St.
Therese of Lisiex – Doctor of the Church
“I fell that my mission is about
to begin, my mission to make God loved as I love Him, to teach soul my life
way” in the answer to the question “What is the little way you want to teach
the souls?” Theresa said: “It is the way of spiritual childhood, the way of
trust and absolute surrender.”
The poet Ben Johnson beautifully
wrote that “It is not growing like a tree In bulk
doth make Man better be; Or standing long an oak, three hundred year, To fall a
log at last, dry, bald, and sere: A lily of a day Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night— It was the plant and flower of light.”
What is the use of a long life, when
it’s meaningless? What is the use if we live as long as Methuselah who lived for
969 years (Genesis 5: 27) and have no sweetness in life? Even if life is short
we need to make it sweet. Jesus life was short, just 33 years, but he gave
sweetness to others; St. Theresa’s life was short, just 24 years, yet it was
fragrant; painful but fruitful. She appeared like a beautiful meteor in the sky
and passed away, but she left lasting beauty in the world. Although she lived
within the confines of the convent, she is proclaimed as the patron of mission.
Jesus ask us to become like a child:
What is the meaning of Jesus’ declaration, “Truly I tell you unless you change
and become like a children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” (Matthew
18: 3)The spontaneous answer given is a reference to the innocence of the
children. But, modern psychology has proved that the infants are not as
innocent as we presume. Therefore there are many other dimension to this
statement of Jesus.
More or less we can take five
statements among them…
Children lives in
the present: They don’t have a past. They quarrel for something, in the next
moment, they forget everything. They are not slaves of the past. We find it
difficult to forgive and forget because we are prisoners of the past. We are
not changed because we live in the history not in the present moment.
Children are never
tired of seeking or asking question: When we walk with them, they raise
questions continuously. Sometimes, we are annoyed at their unlimited quest of
knowledge. They are the real seekers of truth.
Children wonder at
the mysteries of nature: They seek the newness and beauty of the nature and
life. They are always open to the new revelations. They are transparent to
creative thinking.
Children never give
up try: We often abandon project. But children are never tired of work. They
continuously work. God has reviled great mysteries of kingdom to these children
as in Matthew 11: 25 “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you
have hidden these things from wise and he intelligent and have revealed them to
infants.”
Children are out of
Pride: St. Augustine says: “It was pride that changed angles into devils; it’s
humility that makes men angles.” Chand wick says: “Great is lowliness that
Christ Himself may be found in the person of a little child.”
The little way of St. Therese is a
way of perfection, it is the way of spirituality; it is the way of union with
God; it’s the way of holiness. She propound there simple facts of the law of
perfection.
i.
Everyone is called
to perfection: She believed that everyone is created by God, and He offers His
salvation to everyone, without discrimination. She believed that our weakness
and imperfection can provide the means to reach God. When we are weak, then
because of the grace of Christ, we are strong.
ii.
Everyone must have
the trust of a child: when we approach heavenly father, as a child surrender
itself into the hands of our earthly father, and we are must fully trust Him,
and surrender our lives to Him.
iii.
Everyone must
perform humble acts of charity: Humble acts of charity are greater than
performance of severe penance.
The “Little Flower”, as Saint Therese
was often called, had great insight into the simplicity of life and how small
things pleased God. Her mother died when she was young, and Therese entered a
convent at only fourteen years of age. She lived to be only twenty-four. And in
that short span of time on earth she grasped he importance of being as gentle
and loving as possible in the little trials of life. Jesus too, points to the
simplicity of god’s message. One doesn’t need to be a learned theologian to
understand the Gospel. If we were asked to summarize the message of the Gospel
in one sentence, what would it be?
“O Jesus! Why can’t I tell all little
souls how unspeakable is your condescension? I felt that if you found a soul
weaker and littler than mine, you would be pleased to grant it still greater
favours, provided if abandoned itself with total confidence to your infinite
Mercy. I beg you to cast Your Divine Glance upon a great number of little
souls. I beg you to choose a legion a little victims worthy of Your LOVE!”(St.
Therese Child of Jesus)
Lord Jesus, help me to understand the
simplicity of your message and apply it to my life in everyday, things with the
same determination as of St. Therese Child of Jesus.
Bro. Joseph Abraham CMI
Dharmaram College Bengaluru
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