What A Wonderful Sign Of Devotion
Simple, just like St. Thérèse

In this day and age of Catholics for Obama, Bongo Masses and even some of our own priests who question (if not outright deny) The Real Presence, this sure is a nice change of pace; Astronaut to carry another relic of St. Therese to space in 2011

Rome, Italy, Jun 25, 2009 / 11:57 am (CNA).- U.S. astronaut Ronald Garan, who brought a relic of St. Thérèse of Lisieux with him on the Discovery space shuttle during his last trip to space, attended Pope Benedict XVI’s Wednesday audience this week and was greeted by the Pontiff.

In 2011, Garan plans to bring another relic of the saint with him on a mission to the international space station.

According to L’Osservatore Romano, the idea of bringing “a relic came to fruition because of his spiritual bond with the Carmelites of New Caney, Texas.”

Garan and his family founded the Manna association, a NASA entity which has developed a system for generating potable water for Rwanda and has provided solar panels for schools and hospitals in the country.The lifting up of St. Thérèse isn't exactly something new. My beloved has a great devotion to St Thérèse, and told me the following story. From LittleFlower.org; (Emphasis mine) Thérèse was aware of her littleness. "It is impossible for me to grow up, so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new." Thérèse went on to describe the elevator in the home of a rich person.

And she continued: "I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection. I searched then in the Scriptures for some sign of this elevator, the object of my desires and I read these words coming from the mouth of Eternal Wisdom: 'Whoever is a little one let him come to me.' The elevator which must raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus, and for this I have no need to grow up, but rather I have to remain little and become this more and more," And so she abandoned herself to Jesus and her life became a continual acceptance of the will of the Lord.Figuratively, spiritually... and now literally, St. Thérèse is being elevated into the heavens.

Good job, Colonel Garan.