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Introduction

St. Therese of Lisieux known as the ‘Little Flower’ is a popular Carmelite saint not only among Catholics, but also outside the Church. From the time of her death in 1897 at the age of 24, Theresa continues to be an inspiration to so many across the globe ‘to love God and make Him loved’. Her autobiography ‘The Story of a Soul’ has been translated into 40 languages and distributed in millions of copies. People from all the walks of life including Theologians, Spiritual masters, Religious, laymen and even atheists have pondered her writings and become her disciples. Almost all who have come to know her are convinced that this young religious has traced for us an authentic way of holiness and brought us a vital message that is eminently suitable for our times.
St. Therese is considered as an ordinary Saint with an extraordinary mission. A mission which she completed successfully within a span of 24 years! For this Therese had to be molded in the crucible of suffering – from early childhood to the moment of her death. Early death of her mother, separation from her siblings, obstacles to her vocation, the humiliating sickness and death of her father, trials in her daily religious life and the painful disease endured for long that took her life. There did not merely accept suffering, but passionately loved it. Through it she came to understand her mission and expanded her doctrine in all its clarity, which could be a source of inspiration to both great and little souls.

Mission Of St. Therese

In an era where the justice of God was so much stressed and people kept accounts with God as with a just judge St. Therese unfolded the mysteries of the merciful love of God. “The love which stoops down --------- even to nothingness and transforms that nothingness into the fire of love’. To experience this merciful love of God, Therese thought that we should become like little children, who have no merits of their own. Her way consists essentially in the ‘way of childhood’ which is the ‘way of confidence and love’. Her zeal for the salvation of sinners and her interest in the sanctification of priests were only the manifestations of the merciful love of God burning in her heart. But she did not limit her mission there, it embraced the whole world, which made the Church to declare her as the Patron of all Catholic missions.
St. Therese’s spirituality, her doctrine of the ‘Way of Spiritual Childhood’ can be summed up in three fundamental principles:
1. We must fully recognize our spiritual poverty, our incapacity and limitations and accept it.
2. We should have recourse to God with a blind and filial confidence, so that He can accomplish in us what we cannot do ourselves. For God is our Father; He is LOVE infinitely merciful.
3. We must believe in this LOVE and apply ourselves to the practice of love.

Jesus – The Center Of Her Spiritual Life

Jesus held the dominant place in Therese’s life and spirituality. In every page of her writings the holy name of Jesus or its equivalent appears. It is used more frequently than he terms ‘GOD’ or ‘FATHER’.
Her familiarity and intimacy with Jesus is revealed in her words, when at the age of 11 she received her first Holy Communion. “For long time Jesus and Therese had had known and understood each other, but today their meeting was a fusion. They are no longer two. Therese disappeared ------- Jesus alone remained.” Jesus was her first friend and the only ALL of her soul, whom alone she wanted to please.
“When in my youthful heart was kindled
The fire which we call love,
You came then Lord, to claim it;
And you alone, O Jesus, could fill my soul.”
[POEM – ‘A Lily Among Thorns]
St. Therese’s love of Jesus was marked by a most exquisite delicacy with great tenderness. Jesus was ‘The Elevator’ that should raise her to the bosom of God. And in all her sufferings she saw only the kind hands of Jesus. He was her spiritual guide, who revealed to her the meaning of Scripture and led her gradually to fathom her “Little Way”.
St. Theresa loved and pondered al the mysteries of Jesus. But she had a special devotion to two particular aspects of His life:
- THE CHILD JESUS – It is through contemplating the mystery of the littleness of the Son of God, that she developed her doctrine of the ‘Way of Spiritual Childhood’. It gave her the love and confidence to soar high in spite of her own human weakness.
- THE HOLY FACE – The Holy Face of Jesus was her beacon, guiding her and sustaining her courage during the time of aridity and darkness. The disfigured face of the Savior inspired her with a love for suffering and zeal for souls. She wished to be hidden and forgotten by everybody like Jesus. To be despised and considered as nothing was her motto.

