The Little Way

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - July 12, 2006.

2006-07-11T23:53:00.000-05:00

"Jesus does not consider time, since He is eternal. He considers only Love."

~St. Therese, The Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 8, 2005.

2006-02-16T13:38:00.001-06:00

Our Lord died on the Cross in agony, and yet this is the most beautiful death of love. To die of love is not to die in transports.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation

2006-02-16T13:38:00.000-06:00

When faced by our limitations, we must have recourse to the practice of offering to God the good works of others.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 8, 2005.

2006-02-16T13:37:00.001-06:00

We often think we receive graces and are divinely illuminated by means of brilliant candles. But from whence comes their light? From prayers, perhaps, of some humble, hidden soul, whose inward shining is not apparent to human eyes.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation

2006-02-16T13:37:00.000-06:00

Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and every word and the doing of the least actions for love.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese on Prayer

2006-02-16T13:36:00.000-06:00

[While I realize most of us feel more comfortable with short, bite-sized quotations from St. Therese of Lisieux, sometimes the Lord does ask us to spend a little more time reading and pondering at greater length what St. Therese had to say. I found the below material on the EWTN website. ~Blessings, Christine]

Found at: http://www.ewtn.com/therese/letters/Letters6.htm

St. Thérèse on Prayer

Quite often when pondering the lives of the saints we hear of great miracles (e.g., ecstasies, healings, levitations, etc.). It is rare that we hear of a saints faults and weaknesses. Sometimes we need to hear about these in order to be able to relate to them; to realize that they were "earthen vessels" like the rest of us. One of Saint Thérèses weaknesses was distraction at prayer. However, this did not keep her from trudging along her "little way". As we shall see in her autobiography and letters, Saint Thérèse faithfully acknowledged her weakness to God, trusting in His Infinite Mercy to forgive.

Three letters taken from General Correspondence Volume Two Translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. Copyright (c) 1988 by Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, ICS Publications, 2131 Lincoln Road, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 U.S.A.

From Thérèse to Céline.

July 18, 1893

J.M.J.T.

Jesus

Dear Céline,

I was not counting on answering your letter this time, but our Mother wants me to add a note to hers. What things I would have to tell you! But since I have only a few moments, I must first assure the little drop of dew that her Thérèse understands her After having read your letter, I went to prayer, and taking the gospel, I asked Jesus to find a passage for you, and this is what I found: "Behold the fig tree and the other trees, when they begin to bear tender leaves, you judge that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things taking place, know that the kingdom of God is near." I closed the book, I had read enough; in fact, these things taking place in my Célines soul prove the kingdom of Jesus is set up in her soul. Now I want to tell you what is taking place in my own soul; no doubt, it is the same things as in yours. You have rightly said, Céline, the cool mornings have passed for us, there remain no more flowers to gather, Jesus has taken them for Himself. Perhaps He will make new ones bloom one day, but in the meantime what must we do? Céline, God is no longer asking anything from mein the beginning, He was asking an infinity of things from me. I thought, at times, that since Jesus was no longer asking anything from me, I had to go along quietly in peace and love, doing only what He was asking me. But I had a light. St. Teresa [of Avila] says we must maintain love. The wood is not within our reach when we are in darkness, in aridities, but at least are we not obliged to throw little pieces of straw on it? Jesus is really powerful enough to keep the fire going by Himself. However, He is satisfied when He sees us put a little fuel on it. This attentiveness pleases Jesus, and then He throws on the fire a lot of wood. We do not see it, but we do feel the strength of loves warmth. I have experienced it; when I am feeling nothing, when I am INCAPABLE of praying, of practicing virtue, then is the moment for seeking opportunities, nothings, which please Jesus more than mastery of the world or even martyrdom suffered with generosity. For example, a smile, a friendly word, when I would want to say nothing, or put on a look of annoyance, etc., etc.

