September with St. Therese - September 24

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.

"For the anniversary of her reception of the Veil, I had a Mass offered for her:"
'Thanks for the Mass!'
"When I saw her suffering so much, I answered sadly:'Ah! you see, you haaven't received any relief!"
'It was to obtain relief for me that you received permission for the Mass?'
"I answered: 'It was for your good."
'My good, then, is to suffer, no doubt...'

"She had a visit from Doctor de Cornire, who was more edified than ever. He said to Mother Prioress: 'She's an ange! She has the face of an angel; her face hasn't changed, in spite of her great sufferings. I've never seen that in others before. With her general state of getting thinner, it's supernatural."

'Soon I shall speak only the language of angels.'

"You will go to heaven among the Seraphim."
'Ah!, but if I go among the Seraphim, I shall not do as they do! All of them cover themselves with their wings before God; I will be very careful not to cover myself with my wings.'

"You don't have any intuition about the day of your death?"
'Ah! Mother, intuitions! If you only knew the poverty I'm in! I know nothing except what you know; I understand nothing except through what I see and feel. But my soul, in spite of this darkness, is in an astonishing place.' Excerpted from Her Last Conversations.

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