ST. THERESE of LISIEUX and the statue that smiled!
His fatherly devotion to family perhaps fostered the deep love Therese and her sisters had for Louis Martin, throughout their whole lives. And it seemed to be through this fatherly example that this family of religious based their love and faith in God. How else can children, or anyone, relate to the love of their heavenly Father, or Jesus, or a spiritual form of belief such as nature and the signal of the wind whistling through the trees, if not taught that love and reverence through the power of example?
However, this family full of happy outings and visits from cousins and friends, and picnics in the countryside was marked by suffering as well, not unlike any other family that has ever existed in the world, or in the world to come. You can imagine that stormy night and Louis Martin, confused and uncertain, afraid of what would happen to Therese, fading in and out of consciousness. Even with his strong religious beliefs and this family he took so much pride in, how would he cope if Therese drew her last breath before the light of dawn?
And what did happen that night?
Therese was to remember later, that in one of her moments of consciousness she became aware of her sisters praying beside her, next to the statue of Our Lady. Therese's feverish red-streaked eyes turned toward the statue, the blue and white figure taking on a soft, floating form focusing in Therese's gaze into the beautiful figure of a smiling woman, the movement of her blue gown and the flow of her veil outlined in a soft white light standing against the darkness of the night. Therese gasped! Her heavenly Mother was visiting her graces upon this child and in that moment in the month of May, Therese was cured of her sickness and fever.
Therese would never forget what her Blessed Mother did for her, and Therese, as one receiving such a great grace, eventually wanted to pass it on to the whole world. But the way was not easy for this child who, at the age of 15 wanted to follow her sisters into the Carmel.
This part if her life and her struggles to enter Carmel, even going so far as seeking and obtaining an audience with the Holy Pontiff in Rome at that time, is well known and commonly associated with the story of The Little Flower, Therese. What
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