Today we honor Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.
When Saint Therese was declared saint in 1925, Pope Pius XI said that she is the greatest saint of modern time. Then, in 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Therese a Doctor of the Church – only the 33rd person (and the 3rd woman) in the history of the Church to be made such.
Usually, those who are made doctors are people who have produced volumes of theological writings and have succeeded to explain profound doctrines, dogmas, or mysteries. Interestingly, however, Saint Therese was able to produce only one tiny book - her little autobiography – which was very simply written.
And so, we ask: Why was this simple woman made a Doctor of the Church, and why was she acknowledged the greatest of all modern time saints?
Above all, it has to do with the simplicity and popularity of Saint Therese’s doctrine. She is a Doctor of the Church because she has had a strong influence in the lives of many people. And the reason why we would admire Saint Therese is because her teaching is so simple, so real, and so human. It is known as “The Little Way” – which tells us that by doing our daily tasks, with the greatest amount of love, we become holy, we become saints.
Some might find Saint Therese’s teaching so simplistic, and yet, it carries a lot of truth. Sometimes people would tend to make the spiritual life so difficult, if not complicated. We could get the impression that to be pleasing to God, we need to do extraordinary things. Saints are those who do marvelous things for God and who produce miracles for people. But when we look at Saint Therese, what we see is the ordinariness of her life. She entered the Carmelite monastery when she was 15, held no high positions in the community, and did not do extraordinary things. She was just a young woman with the most intense and incredible love for God. Therese did not live very long for she died at the age of 24. Yet, during her short life, she manifested great love for God and for people by fulfilling her duties with love and to the best of her ability.
The Little Way is something that we all can follow. We can fulfill our daily tasks as best as we could and with one motivation in mind, that is, to show love. St Therese reminds us that it is not merely a matter of doing it in a perfect way; it is a matter of doing it with love. The little tasks that we do with greatest love everyday can become the most extraordinary and most wonderful gifts that we can offer back to God.
Saint Theresa gave us this beautiful prayer:
May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment