Song of Mercy

Hello to all of my followers on this blog.  I wanted to let you know that I think God is inspiring me to write in a more specific direction, on the Mercies of God.  St. Therese was quoted saying, that if she could, she would spend her whole life singing the Mercies of God in her life!  Well, with St. Therese's aspirations, I have started a new blog that will guide all of us in reflecting on all of the Mercies of God in our own lives. 

I welcome you to check out my new blog at: www.songofmercy.blogspot.com and sign up with your e-mail to receive these posts straight to your e-mail box!

Together, with St. Therese, we can sing of the Mercies of God in our own lives!

New Beginnings

As we welcome the coming of a new year, this is the perfect time for New Beginnings!  Now that we have said goodbye to yet another quickly fleeting year, we can also put behind us the many instances of imperfection that we have demonstrated so perfectly this past year.  God, in His infinite wisdom, has placed before us each year, a great opportunity to start anew!

If you have not done so already, you may find some time this week to take a few moments and ask God to show you where He would like you to have a fresh start.  What areas of your life have you lost your enthusiasm and have fallen into the rut of mediocracy?  Where in your character do you find is the result of most of your conflicts with the people around you?  Is there someone or something that God has put into your life that could use your attention or example?  What about your prayer life or the lack-there-of?  Take to prayer your desires to be closer to Jesus, to be virtuous, the healthiest version of yourself or your desire to incorporate a daily rosary in this New Year.  Ask the Blessed Mother for the graces to follow through with where you want to begin anew!

We may even consider finding 3 small things to breath new life into 3 aspects of our being- Our physical aspect, our spiritual aspect and our love of neighbor.

Is there something that we can do to jump start our desires to care for our bodies in a more perfect way?  Is there a way to incorporate healthier foods into your diet or meal planning or even a small set of exercises or walking that you could do daily?  How about for our spiritual health?  Is there a part of your day that you have available to set aside for prayer?  Have you considered praying a daily rosary or divine mercy chaplet?  What about finding the time to make a weekly commitment to go to just one daily mass extra a week or 1 holy hour?  Have you ever considered reading the Scriptures for 5 minutes a day?  What has God put on your heart to draw you closer to Him? And lastly, who around you could use your prayers, time or charity?  Do you have a neighbor that is lonely and could use a friend to come and visit every so often or a family member who is going through a difficult time   and could use someone to just take a moment to notice.  Do we take the time to pray for those who we have promised to pray for, those who are dying and those who have fallen away from the church? Even if we just added one extra Hail Mary a day for someone who we know who may need it, we will make a great effort in the eyes of God.

Our beloved St. Therese also made a resolution that she wrote about on the eve of the New Year of 1889 at the age of 16, when she was already in Carmel.  She wrote to her sister Celine and wanted her to also take up her resolution for the coming year.

She wrote:  "Celine, if you wish, let us convert souls; this year, we must form many priests who love Jesus!  And who handle Him with the same tenderness with which Mary handled Him in His cradle!"

What a beautiful desire the Saint had for souls!  Let us too follow after her footsteps and use this great opportunity our Lord has given us for a new beginning!!  Let us ask Our Lord what would please Him most for us to start fresh in this New Year!

Straight to Heaven

Hello friends!  I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy this beautiful fall day and are able to find some time to pray for all deceased souls on this Feast of All Souls Day.  As we think about all the souls that have gone before us and pray for God's mercy to lift them up to heaven, we may spend some time to contemplate the state of our own soul!  

If you ask most Catholics where they think they will end up when they pass away, the majority will say "Purgatory."  This one answer can really show some insight into the mindset of the people in our church.  God created purgatory in His great mercy, to be a place to make clean our souls that have been tarnished over a lifetime of sin and neglecting the will of God.  It would grieve us tremendously to be face-to-face with God and still have the stain of sin on our souls.  The thing is about purgatory though- is that this is not a place that we all must go in order to get to heaven but rather a place we could go if we don't live out our lives as perfectly in line with God's will as we should.  In saying this, we should all strive to go straight to heaven at our deaths, not just assume we will go to purgatory first!  Going straight to heaven is God's will for us all- not just the very pious saints that have levitated and were consecrated religious.  

Saint Therese believed this to be true as well!  Saint Therese said this to her fellow sister, Sr. Maria Philomena:

“You do not have enough trust. You have too much fear before the good God. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. You should not fear Purgatory because of the suffering there, but should instead ask that you not deserve to go there in order to please God, Who so reluctantly imposes this punishment. As soon as you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakable trust, He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. And then you can be sure that you will not have to go to Purgatory.”

