"For simple souls, there must be no complicated ways." - St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Recently I read a marvelous account of the friendship between Servant of God Don Dolindo (also a friend of Padre Pio's) and Blessed Maria Giuseppina Catanea. You can find the whole story at my own friend Maura McKeegan's substack "Stories of Don Dolindo" HERE, but what especially struck me was a form of prayer Don Dolindo taught Sister Giuseppina - lovely in itself but also very reminiscent of a way to pray that Jesus taught our own little Servant of God, Marcel Van.

First, then, from Maura:

Don Dolindo went one day to the Carmelite convent to visit his dear friend Sr. Maria Giuseppina. Years earlier, Sister Maria Giuseppina, on the brink of death from tuberculosis and spinal meningitis, had received a miraculous healing through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, and Don Dolindo had been present when it happened. The miracle had bound these two saintly souls together in a close spiritual connection . . . 

On this day when Dolindo came to the convent to visit her, Sr. Maria Giuseppina was taking longer than usual to come down. As Dolindo sat in the parlor, he began to pray in an unusual way: overcome with love for Our Lord, he started telling the objects in the room of his love.

“Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, door,” he prayed. “Jesus, I love You, and I say it to You, table.” Everything from the table to the bench to the grating became an occasion to declare his effusion of love for Jesus.

When Sr. Giuseppina finally arrived in the parlor, she looked around in amazement.
“Father, what is happening?” she exclaimed. “Why is everything inside here shouting, ‘Jesus, I love You?’ How is it possible that from every wall, piece of furniture, and object in this room, I hear a distinct voice of God’s love?”

Maura goes on to explain her own use of this prayer:

After I read this story, it remained in my heart as a reminder that when I am just waiting somewhere, or my mind is blank, or I’m too tired to focus on other forms of prayer, I, too, can follow Dolindo’s method of using what I see around me to help me pray.

This morning, as I was taking a walk through my neighborhood, I saw a deer at the edge of the woods nearby. As I watched it pass in front of me, I felt inspired to imitate Dolindo’s prayer.

Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, deer.

After I interiorly prayed those words, the deer stopped, turned its head, and looked straight at me. At the same time, the first verse of Psalm 42 flooded my mind: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.” The deer continued to gaze at me for a few long moments, then turned and walked into the woods toward a stream.

I looked around again.

Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, trees.
Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, flowers.
Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, birds.

The more I prayed Dolindo’s prayer, the more everything around me began to feel alive with God’s love. . . . I was suddenly noticing everything. The tiny white flowers on the side of the road. The notes of birdsong emerging from the field. The misty drops of rain filling the air. Everything I saw around me, the whole of creation, was exquisite—and it was resounding with God’s love for His people.

The declarations of love that I offered Him through His creation had started with Him, as all love does, and now they came right back to me. The “voice of God’s love,” as Sister Maria Giuseppina called it, was flowing all around me, filling the air like those misty drops of rain, covering everything in His glistening grace.

And in that moment, I knew two things:
The world is alive with the love of God, and Don Dolindo is showing souls how to see that love everywhere we look.

*     *     *

Now we come to the prayer Jesus taught Marcel. Our little brother wrote about this on April 28, 1946, saying:

I remember one day when I had absolutely nothing to say to little Jesus, I kept looking at Him, full of disgust, trying to meditate but without knowing how to begin. Seeing me in this state, little Jesus called me in order to teach me a way to occupy my mind with Him. He told me first of all to look at the bench and He added: "Little brother, say: "I love You in this bench.'" He then told me to look at everything in the oratory and to repeat for each object: 'Jesus, I love You in . . . the dust, in the fly, in the window, in the foot of the bench, in the flower, in the plant, in the flower pot, in the earth in the pot, in the shelf where it is placed, in the brick, in the pillar; I love You in the bird, in the bird's song, in the frog, in the white tree frog, in the noise it makes, in the aeroplane, in the motor car . . . etc." 

While little Jesus was teaching me this lesson, I felt like laughing and I was very distracted. I then had the following distraction: I said to myself that if it was my job to teach children, I would do such and such a thing to indulge them. Then little Jesus, once more, invited me to say: "Little Jesus, I love You in my little brothers who are playing."

Finally, little Jesus said to me: "Little brother, you can always make use of this method, and so you will be able, while resting, to make this prayer continually. In addition, this method will help you never to commit any fault in your distractions. Where the Spirit leads you, your love also leads you, in such a way that I am loved by you in every place . . ."

