Hello Everyone:
Wow - are we in need of this talk. Yikes! Everywhere we turn there is trouble. I go on Youtube for my news (traditional sites). I saw a notice off to the side that there was a Live presentation of Hillary speaking at some awards ceremony at Georgetown University (a once Catholic school - very very sad!!!). So I just curiously clicked in. She was done already - there were two other speakers after her and both were speaking about gangs and wondering how we can help these lost youth from belonging to one. Is this the party that vowed that God would not be a part of it? Is this the party that says we need a village to raise a child?  OK - case closed. No God, No mother and father equals NO LOVE! ABSOLUTELY NO LOVE.  God is Love and the sacramental marriage supplies the mother and father with the necessary graces of love and wisdom in raising a child. Take all that away and you have LOST children. Plain and simple. SO VERY VERY SAD.  Well we could write a book about this subject but I will have to digress to families that do say yes to God and STILL have problems. Why is that? Well, we do not pray enough. We take control instead of letting God take control. We have problems with our egos getting into the way -  feelings get hurt. We simply do not trust God and therefore do not love Him enough.

As the previous articles regarding St. Therese's family stated - they had (have) a strong devotion to Our Lady. We need to stop and think about this perfect Queen we have. She was not without suffering - yet she was without sin! Wow - really?  Suffering seems to be what leads us to sin. She watched Her Son literally get mutilated, spat upon, mocked, blasphemed and all because He LOVED US! As His spotless Mother - She suffered yet she never sinned - she never did anything but unite her sufferings to that cross and offer it up to the Father. Do we do that? Can we do that with our brokenness and sin? I can say - I have failed many many times. I get upset over so many "injustices" and rant about it instead of "offering it up - WITH LOVE". That is key -If it is not done with Love - it counts for nothing.

Therefore - the "Little Way" of St. Therese was to offer up little things with GREAT LOVE. How can we do that? We can ask Our Lady to give us Her Heart to love with. We can ask Her for the grace to be able to love ALL with Her Heart because our faulty hearts have boulders in the way and we can not love the way God wants us to on our own. We need her care and guidance and grace to lead us perfectly to Jesus.

I have posted below some Scripture verses to help all of us. May we turn to Jesus Who is the Way - the Truth and the Life which we know is Love for God is Love.  God bless your day through the prayers and intercession of our good Queen & Mother!

“LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS!” 1Peter 4:8

God will ask us how much we loved others, how much we gave of ourselves, how much we were able to overcome our own egoism and leave behind our egocentrism in order to transform the lives of others, how much we were able to perceive the other person’s heart in order to understand and comprehend them, how much we exploited the capacity to love that each one of us has received. Mary, Our Mother, who is spotless, lead us and pray for us!

BEHOLD THE "LITTLE WAY" FOUND IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

(1) Love is greater than faith and hope because love is eternal, while faith and hope are temporal (see 1 Corinthians 13:8-13). Because that which God has promised cannot presently be seen, faith and hope are necessary in this life. But when our Lord returns and we are living eternally in His presence, we will no longer need faith, for we will see Him and experience all that He has promised. Our hope will be fulfilled. Our love for Him, however, will last for all eternity, inspiring our worship and service in His presence.
(2) Love is the appropriate response to God’s love and grace, in Christ (see Luke 7:42, 47).
(3) Love is the great commandment and one of the distinguishing marks of a true disciple of our Lord (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:33; Luke 6:27-36; John 13:35; 15:12-13).
(4) Love facilitates and contributes to Christian unity (John 17:20-26; Colossians 2:2; 3:14).
(5) Love is the lubricant which greatly reduces the friction which can build up between us and others (Ephesians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:8).
(6) Love is a key motive for our obedience to our Lord’s commands (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10; 21:15-17; 1 John 5:2; 2 John 1:16).
(7) Love is a stabilizing factor in our lives (Ephesians 3:17).
(8) Love is the goal of Paul’s teaching as it should be the goal of all Christian teaching (1 Timothy 1:5).
(9) Love is the one command which encompasses all aspects of our Christian life (Romans 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 16:14).
(10) Love makes our service more profitable to others and to us (1 Corinthians 8:1; 13:1-13).
(11) Love is a key element in our defenses against Satan’s attacks and devices (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
(12) Our love can and should be constantly growing (Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 10:24; 2 Peter 1:7).
(13) Our love can grow cold, especially in difficult times (Matthew 24:12; Revelation 2:4).