So, Saint Therese is telling us to keep trusting in God's mercy and keep trying to do His will!!  On a daily basis, we do not need to worry about our whole life- that would be too overwhelming, we just need to take one day at a time, and one moment at a time.  If in each moment we strive to trust and have good intentions- we will not have to suffer the flames of purgatory.

Quoting from "33 Days to Merciful Love" by Fr. Michael Gaitley, he tells the story:  One novice asked the Saint, ' "If I fail even in the small things, may I still hope to get straight to heaven?"  Now Therese knew the young nun's weakness very well, and yet she still responded with beautiful words for little souls:  "Yes! God is so good.  He will know how He can come and get you.  But despite this, try to be faithful, so that He does not have to wait in vain for your love."  Yes God is so good to little souls who recognize their weakness.  So, let's try to be faithful, and let's trust in God's promise of mercy.'

If you want to read more about this topic and/or to consecrate yourself to God's Merciful Love just like St. Therese did- rather than to the justice of God, I highly recommend the 33 Days to Merciful Love book by Fr. Michael Gaitley.  Much like the consecration to Jesus through Mary, you will use the prayer that St. Therese composed to consecrate yourself to the Merciful Love of Jesus.  

In closing, SMILE and let God love you.  Let us be grateful for the beautiful opportunity of each new day to once again renew our trust and faith in God and His perfect will for us.  Let us strive to go straight to Heaven and know that we too were created to be counted among the saints in Heaven and can bypass purgatory just like many of them!  

Angelic Intercession

I'm so sorry for the delay in sending out this next post.  A couple of days turned in to a few weeks of procrastination in finding just the right topic for this post!  With so much time to think about the "perfect" topic, I came to realize that sometimes the daunting task of perfection can be one of the evil one's tactics to interfere with the simple task of just doing something.  I had many little inspirations of topics but the one that may be most needed at this point as we approach this election time in our country is some Angelic Intercession!  More specifically, the Guardian Angel of the United States!

It is not a new notion that our beloved country might have its own Guardian Angel, many saints and bishops have taken up the practice of calling upon the angel of their homeland or of their diocese.  The secretary of Pope Pius XI told the story:  "When [Pius XI] was named Archbishop of Milan by Pope Benedict XV, he knelt down and prayed to the Guardian Angel of Milan to whom the Lord had entrusted him."

What better time than the present is there to pray to the Guardian Angel of the United States of America.  As we are bombarded with arguments and issues from all sides and forms of media, we can take a moment to stop and step back and see the big picture.  Our beloved country was founded with Christian beliefs.  We have always taken great pride in being honorable, charitable and above all, giving all people (no matter how small their voice may be) freedom to live, religion, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Contrary to what some people may believe, our God does want us to be happy.  He wants our homeland to be safe, for its people to thrive and for our country to be a glorious country  the way God designed it to be.  For our own happiness, God wants us to promote life, religious freedom and charity.  He knows, just as any good father would, that we are self destructing our nation as we pull away from Him and try do things our own fallen way.

Let us fall on our knees and beg for the powerful intercession of the holy angels!  Our Guardian Angel of this great nation is powerful, but is waiting to be asked to help!  Let us not wait one moment longer and ask for the guidance and heavenly aid of these great angelic beings.  Let us pray for the Will of our Heavenly Father to be done in this upcoming presidential election and for the conversion of heart for all of our public leaders and those in charge of making decisions for our country.  We need to be the voice for those who have none, we can make a powerful difference through our prayers to the angels.  Please join me in praying this prayer below for our homeland.

Prayer to the Guardian Angel of the United States

O Glorious Guardian Angel of the United States, to whom God has entrusted the care of our beloved country, we honor you and thank you for the care and protection you have given to this great nation from the first moment of its conception.  O powerful Angel Guardian, whose watchful glance encompasses this vast land from shore to shore, we know that our sins have grieved you and marred the beauty of our heritage.

Pray for us, O Holy Angel, before the Throne of God.  Obtain for us, from the Queen of Heaven, the graces we need to overcome the forces of evil so rampant in our beloved land.  Help us, our God-given protector and friend, to offer the prayer and sacrifice necessary to bring peace and goodness to our nation.  We want to make you known and loved throughout our land, so that with your help we may become once more "one nation under God."  Amen.

Kiss of Jesus

With Saint Mother Teresa's recent canonization still fresh in our minds, we can take a moment to reflect on her own inspiration she drew from her patron saint!  Saint Mother Teresa asked to take the name of the Saint of the "Little Way" when she made her religious vows as a Sister of Loreto in 1931.    How beautifully she took up this "Little Way" as she worked with great humility, charity and love as first a teacher and then founding the Sisters of Charity and working with the destitute and dying in the slums of Calcutta.

