“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. It is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus.”
St. Therese’s beautiful definition of prayer tells us something about her spirituality. Today, the devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux is still a common practice, though some prefer to pray with Therese, rather than to her. The greatest saint of modern times (according to Pope Piux X) left numerous writings in her wake: reflexions and prayers that can guide you in your own spiritual life. Have a quick look at some of St. Therese’s compositions: pray with the prayers of St. Therese of Lisieux.
“My God, I offer You all the actions of this day in union with the intentions and glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I wish to sanctify each and every heartbeat, every thought, every simple little action, by joining them to His infinite merits ; and I desire to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of His merciful love.
Oh my God ! For myself and for all my dear ones, I implore the grace to perfectly fulfill Your holy will and to accept for love of You all the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that one day we may be united in Heaven for all eternity.
Amen”
Discover other morning prayers on Hozana.
“O Jesus, my divine spouse! May I never lose the second robe of my Baptism! Take me before I can commit the slightest voluntary fault. May I never seek nor find anything but yourself alone. May creatures be nothing for me and may I be nothing for them, but may you, Jesus, be everything!. .. May the things of earth never be able to trouble my soul, and may nothing disturb my peace. Jesus, I ask you for nothing but peace, and also love, infinite love without any limits other than yourself; love that is no longer I but you, my Jesus. [...] May your will be done in me perfectly, and may I arrive at the place that you have gone ahead to prepare for me. [...] Jesus, pardon me if I say anything I should not say. I want only to give you joy and to console you.”
“Lord, you know my weakness. Every morning I make a resolution to practice humility and in the evening I recognize that I have committed again many faults of pride. At this I am tempted to become discouraged but I know that discouragement is also pride. Therefore, O my God, I want to base my hope in You alone. Since You can do everything, deign to bring to birth in my soul the virtue I desire. To obtain this grace of Your infinite mercy I will very often repeat: “O Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, make my heart like Yours!”
“Oh Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
for your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who’ve absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I’ve assisted and who’ve given me Your Body and Blood in Holy
Communion;
the priests who’ve taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, especially
Oh Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.”
“O Jesus, dear Holy Child, my only treasure, I abandon myself to Your every whim. I seek no other joy than that of calling forth Your sweet Smile. Vouchsafe to me the graces and the virtues of Your Holy Childhood, so that on the day of my birth into Heaven the Angels and Saints may recognize in Your Spouse: Teresa of the Child Jesus.”
Discover the many prayer communities on Hozana designed to help you grow your faith every day! Pray with the little flower on Hozana: pray every day and reflect on a quote from St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, and join a novena to St. Therese of Lisieux: learn to walk in the footsteps of “Little Therese”, let her love inspire you!