Céline, do you understand? It is not for the purpose of weaving my crown, gaining merits, it is in order to please Jesus. When I do not have any opportunities, I want at least to tell Him frequently that I love Him; this is not difficult, and it keeps the fire going. Even though this fire of love would seem to me to have gone out, I would like to throw something on it, and Jesus could then relight it. Céline, I am afraid I have not said what I should; perhaps you will think I always do what I am saying. Oh, no! I am not always faithful, but I never get discouraged; I abandon myself into the arms of Jesus. The little drop of dew goes deeper into the calyx of the flower of the fields, and there it finds again all it has lost and even much more.

Your little Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face

re. carm. ind.

St. Therese Quotation

2006-02-16T13:35:00.001-06:00

I realize that we aren't all made alike. For me, God's infinite mercy is the quality that stands out in my life, and when I contemplate and adore God's other perfections, it's against this background of mercy all the time.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese Quotation - very timely

2006-02-16T13:35:00.000-06:00

Jesus offers you the cross, a very heavy cross, and you are afraid of not being able to carry it without giving way. Why? Our Beloved Himself fell three times on the way to Calvary, and why should we not imitate Him?

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese quote

2006-02-16T13:34:00.001-06:00

Our Lord does not come down from Heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to him - the heaven of our souls, created in His Image, the living temples of the Adorable Trinity.

- Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

St. Therese's First Communion

2006-02-16T13:34:00.000-06:00

St. Thérèse's First Communion
8^th May 1884

Source: Story of a Soul [St. Thérèse's autobiogrphy], Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.

At last the most wonderful day of my life arrived¹, and I can remember every tiny detail of those heavenly hours: my joyous waking up at dawn, the tender, reverent kisses of the mistresses and older girls², the room where we dressed -- filled with the white "snowflakes" in which one after another we were clothed -- and above all, our entry into chapel and the singing of the morning hymn: "O Altar of God, Where the Angels are Hovering." I would not tell you everything, even if I could, for there are certain things which lose their fragrance in the open air, certain thoughts so intimate that they cannot be translated into earthly language without losing at once their deep and heavenly meaning. How lovely it was, that first kiss of Jesus in my heart -- it was truly a kiss of love. I knew that I was loved and said, "I love You, and I give myself to You forever." Jesus asked for nothing, He claimed no sacrifice. Long before that, He and little Thérèse had seen and understood one another well, but on that day it was more than a meeting -- it was a complete fusion. We were no longer two, for Thérèse had disappeared like a drop of water lost in the mighty ocean. Jesus alone remained -- the Master and the King. Had she not asked Him to take away her liberty, the liberty she feared? She felt so weak and frail that she wanted to unite herself forever to His Divine Strength. And her joy became so vast, so deep, that now it overflowed. Soon she was weeping, to the astonishment of her companions, who said to one another later on: "Why did she cry? Was there something on her conscience? Perhaps it was because her mother³ was not there, or the Carmelite sister⁴ she loves so much." It was beyond them that all the joy of Heaven had entered one small, exiled heart, and that it was too frail and weak to bear it without tears. As if the absence of my mother could make me unhappy on the day of my First Communion! As all Heaven entered my soul when I received Jesus, my mother came to me as well. Nor could I cry because you⁵ were not there, we were closer than ever before. It was joy alone, deep ineffable joy that filled my heart.

That afternoon I was chosen to read the "Act of Consecration to Our Lady." I suppose they chose me because I had lost my earthly mother so young. Anyway, I put my whole heart into it and begged Our Lady to guard me always. I felt sure she was looking at me with that lovely smile which had cured me and delivered me, and I knew all I owed her; for it was she herself, that morning of the 8^th of May, who placed Jesus in my soul, "the flower of the field and the lily of the valley."

When evening came that lovely day, Father led his little queen by the hand to Carmel, and there I saw you made the bride of Christ⁶. I saw your veil, all white like mine, and your crown of roses. There was no bitterness in all my joy, for I hoped to join you⁷ and wait for Heaven at your side.

