On Oct. 1, the Church remembers and honors one of the greatest saints in her history – St. Therese of Lisieux.
Why does the Church do so and why call her one of the greatest? St. Therese is a model for us today in our over-scheduled, hyper-busy family lifestyles. She calls us through her example to remember that it is the little things we do in life that often have the biggest impact. And she reminds us, too, of the power of prayer.
Who is this wonderful woman that we honor in the month of October?
Born in 1873, Therese had a tumultuous and brief life. Her mother died when she was only four years old. Deeply affected by her mother’s death, the once joyful and boisterous Therese became sullen and prone to angry outbursts. When her elder sister, Pauline (who became Therese’s surrogate mother), left only five years later to join the Carmelite sisters, Therese became extremely ill. She was subject to headaches, fevers, sleeplessness, hallucinations and episodes of deep depression. Little Therese believed she was being afflicted by the devil. Then one day, Therese turned her head to a statue of the Virgin near her bed and prayed for a cure. “Suddenly” Therese writes, “…Mary’s face radiated kindness and love.” Therese was cured. From then on, Therese was committed to joining her sister in the convent. Too young to join, she never gave up, finally entering the Carmelite sisters at the age of 15!
Here is where Therese’s story becomes worth paying attention to. Today, we so much want to be in control of our lives, sometimes micromanaging the tiniest details. We stress ourselves – and often our children – in the herculean effort of staying on track with our personal goals. Headstrong and committed from such an early age, Therese also knew what she wanted, but often faced challenges and struggles.
When she entered the convent, her deepest desire was to become a missionary, bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to new places beyond her native France.
Another serious illness – tuberculosis – weakened her body so much that she was unable to fulfill her wish. Instead, she learned that she must surrender completely to God’s will and accept that God had a very different plan for her. She dedicated her life to prayer for the missions and for the salvation of the world. In her humility, she declared: “At last I have found my vocation. In the heart of the Church, I will be Love!”
St. Therese dedicated the rest of her life (she died in 1907 at the age of 24) to her “Little Way”. Fueled and supported by prayer and the Eucharist, her every action was infused with love. Even when her fellow sisters criticized her for being lazy and uncooperative, she loved. When an elderly nun beat her, she loved. Even as she suffered from severe illness, she loved.
St. Therese gave it all to God, allowing Jesus to work through her. “I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new,” she once wrote.
In our busy and uncertain world, this lesson of doing little things with great love can be difficult. As parents, how do we teach our children to be confident without being boastful? Strong without being aggressive? We can teach them to follow the Little Way of St. Therese – and do everything with love.
Mark Russoniello is parish catechetical leader in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.
Novena Prayer to St. Therese of Lisieux
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 to grant the favors
I now place with confidence in your hands.
(mention your personal need in silence here)
St. 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
Learn more about St. Therese of Lisieux at these Catholic websites.
FORMED.org – St. Therese of Lisieux (The Littlest Saints Series)
Subscription required
FORMED.org – The Saints: Our Heavenly Friends (Brother Francis Series)
Subscription required