3. Thérèse, Muhammad and Benjamin
Thérèse Martin
In 1843, Louis Martin was twenty when he decided to enter the religious life. He journeyed to the home of the monks at St. Bernard, but when asked if he had gotten through all his Latin examinations, he answered no. The Prior told him to go and pass those tests before returning. Louis was disappointed and knew he wouldn’t become a monk. A short time after that, Azélie-Marie Zelie Guerin went with her mother to be admitted to the convent of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. The Mother Superior told her that she wasn’t suited for her mission and that God had something else in mind for her.
Louis and Marie met, had a brief courtship and were wed in the Church of Our Lady in Alencon on July 13, 1858. They produced nine offspring, but four died in infancy. Those who lived were all girls: Louise, Pauline, Leonie, Celine and Thérèse. Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin was born on January 2, 1873. Marie couldn’t nurse her so she went to see a woman who could. On her return home, she found Thérèse cold and thought it was too late to revive her. Marie prayed to St. Joseph and soon discovered that the baby was recovering. It didn’t last and Marie accepted the fate that her daughter would die. She was resigned but then saw that Thérèse was smiling at her.
The Martins had a good life, with Louis being a goldsmith and his wife having a thriving lace business. Marie’s work was so successful that Louis abandoned his work to help her. Being quite religious, the Martin shop was closed on Sundays and feast days, despite an idea from others that would keep the business going on the weekend since Sunday could be quite profitable – sort of a Catholic loophole. The idea was to keep the front door barred but have the side one open for sales. But Louis and his wife would never do that. The couple attended Mass not only on the weekend, but each morning. They encouraged the girls to read the Lives of the Saints in addition to morning and night prayers.
Azélie-Marie died when Thérèse was four. She was deeply affected by the death of her mother. The day after, Celine turned to Marie-Louise and said, Well, you’ll be my mother now. Thérèse offered, and Pauline will be my mother. The family moved to Lisieux, where their aunt cared for the children, with Pauline charged with the religious raising of the sisters. One day after running in the sun, Thérèse mentioned to Pauline that she was extremely thirsty to which the latter asked, would you give up a drink to save a poor sinner? Thérèse replied in the affirmative. Pauline fetched a fresh glass of water and said, drink. You made the sacrifice and that counts. Pauline explained that Thérèse’s reply indicated her consent to the sacrifice and that Pauline’s command to drink was a request for obedience, another virtue.
Pauline was a guiding inspiration for Thérèse, who prospered in goodness. Pauline convinced her younger sister that only God was important in life. Those who saw Thérèse offered, she scarcely looks as if she were of this earth. One individual who saw her in church staring at the Blessed Sacrament said: I wouldn’t be surprised if that child dies young. But if she doesn’t, mark my words, she will be a saint! Because Thérèse meditated so often, Pauline found her sister to be too serious, missing out on play, games and other pleasures of life.
However, Louis and Thérèse truly appreciated nature, God’s gift. They watched but also listened to its sounds: the birds, trees rustling and the bees as they pollinated flowers. A starry night entranced Thérèse as she saw her name scribed in the stars. It was the letter T in the constellation of Orion. She grasped something beyond her vision, which she just couldn’t express in words.
One summer afternoon when she was seven and her father was away, she looked outside and called out, Papa, Papa! Her sisters came to her and inquired why she was calling him. She answered that she had spotted him coming towards her. He was bent over and appeared to be old, but his face was covered so she really couldn’t see him. He moved back and then disappeared. Her sisters thought it might have been a prank pulled by the nurse, but she denied doing it and said she hadn’t seen anyone in the garden. It was a vision that couldn’t be explained that day but would be in the future.
Thérèse wanted to join the Carmelites as a teenager, but many were opposed to her doing so. Though appointed guardian, Mr. Guerin, her Uncle, thought it folly for someone her age joining the order. Later, when she went to see him, she was surprised when he welcomed her idea, saying, I prayed to Our Lord to change my heart and make me see your point of view and He did so. Next she had to convince the people of the order. They wouldn’t agree to it because she was so young. She then proceeded to talk to priests and bishops – some supported her and others didn’t. She even saw the pope but he just assured her that if God willed it, she would enter the order.
She was to enter after she turned fifteen, but even then, there was a delay. The agreement was that she would be allowed into the order after Easter for various reasons. When the time finally came, Monsignor Delatroette spoke to the religious community about her joining the Carmelites and mentioned that it was against his wishes that she should enter the cloister. The putdown was completely ignored by Thérèse, but through her stay in there, she would hear other not so kind words and receive less than considerate treatment by many of the sisters. In each case, she made difficult sacrifices, saying nothing.
