Novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux

O Little Flower, remember your promise to spend your heaven doing good on earth, and to let fall from heaven a shower of roses.

Dear St. Thérèse, you discovered the 'little way' of spiritual childhood — the way of trust and love, of doing small things with great love. You showed the world that holiness is not reserved for great souls who do extraordinary things, but is accessible to all who embrace littleness before God. Teach me your little way. Help me to love God in the small, hidden, ordinary moments of each day. Let me not seek grand gestures but faithful love in the duties of my state in life. St. Thérèse, shower down your roses upon me and obtain for me a childlike trust in God's mercy. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, you wrote: 'If I had committed every possible crime, I would still have the same confidence in God.' Your trust in divine mercy was boundless because you understood that mercy is greater than all sins. Obtain for me a deep confidence in God's mercy. Free me from scrupulosity and fear. Help me to run to God as a child runs to a loving parent, knowing that He receives me not because of my merits but because of His infinite goodness. St. Thérèse, pray for me. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, your final years were marked by intense physical suffering and a dark night of the soul, yet you embraced it all with love and even joy, offering it for souls. Your suffering became your greatest prayer. Help me to accept the sufferings that come my way, not with resignation merely, but with love. May I unite my crosses to those of Christ and offer them for the conversion of sinners and the good of the Church. St. Thérèse, obtain for me the grace to love suffering as you did. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, your heart burned with a missionary zeal even from within your cloister. You are the patron of the missions not because you traveled to foreign lands, but because you prayed and suffered for souls with such burning love. Inflame my heart with love for souls. Help me to pray daily for missionaries, for the conversion of sinners, and for those who have no one to pray for them. May I understand that prayer and sacrifice are the most powerful apostolate. St. Thérèse, pray for souls. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, you described prayer as 'a surge of the heart, a simple glance toward heaven, a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy.' You prayed always, in all circumstances, in your own simple way. Teach me to pray without ceasing. When prayer is dry and difficult, give me your perseverance. Help me to turn to God in everything — in joy and sorrow, in work and rest, in strength and weakness. St. Thérèse, teach me to pray. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, you cried out: 'My vocation is love!' In the heart of the Church you would be love itself. You understood that all vocations are expressions of love and that love alone gives them their value. Help me to discover and live my own vocation of love. Whatever my state in life, may I fulfill it with great love. May love be the motive of all I do — love of God and love of neighbor. St. Thérèse, help me to love. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, you experienced God's love with the tenderness of a child in her father's arms. You knew that God's love is always greater than our unworthiness, that He takes delight in lifting us up when we fall. Obtain for me a deep experience of God's fatherly love. When I feel unworthy or far from God, help me to remember that He loves me not because of what I do but because of who He is. St. Thérèse, draw me into the Father's arms. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, you became like a little child before God — simple, trusting, unafraid to be poor and little. You understood that spiritual childhood is the secret of sanctity and the surest path to heaven. Deliver me from spiritual pride and self-sufficiency. Help me to acknowledge my poverty before God and to receive His graces with gratitude. May I become truly little in my own eyes so that God may be great in my life. St. Thérèse, teach me spiritual childhood. Amen.

Dear St. Thérèse, you promised to spend your heaven doing good on earth and to let fall a shower of roses. As I conclude this novena, I await your help with confidence. You who love souls so tenderly, look with compassion upon my needs. Present my petitions to the Most Holy Trinity. Obtain for me the graces I have asked, and whatever is for the greatest good of my soul. St. Thérèse, let your roses fall upon me and all those for whom I pray. Amen.

Closing Prayer

O Little Thérèse of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands. (Mention your intentions.) St. Thérèse, help me to always believe as you did in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your 'Little Way' each day. Amen.