Carmelite Saint of the Day

Blessed Louis & Zelie Martin

Holy parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Feast Day: July 12

God of eternal love, You give us Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin,
the parents of St. Therese, as an example of holiness in marriage.
They remained faithful to You and your commandments in all the duties
and trials of life. They desired to raise their children to become saints.

May their prayers and example help Christian family life to blossom in our world today.
If it be your will, grant us the grace we now ask of You through the intercession of
Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, and let them be counted among the
Saints of the Church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, pray for us!!!












Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ST. THERESE

JANUARY 2

Far from resembling those heroic souls who from their childhood use fast and scourge and chain to discipline the flesh. I made my mortifications consist simply in checking my self-will, keeping back an impatient answer, rendering a small service in a quiet way, and a hundred other similar things.

I have a longing for those heart-wounds, those pin-pricks which inflict so much pain. I know of no ecstasy to which I do not prefer sacrifice. There I find happiness, and there alone. The slender reed has no fear of being broken, for it is planted beside the waters of Love. When, therefore, it bends before the gale, it gathers strength in the refreshing stream, and longs for yet another storm to pass and sway its head. My very weakness makes me strong. No harm can come to me, since in whatever happens I see only the tender hand of Jesus...Besides, no suffering is too big a price to pay for the glorious palm.

I endeavored to practice little hidden acts of virtue, such as folding the mantles which the Sisters had forgotten and being on the altar to render them help. I had also a great attraction towards penance, although I was not allowed to satisfy the desire. Indeed the only mortification I was permitted was the overcoming of my self-love, which did me far more good than any bodily penance could have done.

Bl. Louis and Zelie Martin the holy parents of

St. Therese

The Martins' Beatification at Lisieux



  

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

__________________



Happy Feast Day of Bl. Louis and Zelie Martin

Parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Read more about these holy parents of St. Therese

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

___________________



Beatification of Louis & Zelie Martin-Parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Louis and Zelie Martin

Parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, virgin, doctor

Beatified in France

A day of rejoicing for the Carmelite Order-The parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Louis & Zelie Martin are beatified on October 19,2008 in Lisieux, France.
Here is the link to an article from Zenit news.http://www.zenit.org/article-23997?l=english

The Te Deum:

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.
the noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of Majesty unbounded,
your true and only son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the King of glory,
the eternal son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free
you did not spurn the virgin's womb.

You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

From the Liturgy of the Hours -Office of Readings

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

Louis and Zelie Martin

parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

to be Beatified on October 19, 2008

World Mission Sunday

The Good God gave me a father and a mother more worthy of Heaven than earth.

St. Therese

The Holy Father recognized a miracle of healing attributed to the intercession of the Martins for Pietro Schiliro of Italy. Pietro was born with a lung malformation. On the advice of a Carmelite priest, they prayed to the parents of St. Therese.


The announcement of the beatification came on July 12, 2008, the 150 anniversary of the couples' marriage. They had been married on July 12, 1858 in Alencon.


The beatification will take place at the basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux, France. Please see my links for access to the basilica of St. Therese web page.


______________________________________________________


In our Carmelite Community, we recently studied St. Therese's Story of A Soul. We noted how St. Therese and her sisters observed their father and the holy example he set for them. They noted how he prayed and explained the spiritual life to them. The Martin household was truly a vibrant "domestic church" as John Paul II described the Catholic home.


We see how St. Therese loved her earthly father so dearly--he who was a symbol for her Heavenly Father. She was an obedient child and an obedient religious, always wanting to carry out the will of the Father. St. Therese was faithful to the commandment, "Honor your father and your mother." When she became a religious she put her will completely under the superior. St. Teresa of Jesus states this about holy obedience, "There is no path which leads more quickly to the highest perfection than that of obedience...Obedience brings us the sooner to that happy state and is the best means of attaining it." (From the book of Foundations)


As lay Carmelites we have "holy parents" in St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila). We can ask ourselves, are we obedient children, faithful to their teachings and direction? Are we obedient to the Order, our Superiors? Do we take seriously our promises to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or is it mainly hit or miss? Do I feel a real hunger for the Eucharist? Do I try to attend mass daily if possible? Do I pray for the priests, brothers, and sisters of our Carmelite family? Do I pray for our community and the sick members who cannot attend? These are just some ways we can examine our conscience in light of our Carmelite promise.


Let us look to our Heavenly Father, and our holy Mother, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel for help. May she assist us to be her faithful children and bring us to her Son, where in the company of our holy parents, St. John and St. Teresa, we may live forever in the one family of love: the communion of saints.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds