St. Thérèse of Lisieux

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is one of the Church's most popular saints. Thérèse was born in 1873 to Louis Martin, a watchmaker, and Zelie Guerin, a lace-maker; she was one of nine children, four of whom died very young. Thérèse suffered greatly in her early life due to the death of her mother, and she endured years of very difficult mental anguish. Thérèse's faith was strong, and she became a Carmelite nun at the early age of fifteen, after requesting the special permission of her bishop and the pope. She lived in the Carmelite convent of Lisieux, France, joining two of her sisters there. Her other two sisters also became nuns.

Her nine years there seemed uneventful and ordinary, yet were very heroic. Thérèse realized that sanctity could be achieved in and through the simple routines and daily work of life. Instead of ambitiously seeking to do great things, she contented herself with following her "little way" — simple trust in and love for God, and the attempt to glorify Him in everything she did, no matter how insignificant. She considered herself the "little flower," more ordinary than a rose, unseen by the world, yet beautiful and cherished by God nonetheless.

She once said, "I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." Thérèse suffered from poor health all her life, but, in spite of her frailty, she spent many hours of hard work in the convent laundry and refectory.

During her last year of life, she contracted tuberculosis and suffered greatly before dying at the very young age of twenty-four. (The day of her death she murmured, "I would not suffer less.") Her autobiography, written in obedience to her superiors, was later published under the title "The Story of a Soul." As she died, she clutched a crucifix, and repeated, "Oh, how I love Him!"

She was canonized a saint, and in 1997 was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II.

Lessons From St. Thérèse of Lisieux

1. St. Thérèse is attractive to many people because her understanding of holiness is very practical: simply doing everything, no matter how routine, with as much love as possible.

2. As the Second Vatican Council emphasized, all Christians are called to holiness. This doesn't have to involve religious adventures, spiritual ecstasies and visions, or heroic deeds; instead, we can glorify God and grow in grace simply by fulfilling our daily duties faithfully and lovingly.

Novena to Saint Therese of the Child Jesus

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.

Amen.

Dear Friend of the Little Flower,

St. Therese Feast Day is such a special celebration of grace. It is a special time to celebrate her goodness and call upon her intercession.

You are a part of St. Therese's Shower of Roses and you richly share in her legacy of love as a friend at the Society of the Little Flower.

On September 30th, 1897, St. Therese was born to eternal life. She promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth. The rich graces of your devotion to her "little way" and your life of charity and holiness show the influence of St. Therese's promised Shower of Roses.

On behalf of our Carmelite priests and brothers, I warmly invite you to celebrate with us the "heavenly birthday" of our beloved St. Therese.

Please pray with us on October 1st and forward to me your special Novena prayer intentions.

Your faithful prayers and financial support enable the Carmelites to live the Gospel message today in the footsteps of St. Therese.

We would be honored if you would join in our special Feast Day of Prayer on October 1, 2002.

Your friend of St. Therese,

Fr. Bob Colaresi, O. Carm.

Director

P. S. Visit here to participate in our most special celebration of the Little Flower.

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

October 1, 2005

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

(1873-1897)

"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." These are the words of Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the "Little Flower," who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. [In French-speaking areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux.] And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24.

Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote: "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth."

[On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church.]

Comment:

Thérèse has much to teach our age of the image, the appearance, the "sell." We have become a dangerously self-conscious people, painfully aware of the need to be fulfilled, yet knowing we are not. Thérèse, like so many saints, sought to serve others, to do something outside herself, to forget herself in quiet acts of love. She is one of the great examples of the gospel paradox that we gain our life by losing it, and that the seed that falls to the ground must die in order to live (see John 12).
Preoccupation with self separates modern men and women from God, from their fellow human beings and ultimately from themselves. We must relearn to forget ourselves, to contemplate a God who draws us out of ourselves and to serve others as the ultimate expression of selfhood. These are the insights of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and they are more valid today than ever.

Quote:

All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less."
Truly she was a valiant woman who did not whimper about her illnesses and anxieties. Here was a person who saw the power of love, that divine alchemy which can change everything, including weakness and illness, into service and redemptive power for others. Is it any wonder that she is patroness of the missions? Who else but those who embrace suffering with their love really convert the world?

"Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labors." - St. Thérèse
Look into the life of St.Thérèse from her early years as a loving child to her achievement of heroic holiness. Programs about St. Thérèse in the Pray the Little Flower Novena for nine consecutive days Letters from and to St. Thérèse reveal her deepest thoughts, her charity, and her great Love of God. Learn about St. Thérèse through her own writings, and from those who knew her. Shows parents how an intimate knowledge & love of the saints can help form character and ideals. Shows how to make sanctity attractive to and the goal of their children. Take a glimpse into the spirituality of St. Thérèse and how she came to perfection in the Carmel of Lisieux. Prayers and quotes from St. Thérèse's writings, and prayers to the saint.. Learn more about St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face through these selected sources.

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