After the miraculous conversion, Therese received a message to bring souls (sinners) to Jesus. A picture showing a pierced and bleeding hand of Jesus revealed to her that she was to stand at the foot of the cross to receive the precious blood and give it to souls.
It is recorded in The Story of a Soul (pg 51), "From that day the cry of my dying Saviour - 'I thirst!' - sounded incessantly in my heart, and kindled therein a burning zeal hitherto unknown to me. My one desire was to give my Beloved to drink; I felt myself consumed with thirst for souls, and I longed at any cost to snatch sinners from the everlasting flames of hell."
Therese's first spiritual child was Pranzini, a notorious murderer who was the talk of the town at the time. He was to be sentenced to death for several murders and has yet to repent.
Therese's prayed for his repentance saying, "My God, I am quite sure that Thou wilt pardon this unhappy Pranzini. I should think so if he did not confess his sins or give any sign of sorrow, because I have such confidence in Thy unbounded Mercy; but this is my first sinner, and therefore I beg for just a sign of repentance to reassure me."
Indeed, her prayer again was answered as the newspaper reported a day after the execution that "Pranzini had mounted the scaffold without confessing or receive absolution, and the executioners were already dragging him towards the fatal block, when all at once, apparently in answer to a sudden inspiration, he (Pranzini) turned round, seized the crucifix which the Priest was offering to him, and kissed Our Lord's Sacred Wounds three times."
What a beautiful answer! After receiving this grace, Therese's thirst for the salvation of souls grew more and more.
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