Since then, when I have nothing to say, I use this method, but I often want to laugh. I once said, "Little Jesus, I love You in the fly." And He said to me, laughing: "The fly smells terrible. It is very dirty, nevertheless, you love Me truly, in it. In comforting Me like this, in very ordinary things, even in a simple grain of sand, you force Me to follow you step by step in order to give you My kisses. . . "

At this point in Marcel's Conversations, Jesus takes over. He says:

"Marcel, on this day of 28 April 1946 [and we can add, on this day of 30 June 2025], how many very ordinary little things there are that people never think of, that they could offer to Me to please Me. In the eyes of Love, these little things, far from being ordinary, are very precious. However, one thing saddens Me, it is that these little things do not know how to love Me and there is no one to love Me in them and to offer them to Me. From now on, little brother, remember that My Love hides itself in the dust and the grains of sand, waiting until your words of love come to comfort Me. In loving Me in these little things, you love Me equally in the souls who do not wish still to belong to Me; I receive consolations even in these souls, since I find your love there."

*    *    *

Which method appeals to you?

"Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, fly."
Or if you're lucky, you can say it to a deer, or if you're indoors (without a fly or a deer), you can say, as Don Dolindo did: "Jesus, I love You, and I say it to you, door."

"Little Jesus, I love You in the fly."
Or, again, perhaps you will get to say someday, "Little Jesus, I love You in the deer."
And I am almost certain you can say, if not now then soon,
"Little Jesus, I love You in the door."

I have been going for a walk each morning, and at one short juncture of a sidewalk I tread, I have found a snail crossing. One day there were ten snails crossing! Today I counted six. I forgot to say it then, but it's never too late with snails, because my son recently told me they don't have the gift of hearing anyhow. (Although that initially sounds sad, upon reflection you can see it might be one of God's great mercies. There are dogs that cross that neck of the sidewalk too, and can you imagine how loud a big dog would sound to a snail?)

Here goes then:

Jesus, I love you, and I say it to you, snails!
Jesus, I love you in the snails!

The variations on both prayers are uncountable, and I hope you have fun telling Jesus of your love - tell the world, one creature and one object at a time, whether you speak to them or to Jesus, loving Him aloud to them, loving them (whether aloud or silently) in them. The important thing is that you get to enjoy some prayer time that's less stressful and less distracted than it might have been. Or perhaps you can take a time that wasn't looking prayerful at all (for instance, while you wait in line somewhere), and interject some love for Jesus wherever you find yourself.

His love for us never ends, and He finds a million ways to tell us each day. If we play our cards right, our love for Him can find a million expressions in return - we can begin now and enjoy telling Him and all the world!

Draw me, we will run!

Happy Pentecost! Welcome to our first Octave of Pentecost post, complete with a triple feature, in honor of the Blessed Trinity!

First, my theory of miracles.
Second, a guest post by Monica Seeley on the joy the Holy Father's election brought to a wonderful Catholic school in sunny Southern California. 
And third, a mini-celebration of St. Therese's offering to Merciful Love, which she first made 130 years ago today!

*  *  * 

My theory of miracles is that they usually last about 10 minutes. Not that they then poof out of existence, but that we adjust so quickly to the wonderful that we forget to be grateful for what was brand new a few moments ago but is now, 10 minutes later, old hat!

Have you experienced any miracles lately? If you have, you'll know what I mean, and if you haven't, let's keep praying so that soon you can be in this happy position of taking for granted the grace you've been begging God for, lo these many moons.

Our little sister Therese, who has more to tell us in Part III of this post, wants to remind us at the outset that she's spending her Heaven doing good on earth, letting fall a shower of roses. That means miracles, and she'd hate for you to miss out simply because you got tired of asking. May we ask for you?

Little Flower in this hour show your power!

Our little sis is all about simplicity, so we'll let that suffice for our prayer . . . and while we wait for new miracles, let's remember one from the recent past.

It was about a month ago that we saw (or heard about) the white smoke at the Vatican, and today we have the privilege of posting an article that recently appeared on Catholic Exchange. It's by our friend Monica Seeley, whose bio states only that she raises children and chickens on the West Coast . . . I don't doubt it, but I can attest that she does much more than that! She brought my family a delicious dinner when we needed one, and she frequently organizes local 40 Days for Life events. She's what I'd call a champion for life, and a terrific writer to boot, so it's with great pleasure that we here at Miss Marcel's Musings share her story of the day the pope was elected.

Here is a LINK (just click LINK) to Monica's other articles at Catholic Exchange, but first and foremost we offer you "Habemus Papam 3 Weeks Out: Happy to be Catholic." Enjoy!

​May the Holy Spirit awaken our hearts to the miracle of Pope Leo while enlightening his mind and enflaming his heart with Eternal Wisdom and Infinite Love!

