4Real Forums: Words of comfort from Zelie Martin

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Topic: Words of comfort from Zelie Martin

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Dawnie
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Posted: June 17 2006 at 10:58am \| IP Logged

I'm reading The Story of a Family: The Home of St. Therese of Lisieux and I came across this portion of a letter written by St. Therese's mother, Zelie Martin, to her sister-in-law after the birth and death of her son. Zelie herself gave birth to 9 children, 4 of whom died in infancy, 1 who died at age 5 after a sudden illness. When I read this, I thought of you dear ladies who have lost babies and thought that you might find comfort in her words.

Zelie Martin wrote:

I am deeply grieved at the misortune that has just struck you. Truly, you are sorely tried! It is one of your first troubles, my poor, dear sister. May our good Lord grant you resignation to His holy will. Your dear little child is with Him. He sees you, he loves you, and you will find him again one day. That is the great comfort I felt and still feel.

When I closed the eyes of my dear children and buried them, I felt the sorrow indeed, but it has always been resigned sorrow. I did not regret the pain and cares I had borne for them. Several people said to me, 'It would have been better if you had never had them,' but I could not endure this sort of language. I did not think that the sufferings and anxieties could be weighed in the same scale with the eternal happiness of my children. Then they were not lost forever; life is short and full of miseries, and we shall find them again up yonder.

It was especially at the death of the first that I was most vividly aware of the happiness of having a child in Heaven. For God showed me in a sensible manner that He accepted my sacrifice. Through my first little angel, I obtained a very extraordinary grace. [One of Zelie's other children, Helene, was healed of a bad ear infection after praying for the intercession of her recently deceased baby brother.] You see, dear sister, it is a great advantage to have little angels is Heaven, but it is not less painful to nature to lose them. These are the great sorrows of our life.

Dawn

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JennGM
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Posted: June 17 2006 at 8:05pm \| IP Logged

Dawnie, I just loved that book "Story of a Family." Thanks for the reminder of the lovely quote. Very helpful to me right now.

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jdostalik
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Posted: June 18 2006 at 10:33am \| IP Logged

Dawn,
Thank you for the quote from Servant of God, Zelie...I need to dust off my copy of A Story of a Family and start re-reading it...I am going to pass this on to a friend of mine who I am sure will be blessed by Zelie's words, as well!

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Jennifer in TX
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