The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. ThérèseThérèse, de Lisieux, Saint
Religion
The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse
Thérèse, de Lisieux, Saint
Christian saints -- France -- Lisieux -- Biography; Lisieux (France) -- Biography; Thérèse, de Lisieux, Saint, 1873-1897
And now my clothing day drew near. Contrary to all expectations,
my Father had recovered from a second attack, and the Bishop fixed
the ceremony for January 10. The time of waiting had been long
indeed, but now what a beautiful feast! Nothing was wanting, not
even snow.
Do you remember my telling you, dear Mother, how fond I am of
snow? While I was still quite small, its whiteness entranced me.
Why had I such a fancy for snow? Perhaps it was because, being a
little winter flower, my eyes first saw the earth clad in its
beautiful white mantle. So, on my clothing day, I wished to see it
decked, like myself, in spotless white. The weather was so mild
that it might have been spring, and I no longer dared hope for
snow. The morning of the feast brought no change and I gave up my
childish desire, as impossible to be realised. My Father came to
meet me at the enclosure door, his eyes full of tears, and
pressing me to his heart exclaimed: "Ah! Here is my little Queen!"
Then, giving me his arm, we made our solemn entry into the public
Chapel. This was his day of triumph, his last feast on earth; now
his sacrifice was complete, and his children belonged to God.[5]
Celine had already confided to him that later on she also wished
to leave the world for the Carmel. On hearing this he was beside
himself with joy: "Let us go before the Blessed Sacrament," he
said, "and thank God for all the graces He has granted us and the
honour He has paid me in choosing His Spouses from my household.
God has indeed done me great honour in asking for my children. If
I possessed anything better I would hasten to offer it to Him."
That something better was himself, "and God received him as a
victim of holocaust; He tried him as gold in the furnace, and
found him worthy of Himself."[6]
After the ceremony in the Chapel I re-entered the Convent and the
Bishop intoned the _Te Deum._ One of the Priests observed to him
that this hymn of thanksgiving was only sung at professions, but,
once begun, it was continued to the end. Was it not right that
this feast should be complete, since in it all other joyful days
were reunited?
The instant I set foot in the enclosure again my eyes fell on the
statue of the Child Jesus smiling on me amid the flowers and
lights; then, turning towards the quadrangle, I saw that, in spite
of the mildness of the weather, it was covered with snow. What a
delicate attention on the part of Jesus! Gratifying the least wish
of His little Spouse, He even sent her this. Where is the creature
so mighty that he can make one flake of it fall to please his
beloved?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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