Saint
Joseph
Novena to Saint Theresa the Little Flower
First
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who in Thine ineffable goodness
didst place in the soul of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus the
precious treasure of sanctifying grace, and didst grant her ever to
keep it in the midst of earthly dangers, we pray Thee to grant to us
for our part the happiness of never losing this inestimable gift
whereby we become Thine adopted children, the brothers and sisters of
Thy Son Jesus, the temples of the Holy Spirit and the heirs of
Heaven.
Enable us, to this end, carefully to avoid mortal sin
which would rob us of this grace more to be desired than all the
wealth of the world, to fly the occasions of sin, and to resist
temptation.
We implore these graces through the intercession
of the one who was ever Thy faithful child and whose memory we
venerate.
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, who would have
preferred to die rather than lose God's grace, vouchsafe to obtain
for us all the help necessary to avoid the misfortune of committing
mortal sin, incompatible with this divine grace. Obtain for us the
favors we crave and implore through you powerful intercession. Amen.
Second
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who to assure our advancement in
the right path dost never cease to multiply the supernatural means of
help which we need, and which Thou has divinely poured out upon Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus, we beg of Thee, through this Saint so
dear to Thy Heart, all the graces of light and of fortitude necessary
or helpful to fulfill Thine adorable will.
Thy grace ever
went before Saint Theresa and Thou didst uphold her at each moment,
for Thou didst give to her both to will and to do, and without Thee
none can even utter the name of Jesus whereby we may be saved.
Father, shed abroad in our minds and hearts those graces won
by the merits of our Savior and which Saint Theresa asks for us.
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus upon whom so many divine
graces were showered, we pray you to intercede with our Heavenly
Father, so that through t he merits of our Savior and you merits, He
may vouchsafe to give to our souls all the graces needful for the
perfect fulfillment of our duty. Obtain for us the favors we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession. Amen.
Third
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who didst dispose the soul of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus to ascend by such wonderful steps
and didst make this lovable saint to rise from virtue to virtue,
aiding her so admirably to practice humility, simplicity, patience,
confidence, zeal and love, we beseech Thee to place in our hearts
dispositions like to hers and to grant us to resemble her, that we
may hence become conformable to Thy Son Jesus, our Model and the
Divine Example of Thine adorable perfections.
These virtues
are so needful for us, for without them we cannot be happy here
below; without them we cannot gain for Thee the glory that Thou dost
look for from us.
Vouchsafe, O Father, to help us to make
these virtues ours. May Thy numerous graces joined to our generous
efforts, bring forth, as in Saint Theresa, true and lasting virtue.
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus who to please God ever
Wonderfully grew in virtue each day of your life, obtain for us to
resemble you and generously to practice those virtues of which you
have left us such a beautiful example. Obtain for us the favors we
crave and implore through your powerful intercession. Amen.
Fourth
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who in Thine infinite wisdom dost
permit the just to be tried upon earth, like gold in the furnace,
hereafter to crown them gloriously in Heaven, we beseech Thee to
grant us through the intercession of Saint Theresa of the Child
Jesus, all the graces of fortitude and consolation which we urgently
need in the difficulties we encounter here below.
Thou dost
order all things for the good of those who love Thee, nothing befalls
without Thy permission, Thou knowest how to draw good out of evil.
May these consoling truths be our support in the midst of our
sorrows. Sweeten for us all that is bitter by the unction of Thy
grace.
Permit not, O Father, that impatience shall possess
our heart or murmurs rise to our lips. Make us understand the
providential use of sorrow, as it was undertook by Saint Theresa who
owned to finding happiness in the midst of suffering.
Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus who suffered much here below, and knew how
to find joy in every bitterness, intercede for us with God that so He
may help us to bear patiently all our crosses, and console our hearts
saddened by the trials of earth's exile. Obtain for us the favors we
crave and implore through your powerful intercession. Amen.
Fifth
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who so loved men that Thou didst
give them Thine Only-begotten Son to be their Redeemer upon the
Cross, and Food in the Divine Sacrament of the Altar, we beseech Thee
to grant us, through the prayers of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
so inflamed with love for this Adorable Sacrament and so eager to
receive It, the grace for our part to draw near very often to the
Holy Table.
Following the example of Saint Theresa of the
Child Jesus, may we bring to it the best dispositions, a right
intention, hearts filled with lively faith, sincere humility, deep
confidence, ardent charity.
Father, make us truly understand
that this Divine Bread is no less needful to our soul than material
bread is to our body and that we cannot abstain from It without hurt
to our soul.
