and great minds, the fine books I cannot understand, I rejoice to be little because 'only children, and those who are of their innocence, will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.” (Martin, 2005).
She saw every trial given to her as a means to draw her ever closer to God for the sake of Love
and in honor of It. She used every opportunity no matter how small to give back to God and without wavering, she strove for holiness and purity both in her personal life and in compliance with the firm religious rules at Carmel. She acquired the habit of never making excuses for wrongful behaviors, she refused to give in to the demands of her proud and impulsive nature, and she never complained even when she was required to perform the menial tasks for her Sisters in religion or to get permission for everything she did, and in that same spirit of humility, she obeyed all regardless of reputation or importance. Always, she remained cheerful and jovial. In so doing and through much effort, she became a Champion of Love, gaining mastery of self and acquiring virtues of courage, strength, grit, and determination, while at the same time, acclaiming the glory of God for pouring forth from Its Divine Heart infinite tenderness into
her soul.
In the age of Pisces, with its distorted, darkened energetic matrix, the way of evolving was by means of achieving harmony through conflict. It was a means whereby perception was expanded and a life lesson was learned through labor and painful struggle. The higher Truths could not be understood fully or clearly because they came through a darkened distorted filter and much of what was actual Truth came to be fractured and fragmented. Now, with an Enlightenment Matrix in place, the collective Maya distortion veil has been transcended and more opportunities are now available to remove the distortion veil off the inner eye of vast numbers of people.
Her trust in Jesus as the Holy Flame of the Christ Light and in the blessed Trinity as Love’s
Eternal Home attracted thousands of ordinary Catholics and many others who were themselves trying to find godliness within their own lives. In this way, she came to scatter the flowers of the Rose of Love because of her delicateness and inner sensitivity to the feelings of others. In many instances, she was unrecognized, yet she stood steadfast as the Light and Love of the Creator without changing her ways and always trusting in Its ways for her.
Desiring to become a saint and never to be discouraged, she strove to find a way to find her
vocation through God’s Love and determined to be carried into the heart of God, she sought in Holy Scripture some idea of what life she so yearned to have. She refused to read any books other than to study Scripture, for this served as her direct focus and communion with God and Its Word. She worked hard to find some means to realize her dreams of going to Heaven and of bringing Heaven to Earth in spite of her “littleness” and notwithstanding her faults, knowing that God would not make her yearn for something that was unattainable. This was well illustrated in her melodious song, her numerous poems, and in her method of prayer. “With me prayer is an uplifting of the heart; a glance towards heaven; a cry of gratitude and love. it is something noble, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites it to God.” (Martin, 2005).
The life which Saint Thérèse lived was not normal for Carmel nor was the manner in which she
accomplished intercessions customary for Carmelites. In her particular case, her work for God and her apostolate were not restricted to the confines of her religious home or limited by her few years on earth. “I only look at the present, I forget the past, and I take good care not to forestall the future.” (Martin, 2005).
This young member of this austere Order retreated from the world and engaged in hidden
prayer revealing to the whole world the wonders of the close intimacy of love and trust in the Divine Eternal Source and Jesus as the Christ Light. Recognizing that it was by obedience that the record of God’s dealings with her soul was set down in writing and that the many graces granted through her intercession were a result of Divine permission and guidance, the history of her vocation has proven to Catholics everywhere in the sanctity and mercy of the Creator’s Love for Its Children and the glory of being in service to It. Many recognized the poetry of her soul through her story. Hers was a way of simplicity of surrender in service to God, of the perfect achievement of small duties, of trustful faith and belief in God through humility, obedience, persistent effort, and determined self discipline. It was a lesson in the way of love as an unchanging truth, in how to build spiritual power, and how to remain the purity of the Light regardless of the circumstances and no matter one’s limitations. This wholehearted giving of what one has, however small the contribution, was a means whereby she translated the teachings of the Gospel into her daily life, and in so doing, she became a Living Temple of Love and Light.
“The presence of fear has given place to the presence of love, and Love has chosen me. It is this that transforms an ordinary person into the beauty of the holy and sacred fire. Therefore I have sought and I have found, how to ease my heart.” (Martin, 2005).
Hers was a combination of certain inter-related spiritual principles, and the charity of which
she spoke was fraternal; it was one which was transformative, practical, delicate, and heroic. It spoke unequivocally of two qualities ever present within her: love of God and love of neighbor. Desiring always to attain the loftiest heights of Love, this Soul of God permitted her heart to reveal directly to the people of her time the fundamental reality of the Gospel: the love our Creator has for Its Children. It was an example of the Power of God as being both Transcendent and Immanent. Recognized by the Celtic cross which she wears on her medieval headdress, she came to be associated with St. Theresa of Avila who founded Carmelite convents in Spain, and she was known by many as “Francoise-Marie Therese Martin,” “The Little Flower of Jesus,” “Teresa of the Infant Jesus,” “The Little Flower,” and “Theresa of the Child Jesus.”
