Today is Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's Feast Day

Today's the feast day of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, AKA Thérèse of the Child Jesus, "the little flower".

Therese Martin was born January 2, 1873, in Alencon, France. She was the youngest of nine children, five of whom lived to be adults. This was 'the good old days' - but living today isn't risk-free either. Two of my six children didn't make it to birth, and we just about lost their mother when the youngest died. But that's getting off-topic.

Therese Martin didn't 'make headlines' in her career as a Carmelite nun - although she did manage to get accepted at an unusually young age. It wasn't until after her death that it became clear that this undersized French nun was one of God's 'special forces.' (August 26, 2009 - I'll get back to that 'dark night of the soul' thing and "the little flower" later)

"...Therese of the Child Jesus or 'The Little Flower' soon came to mean a great deal to numberless people; she had shown them the way of perfection in the small things of every day...."
(Lives of Saints)

It didn't take her fellow-Carmelites long to realize that they had someone a bit off the norm in their young novitiate.

"...'From her entrance she astonished the community by her bearing, which was marked by a certain majesty that one would not expect in a child of fifteen.' So testified her novice mistress at the time of Therese's beatification. During her novitiate Father Pichon, a Jesuit, gave a retreat, and he also testified to Therese's piety. 'It was easy to direct that child. The Holy Spirit was leading her and I do not think that I ever had, either then or later, to warn her against illusions.... What struck me during the retreat were the spiritual trials through which God wished her to pass.'..."
("Lives of Saints")

Saint Thérèse of Lisieu was a slight woman, and the Carmelite convent she lived in got cold in the winter. On her death-bed she confessed that dealing with winter's cold was the physical ordeal she felt the most: which is impressive, since she also had tuberculosis.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux didn't, it seems, have much of a "dark night of the soul" - a time of spiritual dryness experienced by some saints. And by some people who haven't been officially recognized as saints.

On the other hand, by the time she was dying, "the little flower" was said:

"...'I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more, because all suffering is sweet to me.'..."
("Lives of the Saints")

"Suffering is sweet"?! I know: That sounds crazy. Part of the problem in understanding - or explaining - saints is that they're focused on God. Not on whatever's 'now and wow' in the culture.

Writing about another nun named Therese (Teresa, anyway - a variation, I believe, on the name), I discussed the difficulty people immersed in contemporary culture can have, understanding lives of the saints. I think that what's experienced by many saints can be compared to the sort of training given to soldiers in special forces. Not everybody's cut out for it.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was - and I suppose is - thought to be a fraud and/or an atheist in some circles, because she went through a possibly-record-length dark night of the soul. (August 26, 2009)

From the looks of it, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux had the same sort of training: but being the sort of saint she is, approached it in a different way. If there was only one kind of saint, I suppose we could have gotten along with just one of them.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux found something that's been around since the beginning of the Church, and helped the rest of us see it.

"...She discovered the little way of spiritual childhood and taught it to the novices entrusted to her care...."
("The Life of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux")

It's the Matthew 18:2-4 thing: "...Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Most Christians have heard that verse. Saint Thérèse lived it: and taught others how to live it.

"...'My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death,' she said. 'I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.' ... In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese a Doctor of the Church - the only Doctor of his pontificate - in tribute to the powerful way her spirituality has influenced people all over the world...."
("St. Therese, 'the little flower' ")

As far as I can see, "the little way" isn't a matter of make-believing that we're less than what we are. It's recognizing that we're not more than what we are - and that God doesn't expect us to do anything more than what we can.

"...The Church was to recognize a profound and valuable teaching in 'the little way'- connoting a realistic awareness of one's limitations, and the wholehearted giving of what one has, however small the gift...."
("Lives of the Saints")

By now, it's October 1, 2009: the feast day of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

"..."What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." Therese lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamored with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese's spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love...."
("St. Therese, 'the little flower' ")

More:

• "The Life of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux"
  The Holy See
• "St. Therese, 'the little flower' "
  Society of the Little Flower
• "Saint Thérèse
  of Lisieux, Virgin"
  From "Lives of Saints", Published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc., via EWTN

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A tip of the hat to nerdwriter, on Twitter, for reminding me of this feast day.