I was very moved by the family feast prepared at Les Buissonets⁸ and delighted with the little watch which Father gave me. Yet my happiness was very tranquil, with an inward peace no earthly thing could touch. Night came at last to end my lovely evening, for darkness falls even on the brightest day. Only the first day of Communion in Eternity will never end.

1. The day of St. Thérèse's First Communion, 8^th May 1884.

2. In preparation for their First Communion, St. Thérèse and her classmates spent the final days before the great day in retreat at the Benedictine school where they studied. By "mistresses" is meant the teaching nuns, by "older girls," her fellow communicants.

3. St. Thérèse's mother had died in 1777, when Thérèse was four years old.

4. Pauline, who was a Carmelite at the Carmel of Lisieux.

5. This portion of St. Thérèse's autobiography was written at the request of her sister, Pauline (Mother Agnes of Jesus) who was Prioress of the Carmel of Lisieux at that time. Thus the "you" refers to Pauline.

6. On that same day, Pauline took her religious vows, making her Profession as a Discalced Carmelite nun.

7. Meaning, to enter Carmel herself.

8. The home of the Martin family -- Thérèse's home.

Found at: http://www.ewtn.com/therese/readings/readng1.htm

My Song of Today - A Poem by St. Therese of Lisieux

2006-01-15T22:22:00.000-06:00

My Song of Today

Oh! how I love Thee, Jesus! my soul aspires to Thee -
And yet for one day only my simple prayer I pray!
Come reign within my heart, smile
tenderly on me,

Today, dear Lord, today.

But if I dare take thought of what the morrow brings -
That fills my fickle heart with dreary, dull dismay;
I crave, indeed, my God, trials and sufferings,

But only for today!

O sweetest Star of heaven!
O Virgin, spotless, blest,
Shining with Jesus' light, guiding to Him my way!
O Mother! 'neath thy veil let my tired spirit rest,

For this brief passing day!

Soon shall I fly afar among the holy choirs,
Then shall be mine the joy that never knows decay;
And then my lips shall sing, to heaven's angelic lyres,

The eternal, glad today!

-Saint Teresa of Lisieux
June 1894
translated by S L Emery

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 15, 2006.

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I no longer have any great desires, beyond that of loving til I die of love.

~St. Therese

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 14, 2006.

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Very often God is satisfied with our wish to labour for his glory, and how immense are my desires to do so.

~St. Therese

Bonus St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation for Sunday, January 15, 2006.

2006-01-15T22:01:00.000-06:00

Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity.

~Saint Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 9, 2006.

2006-01-15T22:00:00.000-06:00

Whenever my enemy provokes me to combat, I try to behave like a soldier.

~St. Therese, the Little Flower

t. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 5, 2005.

2006-01-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

May I not say in my own name and in the name of unbelieving people: 'O God, be merciful to us sinners'?

~St. Therese

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 3, 2006.

2006-01-15T21:58:00.000-06:00

"The smallest actions done for His love are those which charm His Heart."

~St. Therese, The Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 2, 2006.

2006-01-02T00:06:00.000-06:00

The greatest of all is that he has shown me my littleness and how, of myself, I am incapable of anything good.

~St. Therese, the Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - January 1, 2006.

2006-01-02T00:03:00.000-06:00

My God, you have gone beyond my desire and I will sing your mercies!

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 31, 2005.

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My God, by how many different ways you lead souls!

~St. Therese, the Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 30, 2005.

2005-12-31T10:48:00.000-06:00

I am not dying, I am entering into Life...

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 29, 2005.

2005-12-29T15:36:00.000-06:00

"Let us give pleasure to Jesus; let us save souls for Him by our sacrifices."

~St. Therese, The Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 28, 2005.

2005-12-28T00:55:00.000-06:00

The Lord is a rock upon which I stand; He teaches my hands to fight and my fingers to war. He is my protector and I have hoped in Him.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 27, 2005.

2005-12-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

This fire from heaven-- You have placed it in my soul and I, too, want to spread its passion.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 26, 2005.