 Do we hear the influence of the Little Way when Saint Mother Teresa would say: "Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love."  We can all do something little.  St. Mother Teresa knew that if we aspired to do really great things, we would easily become discouraged in our weaknesses and then just throw in the towel all together.  How wise it was of her to see the greatness in the littlest of tasks.  If we can show Jesus our commitment to Him in the very small tasks that are sent our way, then we can prove our love for him many times over rather than with just one big task.


In remembrance of Saint Mother Teresa, I would like to share with you my favorite quote from her:

"Suffering has to come because if you look at the cross, he has got his head bending down- he wants to kiss you- and he has both hands open wide- he wants to embrace you. He has his heart opened wide to receive you. Then when you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you will know what is happening. Suffering, pain, sorrow, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, are nothing but the kiss of Jesus, a sign that you have come so close that he can kiss you. Do you understand, brothers, sisters, or whoever you may be? Suffering, pain, humiliation- this is the kiss of Jesus. At times you come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you. I once told this to a lady who was suffering very much. She answered, "Tell Jesus not to kiss me- to stop kissing me." That suffering has to come that came in the life of Our Lady, that came in the life of Jesus- it has to come in our life also. Only never put on a long face. Suffering is a gift from God. It is between you and Jesus alone inside."

~Taken from "33 Days to Morning Glory"- Day 15


Today, let us be more aware of all the little things that come our way and the opportunity to prove our love for Jesus. And if something unexpected happens, sickness or loneliness creeps in- Let Jesus kiss you!

If you received this through e-mail and would like to leave a comment at the bottom of the blog post please visit: www.inspirationforlittlesouls.blogspot.com

Image from tomperna.org Sept. 3, 2016

Saintly Desire

Have you ever taken the time to study a rose?  In just this one little flower we can see the love that Our Lord has for us!  Most people see a rose and they admire it for a second and then move on with their day.  The saints however, could glance at a rose and be reminded of God's goodness and his beautiful plan for each one of us!  St. Francis de Sales, when observing the beauty of the rose, covered his ears and said "Stop Shouting!"  He could see the hand of God in this rose.

Beyond the fragrance, color and unique blossom- the rose has the capacity to bring joy and a tender peace to a person.  And the funny thing is that God gave us a glimpse at our own beauty when he gave us the rose.  You see, we are God's flowers!  When Our Lord gazes upon us, he sees us like this beautiful rose- but even more of a unique flower than we could ever imagine.  We were created to be a sweet smelling rose in the garden of heaven- we were created to become great saints! Unfortunately, we often times don't realize our own beauty and what we were truly made to be!

With the Feast of St. Therese fast approaching on October 1st, I thought we could all rekindle our own desires to follow after this great saint and in becoming great saints ourselves.  To be a great saint does not mean that we have to be a recognized saint however.  I want to share with you a thought on this by the late Mother Angelica who always had something to say on most every topic!  In Mother's words:  "Canonization is nothing more than the Church saying publicly that they know for sure that this person is in heaven.  I mean, there are millions of people in heaven who are not canonized.  That's why we have All Saints' Day...  I always thought, personally, that the saints who are canonized may be the very least in the kingdom.  We don't know that, but it's a good guess.  Some little old washerwoman who had tremendous love for God may be greater than St. Augustine up there.  I think we're going to have lots of little surprises when we arrive." 

What great news this is for you and I!  We don't have to worry about accomplishing great things, but strive to do all of our little things with love.  Mother Angelica had an idea on "Being a Saint."  She says, "Being a saint is being who you were meant to be:  a frail human being keeping the Commandments, especially the new one.  It's loving when you are not loved in return.  It's being patient when you want to hit somebody on the head.  It's loving your family as they are, not as you want them to be.  It's not letting the disappointments in your life crush you.  The challenge of Christianity is to have fortitude in times of suffering; to stand for the truth, even if you stand alone; to be undeterred by obstacles; to know that there is a big world out there and you are a weak, little person.  But God is looking for weakness so His power can be manifest-  He needs you!"

~Taken from Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality, Chapter 11

One really great way to learn how to be a great saint is to read the lives of the saints ourselves.  There is so much to gain from studying the struggles, insights, and experiences of those saints that have gone before us!  Celine spoke about doing this herself- "In my childhood I often read the lives of the saints, and these stories used to inspire me and inflame my heart.  They intensified my yearning after the good and the beautiful, and they guided and enraptured the years of my youth..." 

