St. Raphael(s), pray for us!

Today is the glorious feast of the very fun St. Raphael Kalinowski, Polish Discalced Carmelite who got to exit stage left for Heaven not quite on this day in 1907, but on November 15, on the feast of All Carmelite Souls. What a great day to die, on the very day when your religious order is praying for every departed soul - which now includes you - of your own special club.

In RK's honor, and to twit him just a little, I'm sharing today his letter to the Lisieux Carmel about his experiences with little Soeur Therese in the few years after she herself went to Heaven in 1897 and before he followed her there to Jesus.

First, though, let's acknowledge St. Raph K's patron, St. Raphael the Archangel. I am forever recommending to people one of my favorite prayers - it is to St. Raphael, attributed to a Frenchman Charles Hallo, and Flannery O'Connor said it daily. I follow her in this, as in our love for the Faith and for books, but when it comes to particulars, Flan and I tend to diverge. I'm more of a gentle-read kind of gal, and she's into something a titch more uncomfortable, so I'm thrilled that we can leave our differences aside and simply agree on this prayer as one of the best.

Prayer to St. Raphael
​
​O Raphael, lead us toward those we are waiting for, those who are waiting for us: Raphael, Angel of happy meeting, lead us by the hand toward those we are looking for. May all our movements be guided by your Light and transfigured with your joy.

Angel, guide of Tobias, lay the request we now address to you at the feet of Him on whose unveiled Face you are privileged to gaze. Lonely and tired, crushed by the separations and sorrows of life, we feel the need of calling you and of pleading for the protection of your wings, so that we may not be as strangers in the province of joy, all ignorant of the concerns of our country. Remember the weak, you who are strong, you whose home lies beyond the region of thunder, in a land that is always peaceful, always serene and bright with the resplendent glory of God.

*  *  *
Note above that the photo of St. Raphael the Archangel was taken by my fave painter, Esteban Murillo. How I love his beautiful handiwork! 

The photo under the angel depicts our buddy and brother, St. Raphael Kalinowski. I'm not sure who took that photo, but wow, it's kind of intense if you ask me! Nonetheless, I love that we can see St. Raph's face . . .all the better to imagine him bursting into a laugh when we tell the story that comes next!

St. Raphael, when he was merely Fr. Raphael of St. Joseph, O.C.D. (no, not obsessive compulsive, but of the Order of Carmelites Discalced!), wrote to the Lisieux Carmel on October 9, 1902, only five years after Therese had flown the coop, leaving this exile for Heaven. She was still simply SIster Therese, no cause or process begun . . . Father's letter is in the "Shower of Roses" included as back matter in the 1911 French edition of Story of a Soul. Forgive me for taking some liberty with the translation of this letter. I'm dependent on my guardian angel for most of my French, and like Padre Pio's angel, not to mention Therese and Marcel themselves, the little imps, my angel likes to tease me. Regardless of my limitations, you'll get the gist.

Fr. Raphael writes: 

October 9, 1902

Reparation

Most Reverend Mother,

The inscription at the head of this letter indicates my duty to make amends for a fault committed by me towards your little saint, Sister Therese of the Child Jesus.

Two or three years ago, when the manuscript was presented to me to do a translation into Polish of the life of this little flower of Carmel, I took the liberty of remarking that the language of our country does not suit her; that it would in no way be in the style of the original, and that reading it would cause nothing but disgust.

It was like putting a brake on the apostolate of this chosen one of God. She must have taken it to heart; and, on the other hand, not only knew how to act in such a way that the proposed translation would be brought to light, but moreover, took it directly from my person.

About eight days ago I returned to my cell, my soul tossed about by the waves of a stormy sea of inner sorrows and not knowing where to find refuge for shelter. . . And now my gaze falls on the French book of the life of the vengeful sister . . . I open it, and I come across the poem "Living on Love." 

Suddenly, the storm subsides, calm returns, something ineffable invades my whole being and transforms me from top to bottom. This hymn was therefore for me the lifeboat: the amiable sister having offered herself as pilot.

So I must note that today the promise, "I want to spend my Heaven doing good on earth . . . After my death I will cause a shower of roses to fall," has truly been realized.

Fr. Raphael of St. Joseph, Discalced Carmelite, Vicar Provincial

And there follows a parenthetical comment that Fr. Raphael Kalinowski died in the odor of sanctity in the year 1907 - on November 15 (tomorrow!), Feast of all Carmelite Souls. The note continues, "His cause for beatification is submitted to Holy Church."

In fact, his cause was formally opened on March 2, 1952, when he gained the title "Servant of God." Pope St. John Paul II beatified Fr. Raphael in 1983 in Kraków, in front of a crowd of over two million people. On November 17, 1991, he was canonized when, in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope St. John Paul II declared his boyhood hero a saint.

I'd say St. Therese got her revenge all right! After Fr. Raphael translated her Story of a Soul into Polish, she got to work polishing up his sanctity, whisking him off to heaven, and eventually making him, on November 17, 1991, when he was declared a saint by Pope St. John Paul II, the first Discalced Carmelite friar to be canonized since his holy father in Carmel, John of the Cross (1542–1591), was named a saint in 1726.

What do we make of this history today?
I think we can draw three conclusions, in honor of the Most Adorable and Blessed Trinity:

1. Always ask St. Therese when you need something! Even if you two haven't been close friends before, she just LOVES to shower down roses and thus lead the world of souls to God.

2. Take time to write a letter if you have any reason to do so. Look where it may land you! 

3. Apologies are just the best. I keep messing up, and I forget Therese's central Little Way message: failure is the new success! We don't have to be discouraged by our mess ups . . . that was the old way, the scary way, the difficult way. Yes, we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, but that means IN LOVE not in common sense (haha, at least I hope that's what it means!)! And we won't make ourselves perfect - He will!

Think of Bach, Mozart, Jane Austen, my dear Murillo -
They were abundantly blessed by God with natural gifts, then set in a time and place wherein they could develop those gifts with the help of the greatest masters. The result was - hold on to your hat - not actually perfection, but really good stuff.

My opinion is that sometimes Bach has too many notes and sometimes Jane Austen has just a few too many words (forgive me, Martha, we can argue later!) . . . and possibly Murillo occasionally has a few too many brush strokes. Mozart might be perfect, so let's leave him out!

Only God is perfect. We are, by our natures, limited and corruptible. This means that our job is not to be what we are not, but to let God make us what He will.

So if you realize today that once again (or a dozen times) you've messed up, no worries!
Just ask the angels (St. Raphael and your guardian angel will be glad to help, and in fact you can't get rid of that dear guardian if you try!) and the saints to help. They love us so much!

St. Raphaels, pray for us!
St. Therese, pray for us!
Marcel Van, 2nd Little Flower and hidden apostle of love, pray for us!

​Draw me, we will run!