St. Therese and the 1891-92 influenza pandemic: Holy Communion — Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

Saint Therese of Lisieux also lived through a sudden and deadly pandemic in 1891-1892.  In 2020, what can we learn from how she responded?

In her account of the influenza epidemic that visited the Carmel in 1891–1892, what Therese remembers most vividly is “the ‘unspeakable privilege” of being allowed to receive the Eucharist daily.  To understand it better, we will look at Therese’s lifelong hunger for the Eucharist and at little-known details of her experience of receiving the Eucharist in Carmel.

What a paradox: the pandemic of 2020 has deprived us of the Eucharist, but the pandemic of the 1890s allowed Therese, who was constantly deprived of it, at last to receive Jesus every day.  While the life of the Carmel was disrupted and Mother Gonzague […]

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