Day 4 – Our Duties – Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Summary: <br> <br> Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena<br> Day 4 – Our Duties<br> « We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do. » Luke 17:10<br> Meditation<br> Louis and Zélie were entrepreneurs who successfully conducted their businesses independent of one another. Later, however, they worked together. It was said that Louis undertook « selling only objects of very good quality; he crafted and tested everything himself. » « He was very severe in regard to any sign of negligence or carelessness, » according to the testimony of his daughter.<br> Even when work seemed to overwhelm them, they knew where to turn in order to deepen their union with God. St. Zélie wrote, « It’s this miserable Alençon lace that makes life difficult. When I have too many orders, I’m a slave to the worst kind of slavery. When it’s not going well … I have nightmares! Oh well, what can I do? I must accept it and come to terms with it as bravely as possible. » She said, « God, who is a good Father … never gives His children more than they can bear. »<br> In spite of the profit they could have made, Louis and Zélie did not work on Sundays. They did not consider their work a means of becoming rich. « I feel, » St. Louis said, « that I could easily acquire a taste for investing, but I do not want to be carried away by that current. It is such a dangerous incline. »<br> Along the same lines, St. Zélie wrote to her sister-in-law: « It’s not the desire to amass a great fortune that drives me … I must go all the way for my children, and I see myself in a dilemma: I have employees whom I must furnish with work. » « Money is nothing when it’s about the sanctification and perfection of a soul. »<br> Resolution<br> Today, I will accomplish my duties out of love for God and for the good of others.<br> <br> Prayer<br> Our Father…<br> Hail Mary…<br> Glory be to<br> Saints Louis and Zélie,<br> you who in your life as a couple and as parents<br> have given witness of an exemplary Christian life,<br> in putting God in the first place<br> through the exercise of the duties of your state in life<br> and the practice of the virtues of the gospel,<br> we turn to you.<br> Help us to have unshakable confidence in God<br> and to surrender ourselves to His Will,<br> as you did in the joys<br> but also in the trials, the sorrows, and the sufferings<br> with which your life was marked.<br> Help us to love God with all our heart,<br> to persevere in our daily difficulties,<br> and to dwell in the joy and hope<br> that will give us a living faith in Christ.<br> Intercede for us<br> so that we may obtain the graces we need<br> today and all the days of our life. Amen.<br> Saints Louis and Zélie, pray for us<br> Imprimatur +Jacques Habert, Bishop of Séez, 26 May 2016<br> text ©Shrine of <a href="https://louisetzelie.com/en/pray/novena-to-saints-louis-and-zelie/">Sts. Louis and Zélie in Alençon</a><br> Please visit their website at <a href="https://louisetzelie.com/en/pray/novena-to-saints-louis-and-zelie/">https://louisetzelie.com/en/pray/novena-to-saints-louis-and-zelie/</a><br> <br> For more on the life of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin visit:<br> <a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/a-sister-of-st-therese-servant-of-god-leonie-martin-bearer-of-hope-w-fr-timothy-gallagher/">A Sister of St. Thérèse: Servant of God, Léonie Martin; Bearer of Hope w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher</a><br> and <a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/the-letters-of-st-therese-of-lisieux-with-fr-timothy-gallagher-o-m-v/">The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.</a><br> <br>
