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Welcome back to our nine-day novena asking for the intercession of "the greatest saint of modern times": Doctor of the Church St Thérèse of Lisieux. The novena is traditionally offered in the lead up to her feast on October 1. We ask the saints in Heaven to pray for us, just as we would ask our friends on earth to pray for us, because they are even closer to God and so their prayers contain even greater purity and power.
Novena prayer: Day 8
For each of the nine days, pray this prayer:
St Thérèse, you said you would let fall from Heaven “a shower of roses” as a sign of your prayers for us. Please bring my special intention before God (mention intention here).
Please pray for me to believe as you did in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your complete trust in Him. Pray that I may live my life in union with God’s plan for me, and one day see the Face of God whom you loved so deeply.
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Reflect and pray
Reflect on this meditation from Thérèse:
"Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church being a body composed of different members, the most essential, the most noble of all the organs would not be wanting to her; I understood that the Church has a heart and that this heart is burning with love; that it is love alone which makes the members work, that if love were to die away apostles would no longer preach the Gospel, martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. I understood that love comprises all vocations, that love is everything, that it embraces all times and all places because it is eternal!"
"You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them."
"Love alone have I ever given to the good God; with love He will repay me."
"When one loves, one does not calculate."
"I know of one means only by which to attain to perfection: love. Let us love, since our heart is made for nothing else. Sometimes I seek another word to express Love, but in this land of exile the word which begins and ends (St. Augustine) is quite incapable of rendering the vibrations of the soul; we must then adhere to this simple and only word: to love. But on whom shall our poor heart lavish its love? Who shall be found that is great enough to be the recipient of its treasures? Will a human being know how to comprehend them, and above all will he be able to repay? There exists but one Being capable of comprehending love; it is Jesus; He alone can give us back infinitely more than we shall ever give to him."
Journal and pray:
Why is love the essential vocation for all of us?
What defines authentic love?
How is love connected to both desire and sacrifice?
Why do you think Scripture says, "God is love"?
Where in your life do you need to love more purely and selflessly?
What does it mean to you to love others as Christ loves? How can you better live out this vocation?
How is forgiveness an expression of love?
Come back tomorrow for Day 9, the conclusion of the novena, plus more extras. You can also subscribe here so you don't miss anything.
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