2005-12-26T21:51:00.001-06:00

As a father has tenderness for his children, so the Lord has compassion on us!

~St. Therese

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 25, 2005.

2005-12-26T21:51:00.000-06:00

He is compassionate and filled with gentleness, slow to punish, and abundant in mercy, for He knows our frailty, He remembers we are only dust.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 24, 2005.

2005-12-26T21:50:00.000-06:00

"Only little children and those who are like them shall be admitted to the Heavenly Banquet."

~St. Therese, The Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 22, 2005.

2005-12-23T00:45:00.001-06:00

If I cannot walk in paradise for the glory of Jesus, I prefer to remain in [this] exile.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - December 21, 2005.

2005-12-23T00:45:00.000-06:00

Our Lord never asks sacrifices from us above our strength.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 25, 2005.

2005-12-23T00:43:00.000-06:00

Always keep lifting your foot to climb the ladder of holiness, and do not imagine that you can mount even the first step. All God asks of you is good will.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 24, 2005.

2005-12-23T00:42:00.002-06:00

Be quite sure that God will bless you and that the depths of your sufferings will be matched by the consolation reserved for you.

~St. Therese

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 23, 2005.

2005-12-23T00:42:00.001-06:00

"The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother."

~St. Therese, the Little Flower

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 22, 2005.

2005-12-23T00:42:00.000-06:00

Jesus does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 21, 2005.

2005-10-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 20, 2005.

2005-10-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

Jesus works miracles for His dearest friends only after He has tested their faith. He let Lazarus die, even though Martha and Mary sent word that he was sick. But after the trial, what rewards! Lazarus rises from the dead.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 19, 2005.

2005-10-20T23:58:00.001-05:00

Yes, all is well when we seek only the will of Jesus.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 18, 2005.

2005-10-20T23:58:00.000-05:00

Jesus does not ask for great achievements: only surrender and gratitude.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 17, 2005.

2005-10-20T23:57:00.000-05:00

How often have I thought that I may owe all the graces I've received to the prayers of a person who begged them from God for me, and whom I shall know only in heaven.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 16, 2005.

2005-10-16T01:55:00.000-05:00

I do everything for God, and in this way I lose nothing, and I'm always well repaid for the trouble I go to for other people.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 15, 2005.

2005-10-15T12:31:00.000-05:00

How do I react when in my mind's eye, I see the defects of someone who doesn't attract me? I remind myself of all that person's good qualities, all her good intentions.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 5, 2005.

2005-10-05T01:32:00.000-05:00

When faced by our limitations, we must have recourse to the practice of offering to God the good works of others.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 4, 2005

2005-10-04T03:02:00.000-05:00

To remain a child before God means to recognize our nothingness, to expect everything from God. It is not to become discouraged over our failings, for children fall often, but they are too little to hurt themselves very much.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 3, 2005.

2005-10-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

How can my confidence have any limits?

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - October 1, 2005 (Feast of St. Therese)

2005-10-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

I do not concern myself about what God might be asking of others. Whatever God asks of me always makes me happy.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese Quote

2005-09-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 30, 2005.

2005-09-30T00:48:00.000-05:00

I found the secret of suffering in peace - I don't say joy. To suffer in peace, it is enough to will all that Jesus wills.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 29, 2005.

2005-09-30T00:47:00.000-05:00

Many people say, "I don't have the courage to make this sacrifice." Let them do what I did: exert a great effort. God never refuses that first grace which gives one the courage to act; afterwards the heart is strengthened.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 28t, 2005.

2005-09-28T01:38:00.000-05:00

I am certain that even if I had on my conscience every imaginable crime, I should lose nothing of my confidence; rather I would hurry, with a heart broken with sorrow, to throw myself into the Arms of my Jesus.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 27, 2005.

2005-09-27T01:32:00.000-05:00

Frequently, only silence can express my prayer.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 26, 2005.

2005-09-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

Jesus may hide himself, but we know He is there.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 25, 2005.

