Opening Prayer
Merciful One, thank you for understanding our weakness, frailty and sin. As we confront our infidelity, half-heartedness and superficial conversion, You are our hope. You must smile at us and our feeble attempts. Continue to dawn in the darkness we create and embrace. Rain upon us and soften the hardness of our hearts. Our self-righteousness creates illusions that we are taller and better than others. Let us have contempt only for the sinfulness which shrinks our hearts, diminishes others and superficially loves You. Give us humility, born of Your Mercy, so that we can look up at all Your children and see Your Face dawning within them.
St. Therese, this is the day, in 1994, when your parents were declared holy and “Venerable” by the Church, worthy to be investigated for official sainthood. Help us today to reverence the parents God chose for us – the way our Moms and Dads loved us and gave themselves for us. In a world that gets caught in what might have been and focuses on the dysfunctional voids and blames others, teach us to reverence our parents with gratitude that they did the best they knew how. Teach us that valuable and freeing lesson, Therese: how truly venerable our parents are and were!
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