Hello Everyone:

Many of us in life have been faced with a close loved one with a terminal illness. We are all going home! This is a part of life but a very sad and difficult one. God's ways are not our ways in the timing of our death. Not everyone gets to live to 90! And honestly, unless you have lived a life of virtue - it can be to your detriment to live to 90 and be a lukewarm Catholic. Just saying!

Here we have the story of a holy young mother who has raised her children in a Godly environment. For all practical purposes, why would God want to take this mother from her children and the youngest being only four? As it turns out, after Zelie is taken from this family, the family does become more holy. She is able to pray for their sanctity from above. All her children do become saints! Again - God's ways are not our ways. We must have trustful surrender and know that the soul has left the body but it lives forever and fully capable of hearing our prayers and praying for us. May God be praised for such goodness. Here is her story:

Zelie was diagnosed with cancer when the eldest was seventeen and little Therese was four and a half. A pilgrimage to Lourdes was about to leave from near Alencon, and although Zelie disliked travelling especially in her present condition, she accepted without enthusiasm the suggestions of her husband and the supplication of her children. So many miracles had already taken place at Lourdes for the past twenty years; the children were begging for one for their darling mother. Childlike, they were sure of it. It was decided then that the sick mother and the three eldest girls, Marie, Pauline and Leonie should go to Lourdes; that all the friends should join in the novena of prayers and sacrifices for her cure, as nothing less than a miracle could save her. The mother wrote to her sister-in-law at Lisieux: “At least if the Blessed Virgin does not cure me, I shall implore her to grant a spiritual cure to Leonie, to open up her intelligence, and to make her a saint.”

The journey was made painfully, with a few mishaps and the suffering became more acute. But the recitation of the rosary and the singing of the hymns along the pilgrimage train counteracted the apprehensions, and buoyed up the hopes for the expected miracle. The girls promised the father, who stayed at home with the two younger girls, that they would send him a telegram of joy and thanksgiving after the first day at Lourdes. Alas! They waited for the miracle, but God seemed to have other designs.

Zelie took several baths in the icy waters at Lourdes. “While I was in the bath,” she wrote, “I felt no pain, but as soon as I came out, the sharp twinges returned as usual.” However, she was not distressed, but encouragingly repeated: “Our Blessed Lady has left others besides myself to bear their trials – she knows best!” She bathed the forehead of Leonie with Lourdes water, begging at least for her a brightening of the mind and a development of her soul. The mother’s confidence would not be disappointed in that case.

On the train ride back Zelie said: “To be sure, there are great graces concealed beneath all that, and those will amply compensate me for these discomforts… the Blessed Virgin has said to us as to Bernadette: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next.” Her example of forgetfulness of self, gave the whole family peace, courage, and even cheerfulness.

After much prayer during her last days, Zelie died on August 28th calmly amid the sobs of her husband and children, under the eyes of the Virgin whom she loved so ardently, and who was to smile on Therese six years later. Only in Heaven shall we see how all things are linked together in the all-merciful all-loving smile of our Heavenly Father. None of the prayers were senseless, God used them for the greater good of all their souls. A physical healing was not achieved but spiritual beauty and grace was granted to all of them. May the Good God be praised and Our Holy Mother Mary thanked for her intercession!

Hello Everyone:
​
More from the book, "Our Lady of the Smile". Here we have a little glimpse of their family prayer life and a little from the devotions of the mother and the father. How we need to imitate this family  - prayer is so needed in the home.

The life of St. Therese of course was built on a need for prayer throughout the day. As stated in the previous posts, her mother and father had once wanted to give their lives to God as a religious but it was God’s will that they be married in order to be a great witness to the world on family life.

Every evening the night prayers were recited before the statue of Our Lady; and the children were taught to say their morning prayers kneeling before their Mother and Patroness. Frequently, the fingers or the hands had to be replaced – the statue was only plaster – as there were accidents when the children kissed the hands of their Heavenly Mother.

For the month of May each year a kind of shrine with candles, plants and flowers were erected. The eldest girl, Marie, as she was getting older, was in charge of the decorations. She wrote to her cousin: “My month of May decorations at home rival those of the Cathedral; at least I think so. It is a whole day’s work to fix them up. Mamma is more difficult to please than the Blessed Virgin. We must have flowers and white-thorn blossoms up to the ceiling, and all kind of greenery for the background. Little Therese is delighted and claps her hands for joy. Etc.” Later on within her cloister walls, Therese wrote:
              “I loved from dawn of infant days, Mary and Joseph oft to praise.”

