September with St. Therese - September 21

Welcome to our series tracing the last month of St. Therese's life on this earth which was September 1897. It's called September with St. Therese and I hope you will visit here every day for an inspirational message about our dear little saint.

We will bring you excerpts from Her Last Conversations and Novissima Verba which follow her struggle the last few months of her life. On days for which there are no specific quotes, I will select a passage from one of her writings.

"I'd just emptied her spittoon without saying a word, and I set it near her, thinking within myself: I'd be happy if she told me that she'd reward me in heaven for this. And instantly, turning to me, she said:"
'In Heaven, I'll reward you for that.'

"Sister Genevieve said:'And when I think she's about to die!'"
'Ah! lady, yes; at last, I believe it!'

"I said: 'To say that she'll not have any little Therese to love!'"
'He calls me his little Therese!'
"Who?"
'Father Belliere!'
"He had just written her and I wanted to read his letter to her, believing she would be pleased when finding this passage again, but she was too tired and she said:"
'Oh! no, enough! I'm tired of little Therese!'
"Then turning to me with a smile:"
'Not tired of little Pauline too! Oh! no!'

"I was going to do the washing, having two turns to make up."
'Very hard for me, oh yes!'

"Sister Genevieve was asking for a pencil; I needed mine also, but I lent it to her just the same. Therese said in a low distinct tone:"
'That's nice.'

'Ah, what is the agony? It seems to me I'm in it all the time!'

"When drying her eyes, a few eyelashes were detached from her eyelids:
'Take these lashes, Sister Genevieve, for we must give as little as possible to the earth.' (a la terre)
"(She was making a pun here upon the name of Pete Alaterre, a workman, and brother of Sister St. Vincent de Paul.)"
'Poor man, if this give him any pleasure!'
"It was in this way that she was always cheerful in spite of her great sufferings of both body and soul." Excerpted from Her Last Conversations.

St. Therese, open our hearts to accept the sufferings that Jesus sends us. Teach us your litle way and help us to see the graces that can come from joining our sufferings to the passion of Jesus.