This year marked the 100th anniversary of St. Thérèse de Lisieux’s beatification. And over the century — and of course before her beatification — the French saint has inspired millions of people with her steadfast faith, and deep love of the infant Christ.
To help celebrate the Little Flower’s 100 years since beatification and 150 years since her birth, we wanted to share this impactful prayer said by Edson Raff — an American paratrooper who commanded the first ever unit to jump into battle during World War II, and who subsequently wrote the book We Jumped to Fight, about his experience.
According to Raff, he shared how he leaned heavily on St. Thérèse in his more difficult moments in combat:
I was alone standing in the door of the plane looking down at the river passing beneath the plane, smoke partially obscured my view. At that moment, I said a prayer to the infant Jesus, The Little Flower, ‘Little Flower, in this hour show Thy power.’ The prayer was given to me by my sister who was a nun. I said the prayer before every jump.”
Those eight words, “Little Flower, in this hour show Thy power,” are simple, punchy, and extremely effective. While of course any adult can use this in a time of need, it’s simplicity certainly lends itself to young Catholics who might need a powerful intercessor by their side.
So parents, give your child the perfect gift by teaching your little ones this little prayer — that’s extra child-friendly with its rhyme — and let them feel the strength of the much-loved saint in their daily lives.
And today we celebrate...