SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX CENTENARY REFLECTIONS
AUSTRALIAN DISCALCED CARMELITES NO. 2
Memories and letters
TRACES OF GOD'S MERCY
Often people who have known some kind of poverty in their life can be heard to say, "We didn't own very much but we certainly valued the few things that we had." Stories from the years of the Depression are sometimes presented as testimonies to the great capacity of human imagination and ingenuity, "We were able, as kids, to find great treasure and entertainment in the most ordinary things." These stories tells us that in a situation of poverty the eyes can be sharpened to discover the value which is hidden beneath ordinary surfaces.
A rich child, who has been given the best of everything, may take a while to adjust to the imaginative play of a poorer child. The rich child may, at first, simply see the poor child playing around with rubbish, odds and ends, and things of little real value. If that is all the rich child continues to see then he will pass by and never know the world where the poor child plays and explores. Some kinds of sophistication can really become forms of blindness. The only way for the rich child to enter into that world is by listening and observing the poor child at play until a common vision is finally shared.
A mother's heart understands her child even when it can but stutter, and so I am sure of being understood by you, who formed my heart, offering it up to Jesus!
Story of a Soul, chapter 1.
If we were to open up the first chapter of the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux (The Story of a Soul) we might find ourselves like the rich child who comes across a poor child at play. We might be surprised and even put off by the world which she invites us to enter. In the first chapters of the Story of a Soul we are shown the world of an early infant, in a Catholic family, of 19th Century France. It is a world described with a simple mixture of enthusiasm and seriousness.
As we meet Thérèse, writing her Story of a Soul, we find her picking up bits and pieces of her early life. She sees a great deal in matters which might, at first, appear to us to be of very little consequence: childhood acts of affection for her parents and sisters, temper tantrums, tears and moments of sensitivity and generosity, the pleasure found in a parent's presence. These are the bits and pieces which Therese begins to take up, re-examine and explore through her writing. In order to see the treasure, and not pass by, we must come to share in Therese's way of seeing. This can only happen by watching and listening just as the rich child, who watches and listens, is slowly drawn into the play world of the poor child. We can begin to understand Therese when we hear her speak about the one thing which she wants to explore and write about:
It is not then, my life properly so called that I am going to write: it is my thoughts on the graces God deigned to grant me…
Story of a Soul, chapter 1.
Therese is interested in exploring God's mercy in her life. A child who walks along the shore of the sea discovers the ways of the sea through exploring all that can be found on the shore. Each shell, each piece of drift wood or flotsam and jetsam, adds to the greater picture of the sea's life. Each piece lies waiting to tell its own story about the deep mystery of the sea. Therese picks up and explores the bits and pieces of her childhood because she believes each piece adds to the greater picture of God's merciful presence. She is a saint who believes that everything in life, even in the childhood years, is important because it all comes from God's hands. God is present in each moment (though sometimes in a hidden way). And so, each moment provides an opportunity to meet and move more deeply into God's mysterious presence.
In the first chapter of the Story of a Soul, Therese picks up and explores the letters that her mother wrote when Therese was still an infant.
I loved Mamma and Papa very much and showed my tenderness for them in a thousand ways, for I was very expressive. The means I employed at times were strange, as this passage from one of Mamma's letters proves: "Baby is a little imp; she'll kiss me and at the same time wish me to die. 'Oh, how I wish you would die, dear little Mother!' When I scold her she answers: 'it is because I want you to go to heaven, and you say we must die to get there!' She wishes the same for her Father in her outbursts of affection for him."
Story of a Soul, chapter 1.
We can almost picture Therese, as a young Carmelite nun, picking up and thoughtfully reading the letters of her mother. These letters are filled with the reflections of a mother who gazes on her young children and ponders all the little details of their lives. Zelie Martin writes about her children with interest and honesty. We see this in the way she writes and describes her young infant daughter Therese: a child who is expressive and emotional, honest and quick to apologise, full of laughter and very intelligent, sometimes a "little imp" who could be thoughtless and stubborn and yet who also has "a heart of gold."
As Therese picks up these letters, reading and quoting from them, she meets the reflective gaze of her mother. We should not underestimate the importance of these letters: Zelie Martin died when Therese was only 4½ years old. These letters were a unique place where Therese was able to discover the way she was seen in the eyes of her mother and the qualities of her mother's love.
God granted me the favour of opening my intelligence at an early age and of imprinting childhood recollections so deeply on my memory that it seems the things I'm about to recount happened only yesterday. Jesus in His love willed, perhaps, that I know the matchless mother He had given me, but whom His hand hastened to crown in heaven.
Story of a Soul, chapter 1
Often, when we turn our minds to our own past, we can experience many feelings. We might think about the past with a sad longing for the happy times we have known. We might be able to remember our past with joy and with thanks for all that we have received. We may even feel regret or bitterness when we think of memories which we simply try to forget. Our own life history is something deeply personal. It can be made up of memories that give us hope and confidence or memories that hold us back and drag us down. In the Story of a Soul, Therese reflects on both the times of happiness and sorrow in her life. One of the beautiful things about Therese is that she sees and understands her life from the point of view of faith. Her faith made her able to believe, more and more deeply, that God was hard at work in every moment of her life, providing for her deepest needs and strengthening her faith. In fact Therese believed that it was her journey through the difficult times which gave her the maturity to look back on her past and see God's mercy at work:
I find myself at a period in my life when I can cast a glance upon the past; my soul has matured in the crucible of exterior and interior trials.
Story of a Soul, chapter 1
If we spend time with a saint like Therese of Lisieux then we not only learn from her but we can be positively influenced by her presence and her prayerful support. In our reflections we have seen that Therese believed that God's mercy was to be found even in the early years of her life. She was able to respond with thanksgiving because she was able to recognise that all was a gift from God. It is important that we not only think about Therese's ideas but also pray that we might see the real signs of God's mercy in the people and events of our lives. We might also pray, if we are troubled by our memories of the past, for the healing power that can gradually be given through faith. As we recognize the signs of God's mercy and healing we should also pray for a spirit of thanksgiving to God who always desires our love and our healing.

