St. Therese of Lisieux, Prayers

Patroness of Catholic Missions

Praying with Saint Therese of Lisieux

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St. Therese of Lisieux, Patroness of Missions, in the company of the Cross

St. Therese of Lisieux, in the company of the Cross

First Day

St. Therese,
privileged Little Flower of Jesus and Mary,
we approach you with childlike confidence and deep humility.
We lay before you our desires, and beg that
through your intercession they may come true.
Did you not promise to spend your heaven
doing good upon earth?
Grant us according to this promise
the favors we are asking from you.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Confidence in God
We can never have too much confidence in the good God who is so powerful and so merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we hope for. If you are nothing, do you forget that Jesus is everything? You have only to lose your nothingness in His Infinity and think only of loving Him.

Concluding Prayer
O Lord, You have said:
unless you become as little children
you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven;
grant us, we beg You, so to follow,
in humility and simplicity of heart,
the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Therese,
that we may attain to an everlasting reward. Amen.

Second Day

O dear little Saint,
now that you see the crucified Jesus in heaven,
still bearing the wounds caused by sin,
you know still more clearly than you did upon earth
the value of souls,
and the priceless worth of that Precious Blood
which He shed to save them.
As we are those children for whom Christ died,
obtain for us all the graces we need
in order to profit by that Precious Blood.
Use your great power with our divine Lord
and pray for us.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Sin
The only grace I ask, O Jesus, is never to offend Thee. By love and not by fear, does a soul avoid committing the least fault. Yes, even if I have on my conscience every possible crime, I should lose none of my confidence; my heart breaking with sorrow, I should go and throw myself into the arms of my Savior. The remembrance of my faults humbles me and makes me afraid to rely on my own strength, which is nothing but weakness.

Third Day

Dear Little Flower, make all things lead us to heaven and God,
Whether we look at the sun, the moon, the stars
and the vast expanse in which they float,
or whether we look at the flowers of the field, the trees of the forest,
the beauties of the earth so full of color and so glorious,
may they speak to us of the love and power of God;
may they all sing God's praises in our ears.
Like you, may we daily love God more and more
in return for the gifts from above.
Teach us often to deny ourselves in dealings with others,
that we may offer to Jesus many little sacrifices.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: The Use of God’s Gifts
How much benefit have I received from the beauties of nature, bestowed in such abundance. How they raise me to Him who placed such wonders in this land of exile which is only to last a day. O sparkling nature, if I did not see God in you, you would be naught but a great tomb. With your little hand which caresses Mary, You sustain the universe and bestow life; and You think of me, O Jesus my little King. I do not wish creatures to have one atom of my love. I wish to give all to Jesus, since He has shown me that He alone is perfect happiness.

Fourth Day

Dear Little Flower of Carmel,
bearing so patiently the disappointments
and delays allowed by God,
and preserving in the depths of your soul an unchanging peace
because you sought only God’s will,
ask for us complete conformity to that adorable Will
in all the trials and disappointments of life.
If the favors we are asking during this Novena
are pleasing to God, obtain them for us.
If not, we wish only God’s Will, and pray in the words you used,
that we "may ever be perfectly fulfilled" in us.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Abandonment to God
I fear only one thing---to keep my own will; take it, my God, for I choose all that You choose. The only happiness here below is to strive to be always content with what Jesus gives us. I can demand nothing with fervor, except the perfect accomplishment of God’s will in my soul. O my Beloved, I offer myself to You, that You may perfectly accomplish in me Your holy designs, and I will not allow anything created to be an obstacle in their path.

Fifth Day

Little Flower of Jesus,
from the very first moment of your religious life
you thought only of denying yourself in all things
so as to follow Jesus more perfectly;
help us to bear patiently the trials of our daily life.
Teach us to make use of the trials, the sufferings,
the giving up, that come our way,
to learn to know ourselves better and to love God more.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Patience in Sufferings.
I do not fear trials sent by Jesus, for even in the most bitter suffering we can see that it is His loving hand which causes it. When we are expecting nothing but suffering, we are quite surprised at the least joy; but then suffering itself becomes the greatest of joys when we seek it as a precious treasure. Far from resembling those beautiful saints who practiced all sorts of austerities from childhood, my penance consisted in breaking my self-will, in keeping back a sharp reply, in doing little kindnesses to those about me, but considering these deeds as nothing.

