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St. Thérèse of Lisieux - October 1st - Carmelite Saints

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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

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St. Therese of Lisieux
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