“In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, I offer myself as a victim of holocaust to Your Merciful Love, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God!" – St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face
The term “OBLATE” is chosen because it is most appropriate and all sufficient in describing the association’s chief characteristic––oblation.
For each member offers himself or herself as a living sacrifice for the needs of the Church, for the conversion of sinners, and for the glory of God Who is Divine Merciful Love, willingly giving all in return to the One who gave all. “As gold in the furnace He proved them, and as sacrificial offerings He took them to Himself.”
We feel bound to Christ when we know, as the Scriptures tell us, that He is both victim and priest––that Jesus was actually offered for us as our paschal sacrifice, and that He Himself was the priest who made this offering to God. Those who realize that Christ gave Himself up and became our Passover (transitus) will in their turn offer themselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable. They will become spiritual oblations.
THE LITTLE WAY
St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face established at the Carmel in Lisieux her “little way of spiritual childhood”––a straight, short, and simple path to Christian perfection––a vocation of love and a hidden apostolate of prayer, oblation, and spiritual martyrdom. “There is but ONE THING to be done here below: to love Jesus and to save souls for Him that He may be more loved.”
Today the Holy Ghost is calling for a new army of victim souls and living martyrs who will offer themselves, like the “Little Flower” of Lisieux, as oblations to Divine Merciful Love––a lifestyle of sacrifice and communion with Jesus Christ, of which our patron St. Francis––the first Stigmatist––was a living icon, testament, and model. “O Jesus, I ask of Thee only Peace! Peace, and above all LOVE––love without bound or limit. Jesus, let me for Thy sake die a martyr; give me martyrdom of soul or body. Ah! Rather give me both the one and the other!”
“O Jesus! Why can’t I tell all little souls how unspeakable is Your condescension? I feel that if You found a soul weaker and littler than mine––which is impossible––You would be pleased to grant it still greater favors, provided it abandoned itself with total confidence to Your Infinite Mercy. But why do I desire to communicate Your secrets of Love, O Jesus, for was it not You alone who taught them to me, and can You not reveal them to others? Yes, I know it, and I beg You to do it. I beg You to cast Your Divine Glance upon a great number of little souls. I beg You to choose a legion of little victims worthy of Your love!”