Habemus Papam 3 Weeks Out: Happy to be Catholic
by Monica Seeley

When I dropped off my high schooler at St. Augustine Academy each morning last week, a large, hand-lettered yellow sign still greeted me, propped against a stucco wall, proclaiming “Viva Il Papa!”
As exams and award ceremonies marked the end of the school year and carpools pulled out for the last time, no one wanted to take it down. It was a reminder of a day that students, teachers, and parents will long remember as one of the happiest in our little school’s 31-year history.

On Thursday morning, May 8th, the 7th grade students in headmaster Tim Moore’s Latin class weren’t doing declensions; they were discussing what happens at a papal conclave, while keeping one eye on the “chimney watch” on his laptop. When the class period ended, Tim had to go back to his office, taking his laptop with him. A mere two minutes later, white smoke billowed from the iconic smokestack.  The 7th grade will never let him forget it, he says, and he can’t blame them.

As Tim told it in his weekly “blue letter” to parents, as soon as the white smoke appeared, “the students, with some of the teachers, immediately grabbed the Vatican flag and ran out to the street with signs saying, ‘Habemus papam!’ They wanted to tell the world.”

Half an hour later, the entire student body watched the new pope appear and give his first Urbi et Orbi blessing. 

At the news that the Church had an American pope, more than a hundred students ran back out to the street, jubilantly waving more signs, an American flag now fluttering alongside the Vatican flag. Joyful chaos ensued. Students waved and shouted; trucks and cars honked enthusiastically as they drove by on the busy street.

“The students then ran back to the campus and spontaneously began singing—no teacher had prompted them,” Tim said, recounting that “beautiful day.”

Gathered on the playing field, they sang hymns. They sang patriotic songs. A video shared by Tim shows high schoolers and middle schoolers singing a French hymn to Mary with unselfconscious piety. They followed that up with a rousing “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Wild cheering, applause, and dancing broke out at “Glory, Glory Hallelujah.” 

“When the next pope is elected, I hope I am still here at St. Augustine Academy because I don’t think any other school partied like us,” Tim said in an email later that day. The partying ended on a very American note, with ice cream sandwiches for all.

When that morning began, very few of us knew much, if anything, about Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. Twelve years ago, I can remember a similar scene of tumultuous happiness at the election of Jorge Bergoglio, also an unfamiliar name.

Among the parents and staff at our little school, where students attend daily Mass and learn Latin polyphonic hymns in choir, there was a certain amount of trepidation. I lie; there was a great deal of trepidation as we anxiously watched the papal balcony, wondering what kind of man had been chosen to fill the shoes of St. Peter. 

Putting your faith at the center of your life gives you a greater emotional stake in a papal election. But when Leo stepped out onto the balcony, anxiety suddenly took a backseat to joy that the Church was no longer sede vacante. The uncomplicated rejoicing of our students brought home the reality of those words and the fact of Christ’s presence in His vicar on earth.

The vague unrest that had filled me for the past few weeks—welling up at the Eucharistic prayer as the priest stumbled over “We pray for our Holy Father,” and at the end of the Rosary when we could no longer pray for the pope’s intentions—resolved itself into peace, plain and simple. 

Habemus papam! We have a father!

As our new pope stood on the balcony, looking out over the vast crowds in St. Peter’s square with tears in his eyes, discussion of his leanings—liberal, conservative, centrist?—was already buzzing.
But that went over the heads of a crowd of kids in Catholic school uniforms, trooping triumphantly down the sidewalk waving the gold and white, and red, white, and blue. Celebration was the order of the day.

“We don’t know what he will bring for the Church,” Tim said, “However, we do know who the pope is, and that is the successor of St. Peter—and like Peter, he holds the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. We know that Pope Leo is our leader and represents Christ as the leader of the Church here on earth. That is well worth celebrating.”

There will be days for discussion. But almost three weeks out, a large yellow sign proclaiming “Viva Il Papa!” reminds me that we’re still basking in the glow of the day when a bunch of school kids were just happy to be Catholic, and thrilled to have a Holy Father once again.

                                *   *   *                                   *   *   *                                *   *   *

And now, a word from our sponsor, or rather a word about her on a special anniversary . . . 

130 years ago today, history was made. Or perhaps a better way to put it is that 130 years ago today, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, the youngest of Louis (and the late Zelie) Martin of Alencon and Lisieux, gave herself as a victim of Love to the Blessed Trinity, and the world hasn't been the same since.

She was only 22 years old, and at 24 she left this exile for Heaven, where she was finally able to fulfill her greatest dreams and desires: to love God and to make Him loved to the ends of the earth.

While she was still an unknown nun in the tiny Carmel of the tiny town of Lisieux, she couldn't do much anyone would notice, but that didn't bother her a bit. In fact she loved being hidden and unknown, which made it all the more interesting and extremely strange that in the last months of her life she began to speak prophetically of the great glory she would have, the great good she would do, the great importance of her sisters saving not only her last words, but the rose petals she dropped on her crucifix (which saved petals were later distributed and mysteriously responsible for miracles) as well as the fingernails they clipped from her!

