Quote of the day, 31 October: St. Thérèse of Lisieux

This year, dear Mother, God has given me the grace to understand what charity is; I understood it before, it is true, but in an imperfect way. I had never fathomed the meaning of these words of Jesus: “The second commandment is like the first: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

I applied myself especially to loving God, and it is in loving Him that I understood my love was not to be expressed only in words, for: “It is not those who say: ‘Lord, Lord!’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father in heaven.” Jesus has revealed this will several times or I should say on almost every page of His Gospel.

But at the Last Supper, when He knew the hearts of His disciples were burning with a more ardent love for Him who had just given Himself to them in the unspeakable mystery of His Eucharist, this sweet Savior wished to give them a new commandment. He said to them with inexpressible tenderness: “A new commandment I give you that you love one another: that as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Manuscript A, folio 11 verso

“This year, dear Mother, God has given me the grace to understand what charity is… I applied myself especially to loving God” (Image of Manuscript C, folio 11 verso copyright Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux)

Featured image: © zatletic / 123rf.com

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