MEDITATION OF THE DAY
Remembering the Lord’s Kindness
My very dear friend, you see that I’m hurrying to answer your good letter. It’s because I feel the need to congratulate you, or rather to thank the Lord with you, and with all my poor heart, for the great favor he was kind enough to grant you last December, a time we’ll always remember!… As for this favor, we won’t know the true value of it until much later….
If God blessed the house of Aaron, he also blessed the house of Nogrix, because your family is sailing along at a good speed. Let’s hope the wind doesn’t change and all return safe and sound. Your letter made me even happier because I’m living on almost nothing but my memories. The memories of my whole life are so pleasant that in spite of the ordeals I’ve been through, there are moments when my heart overflows with joy….
I’ll tell you that Thérèse, my little Queen (which is what I call her because she’s a beautiful girl) is completely cured, I assure you. The many prayers finally took heaven by storm, and God, who is so good, in his kindness gave in. I told you before about my five daughters, but I forgot to tell you that I have another four children who are with their saintly mother in heaven, where we hope to rejoin them some day. So, I won’t say anymore, “Oh! Who will give me back my Hélène?”—With Hélène there are also two little Josephs and a pretty little Thérèse.
Last Easter I was in Paris with two of my oldest children, and we spent five whole days that were very pleasant. On March 25, in Notre Dame, I took part in a magnificent agape. There were at least eight thousand [participants]. How much I would like to see these good people return to the Church’s embrace! For one who has faith, it’s so sad to see…so many [people] go peacefully along without worrying about what awaits them….
Have I babbled on enough? It’s been a long time since that’s happened to me. Could I, by chance, be getting younger? All my best to you, my old friend, I love you like a brother. Please pass along my good wishes to Madame Nogrix and your children.
Saint Louis Martin
Saint Louis († 1894) and his wife, Saint Zélie, were the parents of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. This text is a letter to his friend. [From A Call to a Deeper Love: The Family Correspondence of the Parents of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, 1863-1885, Ann Connors Hess, Tr. © 2011, The Fathers and Brothers of the Society of St. Paul, ST PAULS/Alba House, Staten Island, NY. www.stpauls.us. Used with permission.]