I was just reading a few pages of a book long recommended to me, The Passion of Therese of Lisieux by the great fan (and scholar) of St. Therese, Bishop Guy Gaucher of Lisieux (God rest his dear soul), and there I found - as I often do when reading of our sister - a new anecdote. New to me at least, because as much as one knows about this Little Flower, so much more is there (and then some) yet to know!

Therese was talking to her sisters (the Martin sisters who were also her sisters in Carmel) from her bed in the infirmary. She told them, "You're taking care of a little saint." I knew that line, but I didn't know that Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart (her eldest sister and godmother) was so moved that she left the room and thus didn't hear Therese's next line: "And you're saints too."

Therese has full confidence - she had it then, and she's now exchanged it for full knowledge - that we too can become saints by following her Little Way wherein sanctity consists in simply abandoning ourselves into the Father's arms and letting Him do the heavy lifting.

One of the most exciting ways she found to perform this simple act of resting in God's embrace was her offering of herself to Merciful Love, and even more exciting to me is that she wants us all to imitate her in this offering.

I've written a whole book about just one line of her offering: 

"Remain in me as in a tabernacle; never separate Yourself from Your little victim."

I've written lots of books, and I have no hesitation in recommending all of them, but this one is the bomb! It will explode your fears into a million smithereens and replace them with the ardent love God has for you, filling you with a renewed and exceedingly consoling love for Him . . .

Considering that Something New with St. Therese: Her Eucharistic Miracle is about just one line of Therese's Act of Oblation, you can imagine how many volumes upon volumes could be written about the rest of her prayer, and that's in addition to the many volumes that already have been written!

For now I will merely repeat that this day 130 years ago changed history . . . and I'll add that this day TODAY can change history again, because you too can offer yourself to Merciful Love!

Therese assured Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart that offering oneself to God in this way is NOT to invite suffering. Marie was a marvelously down to earth woman who had NO INTEREST in suffering any more than she had to. I bet that like me she didn't even have an interest in suffering as much as she had to! So there was no way she was going to invite more suffering, and when Therese asked her to join in offering herself to God's Love, Marie immediately responded "No!" She explained her complete refusal to open herself up to more suffering, and Therese explained that this offering to Love was different from the offering of oneself as a victim to God's justice that they'd both heard about in the lives of the saints. They'd even listened a few weeks before to the account of a Carmelite nun who'd recently died after offering herself to God's justice, and Therese is very clear in her Story of a Soul that this was the inspiration for her to make a totally different kind of offering. She clearly states that the offering to God's justice was very generous, but didn't attract her at all . . .

But here I am, beginning my next volume already. 
Enough blathering . . . let me share with you our little sister's Offering to Merciful Love, the offering of oneself to receive all the love God wants to give but that others reject.

Therese's first offering of herself as a victim to this Love (on June 9, 1895, Trinity Sunday that year) was made in the Carmel's chapel after Mass. She then grabbed her sister Celine and dragged her to their older sister Pauline (Mother Agnes) to ask her permission to make this act. Permission granted, Therese wrote up the formal Act over the next two days. Then on June 11, she and Celine made it together. (Sister Genevieve was Celine's name as a nun, and she is pictured above with Therese at the stone cross in the Carmel's courtyard about a year after their Oblation.)

The next December, Therese invited Sister Marie of the Trinity, her protege and favorite novice, to make the offering to Merciful Love too. After immediately saying yes, a few hours later Marie said no, she wasn't worthy or ready. Therese happily informed her that the only thing one needed to be ready was to know one wasn't worthy! Voila! The Little Way strikes again! Marie then made the Offering the next morning after Mass, with Therese beside her, offering Marie as a priest offers Jesus to the Father. (You can see Marie sitting beside Therese in the picture above, taken about 3 months after her Offering.)

Would you like Therese beside you to help offer you? I'm sure she will oblige!
She loves nothing more than making God's love known, unless it's making Him loved as she loves Him, and her Offering is her favorite method for doing just that. She put it best:

"O Jesus! why can't I tell all little souls how unspeakable is Your condescension? I feel that if You found a soul weaker and littler than mine, You would be pleased to grant it still greater favors . . . But why do I desire to communicate Your secrets of Love, O Jesus, for was it not You alone who taught them to me, and can You not reveal them to others? Yes, I know it. I beg You to cast Your Divine Glance upon a great number of little souls. I beg You to choose a legion of little victims worthy of Your love!"

Here, for your delectation and participation then, is Therese's Act of Oblation to Merciful Love:

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 a 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 days 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 allpowerful? 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!