In recognition of her sanctity as well as the many miracles performed as a result of her
intercession, on June 10, 1914, a mere seventeen years after her death, Pope Pius X signed the declaration to initiate the process of her canonization. On August 14, 1921, she was venerated by Pope Benedict XV. Thérèse was beatified in April 1923. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925, a mere twenty eight years after her death. Her feast day was added to the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1927, for celebration on October 3. In 1969, 42 years later, Pope Paul VI moved it to October 1, the day after her death. On October 19, 1997, in compliance with the Apostolic Letter “Divini Amoris Scientia,” or, “The Science of Divine Love," Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church, one of thirty-three Doctors of the Universal Church and only one of three women to receive that honor. Thérèse has been the only saint to have received such an acknowledgement during Pope John Paul II's pontificate. On June 2, 1980, during his visit to the Basilica of Lisieux, he confirmed that by virtue of her “Little Ways” of holy childhood and her heart of love, she was one of those means through which God declared the most fundamental and universal Truth as laid out by the Gospel: we are God’s Children, and God in Its Infinite Love, will never abandon us.
St. Thérèse is known today because of her autobiography L'histoire d'une âme, or The Story of
a Soul, which she wrote upon the orders of two prioresses of her monastery. She began the work in 1895, when twenty two, as a memoir of her childhood and life at the convent, under instructions from her sister Pauline, known in religion as Mother Agnes of Jesus after she herself had been ordered to do so by their eldest sister, Sister Marie of the Sacred. Forming the first chapters of her book, the material described her own prayers and was full of freshness, exuberance, and revealed much of herself and her deep spirituality. In September 1896, while on retreat, she wrote the second part, a letter to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart. In June 1897, upon becoming aware of the extent of Thérèse's illness, Mother Agnes sought permission from Mother Marie de Gonzague, who had succeeded her as prioress, to allow Thérèse to write another memoir with more details of her religious life. “I will end this story of my soul, by an act of obedience. If you will allow me, it is to Jesus I will address myself, for in this way, I shall speak more easily. You may find my expressions somewhat exaggerated, but I assure you there is no exaggeration in my heart--there all is calm and peace. Our Lord has granted me the grace never to fear the conflict; at all costs I must do my duty and be myself. I cannot well see what more I shall have in Heaven than I have now; I shall see God,it is true, but, as to being with Him, I am that already even on earth.” (Martin, 2005).
This was published posthumously in 1899 after being largely edited by Pauline. In 1901, her
autobiography was translated into English by M. H. Dziewicki. Together with St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the more admired Catholic saints since Apostolic times.
“They lean on God Almighty's power itself and their lever is the prayer that inflames with love's fire. With this lever they have raised the world--with this lever the Saints of the Ascended Light still raise it, and will raise it to the end of time. I understood that love embraces all vocations, that it is all things, and that it reaches out through all the ages, and to the uttermost limits of the earth, because it is eternal. Charity provided me with the key to my vocation. I knew that the Church has a heart, that this heart burns with love, and that it is love alone which gives life to its members. At last I have found my vocation. My vocation is love.” (Martin, 2005).
The list of commemorations and patronages in her name is extensive and includes amongst
others: schools, colleges, churches, shrines, convents, parishes, dioceses, nursing homes, and spiritual centers within the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Singapore, Australia, Alaska, Kenya, Russia, South Africa, and the Philippines, all of which have been founded and built as a tribute to her. After my death I will let fall a shower of Roses.” (Martin, 2005). Thérèse of Lisieux is the patron saint of AIDS sufferers, aviators, florists, flower growers, illnesses, missionaries, and missions. Catholics regard her as the patron saint of Russia, although the Russian Orthodox Church does not officially recognize her canonization nor her patronage. Pope Pius XI named Thérèse a patron of the missions because of her special love of the missions and the prayers and letters she gave in support of missionaries.
St. Thérèse, who reformed the Carmelite Order, is sometimes called the Doctor of Mystical
Theology because of her brilliant writings on the relationship of the soul with God and as a result of her quest to diligently seek out the Will and Word of God in her daily living through trust, hope, and love.
“Our Lord has deigned to explain this mystery to me. He showed me the book of nature, and I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the amazing brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He has also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His Feet, and whose mission it is to gladden His Divine Eyes when He deigns to look down on them. And the more gladly they do His Will the greater is their perfection. God's Love is made manifest as well in a simple soul which does not resist His grace as in one more highly endowed. In These are the field flowers whose simplicity charms Him; and by His condescension to them Our Creator shows His infinite Greatness. As the sun shines both on the cedar and on the floweret, so the Divine Sun illumines every soul, great and small, and all correspond to His care--just as in nature the seasons are so disposed that on the appointed day the humblest daisy shall unfold its petals.” (Martin, 2005).
