Oct 1 – Feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor, Patroness of Missions
Born to a pious middle-class French family of tradesmen, Francoise-Marie Thérèse Martin (1873–1897) was the daughter of Blessed Louis Martin and Blessed Marie-Azelie Guerin Martin, and all four of her sisters became nuns. Her mother died when Francoise-Marie was only four, and the family moved to Lisieux, Normandy, France to be closer to family.
She was cured from an illness at the age of 8, when a statue of the Blessed Virgin smiled at her. She was educated by the Benedictine nuns of Notre-Dame-du-Pre, and confirmed there at the age of 11. Just before her 14th birthday, she received a vision of the Child Jesus. She immediately understood the great sacrifice that had been made for her, and developed an unshakeable faith.
She tried to join the Carmelites, but was turned down due to her age. She was a pilgrim to Rome for the Jubilee of Pope Leo XIII whom she met, and who knew of her desire to become a nun. She joined the Carmelites at Lisieux on 9 April 1888 at the age of 15, taking her final vow on 8 September 1890 at the age of 17.
She is known by all for her complete devotion to spiritual development and to the austerities of the Carmelite Rule. Due to health problems resulting from her ongoing fight with tuberculosis, her superiors ordered her not to fast. She became novice mistress at the age of 20 and, at age 22, was ordered by her prioress to begin writing her memories and ideas. The material would turn into the book History of a Soul.
She defined her path to God and holiness at The Little Way, which consisted of child-like love and trust in God. She had an ongoing correspondence with the Carmelite missionaries in China, often stating how much she wanted to come work with them. Many miracles are attributed to her, and she was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.
“You know well enough that our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” – Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
- Patron Saint Index
Neh 2:1-8
Lk 9:57-62
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
I once had someone knock on my door to try to spread the Gospel to me. The person was an earnest young man who sincerely felt that it was his duty to spread the faith to all around us. My father, who answered the door bell, remarked to me after asking the young man to go that “anybody willing to knock on the doors of people must be prepared to accept rejection.”
Rejection is something that I hate to receive. I am not sure if you have been rejected before, but it sure is terrible to be told that you are not needed nor wanted. The Gospel of today reminds us that rejecting the way of the world is the only way we can become a true follower of Christ.
Jesus pointed out that we must choose to prioritise our goal. We are Christian and hence, the objective of our lives is to live one which edifies.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Dear Jesus, let us follow your example to be a good role model to all around us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who love us through their actions.
OXYGEN 
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