​We here at Miss Marcel's Musings hope you have had a lovely feast of St. Therese! We are urging her to shower her roses upon you, and if you haven't received them yet, don't give up hope! There is, in Catholic tradition, not only the feast itself, but like a mirror of the novena that precedes a big feast, there is on the other side an octave in which to celebrate. This allows us to pray that, over the next week or so, our sister's roses and the heavenly graces they represent become so abundant in your life that you practically begin to take them for granted! 

If you are seeing this on your guardian angel's day, let us be among the first to offer praise and thanks to God for your heavenly helper. What a gift that. along with all the saints who watch over us, we each have our own angel to guide us from birth in this life to our birth into Eternal Life! What a loving Heavenly Father we have, One who thinks of everything for our safety and comfort!

But wait! Did I say I hope you will take Therese's roses for granted? Heaven forbid! What I really meant was simply that seeing yourself so favored by our sister's answers to your prayers, you will become accustomed to being surrounded by her roses (visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly) and thus approach her and the sweet Infant Jesus with more confidence than ever!

Along these lines, I can't think of anything more wonderful to share in honor of Therese's feast than some of her sayings that most inspire confidence. And keep in mind that while her feast is celebrated in the new calendar on October 1st, we who can't get enough of her can celebrate again on October 3rd, according to the "old calendar" that accompanies the extraordinary form of the liturgy. God is so very good! He knows how badly we need our sister's help, and so He has doubled her feast for us in these trying times!

For your delectation, then, a feast of good words from our sister Saint Therese:

1. Jesus does not demand great actions, but simply surrender and gratitude. 

2. He alone disposes the events of our life of exile . . . It is the hand of Jesus that guides everything.

3. I assure you that the good Lord is much kinder than you can imagine. He is satisfied with a glance, with a sigh of love.

4. In spite of all obstacles, God accomplishes what He wills. . . . The work I had been unable to do in ten years was done by Jesus in one instant . . .

5. We can never have too much confidence in the good God who is so mighty and so merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we hope for.

6. God knows our weakness. He remembers that we are but dust. As a father is tender toward his children, so is the Lord compassionate towards us.

7. God is too good, too generous to give His favors meagerly.

8. Your arms, my Jesus, are the elevator which will take me up to Heaven. There is no need for me to grow up; on the contrary, I must stay little, and become more and more so.

9. Jesus will come for us, however far away we may be from Him, and will set us afire with His love.

10. I will spend my heaven in doing good upon earth. Do not the angels take care of us while still enjoying the Beatific Vision?

*   *   *

I love these wise words, but then, too, our sister can be so funny and so very clever! Her cousin in the convent, Sister Marie (Guerin) of the Eucharist, asked the dying Therese to obtain great graces for her once Therese was in heaven. Therese responded: 

"Oh! when I am in heaven, I will do very many things, great things . . . It is impossible that it is not God who has given me this desire; I am sure He will answer me! And also, when I am up there, I will follow you closely!"

To which Marie replied that this would frighten her! But her cousin (our sister) had the perfect answer:

"Does your guardian angel frighten you? He follows you nevertheless, all the time. Well, I will follow you in the same way, and even closer! I won't let anything pass you."

You see, then, that once again God has timed everything perfectly: Therese day, guardian angel day, and Therese day again! Let's celebrate a triduum at the beginning of our octave!

Happy continued feasting, and may our sister follow you like an angel, inspiring you at every step, helping you in all your trials, and making your real angel's job much easier!

As to the many intentions we have been praying for in this novena, let's remember the very easy way Therese has taught us to pray. She knew that if she tried to enumerate every need of those she loved and whom God had entrusted to her, "the days would never be long enough," and she feared she would forget something important. But she is forever reminding us that Jesus is tenderly solicitous to all our needs, and this is a prime example. She explains: 

"For simple souls there must be no complicated ways; as I am of their number, one morning during my thanksgiving, Jesus gave me a simple means of accomplishing my mission.

"He made me understand these words of the Canticle of Canticles: 'DRAW ME, WE SHALL RUN after You in the odor of Your ointments.' O Jesus, it is not even necessary to say: 'When drawing me, draw the souls whom I love!' This simple statement: 'Draw me' suffices; I understand, Lord, that when a soul allows herself to be captivated by the odor of your ointments, she cannot run alone, all the souls whom she loves follow in her train; this is done without constraint, without effort, it is a natural consequence of her attraction for You. Just as a torrent, throwing itself with impetuosity into the ocean, drags after it everything it encounters in its passage, in the same way, O Jesus, the soul who plunges into the shoreless ocean of Your Love, draws with her all the treasures she possesses."

And so, with simplicity, gratitude, and joy, we pray with Therese to our adorable Jesus:

Draw me, we will run!!!

P.S. Marcel asked if he might add a few words . . . these are words said to him by his new sister St. Therese on a Thursday in October 1941 when she first spoke to him, and he wanted to be sure you got to hear them too. This is how he and we can rejoice her heart, and especially Little Jesus' Heart, in these glorious days when we especially remember her. In his Autobiography (600), he recounts that she told him:

"Never fear God. He is the all-loving Father. He knows only how to love, and He wishes to be loved in return. He thirsts for our poor little hearts which come from His creative hands, and where He has placed a spark of love which comes from the very hearth of His Love. His only wish is to gather these sparks of love and unite them to His infinite love, so that our love lives on forever in His. Finally, it is still the force of the attraction of Love which will draw us into the eternal fatherland of Love. Offer all of your little heart to God. Be sincere with Him in all circumstances and in all your points of view. When you feel joy, offer Him that joy which swells your heart and, by so doing, you will transmit your joy to Him. Can there be a greater happiness than a couple loving one another and exchanging all they possess? To act in this way with God is to say thank You to Him, which pleases Him more than thousands of touching canticles. If, on the other hand, you are invaded by sadness, say to Him again with an honest heart: 'O my God, I am really unhappy!' And ask Him to help you accept this sadness with patience. Really believe this: nothing gives more pleasure to the good God than to see on this earth a heart which loves Him, who is sincere with Him with each step, with each smile, as well with tears as with little momentary pleasures."

Blessed Mother of those whose names you can read in my heart,
watch over them with every care.
Make their way easy and their labors fruitful.
Dry their tears if they weep; sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart, their health if they be ill, truth if they err, and repentance if they fall. Amen.

St. Padre Pio, pray for us!

*   *   *

Thanks to Padre Pio's guardian angel and the angel of good Michael Lichens, editor of Catholic Exchange, I have a miraculous article on CE today about our dear wonderful spiritual father. The article is miraculous not because of my superpowers, but because of the angels and Michael (God bless him!), who somehow managed to incorporate it into the site though I got it to them at the twelfth hour, very late last night. And it turned out so beautifully!

You can read The Real Face of St. Padre Pio by clicking on its bold title. And since I got to write my own words (and share some of Diane Allen's words) on Padre Pio over there, I want to share something a bit different with you now over here, namely some of our beloved father's own consoling words. I'm such a fan of quoting from Marcel Van's Conversations with Jesus, Mary, and St. Therese, that it seems only fair on the great Padre's big day to quote from dear Pio himself too. Plus I have the most amazing feast of spiritually nourishing sayings from St. Pio that it would be quite selfish of me to keep them all to myself. 

If you find some of these aren't just what you need at this moment, you can save them for later. Take what you like and leave the rest, as they say. Only in this case, the rest will wait for you, and perhaps on another day will serve to feed your hungry heart again.

Before we start quoting, though, we'd better start our St. Therese novena - this is the second half of our Double Novena, and I wouldn't want you to miss your chance to request some of our sister's roses in plenty of time for her upcoming feast.

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus
Please pick for me a rose
from the heavenly garden
and send it to me
as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus,
ask God to grant the favors
I now place with confidence
in your hands . . . 

St. Therese, help us to always believe
as you did, in God's great love for us,
so that we may imitate your "Little Way" each day. 

*   *    *

Without any further ado, then, here are some of my favorite words from St. Padre Pio:

​“Don’t worry about anything.”

“Oh, how beautiful is Jesus’ face, how sweet His eyes, and what a good thing it is to stay close to Him . . . try to see a certain lovable majesty in His presence, a certain pleasant authority in His manner of speaking, a certain pleasant dignity in His walking . . . a certain sweet serenity of face. Imagine the extremely composed and sweet expression with which He drew the crowds, making them leave cities and castles, leading them to the mountains, the forests, to solitude, and to the deserted beaches of the sea, totally forgetting food, drink, and their domestic duties . . .”
 
“What are you afraid of with regard to your soul? Don’t you know that Jesus is with you and is doing everything within you? Calm yourself and do not heed those vain and useless fears. . . Cast all your cares upon Him, for He is more concerned about you than a mother is for her little child.”
 
“Give free reign to your tears, by all means, because this is the work of the Lord . . . Your infirmities, temptations . . . aridity, and desolation all come from His infallible love . . . He wants you to be similar to His beloved Son in the anxiety of the desert, of the Garden, and on the cross. And when the evil one wants to persuade you that you are a victim of his assaults, or of divine abandonment, don’t believe him, because he is suggesting something that is not true; he wants to trick you. It is not true that you . . . disgust the Lord, and therefore, it is not true that the Lord has not forgiven you your faults or your deviations in the past. Divine grace is with you, and you are very dear to the Lord.”
 
“Do not fear . . . He who has helped you up to now will continue His work of salvation. You will be saved; the enemy will fume with rage. Be sure that the hand which has sustained you up to now – making you enumerate countless victories – that same hand will continue to sustain you until the point when your soul will have itself invited by the heavenly Bridegroom: ‘Come, my bride. Take the crown I have prepared for you from eternity.’ Have boundless trust in the Lord because your reward is not far away. The prophet’s words will not delay in being verified: ‘Then your light shall rise in the darkness.’ Therefore, be consoled in the Lord because your soul has chosen God as its portion. Jesus is with you. He has helped you up to now. He cannot and does not want to abandon you; He will perfect His work.”
 
