Feast Day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux - October 1st

Doctor of the Church, and inspirer of so many through her autobiographical work, Story of a Soul, written in obedience to her Mother Superior (who happened to be her sister!), St. Therese of Lisieux is a go-to Saint for those who are young, or young in their spiritual life and those who are further along in their spiritual life.  She reveals deep treasures of love for even those most advanced souls.  When anyone spends time with her in prayer by meditating on her writings; she brings them to a simple knowledge of the love Jesus has for us.  For both points on the spiritual path, those beginning and those well-experienced with the climb, we offer the following little thoughts about her on her Feast.  May you give her a white rose in prayer, and may she shower you with her heavenly blessings in return, taking you in the elevator to Jesus! James 4:7 Draw near to the Lord, for He will draw near to you.   St. Thérèse understood this to mean that God gives us a desire for Him, and He will respond when we respond to that desire.   2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me"   In her examination of conscience and refusal to close in upon herself in false humility, she exemplified this saying of St. Paul’s.  In her Little Way, she did not try to escape the faults and flaws that she could see; rather, she accepted this reality and trusted God to come to her where she was and bring her to where He wanted her to arrive.  It is in this confidence that she teaches us to see desolation, realize that it is heavy, and it is a normal occurrence, and not one of which we should be ashamed.  Most importantly, she teaches that we must ask the Lord’s help to fight against the heaviness that surrounds us.     St. Teresa of Calcutta said that the reason St. Thérèse was canonized derived from her ability to do small things in great love.  And so Mother Teresa advocated for all her Missionaries of Charity to emulate St. Thérèse.  Doing these small things with great love is not simple, nor is it just a light-hearted lark.  For St. Thérèse, it sometimes entailed praying for those who belittled her and who did not see her as a valuable member of the community.  As she carried out the assigned the task of laundry, enduring being splashed; she prayed for those who splashed her and refused to think about whether it was purposeful or not.  As she helped the novices, as she carried out the tasks designated for her in that environment lacking many conveniences many of us consider indispensable, she realized the huge value all our acts on earth.  Yet, she did all of those acts so simply and so lovingly that when she was in the infirmary, she came to overhear a conversation where two of her fellow sisters commented that they did not know what would be written about Sister Thérèse because she was so unremarkable. St. Thérèse made a pilgrimage to Rome when she was 15, during which she could gaze upon the amazing Alps of Switzerland.  And later, this memory served her to explain that God was lost in the summit shrouded by clouds and she was like a little grain of sand trampled underfoot at the bottom.  When she uses the beauty of nature to explain her relationship to God, she teaches us that He is constantly seeking to deepen the relationship He wishes to share with us.  In the enclosed atmosphere of the Carmel at Lisieux, she allowed Him to fill her with love and use her memories in a way to express just how far a journey it is to Him.  Had she done what many do, she would have sought Him in more and more experiences pursued without reflection or the purpose of deepening our relationship with the Lord.  And the heights of love she experienced within the Carmel, in a life of reflection, where seeking His love and to love Him in all those around her would have been lost to all of us.  In her short life, she left us with so many lessons, and to not beleaguer you, here this reflection ends.  May you seek her wisdom in loving all around you in simplicity and trust, asking the Lord for help at every turn, never relying upon yourself, but upon Him and all those around you.  May you seek to love Him and want to go to Him as she did, and in that seeking climb up the mountain with great joy, even though you may feel like a grain of sand.  Most certainly, our Good Lord will provide that you become stuck in the sandal of a climber who is going up to Heaven, where He desires you to be with Him for all eternity. Alps picture from Igor Melaschenko via Pexels St. Thérèse and her sister Celine in 1881 from records of the Carmel of Lisieux

Summary: Juana Fernandez Solar was born in Santiago, Chile, on July 13, 1900. From her adolescence, she was devoted to Christ. She entered the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns at Los Andes on May 7, 1919, where she was given the name of Teresa of Jesus. She died on April 12 of the following year after having made her religious profession. She was beatified on April 3, 1987, at Santiago, Chile, and canonized on March 21, 1993, by Saint John Paul II and proposed as a model for young people. She is the first Chilean and the first member of the Teresian Carmel in Latin America to be canonized. History: Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones (of the Sacred Hearts) Fernandez Solar was born in Santiago, Chile, on July 13, 1900. Her friends called her Juanita, the name by which she is widely known. Born to wealthy, aristocratic parents, Juana was the fourth of six children. She had brothers, Luis, Miguel, Ignacio, and two sisters, Lucía and Rebeca. Rebeca later became a Discalced Carmelite nun at the same convent as Juana, as Teresa of the Divine Heart. Her family was faithful to their Christian beliefs, living them with constancy. From the age of five, Juana was captivated by religious discussions. She affirmed that God drew her at six to direct her capacity to love wholly toward him: "It was shortly after the 1906 earthquake that Jesus began to claim my heart for himself." She attended daily Mass from age six, longing for Holy Communion though restricted by her age, and committed herself to prayer, especially the rosary, vowing to pray it every day. Juana possessed a boundless capacity to love and to be loved, paired with a remarkable intelligence. God allowed her to experience His presence, purifying and claiming her through the demands of discipleship. Knowing Him, she loved Him; loving Him, she committed herself wholly to Him. Once this child understood that love manifests itself in deeds rather than words, she expressed her love through every action of her life. She examined herself sincerely and wisely and understood that to belong to God, it was necessary to die to herself in all that did not belong to Him. However, her natural inclinations sharply conflicted with Gospel values. She was proud, self-focused, and stubborn. She relentlessly battled those impulses driven by anything other than love. One such time, Juana was pestering her sister, Rebecca, who slapped her. Juana impulsively moved