The Fervent Daughter Of St. Theresa of Avila

In the autobiography of St. Therese, the most frequently used word is “desire”. She was a person of unlimited desires. Even as a child she wanted to “choose all”. She was ready to do anything to fulfill her desires which God had inspired her. In that sense, she is the true daughter of the zealous Reformer of Carmel, St. Theresa Of Avila, who had the “determined determination” in accomplishing all that God wanted of her. She who was willing “to die a thousand deaths to save a single soul” had a very strong influence on little Therese. Therese clearly understood her share in the redemptive work of Christ and was determined “to remain constantly at the foot of the Cross and collect the precious blood of the Saviour and pour it out for the benefit of souls, especially the sinners”. Thus she shared the missionary work of the Apostles and preachers and later proved herself worthy to be the Patroness of the Mission.
Like her Holy Mother St. Teresa of Avila, although young in years and simple in spirituality, Therese was strong and firm in her teaching and doctrine. As a novice mistress, she was very demanding and never allowed the weakness of human nature dominate the young sisters whom she was directing.

St. Therese is considered as an ordinary saint with an extraordinary mission. A mission which she completed successfully within a span of 24 years! The Catholic Church soon recognized the relevance of her doctrine in the modern world when Pope Pius XI declared her as a “Mistress of Spiritual Life, who was sent by God to point out to us a sure way of salvation – an easy way to perfection and fullness of love.”
A True Disciple of St. John of the Cross
At the early age of seventeen Therese imbibed the spirit of the mystical doctor of Carmel, St. John of the Cross. In the beginning of her Carmelite life it was he who fed her soul and she literally lived on his teachings during the times of aridity and obscurity. He gave her counsels about growth in charity, intuitions about the infinite love of God and the work of divine charity in the human soul. His doctrine corresponded clearly to Theresa’s experience – God is love, goodness pouring itself out.
The spirituality of childhood which Therese developed was that of littleness and poverty. It is in complete conformity with the teachings of St. John of the Cross, for whom transforming union with God is realized in absolute poverty. The two lights guiding the way to this union will be – the light of God’s love and the light of one’s own poverty. As a true disciple of St. John of the Cross, she experienced it to the core and made it the simplest yet profound basis of her doctrine.
A SAINT FOR OUR TIMES
St. Therese was well aware that in the 19th century which she lived, the world was witnessing great changes. She wrote “we are living in an age of inventions. We no longer have to take the trouble of climbing stairs… an elevator has replaced them successfully,” Therese was confident that she too could invent new paths in spiritual life, provided that they are in conformity with the Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church. “I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too little to climb the rough stairway of perfection… from the Scripture I understood that the elevator which must raise me to heaven is your arms O Jesus. For this I had no need to grow up but rather I had to remain little”
This could be misunderstood as childish irresponsibility or ‘let God do’ mentality. But Therese is very clear about her doctrine. While accepting our own spiritual poverty and incapability, it should enable us to have recourse to God’s merciful love with confidence, in order that He may accomplish in us what we cannot do ourselves. Then as a uncompromising spiritual guide Therese wants us to believe in this LOVE and apply ourselves to the practice of charity.
What is the significance of St. Therese’s message in this modern world? In a highly advanced culture of globalization, the unlimited possibility of technology has raised the standard of living and the pattern of thinking. We can expect much more changes in the coming years. In spite of all these, we still experience the terror, violence insecurity, injustice, despair, division and torment as individuals, families and communities. Where there is no faith in God, there will be no trust among human beings and charity will be lacking in building relationships.
Here lies the relevance of Theresian doctrine. To our sophisticated and jaded civilization, which as lost the sense of the infinite and suffer from this, God has send a child who with the charm and luminous purity of her simplicity to bring us once more the essential message of his love. This message of hope reveals that God’s love is still vibrant in spite of our rebellion; he wants us to love Him and let ourselves be loved by Him.
At each moment of the history, the Holy Spirit places a guide to radiate His light. St. Therese was the chosen instrument in revealing His love and make the LOVE be loved. The Church soon recognized her mission and acknowledged her as a proficient spiritual guide and teacher by declaring her as a doctor of the Church.