Advent with St. Therese - December 3, feast of St. Francis Xavier

On the feast of St. Francis Xavier, co-patron of the missions with St. Therese, I present a short dialogue Therese wrote between the Blessed Virgin and the young Polish Jesuit, St. Stanislaus Kostka. 

The last "pious recreation" St. Therese wrote, performed at the Carmel's recreation on February 8, 1897, was "Saint Stanislaus Kostka."  Therese placed on the lips of Stanislaus words that expressed her desire to continue her mission after her death:

Saint Stanislaus:

My Well-Beloved Mother . . . . I regret nothing on earth, still I have one desire . . . a desire so great that I'm not sure I could be happy in Heaven if it were not fulfilled . . . . Ah! my dear Mother, tell me that the blessed can still work for the salvation of souls . . . if I can't work for the glory of Jesus when I'm in heaven, I'd prefer to stay in exile, still fighting for Him!

The Blessed Virgin:

You would like to increase the glories
Of Jesus, your only Love.
For Him, in the Heavenly Court,
You will win victories . . .
Yes, my child, the Blessed
Can still save souls. 
By their love, sweet flames
Draw hearts to heaven.

Saint Stanislaus:

Oh! how happy I am . . . Sweet Queen of heaven, I beg you, when I am with you in the Fatherland, let me come back to earth, to watch over holy souls, souls whose long career on earth will complete my own; then, through them, I'll be able to bring the Lord an abundant harvest of merit.

The Blessed Virgin:

Dear Child, you'll protect
Souls struggling in the world.
The more fruitful their harvest,
The more in Heaven you will shine.

from The Plays of St. Therese of Lisieux, tr. Susan Conroy and David J. Dwyer.  Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 2008, pp. 353-354.

Therese told Sister Marie of the Trinity:  "What pleased me in composing this play is that I explained my certitude that, after death, one can still work for the salvation of souls on earth.  St. Stanislaus, who died so young, has served me very well to express my thoughts and hopes on this subject."  Plays, p. 332.

St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Francis Xavier, co-patrons of all missions, are also co-patrons of the Apostleship of Prayer, which was founded on the feast of St. Francis Xavier in 1844 and of which Therese became a member at age twelve in 1885. May these two saints, brother and sister on fire with love for God, watch over us and allow us to complete their mission.