 St. Therese’s mother, Zelie’s, devotion to Mary:
She continually communicated her love for Our Lady to others. Her brother, Isidore Guerin, was a medical student at Paris, and like those in academia, he was negligent and even disdainful about the practice of his religion. His sister pleaded with him by letter….
“If you would only consent to do one thing I am going to ask of you, and which you may well give me for a New Year’s gift, I should be happier than if you sent me all of Paris. Here it is:  You live close to Our Lady of Victories  - very well! Go in, just once a day, to say an Ave Maria to Her. You will see that She will protect you in a quite particular way, that she will make you succeed in this world and give you an eternity of happiness hereafter. What I am saying to you is not just an exaggerated and unfounded pious statement on my part. I have good reason to trust in Our Lady. I have received graces from Her of which I alone know.”

Isidore did not like this show of piety, but to please his sister who wished a special favor – he did not suspect it was his own conversion – he went “to light a candle for her at the Shrine” from time to time. The request was repeated tactfully and perseveringly until he felt himself that it did him good, too. On his return home from his studies, he made a very suitable marriage and opened a pharmacy at Lisieux which was frequently visited by St. Therese and her sisters. As he advanced in years, he became editor of a local newspaper, and showed himself a valiant leader of the Catholic cause, not alone in Lisieux but all over Normandy. He drew inspiration and courage from his devotion to Our Lady of Victories.

Devotion to Our Lady by Louis Martin, Therese’s Father
The devotion of Louis Martin, the father of St. Therese, to the Blessed Virgin was as deep and demonstrative as that of Zelie but naturally more masculine. He visited all Her shrines around Normandy, and the most famous ones in Europe. In his pilgrimages there was nothing of the curiosity of the tourist, and there was none of our modern conveniences.

After the Franco-Prussian war, a national pilgrimage was organized to Our Lady of Chartes. He was one of those who encouraged it, and participated in the all-night vigil of Masses of reparation and prayer for the salvation of France. Several times he went to Lourdes and was always one of the most devoted and charitable to the sick pilgrims. Once he brought back a large piece of rock from Massabielle, where the Blessed Virgin had appeared to St. Bernadette. When some ridiculed him for his simple faith he told them that those who did not believe in God and His Blessed Mother were much more to be pitied.

When in Paris, he would visit Our Lady of Victories and once in a letter to Zelie he wrote: “I had the joy of going to Mass and Communion at Our Lady of Victories. It is a little earthly paradise. I always light a candle there for the intentions of the whole family.”

May Our Lady pray for all Catholic Families!
St. Therese Pray for us!
St. Zelie and St. Louis Pray for us!

Hello Everyone:
Here we are again - seeing more destruction done by this Pope. I have posted this prophecy by St. Francis of Assisi before but here it is again to refresh our memories or for those who may have never read it:

Shortly before he died in 1226, St. Francis of Assisi called together the members of his order and warned them of great tribulations that would befall the Church in the future, saying:

“Act bravely, my Brethren; take courage, and trust in the Lord. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.

The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death.

Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.

Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
Those who preserve their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. But the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head [Jesus Christ], these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish [physically] rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.

Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer.”

(Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1882], pp. 248-250; underlining and paragraph breaks added.)
 
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​May we pray for this Pope - he is paving the way to a New World Religion and completely dismantle the Truth given to us by Jesus Christ. We must be part of the Remnant. Never give up hope!!!!! Keep the Faith!!!!! Stand strong!!!! If there is persecution or martyrdom - let us endure it for eternity! May Our Lady give us strength and grace to fight for Jesus Christ!  Keep those rosaries going - may the reign of the Immaculate Heart come so that we may have the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus within all our hearts and in the entire world!!

"My God I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You!  I beg pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You!

Hello Everyone:
Here is a post from the book "Our Lady of the Smile" as promised. It is a little glimpse into the devotional heart of her parents and the Catholic home they had dedicated to Our Lady.

Both St. Therese’s parents had a deep and tender devotion to the Mother of God. Her grandfather, Captain Martin, who had fought in the Napoleonic wars, concluded all his letters to his friends by a phrase altogether unexpected in a military officer: “Yours truly in Jesus and Mary”. He was a devout Catholic above all else.