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus who so much
loved the Divine Sacrament of the Altar and so greatly longed to
unite yourself to It through Holy Communion, obtain for us from God a
love like to yours for this Adorable Sacrament and a fervent longing
often to receive It in our hearts. Obtain for us the favors we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession. Amen
Sixth
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who bestowed upon the Blessed
Virgin Mary the greatest and most precious graces and privileges, and
called her to become the Mother of Thy Son Jesus also giving her to
be our Mother, we beseech Thee through the intercession of Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus ever so faithful to honor this beloved
Virgin, whose radiant countenance and gracious smile she one day
beheld, to grant us too the inestimable favor of being the very
loving children of this Holy Mother.
We need her maternal
mediation, for this good Mother is the way that leads to Jesus, and
she is the treasurer of all the graces that our Savior acquired for
us by shedding of His Precious Blood.
We thank Thee, O
Father, for having given us the Blessed Virgin to be our Mother, and
our guide along our life's path, and we beseech Thee that, like Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus, we may be true imitators of her virtues:
of her perfect humility, her immaculate purity, and her ardent love.
We look to her for the greatest succor now and at the hour of our
death.
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus who ever manifested a
great love for the One you named the Immaculate Virgin, and from whom
you received so many benefits, we ask you to obtain for us the grace
to imitate your tender devotion towards her and to help us to
reproduce her beautiful and admirable virtues even as you yourself
did. Obtain for us the favors we crave and implore through your
powerful intercession. Amen.
Seventh
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who has bestowed upon us so many
benefits through the intercession of Saint Theresa of the Child
Jesus, and willest that we should honor this lovable saint with a
special devotion, we earnestly implore Thee of Thy fatherly
loving-kindness the grace to be ever faithful in veneration her,
invoking her and imitating her virtues.
It is good for us to
pay honor to the Saints. Thou has placed these blessed Saints as
powerful mediators between ourselves and Thee, that so Thou mayest
bestow upon us more ready and more abundant aids. That which our
prayer cannot obtain, theirs will obtain for us.
Thou hast
willed that the Saints should be our models. They were once what we
are; we can with Thy grace become what they are, what they have done,
we can do in our turn. Father, give us a true and lasting devotion
towards Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, a devotion well ordered and
constant, a devotion that will sanctify us and lead us to Thee to
Whom all the homage we pay to the Saints returns.
Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus, placed by the Church upon our altars to
be out protectress with God and model in Christian life, obtain for
us, we ask of you, ever to have you in honor, to venerate you, to
invoke you, to imitate you for the greater glory of God and the
greater good of our souls. Obtain for us the favors we crave and
implore through your powerful intercession. Amen.
Eighth
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who hast created all the good
things of earth for the use of man and dost measure them out to him
with marvelous bounty, we beg Thee through the intercession of Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus to give us all those things of which we
have need for the preservation of our life here below.
Teach
us to use these things with the moderation befitting Christians, let
us not attach our heart to them; may they serve not to keep us from
Thee, the Only True Good to be desired and the Giver of all that is
good in this world. Give us, as Thou gavest to Thy faithful handmaid
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, to make a holy use of earthly
things and to make them serve on for Thy Glory.
Father, Who
dost feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the valley,
forsake not the souls of those who trust in Thee.
Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus who ever used the things of this world
according to the order willed by God, you who made earthly gifts
serve to merit those that are heavenly, we ask you to obtain for us
all that is necessary for us during our life upon earth. Obtain for
us the favors we crave and implore through your powerful
intercession. Amen.
Ninth
Day
O Heavenly Father, Who hast prepared for us a
glorious reward after the labors of this life, and hast promised to
crown with honor and glory those who are faithful to the end in Thy
love, we beseech Thee to grant us through the intercession of Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus the grace to be faithful to Thy
Commandments, to those of the Holy Church and to Thy holy
inspirations until the hour of our death.
Father, grant that,
after the example of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, we may not
recoil from labors, that temptations may not keep us from Thee, that
trials may not cause us to lose courage. May neither the world, nor
the devil, nor our own inclinations separate us from Thee to Whom we
desire to belong for ever, as we promised Thee on the day of our
Baptism
and on the day of our First Communion.
Perseverance in grace
is a grace, we beseech Thee to grant it to us, and in Thy merciful
love not to refuse us the grace of graces, that of final perseverance
which will unite us to Thee for evermore and will give us to
contemplate during all Eternity Thine adorable Face.
Father,
uphold us in the midst of our combats until the day when we shall
gain the victory, when Thou Thyself wilt triumph in us.
Saint
Theresa of the Child Jesus who persevered throughout your life in
exact fidelity to God's grace, you who saw your perseverance crowned
own the glorious day of your death, obtain for us to be fully
faithful to God's law and never to separate ourselves from His holy
love. Obtain for us the favors we crave and implore through your
powerful intercession. Amen.