“It is about time you rid yourself, once and for all, of so many foolish and unfounded fears which pass through your mind, weigh upon your heart, and keep it bound with harsh chains. Do you entertain doubts about the future? But have I not assured you that the Lord is always with you? Is not the future the same as the present in the sight of the Lord? What then do you doubt?  . . . Yes, you are afraid of acting badly and offending God. But rest assured, and be quite at peace, for the ever-present grace of Jesus will take good care to save you from being unfaithful. Calm your immoderate fear, for I assure you in Jesus’ name that as long as you live, you will always do His will. Grace will not be lacking.”
 
“The most afflicted souls are those who are closest to the divine Heart. And you can be sure that Jesus has chosen your soul as that which is most dear to His adorable Heart. You must hide yourself in this Heart; you must pour out your most ardent desires there, and in this Heart you must still live those remaining days which Providence grants you; you must die in this Heart when the Lord wishes. Without fully understanding it, you are hidden in this Heart….In this Heart, you are, you live, and you move. Don’t ever fall back on yourself when the storm is raging. Place all your trust in the Heart of our most-sweet Jesus . . . Renew your faith continually and never give it up, for faith never abandons anyone, much less a soul that is yearning to love God.”
 
"Receive the Bread of angels with great faith and with a great flame of love in your heart. Await this most tender Lover of your soul in order to be consoled in this life with the ‘kiss’ of His mouth. Happy are you if you succeed in receiving from the Lord the consolation of this ‘kiss’ in the present life! Then indeed will you feel your will inseparably bound at all times to Jesus’ will. In spirit, cling tightly all the time to the divine will, then be at peace and serve the Lord with a joyful heart, for divine love will never grow less in your soul . . . Continue to have boundless trust in the divine Mercy. I assure you that God loves you very much. Say to Him, ‘Yes, oh divine Lover, Lord of my life, Your love is sweeter than wine.’”
 
“How consoling it is to know you are always under the protection of a heavenly spirit who never abandons you, not even when you are actually offending God. How delightful is this great truth to the one who believes! Who is to be feared, then, by the devout soul who is trying to love Jesus, when accompanied by such an illustrious warrior? . . . This good angel is praying for you and offers to God all your good works and your holy and worthy desires. When it seems to you that you are alone and abandoned, don’t complain that you are without a friend to whom you can open your heart and confide your woes. For goodness sake, don’t forget this invisible companion who is always there to listen to you, always ready to console you. Oh delightful intimacy, oh blessed companionship!”
 
“Why are you so afraid of your adversary? Don’t you know that Jesus is invariably with you, and that the enemy of souls has no power over those who have resolved to belong entirely to God? The more you are afraid, the safer you are, and the more lukewarm you feel, the more secure you are.”

“Take your mind off disturbing and tormenting thoughts. Open your heart with boundless confidence to the only One who is able to console and save you. Have no fear for the future, for God is with you, and He is supremely faithful and will not allow you to be overwhelmed by your enemies. This divine Lover will never allow a soul that is consecrated to Him in a most particular way to remain a victim of its enemies. No, no. The enemy will never obtain this victory. May the grace and mercy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.”
 
“To succeed better in prayer, remember that graces and enjoyment of prayer are not waters of this earth, but of heaven, and therefore all your efforts are not enough to let them fall . . . Be diligent in praying, but at the same time humble and tranquil. Keep your heart open towards heaven and await the heavenly roar from there . . . Through this, you will move closer to God, and you will place yourself in His presence for two reasons. The first is to render God the honor and consideration you owe Him, and this can be done without Him speaking to you or you speaking to Him. This obligation is paid by your recognizing Him as your God and you as His creature, spiritually prostrate in His presence, without His speaking to you . . . Wait for God to speak to you. One day He will pronounce words of peace and consolation to you, and then you will know that your suffering served a good purpose and your patience was useful.”
 
“May Jesus be blessed forever, that in the midst of a corrupt nation He desired to draw you to His love . . . May you exult and triumph, because there are other people, too, who know of His goodness and infinite perfection . . . Spend your life giving thanks to the divine Father who, in an excess of love for you, sent His only begotten Son and our most sweet Lover! Protected, covered, and defended by this dear Lord, stand before Him and pray with the humility of the creature and the confidence and freedom of a child. And given that He loves to delight in you, let nothing in the world distract you from delighting in Him as you contemplate His grandeur and infinite titles . . . Pray to Him that He be generous with His divine help so that you too can say in truth with our heavenly Mother, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’”
 
“Oh, how burdensome this mortal life is to the children of God! But the next life, which the mercy of the Lord will be pleased to grant you, will be more than you can desire. You certainly must not doubt your possessing it one day, even though you are sinful; and if you not so sinful, it is simply because God is merciful toward those who place all their hope in Him . . . When you find yourself exposed to some trial—either physical or moral, in body or in spirit—the best remedy is to think of Him who is your life. I beg you not to examine whether your past, present, or future actions were, are, or will be too small, or if they were done well or badly. Merely abstain from sin and from those actions which you clearly see to be sinful, and do all with an upright conscience and with the will to please God. Walk with simplicity in the ways of the Lord and do not torment yourself.”
 
“Do not listen to what your imagination and the enemy suggest to you. They would like you to believe that you are continually offending God and that you always, or nearly always, resist the divine call. The ever present grace of the heavenly Father keeps you quite far from falling into such infidelities. Be quite sure of this. Those negative thoughts come from nowhere else than your own imagination and the evil one. Be careful not to attach any importance to them; their only purpose is to cool your feelings of affection toward your heavenly Spouse, and to make Christian perfection appear irksome by representing it as difficult and impossible for you to attain. Worse still, your imagination and the enemy aim more directly at drying up and causing to wither every sentiment of devotion in your heart. May the peace of Jesus Christ be in your heart.”
 
“Take heart because the Lord is with you. He suffers with you, groans with you, and is pleased with you . . . Haven’t you loved our Lord up until now? Don’t you still love Him? Don’t you yearn to love Him forever? Therefore, have no fear. Even if you were to have committed all the sins of this world, Jesus tells you, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’"
  
“Don’t lose heart; in your weakness, unite yourself more to Jesus . . . Prostrate your heart before Him and humbly say, ‘Lord, have mercy because I am weak.’ Then get up peacefully, calm yourself, and with holy indifference, carry on with your tasks.”
 
“All the seasons of the year can be found in your soul. Sometimes you feel the winter of sterility, distraction, listlessness, and boredom; sometimes the dews of the month of May with the perfume of holy little flowers. Sometimes you experience the colors of the desire to please God. Nothing remains but the autumn, which does not bear much fruit, but it often happens that, when the grain is threshed and the grapes crushed, you find that the harvest is greater than it had promised!"

“You would like it to be eternally spring and summer, but these rotations are necessary, both internally and externally. Only in heaven will everything be spring as regards beauty; autumn as regards enjoyment; and summer as regards love. There will be no winter, but here winter is necessary in order to practice self denial and beautiful little virtues.”
 
“I rejoice with you in the Lord at the goodness this God is showing you. Fear nothing. God has total possession of your soul and is working within you in a marvelous manner. You need do nothing except expand your soul before so much goodness, and invite Him to work always powerfully within you. Let God shake you when and as He wishes . . . and all will work out for His greater glory and your perfection."

“You imagine that your powerlessness damages you, and it seems to you that this powerlessness prevents you from withdrawing into yourself and from moving closer to God. This is a very great mistake because you suppose wrongly. God has placed you in that state for His glory and for your greater benefit. He wants your miseries to be the throne of His mercy, and your powerlessness the seat of His Omnipotence.”

“Preserve a spirit of holy joyfulness. Nourish your soul with a spirit of cordial confidence in God. Increase your courage, and hope a great deal in accordance with the degree to which you find yourself surrounded by imperfections and miseries. Be very humble, as this is the virtue of virtues, but see that it is a generous and tranquil humility. Always be faithful in serving God well, but observe loving freedom in His service, without your heart feeling even the slightest drop of bitterness."

“Yes, preserve a spirit of holy joyfulness, which, being modestly spread throughout your actions and words, brings consolation to people, the children of God, so that they might glorify God for it, in accordance with the rule given to us by our divine Master . . . Never permit your soul to become sad because Jesus is the Spirit of sweetness and is completely lovable.”
 
“Fly in spirit before the tabernacle when you cannot go there with the body, and there express your desires. Pray to and embrace the Beloved of souls, better than if you had been able to receive Him in the Sacrament.”
 
“Always be more humble and make yourself more humble, day by day, in your eyes. Dear God, how great this humility is! It is the true grandeur of the children of God! I exhort you to pray continually for this . . . Live in this way: sweet and lovable toward all; humble, courageous, pure, and sincere in everything. What better desire could I have for you? Be like a little spiritual bee who takes nothing into his hive except honey and wax. May your home be entirely full of sweetness, peace, agreement, humility, and piety, and may your conversation be entirely heavenly. Our Lord loves you, and He loves you tenderly. And if He doesn’t allow you to feel the sweetness of His love, it is in order to render you more humble in your own eyes. However, don’t let this stop you from having recourse to His holy benevolence with every confidence.”
 
“Remember that you are a child of a merciful Father who is indulgent toward you. . . So make righteousness and peace kiss by always practicing mercy rather than justice, in imitation of your heavenly Father . . . In order to arrive at a heroic degree of love, which enables you to ask Jesus to favor you with a ‘kiss’ of His divine mouth, God’s powerful assistance is required. Ask for and desire this powerful help by seeking God continually with the Spouse in the Song of Solomon.”

