Love of God

The year before Therese died, her sister Marie told her: “You are possessed by God, literally possessed, exactly s the wicked are by the devil.” Therese herself told Celine, her sister, I don’d believe I’ve ever been more than three minutes at a time without thinking of God.” Celine appeared to doubt this, whereupon Therese exclaimed: “Well, surely one thinks all the time of someone one loves dearly!” At her beatification Pius XI said, “Above all things Therese excelled in the love of God.” Her last words were, “Oh, I love Him” and “Dear God, I love You.”

 Vocation to Love

Her intense love of God made her long for other vocations thank being a Carmelite at times. “I want to be a warrior, a priest, a n apostle, a doctor of the Church, a martyr…I would like to perform the most heroic deeds..….” These longings caused her intense suffering until she read and meditated on 1cor:13 where St Paul says that the most perfect gifts are nothing without charity. She says, “Charity gave me the key to my vocation. My vocation is love. in the heart of the Church, who is my Mother, I will be love.