A prayer for a spirit of wisdom and thanksgiving
God, our Father and Creator, through the intercession and friendship of St. Therese, we ask for wisdom to see the signs of your mercy in the love of people and in the events of our lives.
Give us hearts to give you thanks and sing your praises.
May St. Therese pray for us in all our needs.
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

Who are the Discalced Carmelites?
St. Therese of Lisieux was a member of a religious order within the Catholic Church, called the Discalced Carmelites. This order continues to be a living presence in the church dedicated to daily self-giving to God through prayer and the shared life of the community.
Why do people become Carmelites?
Men and women, from various backgrounds, become Discalced Carmelites because they have experienced the call of Christ. Each person would have their own unique story to tell. Often the call of Christ has been recognised through reading the spiritual teachings of our saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and, of course, St. Therese of Lisieux. These great saints speak of the possibility of a deep and life-giving relationship with God through prayer.
How would you describe the spirituality of the Carmelites?
The Carmelite saints are all concerned with one basic question: if each one of us is made for God, then how can we give ourselves to this great God of love? We give ourselves through prayer. For Carmelites an important part of our daily prayer is simply, silently to meet with God in love. The saints speak about prayer not only as our act of self-giving to God but also as the place where we can receive, ever more deeply, the gift of God's transforming presence.
We also give ourselves to God through sharing our life with the community. St Teresa of Avila, foundress of the Discalced Carmelites, emphasised that our life should be a balance between times of solitude and times spent with our Carmelite brothers and sisters who are part of God's gift to us.

Extracts taken from THE STORY OF A SOUL by St. Therese of Lisieux, ICS Publications, Washington.
Reflections by Robert Donnelly

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