“Help yourself mainly during this period [of spiritual dryness] by reading holy books. I earnestly desire to see you reading such books at all times, for this reading provides excellent food for the soul and conduces to great progress along the path of perfection, by no means inferior to what we obtain through prayer and holy meditation. In prayer and meditation it is we ourselves who speak to the Lord, while in holy reading [the Scriptures or holy fathers of the Church] it is God who speaks to us. Try to treasure these holy readings as much as you can, and you will very soon be aware of a spiritual renewal within you. Before beginning to read . . . raise your mind to the Lord and implore Him to guide your mind Himself, to speak to your heart and move your will."

“But this is not sufficient. It is also advisable before you start to read, and from time to time in the course of your reading, to declare before the Lord that you are not reading for the purpose of study or to satisfy your curiosity, but solely to give Him pleasure and enjoyment.”

"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer."

“I have made a pact with the Lord: when my soul has been purified in the flames of purgatory and deemed worthy to be admitted to the presence of God, I will take my place at the gate to paradise, but I shall not enter until I have seen the last of my spiritual children enter.”

“I love my spiritual children as much as my own soul, and even more . . . Once I take a soul on, I also take on his entire family as my spiritual children . . . to my spiritual children, my prayers for you will never be lacking.”

“If one of my spiritual children ever goes astray, I shall leave my flock and seek him out.” 

*  *  *
Happy, happy feast day!

If you would like to be one of Padre Pio's spiritual children, here is a simple prayer for that too, because after all, on a great feast, we ought to delight our Heavenly Father's heart by asking for multitudes of great graces! What could make our generous Papa more happy? 

Dear Padre Pio, I recall your promise to the Lord, “I will stand at the gates of heaven until I see all my spiritual children have entered.” Encouraged by your gracious promise, I ask you to accept me as your spiritual child.

Draw me, sweet Jesus, we will run!

P.S. I haven't mentioned this for a while, but if you're interested in knowing when we have new posts here at MMM, you can pop in your email address and click the "Subscribe" button on this page, and your inbox will have an email when something new is afoot. I don't know who subscribes or unsubscribes, so feel free to hop on and off the list as desired without fear of detection! And God bless the monkeys at mailchimp whose job it is to keep track of these things: They're quite discreet little monks and don't use your email for anything else . . . but before we forget what we're about, let's close with a rousing THANK YOU, JESUS, for this crazy internet that gives Your saints and angels one more way to befriend us!

​A sweet rose of Jesus whispered to me the other day that this ought to be the time of our annual novena, or double novena, or triple novena, wasn't that right?

Without going to the trouble of researching, I consulted my angel and Voila! Suddenly I remembered that we had, about this time one year ago, had a blast with our triple novena of love. We started in time to finish the first novena on today's feast, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. We began the second novena on tomorrow's special day in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows in order to finish on St. Padre Pio's feast. And then we did like the swimmers do when they flip over and head back from the other side of the pool all in one graceful movement, and we immediately began our St. Therese novena which ended on her feast, October 1st. Wow! Good for us! I am truly impressed!

The good news is that another year older has made us another year more Marcel. Did you know that means more forgetful? I'm not making this up, I'm getting it straight from Jesus Himself in Marcel's Conversations with Him (387) when Our Lord says:

"What did your sister Therese teach you? You have forgotten everything already; it's hopeless! And it is also so much the better since what you have forgotten, I am always there to remind you of and thus you can continually learn the lesson anew. What happiness can be compared to yours?"

Sure enough, I'd have forgotten everything too, if that little flower hadn't reminded me . . . and as it is, I'm only galvanizing the troops in time for a double novena this time around. Still, with Jesus I say, "And it is also so much the better!" Who knows, perhaps a triple novena would have intimidated you, but a double novena, that's manageable, right?

Plus if I had been really together (and thus not very much like Marcel), I might have come up with a quadruple novena this year - so we're going with double as half the trouble . . . and certainly twice the fun as a single novena because we get to rope Padre Pio as well as St. Therese into our inner circle of advocates above. And wow, do I feel like I could use the good Padre this year!

Although I don't like to contradict Jesus, I think He might be teasing when He says, "What happiness can be compared to yours?" I've actually been rather sad lately, because in His guise as Divine Thief, Jesus came and stole away my dear sister-in-law Alicia to Heaven. Wasn't that a questionable trick for Him to play just now, when Alicia leaves behind her husband (my brother) and their 7 children until such time as He swoops them up into Eternal Life too?

And yet all the more reason to start our double novena today on this mysterious feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I can never get a grip on suffering, never cheer it on, never look for it with anything but dread, never accept it with anything but sorrow, even though Marcel's mission was to turn suffering into joy. (Thankfully he had his hesitations about suffering too, to say the least, so we don't need to worry that he's completely unlike the likes of us!)

St. Therese teaches a lot about this - our attitude to suffering - and makes me feel loads better when she explains to her sisters that if we felt happy while we suffered, then it wouldn't be suffering. Quite a relief to know that if Jesus has some Divine and miraculous way to bring us joy with the cross, it is highly unlikely to be a felt joy. Maybe more like a deep peace in accepting His and the Father's will, even while we hate the weight of the cross and our particular suffering as it threatens to drag us down . . . 

I only know that I'm glad our first novena leads us to Padre Pio's feast day. First off, he did promise that he wouldn't enter Heaven until all his spiritual children entered before him, and secondly, to my everlasting consolation, he also promised that if we become his spiritual children, that automatically enrolls those dear to us as well. I don't know if my sister-in-law ever fell in love with our good Padre herself (though I remember well when she fell in love with Jesus and Our Lady), but I do know she's enlisted as one of his spiritual children because she's my dear sis, and I'm his obstinate daughter. Try as he might to shake me, I'm stuck to Pio till the end, and if I keep him out of Heaven longer than he otherwise would've been (waiting for me to make it through the pearly gates), well he just should've thought of that before he started making rash promises!

You see, my plan is to keep gathering to my heart any stragglers I run across in my little way toward Paradise. Some might not even be straggling, but just lonely - I think of my 7 beloved nieces and nephews now without their earthly mom - and my plan is to pull them in close and keep them safe in Padre Pio's extended care for the duration. That way we can all enter Heaven together and then rejoice together eternally with all those we love and Those Who love us infinitely!

Technically our double novena starts tomorrow, but I think I'll get us rolling today so we have an extra prayer under our belts and can sidestep any anxiety if we forget a day (or two?) somewhere in the middle. Plus, we're here now, so why not turn to Mary a.s.a.p. with a prayer that captures everything we can desire. 

Because St. Padre Pio called Mary his "little mama," I'm sure he'd approve of our using the days leading to his feast as opportunities to turn to her ourselves and, as small children who depend on Mom for all our needs, pour out our hearts in confidence as we snuggle close on her lap. 

Here's a favorite prayer you may not know yet (or may remember from previous novenas here). The great part is that you and those you love are included in our novena whether you start today and say it all, or immediately forget (Marcel style) - because like our dear spiritual father, St. Pio, we've got your back!

Oh, and finally, because another little Miss Marcel happened to be reading the EXACT same wonderful passage I've been reading lately - though we were each struck by a different line and then reveled in each other's discoveries - and also because it's good to have some food for the journey as we begin the next 9 days of our novena and then almost 9 more, here (before our promised Marian novena prayer) is another passage from Conversations, this time from St. Therese at (127). I'm finding her sisterly counsel quite valuable, and I hope you'll take her wisdom for yourself too:

"My dear little brother, when you feel trouble in your heart, remind yourself to have recourse to the love of Jesus and do not neglect to speak to me also so that I can help you with my advice. Do not forget either that your worries are only about unfounded things. I am kissing you dear little brother, be happy always in the love of Jesus. Little brother remain peaceful. Formerly I also was inclined to worry, like you, but I regained my peace by obeying my director . . ."

I recently read the words of a wise Carmelite friar who I'm sure has been spiritual director to many. He reminded us that we are surrounded by spiritual directors if we need them: we have the writings of the Saints! And, I would add, the writings of Marcel which include constant reassuring guidance from Jesus, Mary, and St. Therese. And then there are the simple but brilliant words of St. Padre Pio, a father who has guided thousands as if each were his only child:

"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer."

                                                  An Old French Prayer for Friends
                                                     (for our new double novena)

Blessed Mother of those whose names you can read in my heart, watch over them with every care. Make their way easy and their labors fruitful. Dry their tears if they weep; sanctify their joys; raise their courage if they weaken; restore their hope if they lose heart, their health if they be ill, truth if they err, and repentance if they fall. Amen.

St. Padre Pio, pray for us!
St. Therese, pray for us!
Little Marcel, pray for us!

Adorable Jesus, draw me, we will run!

Last night my husband and I revisited a sermon by St. John Henry Cardinal Newman. I say "revisited" because I first heard this sermon long ago at a Newman Reading led by Dr. Ron McArthur during my freshman year of college. It was the only such Newman Reading I attended, but the sermon stuck with me all these years. Well, sort of.

Come to find out that actually I was making quite a hash of Newman's message with my Miss Marcel memory. (Our brother Marcel Van is always forgetting what Jesus, Mary, and Therese tell him - this was one way I knew we were twins separated at our respective births several decades apart.) But because my angel has often brought back to my imagination the mis-remembrance of that sermon, I asked my husband to read it to me last night.

Okay, full disclosure: we waste more time watching silly movies than any other married couple I know! So whether you are married or single, please don't be overly impressed by our turning over a new leaf and trying to get high-brow in our late middle age! Try as we might, we can't always resist the promptings of these awesome and persevering angels who guard us!

Yesterday was the feast of St. Bartholomew, and the sermon we re-visited is about what we can learn from this Apostle who is none other than Nathaniel (the friend of the Apostle Philip), a figure who first comes to our notice at the beginning of St. John's Gospel.