Sixth Day

St. Therese, Patroness of the Missions,
be a great missionary throughout the world to the end of time.
Remind our Master of His own words,
"The harvest is great, but the laborers are few."
Your zeal for souls was so great,
obtain a like zeal for those now working for souls,
and beg God to multiply their numbers,
that the millions to whom Jesus is yet unknown
may be brought to know, love and follow Him.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Zeal for souls
Let us work together for the salvation of souls. We have only the day of this life to save souls and to give them to the Lord as proofs of our love. I tell Jesus that I am glad not to be able to see, with the eyes of my soul, this beautiful heaven which awaits me, in order that He may vouchsafe to open it forever to poor unbelievers. I cannot perform brilliant works; I cannot preach the Gospel or shed my blood. But what matter? My brothers work in place of me, and I a little child, keep very close to the royal throne. I love for those who are carrying on the warfare. My deeds, my little sufferings, can make God loved all over the world.

Seventh Day

O little martyr of Love,
you know now even better than in the days of your pilgrimage
that Love embraces all vocations;
that it is Love alone which counts,
which unites us to God and conforms us to God's will.
All you sought on earth was love;
to love Jesus as He had never yet been loved.
Use your power in heaven to make us love Jesus.
then, we will desire to make Jesus loved by others;
we will pray much for souls.
We will no longer fear death, for it will unite us to Him forever.
Obtain for us the grace to do all for the love of God,;
to love God so well
that God may rejoice with all of us.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Love of God
I will love God alone and will not have the misfortune of attaching myself to creatures, now that my heart perceive what He has in store for those who love Him. What attracts me to the kingdom of Heaven is the call of our Lord, the hope of loving Him as I have so desired and the thought that I shall be able to make Him loved by a great number of souls who will bless Him forever. When Christ said, "Give Me a Drink," it was the love of His poor creatures that He, the Creator of all things, desired. He thirsted for love. Remember that the dear Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you, for you alone. Remember that He is consumed with a desire to come into your heart.

Eighth Day

Dear St. Therese,
like you we will die one day.
We ask you, obtain from God,
through your own precious death,
that we may have a holy death,
strengthened by the Sacraments of the Church,
entirely resigned to God's Will,
and burning with love for God.
May our last words on earth be, "My God. I love You."
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Death
It says in the catechism that death is nothing but the separation of the soul and body. Well, I have no fear of a separation which will unite me forever with the good God. I am happy to die because I shall be able to help souls who are dear to me, far more than I can here below. Life is not sad; it is very joyous. If you say, "This exile is sad," I understand you. We are wrong to give the name "life" to something which will end; it is only to the things of Heaven that we should apply this beautiful name.

Ninth Day

Dear Little St. Therese,
by love and suffering while you were on earth,
you won the power with God which you now enjoy in heaven.
Since your life there began,
you have showered down countless blessings on this world;
you have been an instrument to work countless miracles.
We ask of you to remember all our needs.
Sufferings must come to us also,
may we use them to love God more, and follow Jesus better. You are especially the little missionary of love.
Make us love Jesus more, and all our brothers and sisters.
With our hearts we thank the most Holy Trinity
for the wonderful blessings conferred on you,
and upon the world through you.
Intercede for us all the days of our life,
but especially during this Novena and obtain for us from God
the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: The Mission of the Little Flower
I do not intend to remain inactive in Heaven. I want to work for the Church and for souls. I have asked this of God and I am certain that He will grant my request. I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth. This is not impossible, since the angels though always enjoying the beatific vision, watch over us. No, I cannot be at rest until the end of the world. I beseech Thee, O Jesus, to cast Thy divine glance on a great number of little souls. I beg of Thee to choose in this world a legion of little victims, worthy of Thy Love.