Once she was where she had desired to be for years, the ill treatment by the sisters continued. Some were very considerate and kind to her, while others weren’t. One reason was because of her age. Nonetheless, no Carmelite should have displayed such reprehensive behavior to anyone, let alone Thérèse. She obeyed and forgot about the behavior of the others. These were situations that were quite baffling to anyone. She was asked to take care of the garden each day, so she obeyed. On witnessing what Thérèse did outside, Mother Prioress said, what can we do with such a child, who is sent for a walk every day in the garden? Mother Prioress humiliated her often, discovering fault with whatever she did.
After six months as a postulant – a very satisfactory one – Monsignor needed further proof. Her time was extended by another few months. Her next period should have been another year, but it became almost two. Her profession was put off but she accepted the delay and placed everything in the hands of God. On September 8, 1890, she pronounced her vows. Two weeks later when her family could be present, the taking of the veil was scheduled.
She always had health issues and many times when she was suffering she dedicated herself to taking care of the other Sisters who were in need, not concerned for herself. Besides her work in the garden, she was given many tasks: sweeping the refectory; filling the water decanters; a job as third purser; painting the tabernacle fresco; linen cupboard duties; work in the dormitories; assistant to the Mother Sub-Prioress.
Her illness had to be affected by the way many treated her, even though it seemed not to bother her. This was the mental aspect, but there were also the physical ones. Many of the sisters slept in cold rooms with few blankets to stay warm during the night. What they would do was warm up before the fireplace sufficiently so that their evening would be bearable. This Thérèse did, but it was a long distance to her room. As a result, she endured many cold nights, which did not help her health.
She died on September 30, 1897 of tuberculosis. Even though she was 24, many thought that she was a child of no more than fourteen. Before her passing, a flock of birds sat on a tree near her window and sang. At the moment of her death, they ceased singing. After her death, many of her prayers were answered, including numerous conversions. Some were done by her brothers, whose subjects brought the faith to others. People declared Thérèse a wonder-worker as her intercession cured both bodies and souls. Her efforts resulted in vocations and extraordinary blessings for those in the religious life.
Thérèse was beatified in 1923 and canonized two years later. With Francis Xavier, she was declared a co-patron of missions in 1927. Pope John Paul II named her the 33rd Doctor of the Church in October 1997. She was the youngest and the third woman to be named. She is known as St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. She was declared the patron of all missionaries and missions.
Laying on her deathbed, Thérèse told the Carmelites that her body wouldn’t be found to be corrupt. In September 1910, when her body was exhumed, all that was revealed were her bones. However, a palm placed inside her coffin was green, just as it had been on the day of burial, and the aroma of roses filled the air.
In the early 1900s, Anne, a seminarian from Lisieux suffered from tubercular hemorrhaging. Having a high fever, doctors didn’t give him long to live. A relic of St. Thérèse was put around his neck with a novena in order to affect a cure. His condition deteriorated even further. One night his caretaker asked him to offer up the sacrifice of his life, but he had complete trust that St. Thérèse would save him. He soon sat up and his pain, shortness of breath and fever were gone. When the doctors checked his lungs, they found no trace of the disease and called his recovery a supernatural intervention.
During World War I, many soldiers saw a vision of St. Thérèse in the trenches and on the fields. She was Angel, sister and mother of the Germans, Italians, French and English. With her presence, each country turned to her, forgetting hatred of the enemy, as she brought comfort, courage and led many souls to God. One soldier heading onto the front line said, oh! Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus, protect me as a mother would, for my mother isn’t here! The French made her their Guardian Angel and planes were named after her. An aviator scribed, I am in despair as I have lost my relic of Sister Thérèse. Many soldiers sent letters asking for her beatification.
Sister Louis, a nun from the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross, had suffered from an ulcer beginning in 1912. Three years later she received the last rites, praying to St. Thérèse only for a happy death. Sister Louis didn’t perish. Instead she lived and on the floor near her bed could be found rose petals of all colors. On December 22, 1916, she woke up, completely well again.
There were other miracles brought about because of the intercession of St. Thérèse. A woman prayed for her husband who had left the church after thirty years and she witnessed him receiving the Sacraments again. Wounded in battle, a soldier was able to walk. An incurable disease had descended upon a woman in Paris, but she was cured of it. Unable to use his right arm, even after many operations, a workingman returned to work and used the arm. A blind woman’s sight was restored. The first thing she saw was the relic of St. Thérèse.
As far as Thérèse’s vision of the bent over man, it was indeed that of her dad. Louis would journey to parts of Europe in 1885. He visited Germany, Greece, Austria and Italy, taking in all the sights. He was greatly impressed. A couple years before, he had been struck with paralysis, but somehow he was cured. Later he had a few strokes and was completely paralyzed. That is whom Thérèse had seen in the garden. Her life was extremely short and she suffered greatly, but she was an inspiration to many. Also known as the Little Flower, her feast day is on October 1st. There are numerous books about her including the 1981 offering by Sister Jesualda of the Holy Spirit, St. Thérèse The Little Flower and Story of a Soul: The Autobiography Of St. Thérèse Of Lisieux.