Guide to heaven
I came across this quote today which was attributed to St. Therese of Lisieux (though I can not find it translated directly this way). I guess it does not matter so much who wrote the words, what is beautiful ARE the words…
“Virgin full of grace,
I know that at Nazareth you lived modestly,
without requesting anything more.
Neither ecstasies, nor miracles, nor other
extraordinary deeds
enhanced your life,
O Queen of the Elect.
The number of the lowly, “the little ones,” is
very great on earth.
They can raise their eyes to you
without any fear.
You are the incomparable Mother
who walks with them along the common way
to guide them to heaven.
Beloved Mother
in this harsh exile,
I want to live always with you
and follow you every day.
I am enraptured by the contemplation of you
and I discover the depths of the love of your Heart.
All my fears vanish under your Motherly gaze,
which teaches me to weep and to rejoice!
I appreciate the reference to the Anawim in this quote, ‘lisa’.
Also, it is a very timely reminder from Our Lady to me about living simply and modestly as I reflect on all the needed home repairs and ‘ wants’.
Beautiful piece, Aeternus.
Comment by teresa_anawim — May 21, 2008 @ 9:19 am
Aeternus, this prayer can be found in the “Dictionary of Mary”, which is the same book in which I found St. Catherine of Siena’s “In Praise of Mary” which I posted recently.
I don’t know where this prayer is in St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s own writings, but apparently it is one of the “classic prayers of the saints to Mary”. It’s title is “Mary, Our Guide to Heaven”.
Comment by gabrielle — May 21, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Hmmm. This is interesting indeed. I will have to have a search around or just wait and come upon the “Dictionary to Mary” book. That sounds like a good read!
Comment by aeternus — May 21, 2008 @ 9:31 pm
It’s a really wonderful Marian reference book, Aeternus; well, more than that. I just love it. I’ll put the details up very soon on my Mary blog as a resource. I’ve been meaning to do that ever since I purchased it, but there’s always so much to do…as you know…
Comment by gabrielle — May 21, 2008 @ 11:02 pm