Of Rainbows, Cobblestones, and Saints

Everything passes... God alone suffices!
Saint Teresa's reminder on a wall at  Ávila

“Nada de turbe, 
nada te espante 
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda, 
la paciencia todo lo alcanza, quien a Dios tiene nada le falta 
sólo Dios basta!” 
~Saint Teresa of Jesus

One of my most memorable pilgrimages was in 2011, on August 20th. I joined the Ministry of Youth Affairs of the Diocese of Cubao and was among the pilgrims to the XXVI World Youth Day held in Madrid, Spain. That Saturday morning was our "free time". The catechesis sessions and cultural programs ended the day before, and we were allowed to do as we pleased; but  of course we had to bear in mind that we were not there for pleasure. The only schedule ahead was the pilgrim walk to Cuatro Vientos for the vigil with the Pope, but it did not start until two in the afternoon. 

We opted to spend our morning at the UNESCO World Heritage City of Ávila, the walled town of Castilla y León. It was an hour and a half away from Madrid by train. On the way we were awed by the sites of the picturesque landscape, centuries-old stone ramparts, and views of turrets possibly of a medieval castle. It felt like a page from a fairy tale book coming alive before our eyes. 

Overlooking the charming town "outside the walls"

I did not have any expectations for that side-trip except that I wanted to learn more about Saint Teresa and her stunningly beautiful birthplace. But prior to that 3rd European sojourn, I came across a catechesis on the Doctors of the Church given by Pope Benedict XVI in one of his general audiences. The pope said that Saint Teresa lived on two principles: first, that everything in this world will one day pass away, and second, that God is eternal. Her poem Nada de Turbe sums it best: "Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing away; God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices."

Solo Dios basta! God alone suffices. I pondered on these words and reflected on what very little knowledge I had about the life of Saint Teresa. I prayed for the grace to grow deeper in my relationship with God and go home with reinvigorated Faith. 

"Even the lowly sparrow finds a home for her brood,
and the swallow, a nest for herself
where she may lay her young..."

Saint Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born on March 28, 1515. She was raised by well-to-do, pious parents, and as a little girl learned to read pious books. She was however not immune to the lures of the world. She underwent a stage in her life when she became idle, vain, and cold in her devotion. She found herself not having pleasure in prayer, and was discouraged by periods of spiritual aridity. She confessed to being disobedient and ungrateful to God. Sincerely repenting after realizing her sins, she resolved to persevere in her zeal towards the path to virtue and perfection. She loved the Lord with all the strength of her heart until she attained the grace of  transverberation, or mystical union with God. Her incorruptible heart is preserved in a reliquary in a Carmelite convent in Alba de Tormes. She said she owed her conversion to Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is an inspiration we can all imitate in fighting the good fight till the end, with our eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of faith. 

Saint Teresa lived a life in evangelical poverty, detached from the possessions that the world offered her, and was concerned primarily with her personal relationship and friendship with the Lord, which she expressed in her service and unconditional love for the Church, the body of Christ. In her I find an example of someone who acknowledged her trust and total dependence on Divine Providence. She reminded me of the primacy of seeking first the kingdom of God over the pursuit of wealth, prestige and power. 

Plaza de Santa Teresa, and Gate Alcazar

It was overwhelming to be there, and I later realized it was a major turning point in my life. I was not prepared to hear what God wanted me to do next. I have been serving in Church ministries for several years and somehow, deep inside, I knew sooner or later God would uproot me and plant me in another soil where I can grow more and bear much fruit for His Kingdom. I was not just expecting it anytime sooner.

I had my own plans. I was pressuring myself to accomplish all that I had set in my timetable. I am not actually the success-driven type, but I had goals I wanted fulfilled soon! Prior to the trip, I was deliberating on whether I should go back to school, have a career change, or do something radical with my life. But the Lord had His way! With my consent of course. God, in His unfathomable and unconditional love for me, did not force me to agree with what He wanted for me. He allowed me to make my own choices, and waited patiently until I willingly embraced His plans for me. It was quite a long process of discernment, but I wouldn't want it any other way because of the invaluable lessons I learned.

We visited a museum that kept the reliquary of one of her fingers. Displayed there are some manuscripts, her rosary, a sole of her sandals, among other precious relics, including that of her friend and confessor, Saint John of the Cross. A few feet from the museum was the Baroque-style Convent of Saint Teresa, built on the site of her birthplace. I marveled at the magnificent sculptures and paintings inside. In great awe at the wondrous gifts from God who made everything I saw there possible, I spent time on my knees in prayer. Saint Teresa, through her writings, emphasized that we must persevere in prayer. "God withholds Himself from no one who perseveres. He will by little and little strengthen that soul, so that it may come forth victorious", she said. But other than the graces we receive, prayer is our means of communication with God. It is indeed a blessing to know that I shall never ever be alone because I have Jesus who is not only my Savior and King, but also my greatest Friend!