As I say, my Marcellian memory of the sermon left me with a reversal of the great John Henry's message, which upside down recollection was finally set properly on its feet again last night, thank Heaven. But wow, what a wonderful message it was when I got it straight! It was oddly familiar, astonishingly reassuring, spectacularly cheering. In a word, perfect. And it didn't take me long to figure out why.

Cardinal Newman in this sermon is defending (well before it gained universal popularity through its most famous advocate, St. Therese) the Little Way!

Here is what he says that struck me so profound a happy blow:

"Now, from what occurred in this interview [between Our Lord and Nathaniel/Bartholomew], we gain some insight into St. Bartholomew's character. Our Lord said of him, 'Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!' and it appears, moreover, as if before Philip called him to come to Christ, he was engaged in meditation or prayer, in the privacy which a fig-tree's shade afforded him. And this, it seems, was the life of one who was destined to act the busy part of an Apostle; quietness without, guilelessness within. This was the tranquil preparation for great dangers and sufferings! We see who make the most heroic Christians, and are the most honoured by Christ!

"An even, unvaried life is the lot of most men, in spite of occasional troubles or other accidents; and we are apt to despise it, and to get tired of it, and to long to see the world,—or, at all events, we think such a life affords no great opportunity for religious obedience. To rise up, and go through the same duties, and then to rest again, day after day,—to pass week after week, beginning with God's service on Sunday, and then to our worldly tasks,—so to continue till year follows year, and we gradually get old,—an unvaried life like this is apt to seem unprofitable to us when we dwell upon the thought of it.

"Many indeed there are, who do not think at all;—but live in their round of employments, without care about God and religion, driven on by the natural course of things in a dull irrational way like the beasts that perish. But when a man begins to feel he has a soul, and a work to do, and a reward to be gained, greater or less, according as he improves the talents committed to him, then he is naturally tempted to be anxious from his very wish to be saved, and he says, 'What must I do to please God?' And sometimes he is led to think he ought to be useful on a large scale, and goes out of his line of life, that he may be doing something worth doing, as he considers it.

"Here we have the history of St. Bartholomew and the other Apostles to recall us to ourselves, and to assure us that we need not give up our usual manner of life, in order to serve God; that the most humble and quietest station is acceptable to Him, if improved duly,—nay, affords means for maturing the highest Christian character, even that of an Apostle. Bartholomew read the Scriptures and prayed to God; and thus was trained at length to give up his life for Christ, when He demanded it.


"But, further, let us consider the particular praise which our Saviour gives him. 'Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!' This is just the character which (through God's grace) they may attain most fully, who live out of the world in the private way I have been describing,—which is made least account of by man, and thought to be in the way of success in life, though our Saviour chose it to make head against all the power and wisdom of the world."

As if this weren't enough, my happy reversal was crowned this morning by an email from our dear friend Jack Keogan, translator of our brother Marcel's writings into English. Jack was writing to share a story from Venerable Cardinal Van Thuan, the first postulator of Servant of God Marcel Van, a postulator who gave up the position to go join Jesus and Marcel in Heaven, and who has promptly shot past little Marcel on the path to canonization, as you can see from their titles!

The story Jack (and Cardinal Van Thuan) shared is a remarkable postscript to Cardinal Newman's sermon because it takes us a step further on the Little Way, teaching us how to pray. Here is what Jack wrote, or rather transcribed for us from the book Five Loaves and Two Fish by Cardinal Thuan:


There was an old man called Jim who would go to church every day at noon for just a few minutes, then he would leave. The sacristan was very curious about Jim's daily routine and one day he stopped him to ask:

Why do you come here every day?

I come to pray, Jim answered.

That's impossible! What prayer can you say in two minutes?

I am an old ignorant man. I pray to God in my own way.

But what do you say?
​
I say: "Jesus, here I am, it's Jim" and then I leave.


After some years Jim became ill and had to go to hospital where he was admitted in the ward for the poor. When it seemed that Jim was dying, a priest and a nurse - a religious Sister - stood near his bed.


The priest asked:
Jim, tell us how it is that from the day you came to this ward everything changed for the better? How is it the patients have become happier, more content and friendlier?


-I don't know. When I would walk around, I would try to visit everyone. I I greeted them, talked a bit with them. When I couldn't get out of bed, I called everyone over to me to make them laugh, to make them happy. With Jim they are always happy!


-But why are they happy?

-Well, aren't you happy when you receive a visitor? asked Jim.

-Of course, but we have never seen anyone come to visit you.

-When I came here I asked you for two chairs. One was for you, Father, and one was reserved for my visitor.

-But what guest? the priest asked.

-I used to go to church to visit Jesus every day at noon. But when I couldn't do that any more, Jesus came here.

-Jesus came to visit you? What does He say?

-He says: " Jim, here I am. It's Jesus."

Before dying, Jim smiled and gestured with his hand towards the chair next to his bed, as if inviting someone to sit down. He smiled for the last time and closed his eyes.

+    +     +

Jack continued his email thus:

Cardinal Thuan explained that prayer is a very simple act that triggers a relationship between man and God. He went on to say: "Often we behave rudely during prayer, talking endlessly, never allowing God the opportunity to say a word!"

*   *   *

Naturally, I (Miss Marcel) was quite concerned at this last statement of the Cardinal. It's precisely this kind of comment that makes Marcel my favorite saint, even if he's never canonized, even if Cardinal Thuan lived a very impressive life (he did) and becomes St. Van Thuan while our little Marcel remains merely a happy little Servant of God forever. Because it's not for nothin' that my mom called me Chatty Cathy once or twice . . . I'm not arguing with the Cardinal's point that we can be, perhaps, a bit talkative at prayer, but I love to read Marcel to know all the rest I need to know about this conversation with the One we know loves us, and how He responds to our blah-de-blah'ing.

When Marcel, who is just like us, sometimes chatters on and forgets to listen to Jesus or Mary's replies to his questions and comments, Our Lord and Our Lady simply tease him out of it! So really, Marcel shows us that we needn't worry too much that we never allow God the opportunity to say a word. If even Our Lady has the power to interrupt us and laughingly make sure her word gets said, how much more our Blessed Triune God can do so, He Who is all-powerful!

But I love the lesson Jack draws from Cardinal Thuan's story. Our hero (for how can the man who gave us English-speakers the writings of Marcel Van be anything less than our hero?) says:

This reminds us of Saint Therese's first meeting with Van: "So, when you speak to the good God, do so quite naturally as if you were talking to those around you. You can speak to him of anything you wish: of your game of marbles, of climbing the mountain........."

Ah yes! We can speak to Him of reading a sermon, of having remembered it wrong for decades.....of reading a blog post, of living a quiet life.......

Let's be natural with God! He has so supernaturally set aside all the trappings of His Divinity so that we won't be shy of Him. Like Marcel, speak to Little Jesus. Tell Him all that's on your mind and in your heart. And yes, sure, pause for breath and let Him get a word in edgewise. He'll be amazed by your manners!

I have a surefire way of doing this myself: I open up Marcel's Conversations, and there I see what Jesus has to say to me. You might have another favorite spiritual book. The Gospels are ideal. But most of all, be yourself.

If you're anything like me and like "most men" of whom Cardinal Newman makes mention, you live a life that is not fascinating even to yourself sometimes! That's okay, it is always fascinating to Jesus because He loves you infinitely. He can't get enough of your little stories, so don't be afraid that your life, however small or large its scope and influence, will bore him. Never! Here is what He said to me this morning so that I could say it to you now. From His words on October 8, 1945 to Marcel (and all of His words to Marcel He assures us are meant for us too):

"My little flower, how beautiful you are! But I do not want your beauty to appear externally . . . I will use the appearance of your simplicity in order to hide you in my hands . . . My little flower, the more beautiful you are, the more you will be smothered with caresses."

Those caresses are from Jesus to your soul, and they are just for you, as your beauty is just for Him!

How marvelous it is that regardless of our littleness - no, even because of it! - Jesus Who is all beautiful loves us without ceasing. As He says to us, again in Conversations, this time at (374):

"The glance of your weakness is still more powerful than mine. Yes, a single glance of your weakness suffices to charm my Love and to draw my heart to you . . . "

Thank You, Little Jesus! And though You don't have to wait long for our weaknesses to show themselves, still in case we forget to glance at You, we ask that You please do not cease to glance at us! Ah, You are God! You won't forget!

Draw me; we will run!

"Most of all I imitate the conduct of Magdalene; her astonishing or rather her loving audacity which charms the Heart of Jesus also attracts my own. Yes, I feel it; even though I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus' arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him." --our sister St. Therese, Story of a Soul 

"If Magdalene at the time when she was listening to Me had written down what I was saying to her, what words of love would have been shown to the world. My child, it is for this that I have said to your holy sister: 'It is not all at once that all My love reveals itself, but little by little.'" --Jesus speaking with our little brother, Marcel Van, Conversations (86)

"My dear child, your role is to be the apostle of My love. For that you must not be happy simply to hear My words but you must also write them down for the good of souls." --Jesus to Marcel (and me)

Just this morning, on this glorious feast of St. Mary Magdalene, I found myself complaining to Jesus that I had been mission-less lately. There is nothing more likely to induce a case of ennui, I find, than missionlessness. Ennui is a great French word similar to (in my use of it, anyhow) degout. The only problem is that degout is French too! We can see, I think, why Jesus loves France so much (as comes out in Marcel's Conversations quite often) -  it has all the best words! 

Suffice it to say that ennui is the opposite of cheerful busyness, and degout is translated as disgust. I suppose the former (ennui) is the state of a soul who has lived long and partied hard without discovering the meaning of life (JESUS!) whereas the second state (degout) is that of the soul who has known very well life's meaning, but then keeps tending to forget it! And so one feels frustrated - with oneself, most of all, but with one's state (and feelings) as well.

