Pope Francis on Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Patron of the Missions
This year marks the jubilee year of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. It has been 100 years since her canonization. She is a beloved saint by so many, with such an inspiring story!
We recently came across a manuscript of Pope Francis speaking about Saint Thérèse, and were moved by his words. Pope Francis spoke about Saint Thérèse, and shared two occurrences in her life that reflected her missionary strength (she was known as the patroness of missions even though she never went on a mission). Saint Thérèse devoted her life to prayer for the church's work of evangelization and hoped for others to open their hearts to Jesus' love. To read the full manuscript, and learn more about Saint Thérèse, click here.
We were so moved by this and felt inspired to share some of our favorite quotes by Pope Francis and Saint Thérèse.
8 Inspiring quotes by Pope Francis and Saint Thérèse:
"One does not become Christian because they are forced by someone, but because they have been touched by love." - Pope Francis
“…the Church needs hearts like Thérèse’s, hearts that draw people to love and bring people closer to God." - Pope Francis
“...Charity entered her heart, with the need to forget herself.” - Saint Thérèse (cf. Manuscript A, 133-134)
"She set out to “console Jesus, [to] make him loved by souls”, because, as Thérèse, noted, “Jesus is sick with love and [...] the sickness of love cannot be cured except by love” - Saint Thérèse (Letter to Marie Guérin, July 1890)
“I want to save souls and forget myself for them: I want to save them even after my death” - Saint Thérèse (Letter to Fr. Roullan, 19 March 1897)
“I will spend my heaven doing good on earth." - Saint Thérèse
"A missionary is also anyone who lives as an instrument of God’s love where they are. Missionaries are those who do everything so that, through their witness, their prayer, their intercession, Jesus might pass by." - Pope Francis
"One does not become Christian because they are forced by someone, but because they have been touched by love." - Pope Francis
Click here to read the full manuscript!
Which quote(s) stuck out to you?! Let us know in the comments below!
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