With some of the pilgrims from the Diocese of Cubao

As I explored the cobblestone streets of the quaint town where Saint Teresa once walked on, I expressed my fears and uncertainties to God. I knew that He always knows and understands my innermost being, my thoughts and my desires, more than I ever can. I felt so unworthy and told Him I didn't feel equipped. But God lovingly assured me that He is going to be in control. I only have to trust Him fully.

There are only two things, if I'd ever ask for a sign, that I request the Lord to give me should I need a reassurance : a shooting star or a rainbow. That day in Avila, as I begged God to guide me in the next steps I am going to take, I gazed towards the heavens in fervent supplication. Lo and behold, a rainbow! With tears of joy, all I could whisper to God was Thank You and I love You! 

I thanked Saint Teresa, who I knew interceded for me, too! I imagined her telling me, in her own words, "Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. Be content knowing you are a child of God."

I couldn't ask for anything more!

My Avila Rainbow
"My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky..."

Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux and Her Little Way

“Even now I know it: Yes, all my hopes will be fulfilled... Yes... The Lord will work wonders for me which will surpass infinitely my immeasurable desires”, Saint Therese de l'Enfant-Jesus once said.

I keep this in mind whenever I feel extremely exhausted and overwhelmed with temporal concerns. When the world makes me feel so small and unworthy, I remember that it is not in grand things that we can bring joy to the heart of God, but in doing the smallest things with great love.

And when I long for a much needed repose and solitude, I remember Saint Therese' words: "The world's thy ship and not thy home." It reminds me to always keep my focus on Jesus Christ, and that one day I shall be welcomed lovingly in my eternal home by my Eternal Father.

Pictures on display at the museum and inside the 

Basilique Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux

Adorably precocious blue-eyed and blond Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin, my dear Saint Therese, was born on January 2, 1873, in Rue Saint-Blaise, Alencos, a quaint town in Normany, France. She was baptized two days later on January 4th. 

A painting of Saint Thérèse done by her sister, Céline
(displayed in one of the rooms of Les Buissonets)

Saint Marie-Azelie Guerin, a lace maker, and Saint Louis Martin, a jeweller and watchmaker, were the devout parents of La Petite Fleur (The Little Flower). They had nine children, but lost three infants and 5-and-a-half year old Helene. All five of their surviving daughters became nuns: Marie (Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, of Lisieux, Carmel), Pauline (Mother Agnes of Jesus, Lisieux, Carmel), Leonie (Sister Francoise-Therese of the Visitandine at Caen), Celine (also a Carmelite in Lisieux, and was known as Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face), and finally, Saint Therese (Therese de l'Enfant et de la Sainte Face ~Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face).

A family of Saints: Blessed Zélie, Blessed Louis,  
Saint Thérèse and her sisters 

Saint Zelie died of cancer at the age of 45, on August 28, 1877. Saint Therese wrote "Every detail of my mother's illness is still with me, specially her last weeks on earth." Three months after, Saint Louis moved his family from Alencon to Lisieux. They lived in Les Buissonets, a lovely spacious country house with a beautiful garden on the slope of a hill overlooking Lisieux.

22 Chemin des Buissonnets, 14100 Lisieux, France

Saint Therese was ofren sick and began to suffer from nervous tremors. She recovered after gazing at the statue of the Virgin Mary, Notre-Dame du Sourire; she reported that she saw the Blessed Virgin smile at her on May 13, 1883. "Mary's face radiated in kindness and love", she wrote in her autobiography, The Story of A Soul. "Our Blessed Lady has come to me, she has smiled upon me. How happy I am."

It was on Christmas Eve of 1886 that Saint Therese said she had her complete conversion. In her words, she said, "I felt, in a word, charity enter my heart, the need to forget myself to make others happy ~ Since this blessed night I was not defeated in any battle, but instead I went from victory to victory and began, so to speak, to run a giant's course."

A replica of Notre-Dame de Sourire (Our Lady of the Smile)
found in Saint Thérèse's room in Les Buissonnets

She started to read The Imitation of Christ at fourteen years old. For her, it was as if Thomas A Kempis wrote each sentence for her: "The Kingdom of God is within you... Turn thee with thy whole heart unto the Lord; and forsake this wretched world, and thy soul shall find rest."

One Sunday afternoon in May 1887, Saint Louis sat in their garden and was approached by his youngest daughter, Saint Therese, who asked permission that she be allowed to enter the Carmel monastery in Lisieux. Louis and Therese both broke down and cried, but Louis got up, gently picked a little white flower, root intact, and gave it to her, explaining the care with which God brought it into being and preserved it until that day. Saint Therese later wrote: "while I listened I believed I was hearing my own story." To Therese, the flower seemed a symbol of herself, destined to live in another soil."