But the best reason for knowing these words is not to be able to minutely describe their meanings, but rather so we know what we want to avoid! And if, like with quicksand when we happen to be walking through a jungle in an old movie (or something worse than quicksand in The Princess Bride), we come upon it unawares and find ourselves slipping down into it (if not sucked in almost instantaneously), well let's use all our little energy to reach toward that overhanging branch or at least cry out to our angels and Jesus for help!

Impossible though it seems, it's amazing how quickly - much more quickly than disaster - good things can happen. Take this morning, for instance. Here I was, finally acknowledging the ennui and degout into which I've been sinking lately, and crying out, "Wait! You forgot me! I'm feeling missionless!" when suddenly several missions just fell from the sky into my upreaching hand. No, not my u-preaching hand! My up-reaching hand!

Missions have wings, and so I was lifted out of my ennui and degout as fast as you can say, "Login" (that's Log In, not a shortened version of Logging, which goes on much farther north than my place here on the West Coast of the U.S.), or in other words just exactly as quickly as I started writing this post. Thank Heaven!

I knew I needed to think about Mary Magdalene today, it being her glorious feast, and I knew there was a passage where Jesus talks about her to Marcel in their Conversations. Talk about an overhanging branch! I need only grab onto it - and my angel knows by now to hold it constantly within reach no matter how short my arm is extending above the quicksand - to feel the salvation that Jesus has won for us long ago. (Not to harp on the subject, but if you don't yet have a copy of Convos, they are easily and quickly available HERE, in case you, too, want a ready way out of ennui and degout.)

Well, joy and rapture! Here is Jesus telling Marcel that it is just as we suspected. When He spoke to Magdalene, He had plenty to tell her, and it was just as consoling and uplifting as anything we might imagine, and more! Jesus uses this truth (of His words of love to MM, but that they were not written down by her) to explain to Marcel why his own words - or rather the words Jesus dictates to him, alongside his own words - are of crucial importance. Our Lord, God's "one Word," as St. John of the Cross likes to remind us, has much to say that He can only say little by little, bit by bit, for our minds and hearts are too small to receive His Love all at once.

Enter Marcel, with his book of Conversations. And enter our little blog, inspired by Marcel's book. For lo and behold, as often as I open our little brother's pages, I'm filled with a desire to share Jesus' and Mary's words  (and Therese's and Marcel's) with the whole world!

This morning I also remembered that our sister Therese has not only great love for Magdalene, but great words on her at the end of Story of a Soul (in certain editions these words are more in the middle, but in all editions, they shine out like the beacon leading us to shore).

Looking up Therese's passage to quote for you, what a delight to find that the Little Flower whom we can't help but imitate, since we are such very tiny flowers too, is herself imitating the quintessential lover of Jesus (after His and our Mother Mary), that second Mary whose second life was spent in adoration of Him who pulled her out of her own ennui and degout. What love fills the Gospel and the universe! And how important these feasts are for reminding us of our missions!

My mission is to write, but it only finds its fulfillment by your reading and learning of your mission. Do you know (or remember) what that mission is?

It is, in a word, to love. Or better yet, to let yourself be loved.

That's it.
Quite a tall order for a new day which you may have already filled with plans for all sorts of activities and passivities, work and play, not to mention eating, drinking, and sleeping!

Happily, to let yourself be loved is like drinking cool, fresh water when you're parched, or (at other times) like finding that you do have room for dessert - it will go into the interstices that remain despite the nourishing meal you've been blessed with already!

Whether you find your day full or empty (and even when our days are full of activity, we can be running on empty, while on other rarer days of sweet retreat, we're being filled to the brim despite appearances of emptiness), I'm glad you've found yourself here. Let's thank Jesus for loving us and ask Him to convert us like He converted Magdalene. Can you imagine? Just a look from Him and she gave up everything!

I've learned from reading Marcel that Jesus most likely doesn't ask us to give up much more than our sadness, our ennui, our degout. Can we do that for Him today? Certainly not without His divine assistance!!!

Dear Jesus, please reveal to us Your infinite tenderness and compassion, so that wherever You take us today, we will not find ourselves alone. Let Magdalene teach us to be bold with You! Send Marcel as an angelic apostle to show us how to open our hearts to You as Magdalene did and Therese did in imitation of her. Give us loving audacity which turns to You in every need, every joy and sorrow, and inspires us to commend all those we love to Your care - with every confidence that You are caring for them too!

Draw me, darling Jesus; we will run!

I haven't much time because it turns out that Marcel's feast in Vietnam started more than 14 hours ago, and in France, more than 9 hours ago, and in England, more than 8 hours ago.

This means that we here in the Americas are quite behind, as we've been this whole novena. But in the tradition of Americans doing things big - I like to think we're a sort of international Costco, doing everything too big but with great prices - let's not worry about being late to the party!

And while we're at it, in the tradition of Marcel's own Conversations, let's not worry about anything, any more, ever!

Slow learner that I am, I've been worrying just a titch lately about how I would write this post. My time has not been my own, so I wondered if I could steal some from sleep. Lo and behold, my angel thought that was a great idea, and here I am! It isn't too early elsewhere, but here it is nice and quiet and I have a few moments to kick off our celebration of our name-day feast. Hooray, and thank you dear angels!

Along with worrying about when I would write today, I was also slightly concerned about what I would write today. Silly me! I should have remembered (but being Miss Marcel, I naturally forgot) that all I need ever do is open up our brother's book and I will find more than enough material for a thousand blog posts! And so, with a prayer to our angels and Padre Pio's, let's see what Marcel and Jesus have for us on this glorious day.

Oh, but first let's finish our novena by saying the prayer Les Amis de Van and Jack Keogan shared with us. Not only is it a beautiful prayer, but it was dictated to Marcel by Jesus Himself! Feel free to add your own country to our request for graces for France, and let's borrow our sister Therese's confidence that Jesus will answer beyond our wildest dreams:

Lord Jesus, have compassion on France.
Graciously hold it tightly in Your love
and show it much tenderness.
So ordain things that, full of love for You,
it contributes to make You loved in all the nations on earth.
O Love of Jesus, we now promise to remain always faithful to You
and to work with a heart on fire
to spread Your reign throughout the universe.
We ask all this through the intercession of our little brother Marcel Van, and in Your holy name, dear Jesus. Amen.

And now, Lord, send Your Holy Spirit to guide us to the passage You want to use to rejoice our hearts on this day of Marcel's entry into Your Heart!

*   *   *

Oh that Jesus! He understands us completely, and even when He tries to hide, He lets Himself be found! And so, having flipped among the beloved pages of our brother's book, here is what I find our Spouse has to say to us on this marvelous anniversary:

From Conversations (237), the words of Jesus to our souls right now:

You seem to be very tired. That's enough, go and rest; I do not wish you to tire yourself by writing [or reading]. You please me just as much by taking a rest . . . I love you very much. I do not cease giving you kisses and embracing you in my arms. I look at you all the time and I smile on you and I am always pleased with you. So, therefore, because of the single fact that you always recognize your weakness, you receive from me perpetual support. That is enough. You are very tired, very tired. I am giving you a kiss and I hold my lips close to your cheek for all eternity.

*   *   *

Taking our adorable Lord at His word, I am going to rest now. But I will take my rest with great joy and peace, which I wish to you in abundance too, today and forever! And a little prayer before we go to celebrate, each in our own way (and mine with a pillow!) -

Draw me, we will run!

p.s. Since Marcel is the second St. Therese, the shower of roses is a big part of his mission from Heaven too! I'm asking him now to shower his and our sisters' roses upon you and your loved ones in honor of all the graces Jesus has showered upon them both in their lifetimes in exile and in their glorification. Our sweet brother, so inclined to us already, won't be able to resist such a clever prayer, so expect special graces (in the form of roses, but no doubt in many other forms as well!) which are on their way!

I received a delightful email last week. In more than timely fashion, Jack Keogan (our benefactor who translated Marcel into English) had sent to us in the U.S.A. the good news that he in England had received from Les Amis de Van in France that the annual novena to Therese's little brother and ours, Marcel Van, was about to begin, in preparation for his little feast, July 10. 

Did you note the unremitting and irretrievable past tense in that long sentence?

And if you are a math whiz, did you note too that as today is July 5 - as  I write - we may be a bit shy of 9 days counting to July 10? 

So what shall we address first?

We could begin with the explanation of why five days is somehow miraculously enough for a novena (i.e. a 9 day prayer). Or we could start with Jack's email.

Since I haven't quite solved that numerical riddle, let's go to Jack's email before we do anything else.

Jack wrote:

Les Amis de Van are organising a novena with Marcel Van commemorating the death of Brother Marcel on July 10th 1959.
It is prompted by concern for the spiritual needs of France during these troublesome times.
Our Lord did, of course, ask Marcel to pray for France, the country for which he had a particular affection.
The Friends of Van are asking us to join them in this novena, to which we could add prayers, through the intercession of Van, for our own countries whilst at the same time heeding Our Lord's request to Van that he pray a great deal for France.
Here is the prayer dictated to Van on 14 November 1945.


Lord Jesus, have compassion on France.
Graciously hold it tightly in your love
and show it much tenderness.
So ordain things that, full of love for you,
it contributes to make you loved in all the nations on earth.
O Love of Jesus, we now promise to remain always faithful to you
and to work with a heart on fire
to spread your reign throughout the universe. Amen.


We should offer this prayer through the intercession of Brother Marcel.
And we could offer a little postscript asking Our Lord to remember the needs of our own country, whatever it may be, during this time of pandemic.
The novena begins on July 1st until July 9th.
Thank you and keep your distance!
Jack.
+   +   +

First off, let me mention that I'm fairly certain Jack's sign-off of "Thank you and keep your distance!" is what we in America call "that dry British sense of humor" which we enjoy so very much!

