September 26, 2023

Every October 1, the month begins with the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Thérèse was born in 1873 as the last of nine children.

She was extremely sensitive as a child and struggled to control her emotions. She desired much attention, and often got it. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was 4 years old, and that meant her father and older sisters babied her even more.

Thérèse desired to join the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, France, following in the footsteps of her older sisters. But her inability to control her emotions and her young age prevented her from being accepted into the convent. She prayed for a change in her spirit. When she was 14 years old, Thérèse experienced a conversion that changed her life. She found herself able to channel her energy and sensitive spirit into love for others, rather than her own happiness.

She entered the Carmelite convent at 15 and lived a hidden and simple life of prayer. As
a result, she was gifted intimacy with God. But as a cloistered nun, she realized that she
would never be able to perform great deeds. Instead, she committed herself to doing small sacrifices and selfless actions. In a way, the little sacrifices cost more than big ones because they went unnoticed and unrecognized.

In 1896, Thérèse became extremely sick with tuberculosis. Though in tremendous pain, she remained smiling and cheerful until her death in 1897. Through all the difficult moments in her life, she remained faithful to God. Her last words were, “My God, I love you!”

Throughout her short life, Thérèse never went on missions, performed great works, or founded a religious order. These are the sort of actions we expect from saints. She only had one book published after her death, a brief, edited version of her journal called “Story of a Soul.” In this book, we see the way Thérèse lived her life. “What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love,” she wrote. She tried to have a childlike focus and love toward others. She is a wonderful example of doing the ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

Thérèse also loved flowers and saw herself as the “little flower of Jesus” who gave glory to God just by being herself, a flower in God’s Garden. She is still known as “The Little Flower.”

I believe that St. Thérèse is someone who should bring us great inspiration and hope. Even if we feel there is nothing we can do to further God’s kingdom, we need only look to her as an example of how the little things can add up to great sacrifices. This month, let us follow her example of leading with love and know that our small actions are seen and appreciated by God.