The statue portrays Sainte Thérèse
asking her father to allow her to enter Carmel

To Therese, the flower seemed a symbol of herself, destined to live Saint Therese was welcomed into Carmel, Lisieux on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, on April 09, 1888. She received the Carmelite habit on January 10, 1889, and had her perpetual vows on September 08, 1890. Therese' names in religion were two ~ of he Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. The former was given to her at her entry into the convent; veneration of the Child Jesus was a Carmelite heritage of the seventeenth century. The latter was given to her when she received the veil, as she loved to contemplate on the disfigured face of Jesus during His Passion. In her reflections, she wrote, "I, too, wanted to be without comeliness and beauty... unknown to all creatures."

"Whoever is a little one, let him come to me." (Proverbs 9:4)

Saint Therese spent a discreet life as a Carmelite nun from September 1890 until her death. In her very short life of only 24 years, she realized and understood that it was only through littleness, simplicity, and humility, that she may approach God and ask for His help.

Inside the crypt of the Basilica of Saint Thérèse.
It is decorated with mosaics representing scenes of the saint's life.

"Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." 

In the Little Way, Saint Therese reveals the simple truth of the message of Love. It is a way that seeks holiness of life in the everyday ordinariness of our existence. She reminds us that God, as our Father, always shows us mercy and forgiveness; and that we can never attain perfection alone without His grace. She teaches us that we express our Love to God when we humbly serve others ~ especially the least, the last, and the lost. "True charity consists in bearing with all the defects of our neighbor, in not being surprised at his failings, and in being edified by his least virtues; Charity must not remain shut up in the depths of the heart, for no man lighteth a candle and putteth it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. (Cf. St. Matthew 5:15). It seems to me that his candle represents the Charity which ought to enlighten and make joyful, not only those who are dearest to me, but all who are in the house."

(At the crypt) Sarah and Tobias : A lesson on prayer, fasting, filial piety, purity of marriage and the powerful intercession of angels!

Saint Therese inspires me: "On each fresh occasion of combat, when the enemy desires to challenge me, I conduct myself valiantly: knowing that to fight a duel is an unworthy act, I turn my back upon the adversary without ever looking him in the face; then I run to my Jesus, and tell Him I am ready to shed every drop of blood in testimony of my belief that there is a Heaven; I tell Him I am glad to be unable to contemplate, while on earth, with the eyes of the soul, the beautiful heaven that awaits me so he will deign to open it for eternity to poor unbelievers.

I make a conscious effort to pray that i may not commit grave sins. I choose to obey God's precepts even when convenience is often the easiest way to go. But I cannot do it alone. I rely on the strength of Christ, who conquered sin, and even death, for love of me.

Monastère du Carmel de Lisieux 

"Time is but a shadow, a dream: already God sees us in glory and takes joy in our eternal beatitude. How this thought helps my soul! I understand then why he lets us suffer..." 

This I remember when at the brink of despair and helplessness. If my dear Saint Therese was not spared from sufferings, she who lived a holy life, how much more for a sinner like myself still in the vale of tears. In Jesus my hope is found. And Saint Therese has been constantly present in my life ~ journeying with me, consoling me, reassuring me with roses, and this fulfilling her promise: "After my death, I will let a fall of roses. I will spend heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved..."

By the example of the Little Flower, I have been drawn to a deeper love of God through the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Interior of the Basilica in Lisiuex

Whenever I feel like I am not doing much to spread the Joy of the Gospels, I remember Saint Therese' mission while here on earth: "My vocation is Love", she declared.

I have embraced that vocation, too. It is not without trials and sufferings. I am imperfect and thus commit sin. I get easily irked; my patience always being tried. In my weakness I sometimes judge swiftly, even though only in my head.

"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love." True love is expressed in the simplest yet purest ways.

"When one loves,one does not calculate." I have yet to reach that perfection in Love, but all is possible through Jesus Christ.

The wax statue of Sainte Thérese was fashioned after the saint at the moment of her death. Engraved along the top of the case are her words: Je veux passer mon ciel faire du bien sur la terre;
“I want to spend my Heaven doing good on earth.”

Rev. John F. Russell, O.Carm. of Seton Hall University, when speaking about the life of the Little Flower said, "In living out her life of faith she sensed that everything that she was able to accomplish came from a generous love of God in her life. She was convinced that at the end of her life she would go to God with empty hands. Why? Because all was accomplished in union with God.

Catholics and other Christians have been attracted to Saint Therese' style. Her little way seems to put holiness of life within the reach of ordinary people. Live out your days with confidence in God's love for you. Recognize that each day is a gift in which your life can make a difference by the way you choose to live it. Put hope in a future in which God will be all, and love will consume your spirit. Choose life, not the darkness of pettiness and greed. Saint Therese knew the difference love makes by allowing love to be the statement she made each day of her life."

A blessed second visit to the hometown of my beloved Saint in 2011!

Saint Therese de l'Enfant-Jesus, priez pour nous. Merci pour votre intercession!