2005-09-25T12:58:00.000-05:00

Our fulcrum is God: our lever, prayer; prayer which burns with love. With that we can lift the world!

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 24, 2005.

2005-09-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

Let us not grow tired of prayer: confidence works miracles.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 22, 2005.

2005-09-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

Nothing is sweeter than to think well of others.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 21, 2005.

2005-09-21T14:34:00.000-05:00

I understand very well why St. Peter fell. Poor Peter, he was relying upon himself. Before ruling the Church that is filled with sinners, he had to experience for himself what a person is capable of without God's help.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese Quotation - September 19, 2005.

2005-09-19T02:24:00.000-05:00

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 11, 2005.

2005-09-10T23:05:00.000-05:00

Jesus, I smile through my own tears when I contemplate Your sorrows.

~ St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 8, 2005.

2005-09-08T01:00:00.000-05:00

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 6, 2005.

2005-09-05T21:59:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off last month]

But I must stop, for I mustn't tell you about my adolescence yet, but about the little four-year-old person. I had a dream then which is deeply impressed on my memory. One night I dreamt that I was going out to walk by myself in the garden. I saw, near the arbour, two horrible little devils on a barrel which stood there. They were astonishingly lively in spite of the heavy chains they had on their feet. Suddenly they glared at me with their blazing eyes; then, looking much more frightened than I was, they jumped down from the barrel and ran to hide in the linen room which was just opposite. When I saw they were such cowards, I wanted to find out what they were up to, so I went to the window. These wretched little imps were running about on the tables and didn't know what to do to escape from my gaze. Every now and then they came and peeped uneasily out of the window, but when they saw I was still there, they began to run about again as if crazy with despair. Of course there was nothing extraordinary about the dream, yet I think God has let me remember it to prove to me that a soul in a state of grace need fear nothing from devils, for they are so cowardly that they flee from the gaze of a child.

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 5, 2005.

2005-09-05T00:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when I am in such a state of spiritual dryness that not a single good thought occurs to me, I say very slowly the "Our Father," or the "Hail Mary," and these prayers suffice to take me out of myself.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - September 1, 2005.

2005-09-01T01:44:00.000-05:00

~St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - August 13, 2005.

2005-08-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

One day Leonie, no doubt thinking she was too old to play with dolls, came to us both with a basket filled with their clothes, ribbons, and other odds and ends. Her own doll was on top. She said: "Here you are darlings. Take what you want." Celine took a little bundle of silk braid. I thought for a moment, then stretched out my hand and I declared: "I choose everything," and, without more ado, I carried off the lot. Everyone though this quite fair.

This episode sums up the whole of my life. Much later, when I understood what perfection was, I realized that to become a saint one must suffer a great deal, always seek what is best, and forget oneself. I understood that there were many kinds of sanctity and that each soul was free to respond to the approaches of Our Lord and to do little or much for Him -- in other words, to make a choice among the sacrifices He demands. Then, just as when I was a child, I cried: "My God, I choose all. I do not want to be a saint by halves. I am not afraid to suffer for You. I fear only one thing -- that I should keep my own will. So take it, for I choose all that You will."

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - August 12, 2005.

2005-08-12T21:49:00.000-05:00

It is very true that I could not settle without Celine. I would leave the table before finishing my dessert rather than no follow her when she left. I twisted about in my high chair in my eagerness to get down quickly, and then we would go off and play together.

On Sundays Mummy stayed at home to look after me, as I was too young to go to Mass. I was very good and tiptoed about the house, but the moment I saw the door open I went wild with joy and rushed up to my pretty sister who was dressed in her Sunday best and cried: "Oh, Celine, give me the blessed bread -- quickly, quickly!" Once she hadn't any, as she'd arrived too late at church. What was to be done? It was impossible for me to do without it, for it was my Mass. I found an answer very quickly. "You haven't any blessed bread! Make some then!" No sooner said than done. Celine jumped on a chair, reached up to the cupboard, took out a loaf, and cut me off a piece. She recited a Hail Mary very solemnly over it and gave me it. I made the sign of the Cross and ate it with great devotion. It tasted exactly like blessed bread.

