St Thérèse "with the Rosary"

Description St Thérèse "with the Rosary"

The quotation from this diptych comes from a letter that Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus wrote to her sister Céline who was still in secular life taking care of their sick and infirm father. This missive is dated October 20, 1893. The word "confidence" is not found in the text; it is an addition that was made for the diptych and that Saint Theresa would not have denied. She said that her way is all about trust and love.
At that date Céline already had the will to become a Carmelite but she was awaiting the death of her father. Still living in the world, she found herself in exile in a foreign land. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus encourages Céline to see behind these events the hand of Jesus who directs everything; she invites her sister to a great spirit of faith which makes us Jesus in everything, Jesus who loves us infinitely. A call to trust and surrender.
Here is the background to the quote:
My Celine's life is indeed a battlefield ... Poor little Dove, she moans on the banks of the rivers of Babylon, and how could she sing the songs of the Lord on a foreign land? ... And yet we must let her sing. His life has to be a melody (a musical choir). It is Jesus who holds her captive but He is by her side ... Céline is the little Lyre of Jesus ... Is a concert complete when no one sings? ...
since Jesus is playing, should Celine not sing? ... When the air is sad, well! she will sing the hymn of exile, and when the air is joyful, her voice will make hear the accents of the Fatherland ... All that will happen, all the events of life, will only be distant noises which will not make vibrate the little lyre, Jesus alone has the right to put his divine fingers there, the creatures are steps, instruments, but it is the hand of Jesus who drives everything . It is necessary to see only Him in everything ... I cannot think without rapture of the dear little Ste Cécile, what a model for the little Lyre of Jesus ... In the middle of the world, immersed in all dangers, at the moment to be united with a young pagan who breathes only profane love, it seems to me that Cécile should have trembled and cried ... but no, hearing the sound of the instruments that celebrated her wedding, Cécile sang in her heart. .. What abandonment! ...

The image chosen is a shot of the face of The Little Flower from the photograph of Saint Teresa in the rosary. This photo was taken in July 1896 and Saint Thérèse de Lisieux was already very ill. You can read on his face a certain weariness, a tiredness. For the photo, Saint Thérèse was on her knees with her rosary in her hands, hence the name of this photograph.

Quotation :

Confiance !
C'est la main de Jésus qui conduit tout.

Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus
et de la sainte Face