“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness” (St. Therese of Lisieux).

October Blooms Forth

The month of October is filled with many wonderful fragrances. On October 7, 1571, Pope St. Pius V dedicated this month to the Most Holy Rosary in accordance with the annual feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. In October, we honor and express gratitude to our Blessed Mother for the protection she gives the Church through the faithful’s devotion to the rosary. And late September through early October is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, one of the greatest and most beloved saints of our modern time. 

Flower Theology

The beauty and fragrance of various flowers can inspire us to prayerfully consider how our businesses can serve God. A resource to strengthen these senses is “flower theology,” a concept created by Fr. John S. Stokes, Jr., whose research has documented hundreds of flowers symbolically associated with the lives of Mary and the saints. Fr. John worked with botanists, folklorists, and lexicographers, which inspired a project called Flowers of Our Lady and Mary Gardens. This project derives from ancient medieval traditions and has carried over into modern gardening. It aims to set a restorative union that illuminates and heightens our prayerful devotion and recourse to the Blessed Mother. This Marian devotion gives us what we need when we face temptation. It inspires us to reflect on Our Lady’s life and the mysteries that draw us closer to her Son.

Catholic businesswomen aim for a vocation that seems, at times, impossible in this world: to serve others in business while also fulfilling their roles as wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and more. But though this path is challenging, we must remember that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). We can start by looking at Mary’s example of unwavering faith in God and ask her to pray for us to discover our own God-given gifts. 

With this in mind, how will you bloom for God’s kingdom this autumn? What other flowers have you encountered in God’s garden, and how may you bloom along with other women in your life? 

Here is an abridged list from Fr. John’s work:

• White Lily: the “Annunciation Lily,” which is a symbol of Mary’s Immaculate Purity

• Impatien: “Our Lady’s Earrings,” a symbolic, pure adornment of the ears of Mary who heard the word of God and kept it

• Violet: Mary’s humility “regarded by the Lord”

• Monk’s Hood: also known as “Our Lady’s Slipper,” a symbol of Mary’s visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth, in the hill country: “All her steps were most beauteous.”

• Thistle-Down: another visitation symbol, from its graceful movement in air currents 

• Rose plant: the symbol of the Blessed Virgin of prophecy, the Rose plant bearing the flower, Christ

• Daisy: known to be “Mary’s Flower of God”

• Periwinkle: the emblem of the Blessed Virgin, often seen as “Virgin Flower”

• Columbine: a symbol of the dove of the Holy Spirit, also known as “Our Lady’s Shoes”

• Pansy: known as the “Trinity Flower,” a symbol of the Trinity, first revealed to Mary

• Strawberry (in flower and fruit): an everlasting symbol of the eternity of Mary’s loving meditation in heaven, and also the doctrine of Mary’s Perpetual Virginity, dogmatically defined in the 12th century

• Wild arum: a symbol of the Virgin and Child, commonly known as “Lady-Lords”

• The Flowering Stem of Jesse (grapevine): a symbol of the virgin birth of the divine Redeemer (Isaiah 7:11-16)

• Lily of the Valley: a symbol of Mary’s Transfixion as Co-Redemptrix with Christ and also known as “Mary’s Tears” or “Mary’s Sword” of sorrow.

• Marigold: also written as “Mary’s Gold,” symbolizes the heavenly glory of Mary, the “Women clothed with the Sun”

St. Therese’s Prayer

As we reflect and act on how God calls us to serve, we can seek intercessory prayers through saints who inspire our personal relationship with God, and by extension, our work. One great example is the novena prayer to St. Therese, the Little Flower:

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose

from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love.

O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors

I now place with confidence in your hands. 

(mention in silence here)

St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did in

God’s great love for me, so that I might imitate your “Little Way” each day.
Amen.

See more prayers to St. Therese here.

This autumn, let us look to the example and intercession of Our Lady, St. Therese, and our other heavenly friends to pray for us in our vocations. The concept of flower theology, paired with these powerful novena prayers, gives us a way to bear our crosses and unite them with Jesus.

Elisejane Plecnik is an Indiana-based Roman Catholic who is a creative technologist specializing in software development. Outside of code, she contemplates Jesus through Mary. Inside code, she contemplates Jesus through Mary. She hopes to share all things theology and code which keep all members of CWIB resplendent and flourishing.