The White Rose, Saint Thérèse de Lisieux and Pope Francis
“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its
simplecharm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
—Saint Thérèse de Lisieux
We all look for signs—messages and symbols letting us know we are on the right track, path or even the correct road. Sometimes the signs are so large we miss them; other times they are so small we confuse them for lesser things. There are times when we pray for a sign and it appears only to be met by our mistrust, incredulity or mere lack of attention.
Most everyone remembers the old joke about the man on the roof of a house in a flooded area praying to God for help. He refuses rescue from a canoe, lifeboat and helicopter, telling them that God will save him. His faith was very strong, yet the waters rose and he eventually drowned. When he met God in heaven he tells him, “I prayed and I thought you would save me!” God replies “Who do you think sent the two boats and the helicopter?” And so it goes.
Everyone is looking for a sign, something or someone who will confirm God’s love for them, making them feel tremendously special as a child of God. Even in our fast-paced world of great technological advancements, people cling to the simple and what is close to their hearts. When we pray, we expect God to “incline your ear to me; make haste to rescue me!” (Psalm 31:3). Looking for a sign is a natural progression of events as we look for affirmation for our needs from our heavenly Father.
“In his preaching the Lord Jesus often makes use of the signs of creation to make known the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. He performs healings and illustrates his preaching with physical signs or symbolic gestures. He gives new meaning to the deeds and signs of the Old Covenant, above all to the Exodus and the Passover, for he himself is the meaning of all these signs” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1151). The signs we seek are not always the signs that God sends to us. His presence in and through all of creation is a constant sign of His love and care for us. Sometimes we look too hard and miss the very signs He sends.
Sometimes signs from God indicate that our needs, wants and desires are all confused and overly blended. When we make a clear examination of our hearts what we find is what we truly need, and often is much less than what we ask for. Everyone wants to win the lottery and sees the winning numbers in license plates, store receipts and billboard ads. The prayers and signs I talk about here are not these kinds of things. They are signs found in the celebration of the sacraments, prayerful reflection of creation and meditation on the wonders of the meaning of our lives.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was a French Discalced Carmelite nun. She is popularly known as "The Little Flower”. Having been sick and suffering from tuberculosis she said, "A soul inflamed with love cannot remain inactive … If only you knew what I plan to do when I’m in heaven… I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.” Those who pray to her intercession are said to receive a rose as a sign that God has heard their prayers.
Recently, when Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli presented a new book on St. Therese, he related that Pope Francis mentioned receiving a white rose in answer to his own prayers.The book he presented was an essay by theologian and writer Gianni Gennari entitled Thérèse of Lisieux. The fascination of sainthood. Secrets of a rediscovered doctrine. “The Pope told me he received the freshly-picked white rose out of the blue from a gardener as he was taking a stroll in the Vatican Gardens”, Archbishop Menichelli said. “The Pope sees this flower as a “sign”, a “message” from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, whom he had turned to in a moment of worry the day before.”
Pope Francis, then Cardinal Bergoglio, also mentions St. Thérèsein “The Jesuit”, a book interview written by Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti. In a description the two journalists give of Cardinal Bergoglio’s library in Buenos Aires, they write: “We pause before a vase full of white roses standing on a shelf in the library. In front of it is a photograph of Saint Thérèse. “Whenever I have a problem”, Cardinal Bergoglio explained to the journalists, “I ask the saint not to solve it, but to take it into her hands and to help me accept it and I almost always receive a white rose as a sign.” Pope Francis’ devotion to the Carmelite mystic, who died at the young age of 24 in 1897, canonized by Pius XI and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by John Paul II in 1997, is common knowledge.
I propose that the roses we seek are there in abundance, but not always in the form of the flower. Sometimes the roses appear in the beauty of the faces of children whom we serve; other times in small gestures and kindnesses that make a world of difference. Sometimes even as a violet or a daisy. But they are there because God loves us tremendously and He always hears and answers our prayers.
“Little Flower, show your power every hour!”
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