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1st October 2022

Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus 

READ: (1 Cor 13:4-14:1; Matt 18: 1-5)

REFLECT: St. Therese’s family atmosphere, little way and thirst to save souls caused her commitment to God…

Dear friends, today we commemorate and celebrate the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, who is also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus. She was a cloistered Carmelite nun Born On 2nd January 1873 in Alencon, France. Her parents, Louis and Zelie Martin, were devout couple and had wished to join religious life before they could meet each other and get into marriage. St. Therese was the youngest of nine children, five of whom survived childhood. After the death of her mother in 1877, Therese moved with her family to Lisieux. In the deeply religious atmosphere of her home, her piety developed early and intensively.

St. Therese is popularly known as “The Little Flower of Jesus” or simply “The Little Flower”. Therese has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others because of the simplicity and of her approach to the spiritual life. She by her childlike simplicity surrendered completely to the love of God; she learned to do all things with great love whether big or small.  Therese had health issues since childhood and suffered from Tuberculosis. When St. Therese was 24 years old, her great struggle with tuberculosis came to an end. Her dying words were “My God I love Thee.” She died on 30th September 1897.

The beatification and canonization process began in the twentieth century. Thousands of letters were sent to the Carmel monastery in Lisieux.  She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with 500,000 people at St. Peter’s Square. In 1997, St. Therese was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II, making her the second Carmelite nun to receive that distinction after St. Teresa of Avila.

It is also notable that the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux have been canonized and the first time a married couple Louis and Zelie Martin have shared the honor. On October 18, 2015, Pope Francis canonized Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin. St. Therese of Lisieux is the patron saint of florists, foreign missions, loss of parents, priests, and the sick in particular those with tuberculosis. St. Therese of Child Jesus is the patron saint of St. Teresa of Kolkatha.

So based on the readings of the day and the feast day, I would like to share with you three points of reflection.

1. St. Therese’ Family atmosphere:

It is factual that family upbringing and atmosphere matter a lot in the growth of each one as individuals and as a child of God. St. Therese grew up in a very loving and Catholic household and her faith development was greatly influenced by her parents and older sisters. There were nine children in the family, four of whom died at a young age, while the other five all became nuns. It is also said that When Therese asked her father and expressed her wish to join a religious congregation, her father Louise Martin supported her and encouraged her to join the religious way of life to serve God. All five of them became nun. What a blessing to the family. What a great heart might have been that the parents had and what grace could have been given to all five of them to join religious way of life. God’s grace was always there and they were completely moved by the gracious presence of God.

That’s why Pope Francis on the canonization ceremony on 18th October 2015 stated in his homily, “The holy spouses Louis Martin and Zelie Martin practiced Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.”

Yes, it shows St. Therese’ family played a vital role to dedicate and consecrate her life to God. Similarly many of us are from devout family and have joined religious life by the devotion and devout life of our parents and siblings. So our parents become the mirror for us to reflect the faith to people by shining examples like St. Therese of child Jesus. Devout parents bring up devout children and they devote themselves for God and God’s works. We thank our parents for the contribution of spiritual growth.  We shall pray for our parents and others to be devout and have the atmosphere prayer in our families, to dedicate our lives like St. Therese of Child Jesus to God and his service.

2.     St. Therese’ Little way:

Today little ways or little acts of goodness are not given importance or perhaps not considered great compared to greater events or great things in life. We expect and wish to be greater and do greater things, so that many might see and admire the great things and greatness of things we do. But little acts of good things and good acts too have great value and have a lasting impact.

In the gospel reading of the day, Jesus gives importance to the little children, calls us to be little children by acts of simplicity and humility and says that children are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Yes, Jesus has not called great people of his times or Pharisees or scribes or Sadducees as greatest in the kingdom of heaven, but calls a little child and child-like persons as great in the kingdom of heaven. The importance of little ones and little things we find in the life of Jesus our Master.

