By Patricia Briggs
On my mother's side of the family, we have the strong belief that if you pray a novena to St. Therese requesting help and afterwards receive a rose(s), it is a sign that your prayer will be answered.
As soon as my mother called saying that our trip to Rome was undoable, I started praying a Novena to St. Therese for help. A novena is a series of devotional prayers repeated over several days (typically 9-10 days). The women in my family have a special connection to St. Therese. So typically, our novenas are to St. Therese. Usually, we request help in the form of a major intercession/understanding on something in our lives.
My request with my Novena:
Every day, I prayed that if it would not cause my mother additional pain or distress, I wanted her to be alive when I got back from my trip so that I could spend some time with her. I acknowledged that I didn’t know the will of my God. So, if my request to postpone the timing of my mother’s death was not in her best interests, I would accept and understand that it had to happen while I was overseas. I didn’t want to cause her any additional pain because I selfishly wanted to spend a little more time with her. I felt comfortable with this request expressed in this way.
My prayers were so heartfelt. I literally would go into an unintended meditative state each evening while praying the novena. I focused all of my being in these prayers. I have prayed a novena for other things during my life, but never to the same depth of my being as I did this particular time. While on the business trip, as I moved from location to location throughout Europe, I prayed. My novena extended beyond the typical 9-10 days.
At each location I met a new company representative who escorted me around to the different customers, ensured my safety, and food/entertainment. After completing the agenda (presentations to customers) in one area, I would be taken to the airport to fly to another location to repeat the process. I believe that it was the beginning the second week when my plane landed somewhere in Italy.
My previous vision came crashing into my reality!The representative that met me was the man I had seen in my vision several weeks previous!
I physically, mentally, and emotionally reacted to him before he even said hello. My nervous system went on high alert. I mentally braced and waited to see what he was going to say to me. (In hindsight, I think I was in shock. I think he read it as jetlag.)
He didn’t tell me that I had to fly home immediately. He didn’t tell me that my mother had died. Instead, he was very cordial and welcoming to me but I couldn't appreciate it at the time. Honestly, I was fighting with myself to be as cordial back. I instantly disliked him. I recognized my dislike was because of the news he gave me in the vision and not something he was doing then. He took me to the hotel and arranged to come back after I had a chance to rest, to have dinner with me.
My mind was in turmoil as I tried to rest. I was waiting for a hammer to fall. I didn’t know how or when it was going to fall.
He met me in the lobby to go to dinner. As we conversed and walked down the street to the restaurant, he stopped a moment and bought a rose from a vendor. He gave me the rose as a welcome gift.
I had my rose.
I felt myself take my first deep breath since exiting the airplane in Italy. I could breathe. I knew with that single rose that I was going to see my mother before she died. St. Therese, God, the Universe had heard my plea. There was no doubt in my mind or heart! That night my prayers were full of gratitude.
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