This is worth recounting…
H.E. Fabien Raharilamboniaina (what a long long name!)
is a Bishop from Madagascar. In February 2010, at the age of 42, he was appointed Bishop of Morondava, and was
consecrated bishop on 16 May 2010,
making him one of the youngest living bishops
On March 28th of two years ago, he was at the Vatican together with the other twenty two African Bishops for the visit “ad limina apostolorum”. When Bisop Fabien told the Pope that he was a Carmelite, the Pope paused and said to everyone that he would like to share his experience about the Carmelite Saint, Therese of the Child Jesus.
Then the Pope
went on to say that he ‘met’ Therese in 1991 because he needed a grace and she
quickly answered his prayer! Hence he decided to read her writings and from
then on, he was constanly amazed at what she did for him. The Pope mentioned
how even in his last Spiritual Exercises, in front of a very big issue that he
had to tackle, Therese answered him even before he had formulated his
prayer!
The Pope spoke about this experience for about fifteen
minutes.
When, the next morning the
Bishop went to concelebrate with the Pope in S. Martha, the Pope asked him to stay after mass
and then he gave him a holy picture of Saint Therese with a prayer behind it,
which the Pope recommended that I recite frequently because “Therese accompanies us beyond our expectations”.
More, “the next
day the Pope tried to reach me by phone and when he did not succeed, he sent a
secretary and a Swiss guard to pick me up and take me to his private room!” The
Holy Father opened the door for him and showed him the relics of
Saint Therese and her parents that
he had besides his desk. He kissed them and asked the Bishop to do the same. “Trust Therese, she is good to you,” the
Pope told the Bishop. Santa Therese, he told him, uses simple,
ordinary means to do extraordinary things. In the manner of Christ who with the
cross, which is nothing, has worked the salvation of the world. Therese is direct,
effective and quick, the Pope
concluded.
Well, what is good for the Pope, is definitely good
for us!