Last Monday, November 4th, was a ‘special’ anniversary for someone…
“We reached Paris in the morning and commenced our visit without any delay. Poor little Father tired himself out trying to please us, and very soon we saw all the marvels of the Capital. I myself found only one which filled me with delight, “Notre-Dame-des-Victoires”,
Our Lady of Victories!
Ah! What I felt kneeling at her feet cannot be expressed. The graces she granted me so moved me that my happiness found expression only in tears, just as on the day of my First Communion. The Blessed Virgin made me feel it was really herself who smiled on me and brought about my cure. I understood she was watching over me, that I was her child. I could no longer give her any other name but “Maman,” as this appeared ever so much more tender than Mother. How fervently I begged her to protect me always, to bring to fruition as quickly as possible my dream of hiding beneath the shadow of her virginal mantle!
I prayed to Our Lady of Victories to keep far from me everything that could tarnish my purity; I was fully aware that on a voyage such as this into Italy I could easily meet with things capable of troubling me. I was still unacquainted with evil and so was apprehensive about making its discovery. I had not yet experienced that to the pure all things are pure, that the simple and upright soul sees evil in nothing since it resides only in impure hearts, not in inanimate objects.”
+ + +
From the ‘Story of a Soul’ of St Thérèse of Lisieux,4th November 1877.
There are moments in our life when we are particularly faced with our own poverty and sinfulness. Moments when we are tempted to despair Which graces do you need at this moment?
To fight the temptation to give up? To forgive your husband? To accept an injustice? To live at peace your illness? To break an unhealthy relationship? To be pure in heart, in mind and body?
We all need a ‘special’ place where to go and ask for graces and where to return to give thanks for the graces received.
Do you know where to go?