Jack, you're funny, just like your brother Marcel! But no worries, whether we like it or not (and speaking for myself, I don't, but God's holy will be adored and glorified in this as in everything), we are forced to stay many thousands of miles away from you across the pond. Alas, but be forewarned: I, at least, retain the hope of sitting quite near you on Mary's lap in Heaven! And let's not forget the goal: to crowd her capacious lap with so many Marcel-ites that Marcel himself and Little Jesus almost fall off!

But to get back to that amazing novena prayer taught to Marcel and us by none other than the Sweet Spouse of our souls (and Les Amis and Jack), let's look at it again:

Lord Jesus, have compassion on France.
Graciously hold it tightly in your love
and show it much tenderness.
So ordain things that, full of love for you,
it contributes to make you loved in all the nations on earth.
O Love of Jesus, we now promise to remain always faithful to you
and to work with a heart on fire
to spread your reign throughout the universe. Amen.


Are you struck, as I am, by the promise to work for Jesus "with a heart on fire"? That's the name of Bishop Barron's ministry! And the goal of our consecration to Merciful Love too! But we haven't yet heeded Jack's suggestion of adding our own country to the prayer, nor his advice to ask through the intercession of Marcel. How about this:

Lord Jesus, have compassion on France, and the U.S.A. and Britain too.
Graciously hold them tightly in your love
and show them much tenderness.
So ordain things that, full of love for you,
our beloved countries contribute to make you loved in all the nations on earth.
O Love of Jesus, we now promise to remain always faithful to you
and to work with a heart on fire
to spread your reign throughout the universe.

We ask these favors through the intercession of our little brother and sister, Marcel and Therese.
Amen.

I think that's pretty good, don't you? 
And guess what? 
The angels have solved our conundrum, as I knew they would . . .
We've just read-said our novena prayer 3 times, which means we have caught up! We'll want to pray it once more at the close of our post to properly open the July 5th day, but then we have 4 days (3 past, 1 today) covered all in a jiffy and we have left in our novena just the right amount of days:

July 6 (5th day)
July 7 (6th day)
July 8 (7th day)
July 9 (8th day)
and 
July 10 (9th day), when Marcel made it out of exile at last, and into Jesus' arms once and for all! Hooray Marcel! Hooray Jesus! Long live France and every nation of the world until the new Heaven and new earth replace this worn out planet and we get to receive Jesus' kisses face to Face!

The really funny thing is that I could have sworn (which I shouldn't, but rather, as Jesus taught us. just say yay or nay), that is, I could have affirmed with all my heart, yayly, that Jack said something like, "Start the novena whenever you like!" but reading more carefully I see what he actually wrote was: "The Novena begins on July 1st until July 9th."

Oops!

But then again, I do love a novena that procrastinates and insists on ending right on the feast itself. Otherwise I risk feasting so much that I forget to pray on The Big Day, hence I'm glad we're praying just a little behind Les Amis de Van. Lead the way, dear French friends! We will follow in somewhat disorganized but quite cheerful procession!

The other think I love about a novena is when the prayer stays the same, but each day there might be something good to ponder, so let's get to the good stuff and listen to Marcel himself, or better yet Jesus Himself, as I find them today in Conversations.

Especially because do you know what I discovered recently?
The whole world has not yet heeded my brilliant insistence that each one quickly get a copy or two of Marcel's Conversations (with Jesus, Mary, and St. Therese)!

Which somewhat thrills me - the refusal of the world to Do the Right Thing - because although some might conclude from this that my work is in vain (my only real purpose being to get everyone reading his or her own copy so that I might stop writing and immerse myself in mine), I'm an inveterate bright-side kind of gal, and so, contrariwise, I conclude with the marvelous fact that my work remains important, nay, ESSENTIAL, for the common good!

In other words, if I don't keep touting and quoting from Conversations, how will the disobedient and wandering masses (as in lots of people, not the Holy Sacrifice) ever come to their senses, see the light, and procure their much needed copies of our little brother's masterpiece?

I don't know. 
I mean I don't know how they will ever, unless I keep writing and quoting. And besides, St. Thomas has this great bit about how the best life is contemplative but bursting into action because what kind of lout would or could keep to himself the fruits of his contemplation?

Exactly! The kind of lout that I am just can't, no way, keep from singing out to everyone what I find Truth telling us in this adorable book through the adorable mouth of Marcel. And why shouldn't the book and the mouth of our brother be adorable? Little Marcel Van has been kissed by the Truly and Originally Adorable mouth (and words) of The Word made Flesh, our Brother and Best Friend, none other than Jesus Our True Love!

But enough beating around the bush. How about I do some quoting? No reason to simply go on my testimony. I'm going to put you in the way of having some testimony of your own, whether you have and read your copy of this book or not. Here goes, then. Here is what Marcel and Jesus said today that tugged at my heart and made everything easier. From Conversations (226), 31 December 1945:

Marcel (and me): Little Jesus, I understand absolutely nothing.

Jesus: Marcel, who is obliging you to understand? Ignorant as you are, how would you be able to understand? If you have not yet understood what it is to lack poverty and to renounce yourself, you will understand even less what I have just said. . . Besides, I have not said these words for you, but really for souls who are afraid of me. Since you are not afraid of me, it is not necessary that you understand. Since you already love me, what would you be afraid of? Till the day you die you will only love me; consequently, you have no reason to be afraid. Marcel, how I love you. I would wish to hold you close to me always and cover you with kisses, and this desire will remain unchangeable for eternity. Yes, Marcel, my little friend, I will love you. I will give you kisses, I will hold you close to my breast, and you will be filled with delights. Then all that you wish for, I will gladly grant you . . . Marcel, may your love melt entirely into mine and then you will possess exclusively all love.

*    *    *

So which are we? Are we the souls who are afraid of Jesus, or the souls who love Him? And what if we do both (love and fear Him)?

Remember first that Jesus understands our lack of understanding and doesn't scold us for it. And then let me quote for you some more of my favorite words in Convos, favorite because they set the stage for all the words that follow.

The question at stake is: For whom are these words meant? Are they meant for us as well as for Marcel?

Here is the answer Truth (Who only speaks truly) gave to Marcel on 4 November 1945:

Jesus: . . . All the words that I have spoken to you from the beginning until the last one I speak to you in the future - know that it is not to you alone that I am speaking, but to all souls. You see by this that I communicate with all of them. And if, like you, they are sincere in their relationship with me, then I am speaking also to them. It is not necessary that you understand this. Do not be afraid, therefore, if later somebody says that I spoke only to you . . .  

*   *   *

Which brings me to the quote I found two days ago, then lost, then found again this morning. Here is why I love Marcel and why I'm confident that even if my words reach only one soul with his words (and Jesus' words especially) in Conversations, it will be worth it. Though it might have been any page of little Marcel's Conversations, today (thank you guardian angel for returning me to 10 November 1945!) it is this one:

Jesus: You, my child, you know that I always call you by the name of little flower. You, therefore, belong to the category of my little flowers, and, in fact, you are a very fragile little flower; the slightest breath of wind is enough to make you fall at my feet. That is why I dare not depart from you. Is that not to your advantage? It is precisely because of your weakness that you are, on my part, the object of a greater love and that my lips are always ready to cover you with kisses. But you are very weak, so weak that you cannot even put up with my kisses. My little flower, remember always that you must never be sad because of your weakness. And no matter how great your weakness may be, be tranquil always, believing that my love would never have the heart to separate itself from you, my little flower.

*   *   *

There, I think that should be enough for now; enough to soothe our little souls and remind us of what Jesus most wants us to know today . . . 

Let's say our prayer again, then, asking Jesus to bless our nations (especially France, but our own as well if it is another than France) through the intercession of our dear Marcel:


Lord Jesus, have compassion on France (the U.S.A., Britain, Canada, Venezuela, Poland, Ireland, Lebanon, Syria, Scotland, Japan, Belgium, South Africa, Nigeria, Nepal, Italy, China), and all of our countries.
Graciously hold them tightly in Your love
and show them much tenderness.
So ordain things that, full of love for You,
our beloved countries contribute to make You loved in all the nations on earth.
O Love of Jesus, we now promise to remain always faithful to You
and to work with a heart on fire
to spread Your reign throughout the universe. 

We ask these favors through the intercession of our little brother and sister, Marcel and Therese.
Amen.

Draw me, we will run!!!

*   *    *
I hope to write again soon. Wouldn't it be marvelous if I could muse each day for the rest of the days of the novena, here with you so we could say our prayers on time together? I don't know if my circumstances will allow that, so please do return and say our prayer from this post daily if another post doesn't follow before the 10th.

But above all, don't be discouraged if you forget! I vote that even if we forget absolutely everything, let's remember that we have nothing to be afraid of, least of all our Jesus. He loves us! He will never let us be separated from Him, so rest in His arms and pour your heart out to Him. Or simply rest. He is with you and won't let you go away, not really. 

Thank You, Jesus, for Your infinite and infinitely tender and solicitous love!

Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart of our True Love, Jesus!

