St.
Therese of Lisieux was indeed born to a very pious middle-class
French family in 1873 at Alcon, Normandy, France – indeed both her father and
her mother are one step away from canonization themselves. All four of her
sisters became nuns. At 8, Therese was cured from an illness when a statue of
the Blessed Virgin smiled at her. She was educated by Benedictine nuns of Notre
Dame du Pre and confirmed at age eleven.
Just before her 14th
birthday she received a vision of the Child Jesus (especially his Holy Face);
she immediately understood the great sacrifice that had been made for her, and
developed an unshakeable faith. With the aid of Pope Leo XIII whom she
contacted personally, Therese, joined the Carmelites at Lisieux in April 1888
and took her final vows on September 8, 1890 at age 17. Due to health problems
resulting from her ongoing fight with tuberculosis, her superiors ordered her
not to fast.
Therese became novice mistress
at age 20, and at 22 was ordered by her prioress to begin writing her memoirs
and ideas, which material would turn into the book “The Story of a Soul.” Therese defined her path to God and holiness
as “The Little Way” which consisted
of child-like love and trust in God – in it she taught that the very simplest
and meanest of tasks done for pure love of God can indeed save a soul somewhere
in the world who is in need of prayer at that moment. She espoused a
spirituality that was for everyone – not just the clergy and nuns, the educated
and the sophisticated.
Anyone
can be a saint so long as they lived forthright, honest, open, transparent
lives of faith and trust in God: as any child of a loving father would do.
These simple writings
qualified her to be named Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.
Therese died in 1897 of TB; many miracles were attributed to her; and she was
canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. She made a well-known promise before her
death: as long as there are any souls to
be saved, I will let fall from heaven a shower of roses (something for them
to reach out to for their salvation).
The
greatest in the Kingdom of heaven are the childlike: we must all turn and become like little
children – doing everything we do for others because we love our heavenly
Father - to find our place in our heavenly homeland.
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