Stronger than Steel

[Denise]

Soldiers of the Great War Write to Thérèse of Lisieux

“In my distress, I cried out with absolute faith: ‘Over here, Sister Thérèse!’ No sooner had I uttered these words than the saint suddenly appeared to me, bright and with a large halo. With her mighty hand, she abruptly stopped the enemy’s shooting, and not a single shell was released any more, until I arrived in Verdun.” (May 1916) “I saw a sort of brightness, and the little Sister Thérèse who was looking at me with a smile. Oh, what kind eyes this saint had for me!” (June 1917) “I began to pray to the little Sister to have mercy on me, for I was without courage at the moment, and she appeared to me as she is on her image, but without telling me anything; I only felt she was protecting me, it was as if I read in her eyes: ‘I am here, do not fear anything.’” (October 1918)

In the seventeen years between her death in 1897 and the outbreak of World War I, the fame of Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face had spread widely, especially in France and its colonies: her autobiography The Story of a Soul was hugely popular, and soldiers carried around holy cards, medals, and relics. This remarkable collection of letters from (mostly French) soldiers fighting in the Great War and enduring its abysmal horrors are astonishing and moving testimonies of how Thérèse appeared to them or spoke to them when invoked—how she miraculously protected them from “showers of iron and fire,” delivered them from precipitous danger, healed them when doctors despaired, and encouraged them in the trials of battle. After all, this Carmelite—who once dressed in armor as St Joan of Arc for a convent recreational play—tells us: “Sanctity! It must be won at the point of a sword!,” and, during her final illness, “I will die with my weapons in my hands!”

Shedding new light on the enduring mission of this beloved saint, Stronger than Steel will rekindle the reader’s devotion to “the greatest saint of modern times” (in the words of her devotee, Pope Pius X). It reminds us that we are all called to the “Great War”—the spiritual war—where we are not alone against the enemy but aided by the mighty intercession of the friends of God.

“Each letter is a treasure, a true account of God’s presence in the darkness. If there is any book that will bring you hope in these unsettling times and a quiet joy burrowing to the depths of your soul, look no further.”—SISTER MARY NORBERT of the Norbertine Canonesses

“This collection of letters from soldiers fighting in the First World War is truly astonishing, moving, and inspiring. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to renew your faith in Christ, your devotion to the saints, and your conviction that God answers prayer and works miracles in the world today.”—DAN BURKE, President, Avila Foundation

“Saint Thérèse is very well known by her fruits, but we don’t know the half of them. For those who think of her as limiting herself to the religious life, this book will be a revelation. It shows her weakness in mortal life translated into glorious power on the battlefield, her illness translated into miraculous healing, and her death translated into protection from death.”—FR. LUKE BELL, author of Staying Tender

“This fascinating collection of letters amounts to a practical exposition of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. It will surely instill readers with even more confidence in the intercessory power of the saint of Lisieux.”—PATRICK KENNY, editor of To Raise the Fallen

“These letters from the Front will convince all but the most skeptical that the Little Flower was present in the mud, blood, and chaos of the trenches; not only bringing spiritual consolation to the soldiers, but protecting many of them from shells and bullets. This a book to deepen your faith in supernatural realities.”—MAOLSHEACHLANN Ó CEALLAIGH, author of Inspiration from the Saints

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