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - August 9, 2005.

2005-08-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

I had a fault of which Mummy says nothing in her letters: great self-love. I could give several examples if it would not make my story too long. Mummy said to me one day: "Therese, I'll give you a halfpenny if you will kiss the ground." This was quite a fortune to me. I should not have had to bend far to get it, for, as I was little, there wasn't much space between my face and the ground. But my pride revolted, so, holding myself very straight, I said: "Oh no, Mummy. I'd rather not have the half-penny."

Another time we were going out to visit a friend. Mummy told Marie to put me in my pretty blue dress trimmed with lace, but to see that my arms were covered to keep the sun off them. I let myself be dressed with the indifference that children should have at that age, but I thought I should have been much prettier with bare arms.

With such a temperament I should have become very wicked and perhaps have been eternally lost if I had been brought up by bad parents. But Jesus watched over me. He drew good from my faults, for, checked in good time, they served to make me grow in perfection. As I loved myself and also loved goodness, I had only to be told once that something was not good. I am pleased to see from Mummy's letters that I became more of a consolation to her as I grew older. As I was surrounded by nothing but good examples, I naturally wished to imitate them. Here's what she wrote in 1876: "Now even Therese wants to start making sacrifices. Marie has given her two little sisters some beads on which to count their acts of self-denial. They often talk of spiritual things. The other day Celine said: 'How can God be in such a tiny Host?' Therese told her: 'That's not so amazing as God is almighty.' 'What does almighty mean?' 'Why it means He can do whatever He wants.' She and Celine are very fond of each other and amuse themselves together. Every evening after dinner Celine goes off to catch their bantam cock and hen. They bring them in and sit by the fire and play with them for hours. One morning Therese climbed out of her bed and joined Celine in hers. When Louise came to dress here, Therese hugged and kissed her and said: 'Leave me alone, Louise, for we are just like the bantams. We can't be separated.'"

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - August 8, 2005.

2005-08-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off earlier]

Darling Leonie was also very dear to me and she loved me greatly. In the evenings she used to look after me when the rest of the family went out for a walk, and I can still hear her sweet voice singing the little songs that sent me off to sleep. I remember her first Communion very well. I was put to bed early in the evening, as I was too young to stay up for the celebration dinner, but I can still see Daddy coming up to me and bringing his little queen a piece of the first-Communion cake.

Now I have only to tell of Celine, the little companion of my childhood, and I have so many memories of her that I don't know which to choose. We understood each other perfectly, but I was much livelier and far less artless. Although I was three and a half years younger, I thought of us as the same age. Here is a passage from one of Mummy's letters which will show you Celine's goodness and my naughtiness: "Celine seems naturally good. Goodness is embedded in her very being. Her soul is guileless and has a horror of evil. But I can't be too sure how the little minx will turn out, for she's such a little madcap. She is more intelligent than Celine, but nothing like as gentle and she is stubborn beyond words. It's quite impossible to budge her when she says no. Putting her in the cellar for a whole day would not make her say yes. She'd sooner sleep there. Yet she has a heart of gold and is very affectionate and without a sense of slyness. It's amusing to see her coming running to me to confess her faults: 'Mummy, I've given Celine a push and I've thumped her, but I won't do it again'. She says that every time she has done anything wrong"

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - August 7, 2005.

2005-08-06T21:35:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off a week or so ago...]

I loved my dear godmother very much. Without seeming to, I took notice of all that was done and said around me, and I think that I had the same opinions then as now. I listened very attentively when she was teaching Celine, and I behaved very well and did everything she told me in order to be allowed into the room during these lessons. And so she gave me lots of presents which delighted me, though they weren't at all valuable.