to retaliate, but she repented mid-gesture and kissed Rebecca instead. Rebecca, surprised and confused, accused her of kissing her with the "kiss of Judas." Juana's education at a school run by French religious sisters lasted from 1907 to 1918, supporting her spiritual formation. She received Confirmation in 1909, and at ten, preparing for her first Communion, sought to acquire virtues to be worthy of the grace, successfully transforming her character during this period. The night before her First Communion, Juana went to her family to seek forgiveness for any hurt she may have caused. She says that her First Communion was “truly a fusion between Jesus and her soul.” Each time she received Communion, Juana records that “Jesus spoke with her for a long time.” In her childhood, she also liked singing and dancing, and played croquet and tennis. She was an able swimmer and could play the piano and harmonium. She also loved and excelled in horseback riding. In 1914, she read The Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who was not yet beatified, and was captivated by it.  Drawing inspiration from St. Thérèse, Juana gradually transformed her passionate nature into a desire for union with God. Juana was profoundly moved by the sensitive, self-aware Thérèse, who was keenly aware of her own self-absorption and pride, which guided Juana in redirecting her tendencies toward devotion. Soon afterward, she felt that Christ was calling her to become a Carmelite and that holiness must be her goal. With God's abundant grace and the generosity of a young girl in love, she gave herself over to prayer, the acquiring of virtue, and the practice of a life in accord with the Gospel. Such were her efforts that in a few short years, she reached the highest degree of union with God. When she was fourteen, under God's inspiration, she decided to consecrate herself to Him as a religious in the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. Christ was the only ideal she had. She was in love with Him and ready each moment to crucify herself for Him. As a result, at the age of fifteen,  on December 8, 1915, she made a vow of virginity for 9 days, continually renewing it from then on. Juana kept an intimate diary from the age of fifteen until she died. She suffered frequent and serious illnesses, but joyfully lived her faith even more seriously. Her diary reveals that Juanita saw her life as composed of suffering and love. Her scholastic achievements were very notable, but she was most proud of being a “Child of Mary.” In 1916, she made a retreat for the Spiritual Exercises. In 1917, she read the spiritual writings of another holy French Carmelite, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, who died in 1906. Her holiness radiated wherever she was in daily life. With apostolic zeal, she spoke of God and offered aid to others. Her friends noticed her distinctiveness, treating her as a model, and sought her guidance. Juana felt every pain and every joy deeply, all in God. Inspired by Thérèse, Juana aspired to become a Carmelite. At seventeen, she contacted the prioress of the Los Andes convent, expressing her desire to join. Frustrated by a lack of response, she confided in her mother, who directed her to seek her father's approval. In January 1919, Juana visited the convent for the first time and affirmed her desire to enter. On March 25, she wrote a letter to her father requesting permission. Although moved to tears by her words, he never answered. He eventually consented when Juana approached him directly, allowing her to pursue her spiritual calling. This desire of hers was realized on May 7, 1919, when she entered the tiny monastery of the Holy Spirit in the township of Los Andes. She wrote to her family eight days later, “It is eight days since I have been in Carmel, eight days of heaven.” She was clothed in the Carmelite habit on October 14 of the same year and began her novitiate under the name Sr. Teresa of Jesus. Her life as a nun crowned her journey toward holiness. Sr. Teresa lived in Carmel just eleven months, marked by zeal, joy, and holiness. She envisioned Carmelite life as loving, suffering, and praying for the conversion of sinners, the sanctification of priests, and for the Church. Her community was quick to recognize the hand of God in her past. The young novice found in the Carmelite way of life the full and efficient channel for pouring out the torrent of life she wanted to give to the Church of Christ. Toward the end of her short life, she began an apostolate of letter-writing, sharing her thoughts on the spiritual life with others. In March 1920, while still in her first year of religious life, Teresa contracted typhus, and her health steadily declined. She knew a long time before that she would die young, as the Lord had revealed this to her. A month before she was to depart this life, she related this to her confessor. She accepted all this with happiness, serenity, and confidence. She was certain that her mission to make God known and loved would continue in eternity. She received the last sacraments with the utmost fervor, and on April 7, because of danger of death, she made her religious profession "in articulo mortis,” an occasion of great joy for her. She was three months short of her 20th birthday, and had yet 6 months to complete her canonical novitiate and to be legally able to make her religious profession. Five days later, on April 12, 1920, Teresa fell asleep in the arms of her Lord. She had recorded earlier, “To die is to be eternally immersed in Love.” Her funeral was attended by many people, and her reputation for holiness began to grow immediately. Devotion to Teresa of Los Andes spread after the publication of letters she sent during her year in Carmel, offering spiritual advice and insight. Over her nineteen years, Teresa learned to channel her innate passion for pursuing God. Her letters reflect fervent love and unwavering devotion. Pope St. John Paul II beatified Teresa of Los Andes during his visit to Chile on April 3, 1987. Her brother, Luis, was present at her beatification; he was the last direct relative of hers still alive then. Six years later, on March 21, 1993, Pope St. John Paul II canonized her in Rome. St. Teresa of Jesus of Los Andes is the first Chilean to be declared a saint, as well as the first Discalced Carmelite Nun to become a Saint outside Europe. Her feast day is celebrated on July 12. She is a patron saint of Santiago, Chile, where she was born, and of young people. Her remains are venerated in the Sanctuary of Auco-Rinconada of Los Andes by the thousands of pilgrims who seek in her and find guidance, light, and a direct way to God. Prayer: God of mercy, joy of the saints, you set the young heart of Saint Teresa ablaze with the fire of virginal love for Christ and for His Church; and even in suffering made her a cheerful witness to charity. Through her intercession, fill us with the delights of your Spirit, so that we may proclaim by word and deed the joyful message of your love to the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.