SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX CENTENARY REFLECTIONS
AUSTRALIAN DISCALCED CARMELITES NO. 1
FLOWER POWER
INTRODUCTION TO A SPIRITUAL CHILD
Fame has a routine all to itself. It's a routine that involves front-page
headlines, photo opportunities, big name associations and recognition.
We are all familiar, at least from the outside, with the world of the
famous. We see that world in our newspapers and magazines, on our television
and radio programs. Being famous means becoming bigger than life, raised
up as a star, higher than mere mortals, untouched and untainted by ordinariness.
In 1897 a young nun died, at the age of 24, in the Carmelite Monastery
of Lisieux, in France. She had spent the few years of her adult life praying,
working and sharing in the life of an enclosed community of contemplative
nuns. It was a life of silence and simplicity. It was a life filled with
the ordinary struggles of living in the daily company of others. This
certainly isn't the background we would associate with fame. In fact the
life of St. Therese of Lisieux was quite the opposite of a life of fame
and yet, not long after her death, this young Carmelite nun would become
famous throughout the world.
The greatest saint of modern times.
Pope St. Pius X
This is the first of a series of reflections which were published to commemorate
the centenary of the death of St. Therese of Lisieux, the saint who is
popularly known as the Little Flower. In our reflections we will listen
to this young woman as she speaks of her life and spiritual way to God.
We will meet her as companion and guide in the journey of following Jesus
in faith, hope and love.
In the Gospel we hear the parable of the treasure hidden in a field. A
person who discovers such a treasure goes and sells everything so as to
purchase the field and gain the treasure. The treasure, as we know, is
the Kingdom of Heaven and that treasure is hidden and awaits discovery.
It lies in the deep subterranean darkness waiting for one with the sensitivity
to stop and notice and dig deep. It lies waiting for one who will realise
that below the ordinary surface there is depth and in that depth there
is wealth.
It is fortunate that, in the monastery where Therese lived, there were
certain individuals who sensed that beneath the ordinary surface of Sister
Therese of the Child Jesus there was a treasure waiting to be uncovered.
In a religious age which emphasized the demands of Divine Justice this
young nun carried a treasure in her heart which she had received through
her on-going relationship with God. The treasure in her heart was a living
faith in a God of tender mercy.
In the last years of her life, Therese was asked to write her autobiography;
a book which we now know as the Story of a Soul. In that book we can begin
to discover the character of this saint. She writes in response to the
request of those who realised she had a spiritual treasure. She begins
her task with a determination to write "without false humility."
And so begins a simple work of honesty and imagination: Therese begins
her story with a field of flowers.
It seems to me that if a little flower could speak,
it would tell simply what God has done for it without trying to hide its
blessings. It would not say, under the pretext of a false humility, it
is not beautiful or without perfume, that the sun has taken away its splendour
and the storm has broken its stem when it knows that all this is untrue.
The flower about to tell her story rejoices at having to publish the totally
gratuitous gifts of Jesus.
Story of a Soul, chapter 1.
In many ways Therese discovered that the key that unlocked the wonder
of God's loving presence was the key of ACCEPTANCE. It's a very simple
principle, and yet quite elusive. How much of our time is spent dreaming
of doing something different from what we are doing, being somewhere different
from where we are, being somebody different from who we are! We use a
lot of time and energy planning our escape from ourselves and from what
the present moment brings. What is it, inside us, that pushes us to seek
an escape? Our human hearts are made to search for truth, goodness and
love. In fact our hearts are made for the truth, goodness and love which
is perfectly found in God alone. The problem is we often make the mistake
of constantly directing our searching away from the one place where God
has chosen to meet us. That meeting place is our everyday life.
Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before
me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers He has created
are beautiful, how the splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the
Lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful
simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all flowers wanted to be
roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no
longer be decked out with little wild flowers.
And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus' garden. He willed to create
great souls comparable to Lilies and roses, but He has created smaller
ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give
joy to God's glances when He looks down at his feet. Perfection consists
in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.
Story of a Soul, chapter 1.
St. Therese has written her autobiography with her eyes fixed on the truth,
goodness and love that God has given in the small, ordinary and simple
aspects that make up her own life. She writes with faith in a God who
has created her life and fashioned it especially for her . It is that
kind of faith which leads her to explore the particular beauty and goodness
of her life as a unique gift given by God. We learn from Therese that
the life we have is both God's gift and the ongoing work-place of God's
merciful love. Therese also writes with confidence in the pleasure that
God receives from even the most simple and unnoticeable life which is
offered up to God with love. Every life fits into the great picture of
God's creation and every life can give great pleasure and glory to God.
A PRAYER FOR EYES OF FAITH
God, our Father and Creator, through the intercession of St. Therese we
ask for eyes to recognise that the particular life you have given each
of us is your gift, and the place of your blessing.
May St. Therese who offered you all the events of her daily life help
us to confidently offer everything that each day brings to you, our loving
Father.
We make our prayer through your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives
and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Therese's Life
2 January, 1873
Marie-Francoise Therese Martin is born & baptised on 4 January
28 August, 1877
Therese's mother, Zelie Martin, dies of breast cancer, when Therese is
4½.
2 October, 1882
Her sister, Pauline, enters Lisieux Carmel
25 March, 1883
Therese is overcome with a serious illness
13 May, 1883
She recovers from her illness attributing the cure to Our Lady.
8 May, 1884
Therese receives her first communion and, the following month, is confirmed.
During 1885
Therese began to experience the spiritual problem of scruples.
15 October, 1886
Another sister of Therese, Marie, enters the Carmel of Lisieux.
25 December, 1886
Therese experiences a conversion. She had experienced the common problem
of being over-sensitive to the remarks of others but in a moment of grace
she found that God had released her from that problem.
November, 1877
Therese goes on a pilgrimage to Italy. During the pilgrimage she met Pope
Leo XIII and requested permission to become a Carmelite nun.
9 April, 1888
At the age of 15 Therese enters the Carmel of Lisieux.
8 September, 1890
She takes her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
20 February, 1893 her sister, Pauline, known in the community as Sister
Agnes of Jesus, is elected the prioress of the Carmel
29 July, 1894
Louis Martin, the father of Therese, dies after having suffered from mental
illness for some years.
14 September, 1894
Celine Martin, another sister of Therese, enters the Carmel of Lisieux.
Begins to write her autobiography during 1894.
Holy Thursday, 1896
Therese experiences her first haemorrhage. During that Easter she experiences
a time of terrible, spiritual darkness.
April 1897
She falls seriously ill and some members of the community begin to record
their conversations with her.
30 July, 1897
Therese receives the last rites.
30 September, 1897
Therese dies and on the 4th of October she is buried in the Lisieux Cemetery.
Extracts taken from THE STORY OF A SOUL
by St. Therese of Lisieux, ICS
Publications, Washington.
For more information read: St. Therese of Lisieux - her last conversations,
ICS Publications.
The Spiritual Journey of St. Therese by Guy Gaucher. Published by Darton,
Longman & Todd - London.
Reflections by Robert Donnelly
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