Many of you know how much I love St. Therese of the Child Jesus. How is it that a little, twenty-something French nun, born in the late 1800's, can speak to my soul? Words are not sufficient. I read her Story of a Soul during one of the most challenging weeks we had, almost eight years ago. One of my littles had spent a harrowing night in the hospital....at the time he had a tracheostomy, and was very sick. I was so sick, I couldn't go to the hospital...fever, cough...it was awful. All I could do was pray....and wait...and read Story of a Soul. I had tried several times before to start the book and just couldn't "get into it". Well, God's plan was for me to read it when I was desperate...her phrase, "Jesus is asleep in my boat" resonated with me like nothing else at that point. He WAS asleep in my boat....my baby is in the hospital, I am so ill I can't hardly care for my other children who are sick as well....I was crying, "WAKE UP, JESUS!!". And then...here is this tiny nun saying, "Jesus is asleep in my boat....and I let Him sleep." That was life changing to me, that sometimes, even when things look their worst...He really, really is still there, and while we fear, He is calm...steady...everything we are not. We just have to stay in the boat with Him, asleep or not.
Her exclamation, "My vocation is LOVE!!" is so pure, so IT!!! When I am confused about things, I try to look through that lens.....my vocation is LOVE!!! This is ALL of our vocations!!! Isn't that great???
Being a St. Therese fan, I was excited to read, "Celine- Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face" . Reading this book was like reading "Story of a Soul", but from Therese's sister's point of view. I have to say, after reading this, I found Celine equally engaging. This book is written about Celine, but has a generous amount of her own voice. I could so, so relate to her struggles. This is one of my favorite quotes..spoken like the 'battle fatigued of special needs mama' that I can be sometimes..
"God", she writes, "never allows anything to go smoothly in my life; rather, all is extracted through unrelenting effort. How many times when I was climbing the stairs to the dormitory did I read that sentence written on the wall: 'Today a little work! Tomorrow, eternal rest!' Then, interiorly, I would correct it: 'Much work today! And after a long time, alas! eternal rest!' "
Oh, how can you not love her immediately?? She is so real.
Thanks, Celine....I'm a big fan, now!!!
Our vocation is Love....carry on!!
--Ma
Steve just finished St. Therese and the Roses as our family read aloud for Oct - it was excellent. I am ahem..still at the beginning of Story of a Family - but it is incredibly good. I will have to put the Celine book on my list. I believe there is a Leonie one out too.
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