I was very proud of my two big sisters, but it was you, Pauline, who were my ideal. When I was beginning to talk and Mummy used to ask me: "What are you thinking about?" my reply was always the same: "Of Pauline." I used to hear it said that you were certain to become a nun and, though I wasn't too sure what this meant, I thought: "And I too will be a nun." This is one of the first things I remember, and I never wavered in my resolution. It was your example which drew me to the Spouse of Virgins from the time I was two. How many tender memories I could disclose to you, but I must go on with the full story of the Little Flower, for if I were to write in detail about my relationship with you I should have to leave all the rest of my story.

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux on Suffering - July 29, 2005.

2005-07-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

Saint Therese on Suffering

I have noticed that the experience of suffering makes us king and indulgent toward others because it is suffering that draws us near to God.
Trials help us detach ourselves from the earth; they make us look higher than this world. Here below nothing can satisfy us. One cannot enjoy a moment's rest save in constant readiness to do the will of God.
Life passes so quickly that it is better to have a most splendid crown in heaven and a little suffering than an ordinary crown and no suffering.
I realize that one will love the good God better for all eternity because suffering borne with joy! And, by suffering one can save souls...
Sanctity lies not in saying beautiful things, or even in thinking them, or feeling them; it lies in truly being willing to suffer.
It is so sweet to serve our Lord in the night of trial; we have only this life to practice the virtue of faith.
I suffer much but do I suffer well? That is the important thing.
from Prayers and Meditations of Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - July 29, 2005.

2005-07-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off; Therese is quoting letters written by her mother about her...]

Here is a passage from another letter: "The other day little Therese asked me if she would go to heaven. 'Yes,' I told her, 'if you are very good.' 'Yes but if I were naughty I should go to hell and I know very well what I should do there. I should fly up to you in heaven and the you'd hug me very tight. How could God take me away from you then?' From the look on her face I saw that she was quite sure that God could do nothing to her if she hid herself in her mother's arms. Everyone has to know the moment she's done the slightest thing wrong. Yesterday she accidentally tore a bit of the wallpaper and she was really terribly upset and wanted to tell her father about it as soon as possible. We had forgotten all about it when he came in four hours later, but she ran to Marie at once and said: 'Tell Daddy straightaway that I tore the paper.' She stood there like a criminal waiting to be sentenced, but she thinks she'll be forgiven more easily if she accuses herself."

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - July 28, 2005.

2005-07-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off yesterday]

I have, Mother, just summed up in a few words what God has done for me. Now I am going to give some details of my life as a child. I know that you, with your mother's heart, will find it not without charm, though it might bore anyone else. For the memories I'm going to recall are your as well, since my childhood was spent close to you and our saintly parents surrounded us both with the same tenderness and care. May they bless the least of their children and help her to sing of the divine mercy!

I separate into three very distinct periods the story of my soul until I entered Carmel. The first, though short, is full of memories. It stretches from the time I began to reason until our beloved mother left us for heaven.

God favoured me by awakening my intelligence very early and by imprinting the happenings of my childhood so sharply on my memory that the things I am going to write about seem as if they took place yesterday. No doubt Jesus, in His love, wanted to make me know and appreciate the incomparable mother He had given me, as He was in haste to crown her in heaven.

Throughout the whole of my life God has been pleased to surround me with love. My first memories are of smiles and loving caresses. He placed me in the midst of great love and He also put a similar love in my little heart and made it sensitive and affectionate. So I loved Daddy and Mummy very much and, as I was very openhearted, I showed my love in a thousand ways. Some of them were rather queer, as you can see from this extract from one of Mummy's letters: "Baby is a unique little imp. She has just been hugging me and wishing me dead! 'Oh, how I wish, darling Mummy, that you would die!' I scolded her. She said: 'It's so that you can go to heaven, for you say that one has to die to go there.' When she is overcome by love for her father, she wishes him dead too. The little darling never wants to leave me. She always keeps near me and loves to go into the garden, but if I'm not there she won't stay and cries so much that she has to be brought to me."

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - July 27, 2005.

