A life of prayer with the help of saints

The beauty of a life of prayer is that it brings God into every moment of life. God becomes immediately accessible no matter how one may be feeling or what one may be experiencing at the time, no matter how elated or discouraged. From my personal experience, the reason for this grace is not just my vocation as a Carmelite nun. It is also the grace of having a “crowd of witnesses” who are always ready and willing to help us whenever we ask. The crowd I am speaking of is the Communion of Saints, mostly ordinary people, whose eternal lives are dedicated to the glory of God through Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest gifts of my faith, after the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confession, has been these friends of God, holy guides prompt to assist at every turn and in any difficulty, or whenever peace in the present moment is needed. Then I can reflect on and receive the love of God into my innermost heart. These special friends have lived heroic, sacrificial lives and know how to help their brothers and sisters on earth in our journey of faith in Christ.

Two saints I depend on are St. Titus Brandsma, who was recently canonized this year on May 15, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower, the youngest Doctor of the Church.

St. Titus Brandsma, a martyr of the Dachu concentration camp in Holland during World War II, is best known for his steadfastness to the Faith in openly defying the Nazis for which he gave up his life. St. Titus was a Carmelite priest, mystic, philosopher, and journalist. Praying to Father Titus for his intercession brought me deep insights and inner peace. I could feel him stepping in and helping me during challenging periods of my religious formation. During my prayer times and throughout the day, he showed me how to see God’s light in those around me and to be forgiving whenever I felt misunderstood.

In fact, Father Titus was very compassionate and known for truly loving his enemies. His show of heroic love of neighbor ultimately transformed the heart of the very nurse who injected him with the lethal dose that took his life. Later, she not only returned to the Faith but also was a witness for his beatification. Moments before he died, Titus gave the nurse his rosary.

The other saint I depend on is St. Thérèse of Lisieux. It seems she is always a step ahead of me, clearing the way for my spiritual growth and personal maturity. “Little Thérèse,” as she sometimes called herself, wanted to be a great saint but knew she could never reach the heights of sainthood on her own. Instead, she discovered the power of making little, hidden sacrifices, what I think of as “little prayers” throughout the day, all for God and neighbor, always looking for a chance to shower Jesus’ love on others. This method of prayer became known as her Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, detailed in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul.

St. Thérèse entered Carmel at the tender age of 15 years old and died at the age of 24. What she accomplished in such a short time is incomprehensible, especially since she did it all in the silence and solitude of the Carmelite cloister. Unless her prioress had asked her to write her life’s story, her doctrine, the science of divine love, as Pope Saint John Paul II named it when he declared her a Doctor of the Church, we would never have known. Thérèse’s science of divine love is a prayerful act of responding to God’s mercy by opening one’s heart to listen to what God has to say, and being willing to offer one’s attention and faithfulness to the One who loves us more than we can imagine. To Thérèse, it is a simple act of trust and confidence. Walking the Little Way of Thérèse of Lisieux: Discovering the Path of Love by Joseph Schmidt, FSC is my favorite book on her.

Living a life of prayer, as a Carmelite nun at Carmel of Mary here in Wahpeton, is a grace beyond telling. The gift of offering one’s entire life in the practice of silence and solitude in imitation of our Blessed Mother, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, like St. Thérèse of Lisieux did, is a dream come true. We are here to support you in your journey of faith by our prayers. We receive prayer requests online, by mail, and by phone. Together let us be prayer partners in the work of salvation, especially for priests, and for the uplifting of the world.