Her own father, Louis Martin, never referred to Our Lord in conversation without adding and His Blessed Mother – “Thanks be to God and His Blessed Mother”. He had dreamed in his youth of becoming a priest, of “serving Our Lady” in the distant Swiss hermitage of the Great St. Bernard. Having failed in this he went to Paris as an apprentice watchmaker, and avoided the dangers of a corrupt city by frequent visits to the Church of Our Lady of Victories. He was much attached to the shrine all his life.
When Louis was married in July 1858 to Zelie Guerin, he found that she too had a particular devotion to Mary, Mother of God. She was a very devout young woman, and had desired at one time to become a Sister of Charity, but she was told that it was not her vocation. From the very first, the home was established in a Marian atmosphere, and the statue brought from Louis Martin’s property became the center of the spiritual life of their home. (Our Lady of the Smile)

They began their married life with the mutual agreement that they were to live like St. Joseph and Mother Mary in perfect chastity as brother and sister in order to imitate their married life. After several months of that ideal and saintly married life, they were counselled by a confessor rather to offer to God with their own hearts many new hearts who would be their children, and better still, saintly children of God.

The happy couple gave their first baby girl the name of Marie and they decided to give Marie also as a secondary name to all their other children including the boys (which died in infancy). There were nine children total – all with Marie as their first name. Three boys had died in infancy and one girl died at age 5. The remaining five girls all entered the convent and lived as saints. St. Therese’s full name was – Marie Francoise Therese.

Mother Mary - pray for us.
St. Therese - pray for us.
​St. Zelie and St. Louis - pray for us

 Hello Everyone:

This is a little early but I have been reading a book titled, "Our Lady of the Smile" written by a Franciscan priest - not even a Carmelite. St. Therese was and is loved by so many within the Church. This book was written in 1953 and I believe is out of print. September 24th begins a Novena to St. Therese in order to celebrate her Traditional Feast Day on October 3. I would like to post some little interesting pieces of information on the life of little Therese for all of us to read and ponder while we prepare and do a Novena in her honor.  We will begin today with just a brief biography for those unfamiliar with her. Tomorrow I will begin to post little insights into her life from this book “Our Lady of the Smile”, which centers on the devotion the Martin family had to Mary, Mother of Jesus.  These little meditations are so necessary at a time when we live so far from God. These thoughts on this amazing saint will obviously contradict the atmosphere of the day. We live in a world of Facebook, artificial intelligence, broken families, addictions of all kinds, a secular world where things matter more than people. St. Therese lived in the late 1800’s when the industrial boom in society led to more and more technology. Yet there were no TV’s, no radios, no internet – very little in the way of distractions from our true purpose in life. Convents and monasteries were full. Family life was filled predominantly with a working dad and a stay at home mom. God and family were important.

St. Therese was a saint I loved and wanted to imitate since grade school. I thank God for this grace because I not only was encouraged by her life and love of God but I felt her prayers as well. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most widely known and venerated saints of the Catholic Church. She is popularly called “The Little Flower of Jesus” or “The Little Flower.”

First, I will post a little biography (there is more) of St. Therese for those readers who know very little about her:

Born in Rue Saint-Blaise, Alençon, France in 1873, she is the youngest of the nine children (five of whom survived) of Saint Marie-Azélie “Zélie” Guérin, an excellent lacemaker, and Saint Louis Martin, a watchmaker and jeweler. It is remarkable that Saint Thérèse’s parents, both pious Catholics, are also Holy Saints of the Church, the first ever couple to be canonized together in October, 2015. As a true testament of the couple’s devotion and Catholic upbringing of their children, all five became nuns.

On the day of the Feast of the Assumption in 1888, Saint Thérèse entered the Carmelite Monastery in Lisieux, where her elder sisters Pauline and Marie were also living as Carmelite nuns. Her years in her vocation were lived in much prayer and contemplation, small acts of service and charity, and humility. It was where Saint Thérèse discovered what she called the “little way,” or “petite voie.” It was about recognizing that to become a saint, one need not do great deeds or perform acts of heroism. It was remaining little, while offering every action, no matter how small, as a sacrifice and expression of love for the Lord God. This was the way Saint Thérèse lived the rest of her life in the Carmel up to the young age of twenty-four when she died on 30 September 1897. In her final days, she immensely suffered due to tuberculosis, which she also considered to be part of her spiritual journey.

