Sainte Thérèse of the Child Jesus, daughter of two saints, Zélie and Louis Martin, who are the first married couple to be canonized in the same ceremony, in 2015. She was canonized in 1927, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.
In her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, Saint Thérèse describes her "little way" - her belief that even the smallest things should be done with great love.
One of the precious gifts of the last generation of the Church is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is the new catechism that is filled with 1000 pages of what the church teaches.
It presents the faith in four parts, my favorite section is the fourth part on prayer. It is outstanding. It begins with a quote from the Little Flower:
Prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned towards heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.
Known as the Little Flower, along with Saint Francis of Assisi, whom we also celebrate this first week of October, she is one of the most beloved and popular saints ever.
She entered the Carmelite monastery at age 15, while still below the canonical age for admission to a religious institute, after she persuaded Pope Leo XIII and her priest-superior to waive the age limit.
She only lived until age 24 but she accomplished so much good in that short life. She is recognized as the patron saint of foreign missions and a Doctor of the faith. Here is the essence of her wisdom and her "little way" of seeking a means to get to Heaven:
I will seek out a means of getting to Heaven by a little way – very short and very straight little way that is wholly new. We live in an age of inventions; nowadays the rich need not trouble to climb the stairs, they have lifts instead. Well, I mean to try and find a lift by which I may be raised unto God, for I am too tiny to climb the steep stairway of perfection. […] Your Arms, then, O Jesus, are the lift which must raise me up even unto Heaven. To get there I need not grow. On the contrary, I must remain little, I must become still less.
The family of the Little Flower is one of true devotion, piety, and faith. Join us in praying for more families like the Martins who are in love with the Good God, in the Holy Trinity, on fire with love for Jesus.
These families will provide fertile soil in which saints may grow to full stature. On her deathbed, the Little Flower promised to spend eternity doing good on earth.
There are countless reports that show us... she is doing exactly that, 125 years after her death at age 24 in 1897.
Saint Therese, Pray for us.
- To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EST, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
