By June Klins

 

   One year on October 4, I felt drawn to go to  Mass at a church I don’t go to very often.  I almost ignored the inspiration because the priest at that time never gave a homily for daily Mass, and I wanted to hear a homily on St. Francis, since it was his feast day.

   After the gospel, Father said, "I hope you are not in a hurry because I want to give a five- minute homily."  I was thrilled that I would now hear a homily about St. Francis! 

   I was baffled, though, as he began to talk, not about St. Francis, but about St. Therese, the Little Flower!!!!  Her feast day was three days before, on October 1.  Was he confused???   As he talked about St. Therese’s virtuous life, my eyes welled up with tears because my friend just that morning had asked me to pray for the intercession of St. Therese! 

   After he talked briefly about St. Therese, Father said that when he was first ordained, an old French priest, 90 years old, came to where he was assigned, and he had to take care of him for about six weeks as he was dying.  A week before he died, he rang a bell for Father to come to his room, and he told Father to get a pouch out of the drawer and open it. In it was a photograph of a young nun. He gave it to Father as a gift and explained that the young nun was St. Therese, the Little Flower.  The old priest had been a neighbor of St. Therese when they were growing up, and when she took her first vows as a Carmelite nun, on September 8, 1890, her sister Celine took this picture of her.

    Father said he had 1000 reprints made, and he had a few left over that we could take. I felt so blessed to have received this special photo.

    I cried all the way home when it dawned on me that St. Therese did not send me a rose for the novena I had made the week before, but, instead, sent me a photograph of herself !!!!    Thank you, St. Therese.