Celine's ending thoughts are perfect for us to close on and ponder as well- "And if our admiration for the saints be genuine, we must be ready to imitate these heroes who have inspired it.  At Carmel, however, I found in our dear little St. Therese all that I had been searching for and, through her, all these desires were realized."

~Taken from My Sister Saint Therese, page XXI

Before Mother Angelica became a nun, she was actually tormented by a very serious stomach illness and she implored the help of St. Therese.  After praying the novena prayer below, Rita Rizzo (later known as Mother Angelica) was completely healed from her infirmary!

Novena Prayer to the Little Flower

O beautiful Rose of Carmel, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, deign according to your promise to descend from heaven to visit those who implore you.  Pour down on us in profusion those celestial graces that are symbolized by the shower of roses that Jesus your Spouse has put at your disposition.  Your power is great with His heart.  He can only listen and hear your prayer.  I have then recourse to you, O St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, assist me in this circumstance.  Speak for me to Jesus and to Mary and obtain for me to live a holy life and die a happy death.  Amen.  St. Therese hear my prayer. Show your power with God and cure me if it be for the honor of God, and the good of my soul.  Amen.

Roses for "Maman"

With the month of September being the month to honor the Blessed Mother I thought maybe we could ponder a little bit of St. Therese's devotion to the Blessed Mother.  With Our Lady's three big feasts in this month- Sept. 8th The Nativity of Mary, Sept. 12th The Holy Name of Mary and Sept. 15th, Our Lady of Sorrows- this is a great time to reflect on the tremendous gift she truly is for all of us!

When St. Therese was young and was making her First Holy communion- she made a promise to say the Memorare prayer every day.  She confidently recited this prayer, recommending all of her petitions and particular needs to the intersession of Mary.  I love how the prayer begins with the word "Remember!"  St. Therese was imploring Mary to remember her promise to come to our aid in all things- and that never was she know to fail in her help!

As the Saint grew older, she began to pray the daily rosary (even before entering Carmel).  She might have not known at the time, but this practice of praying the daily rosary was preparing her for her life at the Carmel.  With each Hail Mary we say, we present the Blessed Mother with a rose.  By the end of the rosary, we give Mary a beautiful bouquet of 53 roses (from the writings of St. Louis Marie De Montford).  I wonder if St. Therese knew of what a beautiful gift she was making for her "Maman" as  she would tenderly call Mary in French- meaning mom or mommy.  This saint who loved roses and even sends her devoted petitioners roses as a sign of answered prayers- began her early years of her life giving beautiful bouquets of roses to her Maman with her daily rosary.

St. Therese also attributes her miraculous healing as a child to the graces of Our Lady of the Smile.  When she was just a child again, she was taken ill by something that her doctor at the time had never seen before.  She was struck with fevers and hallucinations for an extended period of time.  During her illness, her whole family prayed endlessly for her healing and her father even paid for special masses to be said for little Therese at the Shrine of Our Lady of Victories.  Soon afterwards, Therese's gaze fell upon a statue of the Blessed Mother in her room and little Therese saw Mary smile tenderly at her.  Miraculously, Therese was healed from that moment on and she continued to grow stronger and stronger each day, never to experience any more of her prior symptoms of the sickness.  St. Therese lived her entire life with gratitude and a particular love for the Blessed Mother, knowing that Mary took  pity upon her in her own grave sufferings.

Later, while in Carmel, the Saint would consecrate all her handiwork to the Blessed Mother.  St. Therese would continuously recite a Hail Mary every time she began her work.  She had confidence that Mary could use all her labors for the graces of a much needed soul.

At the very end of St. Therese's life, she wrote a beautiful poem about her Maman titled "Why I love Thee, Mary."  This would be the Saint's masterpiece of all her poems, of which there were many!  She wrote this poem just 4 months before her death and put all of her heart and soul into it.  This would be the very last poem she would compose before her death.

The conclusion of this beautiful poem is:

Soon I'll hear that sweet harmony.
Soon I'll go to beautiful Heaven to see you.
You who came to smile at me in the morning of my life,
Come smile at me again...Mother...It's evening now!...
I no longer fear the splendor of your supreme glory.
With you I've suffered and now I want
To sing on your lap, Mary, why I love you,
And to go on saying that I am your child!...

If you would like to read the entire poem "Why I love Thee, Mary" check it out at:

http://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr/Why-I-love-you-o-Mary.html

~Taken from My Sister Saint Therese- pages 122-123