I offer the following prayer for so many intentions dear to my heart, but especially at this moment asking graces for dear Jack Keogan, translator of Marcel into English and thus changer-of-my-life, who so kindly sent me this prayer (below) on the back of a holy card where I saw it (and instantly loved it) for the first time this past year, and for Fr. Ambrose who sent it to me again in whats app today (along with the glorious picture above), and finally for the original - okay second to M's little sister Anne-Marie Te and me (or is that third?) - Miss Marcel, who shares a birthday with Jack next week and who talked me into great joy today (or let me talk myself into said joy today by trying to talk me out of it, strange as that sounds) - may God reward and bless them all in greater abundance than ever before, if that's even possible. Since all things are possible for God, we say it is not only possible, but will happen! And may He bless you too, dear reader, through this delightful and down to earth (yet reaching to Heaven) prayer:

Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Lord Jesus Christ,
To your most Sacred Heart,
I confide this intention:
(mention your intention here)

Only look upon me,  And then do what your Sacred Heart inspires.
Let your Sacred Heart decide; I count on it, I trust in it.
I throw myself on Your mercy, Lord Jesus! You will not fail me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Your love for me.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Kingdom come.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked you for many favors,
But I earnestly implore this one. Take it.

Place it in Your open, broken Heart;
And, when the Eternal Father looks upon It,
Covered with Your Precious Blood, He will not refuse it.
It will be no longer my prayer, But Yours, O Jesus.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
Let me not be disappointed. 

Draw me, we will run!!!

*     *      *

And, in honor of our adorable Lord and His infinitely tender Heart, please remember Jesus' words in the Gospel and to Marcel:

Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid.
Don't worry any more, ever!

Courage! It is I; do not be afraid!
          - the 'great' God (Matthew 14:27)

If St. Anthony and Baby Jesus look a little blurry, no doubt my hand was shaking when I took this screenshot. It's not every day you get to take a photo of two of your favoritest people in the universe! And on the feastday of one of them, no less!

Which brings me to my conundrum: what to say on so great a feast, in the company of such great friends and so great a God?

As I quoted just the other day from Therese, our littlest Saint and greatest friend, "I'm not breaking my head over the writing . . . it's as though I were fishing with a line: I write whatever comes to the end of my pen."

Our little sister said these words on June 11, 1897, and two days later on June 13 (feast of St. Anthony of Padua and Lisbon, just where we find ourselves today 123 years later), she said in explanation of her imagery of the Thief Who would come to steal her away to Heaven:

"Whenever I am speaking of the Thief, I'm not thinking of little Jesus; I'm thinking of the 'great' God."

Do you ever find it disconcerting to move from season to season in this life? I suppose that discombobulation could apply to moving from one season of life to another (it's always a bit disconcerting, I find, to get married, for instance. Thank the good Lord I've had that change of seasons only once so far!), and certainly if you live in a place that has radical climate shifts from let's say winter to summer (some call it spring, but I think there are locales where it is simply freezing and then broiling), that might certainly be disorienting. Not to mention the change that happens in gloriously leaf-turning centers of orange and red and yellow when those last leaves fall and winter is upon one.

I'm thinking now, though, of the change in liturgical seasons, and I feel it most between Christmas-tide and Lent. Sure, there's the steady counting of Ordinal (or Ordinary) Time in between, but if you stretch Christmas out to Februrary 2nd and then procrastinate in taking down your decorations, you can find yourself in Lent (if it's an early Lent) lickety-split, and before you know what's hit you, that transition from Little Jesus to the great God-made-man come to save us is (at least for me) a touch alarming.

But then, for those of us who like Therese and Marcel are card carrying members of the Child Jesus Fan Club, the switch back to Little Jesus (or the option to return unto Him) at the close of the Easter Season is quite a welcome relief if perhaps abrupt too. At least this time of year we have the 7 weeks of Easter (whew! That's a lot of partying and I haven't succeeded yet in keeping Easter completely!), then the novena of Pentecost following the Ascension . . . Though does anyone else find the drop from Pentecost Sunday to "counting time" again (Ordinal or Ordinary Time) just a wee bit fast (again) in the new calendar? Thankfully we have the glorious Feasts of the Most Holy Trinity and then Corpus Christi to help make the landing easier . . . but with St. Anthony's feast amidst these, our musings - at least over here at Miss Marcel's place - certainly return to Little Jesus!

And GUESS WHAT? Little Jesus and St. Anthony have a special announcement they've asked me to make. They're feeling slightly fuzzy after the time change from Eternity to Universal Co-ordinated, so let's give them a second to adjust and I'll make that announcement for them. Are you feeling out of focus too? Get a grip, because we have big news and you'll want to be sitting down (or better yet lying down - or laying down as the case may be, depending on whether your angel sets you there or you set yourself, if I remember my grammar). Ready?

This is the day to ASK FOR MIRACLES!!!!

We are finishing up our St. Anthony novena, and it is a doozy this year, running neck and neck with our prayers to Servant of God Julia Greeley,  Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew (one of the big St. Teresa's besties), and Tim-the-best-hugger-ever (see our blog post a couple down for more on this holy (though uncapped) trinity of feast day compatriots, Julia, Anne, and Tim). 

In fact, this year in our run-up to St. Anthony we've also been slightly pre-occupied, but in a hilariously little way, you might say, with the 125th anniversary of Therese's Act of Oblation to Merciful Love - and another Trinity, the Real One-in-Three Whom we celebrated last Sunday, and a third dear trinity, though this last one of anniversaries actually: for on the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity we celebrated (albeit somewhat silently) Therese's initial offering of herself to Merciful Love (125 years ago this year on that day), then this past Tuesday, June 9th, we celebrated the same again though on the calendar date (rather than the liturgical calendar date), and finally on Thursday we managed a blog post (just below this one you're reading now) in honor of Therese's formal offering with Celine to the same Merciful Love of the Good God - yep, 125 years ago that very day, June 11.

But here is the GUESS WHAT part, for those who have survived that last paragraph. I'm almost dizzy myself (always ditzy and sometimes with a touch of vertigo) after all those dates, anniversaries, and parentheses! So let's try to relax, catch our breath, and get a load of this crazy conjunction:

This past Thursday, June 11, the 125th anniversary of Celine and Therese making their Act of Oblation together before the Virgin of the Smile, was actually the Feast of Corpus Christi - at least in those places where it hasn't been transferred out of immense kindness for the masses who work so that they can go to Masses in honor of The Body and Blood of Our Lord on Sunday!

Have you heard about Something New? I don't mean just anything new, but Therese's Eucharistic Miracle book which I was privileged (and pushed by her) to write and which was recently published. Something New with St. Therese: Her Eucharistic Miracle, which you can read for fun and for free - and begin as soon as you wish by simply clicking on one of those boxes that crowd around "Miss Marcel's Musings" at the top of the page near the roses from Therese -  or for $15 (print copy) by clicking on the bold title or HERE, is all about Therese's Act of Oblation to Merciful Love, but more specifically it is about one petition in that Act, a petition Therese encourages us to pray with her, and in this prayer obtain for ourselves a miracle having to do with our union with Little Jesus, the great God, Who gives Himself to us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity!

How fortuitous, then, that God's one single thought from all eternity has included this beautiful and tenderly solicitous happenstance of days in which He brought together our tiny 125th anniversary of Therese and Celine's history-changing Act and the Feast of Corpus Christi!

Luckily for us, we are now in the octave of that anniversary, celebrating today our beloved St. Anthony, wonder worker and model adorer of Little Jesus and Grown Jesus too! And this St. Anthony Day is going to crowd into and morph into (in its later hours) the Vigil of Corpus Christi - which we get to celebrate again because hey, come on, how could one feast alone be enough for the Body and the Blood of Christ?! (How's that for feminine logic? You should see my feminine finances! If you have a spare moment, watch William Powell and Irene Dunne in "Life with Father" and enjoy Irene's illustration of the same.)

Anyhow, have I gotten off the beaten path again? This is the trouble with musing and taking whatever He puts on the end of my line: He tends to lead me, just like He led Marcel (unless it was Marcel leading Him!) always on an extremely little way. I'm not complaining; I don't want to be anywhere but with Jesus and Marcel and Therese on Mary's lap, but sometimes I seem to lose the obvious thread in these meandering musings, and I sure hope I haven't lost you!

Let's get down to basics then.

Today is the Feast of St. Anthony. 
He is so great that you find his statue - like our sister Therese's image - in churches All Over The Planet. I bet if we ever find prayerful life on other planets, we'll find statues of St. Anthony holding baby Jesus there too! Because what's not to love? I started this post with Jesus' words because when I opened the Gospel last night (after a day of dusting-as-prayer but knowing that prayer-as-prayer certainly deserves its place too!), those were the words Jesus gave me:

Courage! It is I; do not be afraid! 

And I felt their perfect timing for St. Anthony's day, the day of one who has so many titles that his Litany is replete with stunning imagery. Did you know St. Anthony is the Hammer of Heretics? And although unknown in his official litany, he is also to Nigerians (and honorary Nigerians like myself) the Marco Polo of every need - instead of blindly calling out "Marco" and having your compatriots reply "Polo" from the other parts of the pool, the Nigerian St. Anthony Guild has taught us to call out "Anto!" when in search of something lost (or even just to let out a resounding battle cry of Love), to which our fellows reply "Padua!" How very marvelous is that?

And yet there is one image of St. Anthony that trumps all the rest. . . whether painted by Murillo or drawn by the loving hand of a child, who can resist those Franciscan arms outstretched in love and most often seen embracing darling Jesus?

What a gift! Here is Jesus in so adorable a form that none can resist Him! I love, love, love the many pictures and statues of Him caressing St. Anthony's face, or gazing into his eyes, or merely resting in his arms. This is hope! This is the image of how Jesus wants to be with us! This is the whole substance of Marcel's Conversations! Jesus cannot get enough of us - bizarre as that may seem and be!

And He puts Himself in a position, whether as the infinitely great Merciful God of Love to whom we offer ourselves, or as the tiny consecrated Host we will receive on the Feast of God's Body and Blood, or as the little child in St. Anthony's embrace: He puts Himself in a position to love us and be loved by us without fear.

Without fear?

Yes, without fear. 

God does not fear to come to us. He trusts us to love Him, as pathetic as our love may be and often certainly is.