2005-07-27T16:17:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off]

I have now reached a stage in my life when I can glance back at the past, for my soul has matured in a crucible of inner and external trials. Now, like a flower braced by a storm, I can raise my head and see that the words of the Psalmist have been fulfilled in me: "The Lord is my shepherd; how can I lack anything? He gives me a resting place where there is green pasture, leads me out to the cool water's brink, refreshed and content . . . dark be the valley about my path, but I fear none while he is with me." For me, the Lord has always been "pitying and gracious, patient and rich in mercy." So, Mother, it is with joy that I shall sing to you of His mercies. As it is for you alone that I am going to write the story of the Little Flower gathered by Jesus, I shall speak quite freely, without worrying about style or all the digressions I'm sure to make. A mother always understands her child even though it can lisp only a few words. So I am sure you will understand me, as it was you who fashioned my soul and offered it to Jesus.

I believe that if a little flower could speak, it would tell very simply and fully all that God had done for it. It would not say that it was ungraceful and had no scent, that the sun had spoilt its freshness, or that a storm had snapped its stem -- not when it knew the exact opposite was true.

The flower who is now going to tell her story rejoices at having to relate all the kindnesses freely done her by Jesus. She is well aware that there was nothing about her to attract His attention, and that it is His mercy alone which has created whatever there is of good in her. It was He who ensured that she began to grow in a most pure and holy soil, and it was He who saw to it that eight fair white lilies came before her. His love made Him want to keep His little flower safe from the tainted breezes of the world, and so she had scarcely begun to unfold her petals before He transplanted her on to the mountain of Carmel.

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - July 26, 2005.

2005-07-26T12:06:00.000-05:00

[continuing where we left off last time]

I also understood that God's love shows itself just as well in the simplest soul which puts up no resistance to His grace as it does in the loftiest soul. Indeed, as it is love's nature to humble itself, if all souls were like those of the holy Doctors who have illumined the Church with the light of their doctrine, it seems that God would not have stooped low enough by entering their hearts. But God has created the baby who knows nothing and can utter only feeble cries. He has created the poor savage with no guide but natural law, and it is to their hearts that He deigns to stoop. They are His wild flowers whose homeliness delights Him. By stooping down to them, He manifests His infinite grandeur. The sun shines equally both on cedars and on every tiny flower. In just the same way God looks after every soul as if it has no equal. All is planned for the good of every soul, exactly as the seasons are so arranged that the humblest daisy blossoms at the appointed time.

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued]

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation - July 16, 2005.

2005-07-16T14:58:00.000-05:00

Before starting, I knelt before the statue of Mary, the one which has given us so many proofs that the Queen of Heaven looks after us like a mother. I begged her to guide my hand so that I should not write a line that would displease her. Then I opened the Gospels and saw these words: "Then He went up onto the mountainside, and called to Him those whom it pleased Him to call." There, indeed, was the mystery of my vocation, of my whole life, and of the special graces given to me by Jesus. He does not call those who are worthy, but those He chooses. As St. Paul says: "I will show pity, He tells Moses, on those whom I pity; I will show mercy where I am merciful; the effect comes, then, from God's mercy, not from man's will, or man's alacrity."

I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace. I was astonished to see how He showered extraordinary favours on saints who had sinned against Him, saints such as St. Paul and St. Augustine. He forced them as it were, to accept His graces. I was just as astonished when I read the lives of the saints to see that Our Lord cherished certain favoured souls from the cradle to the grave and never allowed any kind of obstacle to check their flight towards Him. He bestowed such favours on them that they were unable to tarnish the spotless splendour of their baptismal robe. I also wondered why such vast numbers of poor savages died before they had even heard the name of God.

Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour 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. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.

It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.

~St. Therese of Lisieux, from her autobiography The Story of a Soul

[to be continued tomorrow]

Prayer to St.Therese of the Child Jesus

2005-07-16T14:16:00.000-05:00

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 today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands... (mention specific request)

Saint 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.