I downloaded an edition 'Story of a Soul', by St Therese of Liseaux last night on Audible and through head phones for ten hours,; wuite an experience. Immersive. Not only did this edition have a lengthy preface but it included her letters and reminciences of converstaions and quotes from the young saint. I first read her autobiography as a child and ahve read it so many times since I can't keep count. Every time I come back to it I am older and see it from a new angle. As I have grown in prayer so I have had eyes to see it better.
The first impression I got was just how overwhelmingly holy this young girl was, so wise ; to be honest osme of the things she wrote and said were just byond me , I would really have to take them away and pray and pray about them but with the special assistance of the Holy Spirit I know they will remain a mystery. She is not a Doctor of the Church for nothing. The first thing I noticed was the continuing series of supernatural events and occurences in her life right on from early childhood. People keep saying she is the siant of the, 'Ordinary'. But you knwo when you think about ti there were quite a series of stunning events surrounding her. For isntance when very young she was cured of a serious illness by a miraculous apparition of the Blessed Virgin. She also see two small devils outside her window. Later she sees her father in a dream suffering a serous illness which later occurs. She has a drema in which she meets three Carmelite saints on of whom blesses her and confirms her vocation. She has a prayerful intution of her early death. She forecast to another nun she will die within a year and where she will be buried. The list goes on... Also her worting and conversation is so scriptural. She mentioned that towards the end of her life she read nothing but scripture . It shows so much in her writing and lifestyle. It is a tissue of scripture, particualry the psalms. When sub novice mistress she speaks of correcting the Noviecs with the , 'Sword of Scripture.' In talking of Charity at one point she goes back ot last teaching of Jesus from the Gospel of St John and again and again she turns to quoting St Paul of Tarsus. Her little parablse her analogies remind me so much of Christ's Parables.
Not only was Saint Therese a saint but she came from a family of Saints, her mother and father being both saints as well and there being moves to raise to the altars her sisters as well. I think this takes us were we ask the question where and why was the Hand of God laying so heavily on this particular family. I suspect this is for the same reason Rome Declared Therese a Doctor of the Church; to undelrine the importance of her , 'Little Way.' What was her, 'Little Way'. Well I suppose most people would rush to say it was in doing little things for God. Not being a big saint in doing big penances , but in offering little things to God in dearly life; little penances. Certainly Therese did this throughout her time in Carmel, for instance offering uop the annyance of the rattling of a rosary at prayer or another sister spraying laundry water in her face, or helping out a crothety old sister. But these were her tactics the practical way of putting into the everyday. Putting ehr spiritual stragey, the, 'Lttle Way into practise'. What was the strategy? The strategy was to ,as a little child throw herself into the arms of Jesus and ask Him to carry her in his arms. To rely totally on Grace rather than a do it yourself effort. St Therese quotes a story from the Desert fathers regarding this. There was a woman of a certain town who had a very bad reputation indeed. A very great sinner. However on hearing the sermon of a Holy Father she converted in great contrition. The father was bringing her to a convent where she was to live when she died of love and sorrow for her sins before she even got there. Grace had done its work in such a short time she died a saint a matter of days after her conversion. Reflecting the words of Jesus, Matthew 11:12 Jesus Testifies about John …11Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it. 13For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.…
To do little things with great love. Its not as easy as it sounds lol. I love my Little Flower so much! From the books ive read about her what i truly loved was that Therese as a child was willful stubborn and had a temper, a child who was spoiled in a loving family. She was normal. When people realize this it makes her easier to love. Her mothers death changed her so much as her heart was so broken. Her Christmas miracle with our Lady of the Smile if i remember right. I strive to do little things with great love because of her
As Jesus said, 'Those who are Faithful in small things will be Faithful in great'. I think St Therese may not only have been a saint but a super saint. Imagine she died when only 26. I think I had only woke up by then. Her every thought seemd to be of God, her every breath a prayer. After I listened to her story all night I called into a little chapel the next day, St Therese's and went to the grotto with her marble white statue and pictures of her, covered in all kinds of fresh roses and lillies..and she just seemed very,very close indeed. How wonderful God is in his saints. How truly wonderful.
When she was young that, 'Illness', that nearly killed her. It is tempting to see a neurotic pathology here. That the loss of her saint mother undermined her and that she simply, 'gave up', on life. It is often so that mystical phenomena are interpreted the wrong way. So that, for instance the Dark Night of the Soul if seen as Clinical Depressiion , or the stigmata is seen as self inflicted or a result somehow as , 'Auto suggestion' or self inlficted or even outright fraud. For as St Paul says, 1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. This is one fo the reasons why we have to be very careful in introducing unbelievers into the Discernment process in admitting people to the priesthood or religious orders. They might , for instance see someone who has a very deep spiritual life as being neurotic. Or someone who had experienced visions or profound mysticla experiences as being unbalanced. In the case of St Therese I belive her, 'Illness' was caused by very intense attack by the devil. That he was trying to kill her. Two questions occur here In the first place why did the devil attack this particular young child? In the second place why did God eprmit this? Well the first answer is obvious the devil had seen young St Therese and knew that that there was every likelihood that she was going to become a great saint. So he wanted to kill her off right away. The second question I believe may be answered like this. The name of Stan actually means , @Aversary'; that he serves like a public prosectuer accusing and testing the Faithful like Gold in the Furnace. Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The devil then I suspect made his case that since she was heading to be a huge saint and the recipient of massive graces it was only fair that she be tested on the same basis. A case of horses for courses. You can see the exact same thing in the case of Padre Pio who wasa ttacked by the devil quite directly from early childhood.