And He asks us - better yet, He who said "Let there be light" and at that moment there was light, commands us, and may it be according to His all-powerful Word - Be Not Afraid, have courage, trust in Him because He is here among us, so near that we can close our eyes and embrace Him just as St. Anthony endlessly does.

What miracles will you ask for today? I'm posting early, and I'm giving my day for your and your miracles. Let's do it! Let's have confidence in God, and when our confidence is falling short (like already, or in about 45 seconds), let's ask the Saints for their confidence. They had confidence to spare, which is how they always had miracles to spare - and they don't need their confidence anymore because in Heaven (where they are) sight has replaced blindness and knowledge has supplanted hope, so let's ask for their hope, their bold confidence, their miracles, and take all they offer for the asking!

St. Therese, Celine, and St. Anthony, Marcel and Julia Greeley, Blessed Anne and your BFF St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and dear Tim M: give us your confidence that we might hold Jesus and demand all we need for ourselves and those we love! Bring back to the Faith all those who have wandered that they too might enjoy the Love of the Good God! Heal all those who are sick - through the power of God, the Mighty and Merciful One-in-Three Who gives us more than we ask or imagine because He can't contain His Goodness!

And dear St. Anthony, on this your feast, thank Little Jesus for us, for letting us know and love Him, and kiss Him countless times for us today and until we, like you now, embrace Him face to Face!

Draw me, we will run!!!

"I'm not breaking my head over the writing of my 'little' life; it's as though I were fishing with a line: I write whatever comes to the end of my pen." - Therese, June 11, 1897

Those words were spoken by St. Therese a few months before she died, and they provide inspiration to me today as I search for words to offer on this very special June 11, 2020.

Why is today so very special? I used to celebrate June 11 as the Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle (as it is, and so shall we still celebrate it), and then later, I loved to celebrate it as the birthday of the Saints of Leon Bloy. He was a French writer at the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries (a little more than a hundred years ago) who befriended and then god-fathered Jacques and Raissa Maritain when they, along with Raissa's sister Vera, were baptized on this day in 1906. Hooray for the Maritains and Leon Bloy! God rest their souls in His infinitely tender and merciful Love that makes Saints from such varied and sundry material!

But this year I am quite pre-occupied with a different feast, and anniversary, for at long last (it's taken a century and a quarter!) it is the 125th anniversary of our dear sister St. Therese and her own sister (and thus ours too) Celine: the 125th anniversary of their Act of Oblation to Merciful Love!

On this day 125 years ago, Therese and Celine knelt before the statue of the Virgin of the Smile, a statue which had been the instrument of great graces for their family (including Therese's miraculous healing 12 years before), and together Celine and Therese prayed the Act of Oblation to Merciful Love that Therese had written out after her own initial offering of herself on Trinity Sunday, June 9, two days before.

So yes, if you're paying super close attention to the dates here, you might notice (but don't worry if you're skimming because I'll tell you what you might have noticed but perhaps didn't!): Today is the third 125th anniversary of the Offering to Merciful Love that we're celebrating this week!

First was on Trinity Sunday, which we celebrated a few days ago, and which was the feast on which Therese first felt her inspiration to offer herself to Merciful Love and so promptly and spontaneously did.

Second was this past Tuesday, June 9, the actual calendar date of Therese's first offering.

But finally, today is the day I've decided we ought to celebrate most wonderfully because this was the day on which Therese had her first follower on this little way of oblation.

Right after Mass on Trinity Sunday, right after she'd made her own offering, Therese grabbed Celine's hand as they were leaving the chapel of the Carmel, and went to their sister Pauline, their mother superior. Therese asked for herself and Celine that Mother Agnes (Pauline) give permission for them to offer themselves formally as Victims to Merciful Love. Mother Agnes said yes, leaving Therese the task of explaining to Celine what in the world she had in mind this time!

And then, so simply and marvelously, by her mere cooperation (tantamount to allowing her younger sister to lead her where she would, as usual), Celine paved the way for the legion of little souls who came after, and among whom we count ourselves, poor and weak and (if you don't mind my saying so) pathetic as we are.

Like our hero and brother Marcel Van, and like Celine before him (not to mention their other sisters Pauline, Marie, and Leonie, their cousin Marie Guerin, and Therese's novice Marie of the Trinity, et cetera), we too need only allow Therese to drag us (or push us) hither and yon, and we too will become other little great saints! And how? You might as well say, "And how!" for the road is long, with many a winding turn, but believe me - or better yet, believe Therese! - we'll get there, and she knows exactly where! To the Heart of Love, the very Merciful Love of God to which we abandon ourselves without reserve.

Sounds good, surely, but if you wonder how in the world it might work, well let's just follow Marcel and Celine following Therese. I'm going to insert a picture of the lovely Virgin of the Smile, and the text of the Act of Oblation to the Merciful Love of the Good God. Without a lot of explanation, because as Fr. Thomas Dubay used to frequently acknowledge, we have a time pressure problem. Let's hurry, then, and not allow anything to stop God from pouring out His infinitely tender love into our hearts, quickly, before we get distracted or bored, before we forget what we're doing, before we fall asleep at out prayers.

Okay, maybe not that last. If you're reading this late at night, and you nod off in the middle, no worries! Therese will assist and make the Act in your name, as she assisted Celine, and later Marie of the Trinity, and later still our little Marcel. 

Marcel is a darling guide to this offering as well, because he had no idea what it meant, and yet I do think the whole of his book Conversations (with Jesus, Mary, and St. Therese) is an extended commentary on this Act of Oblation. He even asked Jesus straight out to explain it, quite a while after Therese had made the Act for him since, little as he was, he entrusted himself to her clear and sure guidance as do we. Marcel asked, "So, little Jesus, tell me what 'Victim of Love' means." Jesus responded:

"They are victims who, through love, offer themselves to Love. These victims leave to Love complete liberty to accomplish His desires in them but of themselves, they do nothing to expend themselves; it is Love, that is to say the Holy Spirit who acts spontaneously in them."

There you have it then, and so let's waste no more time in chit chat. I offer to you below (in order to help Therese offer you to God) our patroness the Virgin of the Smile, our dear Mama Mary, and the Act of Offering which Therese and Celine recited before her on this day 125 years ago.

But before I do, I almost forgot - we are in the middle (or toward the end) of a sweet novena culminating in St. Anthony's Day on Saturday. We commend to him the health of many of our loved ones and all who are ill, asking his powerful intercession to heal them, as well as to fulfill the many other needs and desires - including our thanks to God for miracles already granted - as mentioned in the previous post. Here then, is a little novena prayer to dear St. Anthony, and then we'll proceed with our Offering. Thank You Jesus, for all these irresistible Saints you give us to help us on our little way! 

UNFAILING PRAYER TO ST. ANTHONY

Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and charity for all God's creatures made you worthy when on earth to possess miraculous powers. Miracles followed your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or need. 

Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me also my requests . . . 

The answer to my prayer may require a miracle' even so, you are the Saint of Miracles!

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was always full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the adorable ears of the Holy Infant Jesus, who loved to be held in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will always be yours. Amen.

ACT OF OBLATION TO THE MERCIFUL LOVE OF THE GOOD GOD

O My God! Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to Love You and make you Loved, to work for the glory of Holy Church by saving souls on earth and liberating those suffering in purgatory. I desire to accomplish Your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory You have prepared for me in Your Kingdom. I desire, in a word, to be saint, but I feel my helplessness and I beg You, O my God! to be Yourself my Sanctity!
     Since You loved me so much as to give me Your only Son as my Savior and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His merits are mine. I offer them to You with gladness, begging You to look upon me only in the Face of Jesus and in His heart burning with Love.
     I offer You, too, all the merits of the saints (in heaven and on earth), their acts of Love, and those of the holy angels. Finally, I offer You, O Blessed Trinity! the Love and merits of the Blessed Virgin, my Dear Mother. It is to her I abandon my offering, begging her to present it to You.
     Her Divine Son, my Beloved Spouse, told us in the says of His mortal life: "Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you!" I am certain, then, that You will grant my desires; I know, O my God! that the more You want to give, the more You make us desire. I feel in my heart immense desires and it is with confidence I ask You to come and take possession of my soul. Ah! I cannot receive Holy Communion as often as I desire, but, Lord, are You not all-powerful? Remain in me as in a tabernacle and never separate Yourself from Your little victim.
                                                                                                            
     I want to console You for the ingratitude of the wicked, and I beg of you to take away my freedom to displease You. If through weakness I sometimes fall, may Your Divine Glance cleanse my soul immediately, consuming all my imperfections like the fire that transforms everything into itself.
     I thank You, O my God! for all the graces You have granted me, especially the grace of making me pass through the crucible of suffering. It is with joy I shall contemplate You on the Last Day carrying the scepter of Your Cross. Since You deigned to give me a share in this very precious Cross, I hope in heaven to resemble You and to see shining in my glorified body the sacred stigmata of Your Passion.
     After earth's Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for Your Love Alone with the one purpose of pleasing You, consoling Your Sacred Heart, and saving souls who will love You eternally.
     In the evening of this life, I shall appear before You with empty hands, for I do not ask You, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is stained in Your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in Your own Justice and to receive from Your Love the eternal possession of Yourself. I want no other Throne, no other Crown but You, my Beloved!
     Time is nothing in Your eyes, and a single day is like a thousand years. You can, then, in one instant prepare me to appear before You.
                                                                                                           
     In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God!
     May this martyrdom, after having prepared me to appear before You, finally cause me to die and may my soul take its flight without any delay into the eternal embrace of Your Merciful Love.
     ​I want, O my Beloved, at each beat of my heart to renew this offering to You an infinite number of times, until the shadows having disappeared I may be able to tell You of my Love in an Eternal Face to Face!

Draw me, we will run!!!