The Shelter of Your Arms: Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux
“The world is thy ship and not thy home,” St. Therese of Lisieux reminds, lest we forget that we are, naturally, always longing for “a country we have never yet visited,” to borrow a phrase from C.S.Lewis, on this earthly journey. In St. Therese’s words, we hear an echo of Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Today I presented the first of Desert Bread’s ongoing series of workshops on faith and the arts. It was a joy to share time with all the Desert Bread participants and exchange the food of faith and the arts. We fed our minds, souls, and broke bread together, so we may continue on our voyages while foreshadowing, through the rich treasure trove of the Catholic arts, the beauty of the home that awaits. We also collected donations to provide food for the poor. It was a beautiful day.
On this feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, I give you a poem written by the Little Flower herself, art by the great saint (an oyster shell painted by St. Therese depicting a scene that reminds of her famous quote, “The world is thy ship and not thy home,”), and music inspired by her quote:
Without leaving the shelter of your arms or even turning my head, I will distribute your treasures to the souls who come to me asking for food.
—St Therese of Lisieux
May Desert Bread humbly endeavor to do the same. Saint Therese of Lisieux, pray for us!
Beautiful day! ❤ thank you!!!
Thank you so much, Jacquelina! So glad you were a part of it!
Great food for the mind, soul, and body. Thank you for all the work and love that went into this beautiful afternoon!
John and Kathy, your kind words are so much appreciated! It was wonderful to meet you both; hope to see you at future Desert Bread events!
Thank you for a very special day!
Opening my heart and mind to a new understanding of catholic artists!
Laura,
It was so wonderful to finally meet you; I look forward to seeing you again soon!
I am still overwhelmed. The presentation touched me on so many levels. Sad that I cannot make the other October presentations. Thank you
Claire,
Thank you so much for your beautiful words. Hope to see you again at future Desert Bread events. I will keep you on the mailing list! We’re planning for April! Thank you!!
What a delightful workshop addressing the sacramental nature of art, music, prayer & food! We look forward to October 22nd. The feast for St. John Paul II’s feast day might include Polish sausage, stuffed cabbage, pierogi (dumplings), kapusta (sauerkraut), rye bread, pączki (doughnuts) or St. John Paul’s favorite, kremówka papieska, a cream cake similar to a Napoleon pastry. There are sources in Commack & Copiague. Email us if you want help. Marianne & Tom
Marianne and Tom,
You are both a gift to the Desert Bread community. Thank you so much for your kindness, enthusiasm and your much-appreciated help!