St. Thérèse of Lisieux

From birth as Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, January 2, 1873 to death on September 30, 1897 at the young age of 24 as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, O.C.D., Thérèse made an impact on her family, her religious family in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux and on her extended family within the Catholic Church.

When she was denied entrance into the Carmelite convent at 15 years old, she appealed to her Bishop. When her Bishop said no, she begged her father to take her to Rome. When she had her chance during an audience with the Pope, she begged him to allow her to enter the convent. Even after being carried out from the Pope’s presence by two guards, she did not give up. Thérèse was smitten by love for Jesus and would not be denied.

April 9, 1888 she became a Carmelite postulant.and took her habit January 10, 1889. At aged 17 1/2, she made her religious profession September 8, 1890. She died on September 30, 1897 at the young age of 24 after being a Carmelite less than 10 years.. Thérèse was beatified on April 29, 1923 and canonized on May 17, 1925, by Pope Pius XI, only 28 years after her death. October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II added her to the ranks of Teresa of Ávila (Saint Teresa of Jesus), Hildegard of Bingen, and Catherine of Siena as a Doctor of the Church.

Thérèse reached these heights through her lowliness, which she called her Little Way. "I will seek out a means of getting to Heaven by a little way—very short and very straight, a little way that is wholly new”. She sought to perform small acts of charity and do small services for others, without making a big deal of it. Some today would call these “ Random Acts of Kindness”. Yet, she did not simply pay for the next person’s latte at the drive-in window. Thérèse sought the most disagreeable people, the most difficult tasks. She returned harsh and hateful criticisms with a smile and a good deed. Her delight was to present her immense suffering to her beloved Jesus.

She was dedicated to praying for her brother priests, especially for those missionaries in far off lands who offered their whole lives for Jesus. She stated that she had come to the cloistered monastery to save souls, and especially to pray for priests. Thérèse was devoted to the Child Jesus and to the Holy Face of Jesus.

For Thérèse, who dosed off citing rote prayers, stated “for me, prayer is a surge of the heart, a simple glance heavenward. It is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trials as well as joys. It is something great, supernatural which dilates the soul and unites me to Jesus" (Story of a Soul, p.242).

Thérèse of Lisieux is the patron saint of aviators, florists, illness(es) and missions. She is also considered by Catholics to be the patron saint of Russia, However, I am sure Thérèse is just a dedicated and persistent in heaven to assist all of us, and we know she is living up to her promise to continue to intercede for us, as she proclaimed before her death, "I will return," she said. "My heaven will be spent on earth."

Today, on her Feast Day, let us all storm heaven with prayers like she did, and ask her for a special favor from her intercession.

Citations

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, trans. John Clarke, OCD, 3rd edition (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1996).

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=105 http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1155

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_of_Lisieux Saint Thérèse de Lisieux (2012).

The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme). The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse. Hamburg: Tredition GmbH. ISBN 3-84720699-0.