Much of what is known about Saint Thérèse, to which the beginning of her popularity across the world is attributed, is based on her autobiography, a spiritual memoir- “The Story of a Soul.” Her work rapidly gained recognition among many people after its publication. The “little way” by which Saint Thérèse had trusted Jesus and offered her days and small deeds to be holy sacrifices to God instead of great deeds was instantly appealing to thousands of Catholics. In it, people have found the inspiration to find and desire holiness in their rather ordinary and simple lives. She was canonized a saint in 1925. Because of her influence to so many souls through her writings of this “little way”– she was declared a “Doctor of the Church” and yet she died at the age of 24 and stopped school at the age of 15. Pope John Paul II declared St. Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church, on October 19, 1997. He did it 100 years after her excruciating death of pulmonary tuberculosis on September 30, 1897 a death that she had offered to Jesus for the benefit of suffering souls around the world, particularly in the mission lands.

There is so much about St. Therese that I encourage all to read or reread - "The Story of the Soul" by St. Therese.  I will post tomorrow a little writing from the book mentioned and hopefully each day before her feast day.

Below is a link for you to print a Novena booklet - other Novenas are found on line.
Our Lady of the Smile, pray for us!
St. Therese pray for us!

Hello Everyone:

I put this off for awhile - but here it is - we need to look at what is coming to the Church and to the world. We have seen the inching and inching and inching of the Apostasy over the past 60 years. We are now in the epicenter! If we do not understand this at this point - then we are truly living in a bubble. It is time to wake up. Many are asking for prayers and fasting before this Amazon Synod. This could be ugly so we need to prepare with prayer and fasting. Ask Our Lady to intercede for us with Her Rosary! In the end Her Immaculate Heart will triumph over Satan and Jesus will reign.

I do not want to say much here - I have posted two videos that are lengthy but meaty. One from Michael Matt from "The Remnant" on the present condition of the Church. This is worth listening to a few times - too many facts thrown at you.

Also - I have posted a Protestant talk - I am not for promoting Protestant thinking and this is not what this is - it is a wake up call to Americans that Protestantism is in a Apostasy against the Bible and America has left God. Very eye opening for ALL AMERICANS  - THEY TOO ARE CLAIMING AN APOSTASY AMONG PROTESTANTS! So if we are in doubt - they too are collapsing. So let us get ready - REPENT, PRAY and AMEND OUR LIVES - SHARE WITH THOSE YOU LOVE!!  Who knows if this Synod will be the time when Our Lady will let go of the arm of God and the Judgement on the World will be felt in a serious way.

Pray - offer Reparation and get serious - share this before the Synod.
Let us be truly Church Militant and stand for God and Truth!
Pray your Rosary and ask Mary Help of Christians to intercede for us!
​God bless all of you - may we stand firm and united under the Cross of Jesus!

Hello Everyone:
I pray all is well with all of you. Summer is for the most part over. Fall begins on Sept. 23rd. My husband came home yesterday sad that the days are getting shorter and it starts to get dark earlier. We take for granted many things and one is the sunshine. What a difference a day makes when we see the sun shining! Do you know that in the revelations made to St. Frances of Rome by Our Dear Lord - He gave descriptions of Hell because too many were going there - especially children. One of the many descriptions that would scare me out of Hell is the fact that there will for all eternity be no sunshine! That would be enough for any of us to want to avoid Hell.

Well - on to my article. As I have informed all of you, my dear Dad has passed away and I consumed many of my days in the last two years taking care of him after Mom passed away in 2017. I will have more time for my Carmelite studies now and will try to bring back a physical group as well as maintain my website. We need true prayer warriors and warriors that will not live in compromise.

September 14th is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the day designated in the Old Carmelite Rule in which we renew our promises to the Order and to the Rule. This falls on a Saturday - a great day to have this and a great day to start again with a physical group. There are not many places that offer a Latin Mass. Therefore, I propose that we meet after the Saturday 9 AM Low Mass at the back of the St. Joseph Oratory Church in Detroit to read our promises together. I will supply the sheets. I am not sure we can actually have a meeting but I will look into it. Still have not designated a place to meet - possibly my home for monthly meetings and we will have to find our own Latin Mass. St. Joseph Oratory has many events and it may not be convenient for us to ask them for a monthly space but I will.

Until Sept. 14th -- I will be posting a meditation and a prayer for each of the nine days leading up to the Exaltation of the Cross. These will be taken from the Spiritual Exercises to serve on the Annual Retreat of a Carmelite, copyright 1920. This book has three meditations per day but I will choose one and post it daily - the night before the day so you can access it as early as possible. It will not be under "Talks" but under "Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary"under the Formation heading.  I will post September 5th - the first day, sometime today so that it will be ready for all tomorrow morning.

I hope you can join in this even if you do not want to physically be a part of our group. 

​May Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and all the Carmelite Saints be with us as we pray and meditate these coming nine days.  God bless!!