MY MINI MIRACLE OF ST THERESE

To witness the visit of the relics of St Thérèse to any European city is to see that same city transformed into a place where multitudes share the same obsession: to do whatever it takes to be with Thérèse. To desire to be with the relics of Thérèse is the same desire to be in Heaven, in the company of the Saints. 

In my hometown of Cork, and later in London, I saw people surging in dramatic droves towards Thérèse. 

Once, many years ago now, when St Thérèse and I shared the same city, one night I set out with a group to visit her relics. On we went through the streetlamp-lit streets, when we had the idea to invite a young chap who had been very ill with both physical and psychological complaints of a most chronic nature. He had anti-social issues, and a few of my fellow Papists surmised that were they to invite him, he might react badly, and anyway they didn't have his number and he might not see an email 'til it was too late... 

I piped up that I had his number, and so I elected to call him. When I pulled out my phone, however, clunky brick that it was, I found out that while he had given me his number, I had not saved it. I reasoned that it might be for the best because were he to come he would throw out a few nasty barbs at the others. But I didn't want to admit that I did not have his number for fear they would think I was lying and trying to shirk inviting him because he was not pleasant company. And wasn't he a long fallen-away Catholic man, and might he get the wrong idea if I were to invite him somewhere?

I said I would call him when we were waiting outside...

I had time because when we reached the church, there was hardly standing room on the footpaths. The buses were stopped because people thronged on the road - impervious to the pleas of the police who asked them to disperse so traffic could get through - and it was getting rather late at night. Many souls with solemn eyes were braving the boys in blue to get through to the gentle French nun who promised she would spend her Heaven doing good on earth.

Once again, I pulled out my phone, and thought I would have to admit to not having his number, when I was seized with the idea to ask St Thérèse for his number.  Please, Little Flower, if you want this man to come to visit you, help me get his number. A moment of absolute still and peace came over me, and without thinking a series of numbers formed in my head that I was told interiorly was his phone number. 

I typed the number into my phone and seconds later I found myself inviting the young chap to the relics, without any hint of defensiveness in my tone. And he agreed to come. I was stunned, nothing like this had ever happened to me, and the shocking efficiency with which the prayer was answered spoke to me of Thérèse's grand intercessory powers. 

October starts with her feast day and I had wanted to dedicate this month's blog posts to her, but other things came up, including making some major decisions regarding my Padre Pio book. Nonetheless, I decided not to let October go by without sharing this small but startling example of how Thérèse interceded to bring one stubborn soul to her side.