It is said that in the autobiography of St. Therese “The story of soul,” she recommended all to follow “the little way.” This little way is fidelity to God in little things of everyday life. Yes, she dedicated her life to simple acts, for she believed that it was the daily, small tasks that made one holy. It came to be known as St. Therese’s “Little Way” that we are called to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. Yes, doing even the little acts with love is an extra-ordinary effort to love God and love others.

Very aptly the First reading from the letter of St. Paul to Corinthians speaks of love, the meaning and importance of love and its different aspects. Among three great aspects of life faith, hope and love, love is the greatest of all. It is as well said in the reading further that “When I was a child, I spoke like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child but when I became a man I gave up childish ways.” Yes, St. Therese was indeed was a child of God and was child-like in her attitude and approach towards life with an act of humility, trust and confidence in God. 

Today we also need to give up childish ways and be childlike in every way. It is a wakeup call for each one of us to move from the state of childishness to childlike attitude and approach. Let our love for God and for one another begin with little acts goodness and kindness. Instead of belittling the little way or devaluing them, we need to give priority and understand that little acts do have value and we need to do them with an act of love. It is not how great we are or what great things we do but even if it is small, if we do with great love, God will bless us more and more abundantly.

3. St. Therese’ thirst to save souls:

St. Therese had thirst to save souls for God. It is said that a few weeks before her departure to Rome as a pilgrim, she hears the news of a man by name Pranzini, who committed a serious murder and was arrested. From reports she comes to know that Pranzini was impenitent and sure of eternal damnation. She adopts this murderer as a spiritual child and prays for his conversion. Her incessant and fervent prayers for Pranzini saved his soul from eternal damnation. This is recounted in her autobiography “The Story of a Soul,” that she stormed heaven for a man many considered beyond redemption: “Everything led to the belief that he would die impenitent. I wanted at all costs to keep him from falling into hell, and to succeed I employed all the means imaginable, feeling that of myself I could do nothing.”

Yes, the prayers of St. Therese were heard and that’s why Pranzini, the murderer, when he was about to put his head to the guillotine, he turned and took hold of the crucifix that the priest had and kissed the sacred wounds of Jesus three times. The longing and thirst of St. Therese that no one should deprive of the grace of God from entering into heaven is highly admirable and recognizable. She could have easily taken no notice of the murder, but she prays for him and makes him avoid the eternal damnation that he was to undergo.

Today we need such attitude and approach in life. We need to pray for sickly and addicted to various habits of sinfulness, we need to pray for sinners to repent of their sins and obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. For this first of all, we need to pray and be men and women of prayer. Today, we don’t give priority to prayer; we lack concern for others; we feel others as burdensome. But the little acts of goodness and kindness may be a benefit for another or may bring smiles and cheers on the face of many in the world. As it is said, while St. Therese was alive made two promises that have been ringing true since her death. The first, “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth”, and the second, “I will let fall from heaven a shower of roses,” mark the way by which St. Therese often communicates with those who seek her intercession. So let us seek her intercession and save many more souls for God.

RESPOND:

It is not how long we live but how well we live while we live is a great concern. The saint of the day, St. Teresa of the child Jesus lived for 24 years only, but the quality and the depth of life she lived is great and admirable.

Is our family atmosphere a contribution towards the growth of spirituality and spiritual life?

De we give importance to little acts just as we give due importance to great acts of life? Do we do both little acts and great acts with love?

Do we have the same longing and thirst to save souls for God?

Let us pray that our little acts of goodness and kindness may be a source of inspiration to others. May our love for God and for one another very specially our intense prayers for sinners to repentance and be part of God’s salvation. Amen.

“Love holds the first rank among the emotions of the soul. It is the king of all the movements of the heart. Love changes all the rest to itself and makes us such as what is loved.” (St. Francis De Sales, IDL, Part-3, chapter -1, p. 189)

Wish you all a happy feast of St. Therese of Child Jesus. God bless us all…