Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
As the Church marks the tenth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis, we read a brief, early homily that demonstrates St. Thérèse’s influence on the pontiff: “Jesus has this message for us: mercy.”
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Scripture says, “the fruit of good labors is renowned.” St. Joseph responds to Mary: “Let me spend my energy in the service of Jesus. It is for Him and for you that I work.”
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"I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection," wrote St. Thérèse. But rather than looking for a person to climb each step with her, Thérèse opted for the direct route: a lift from Jesus in his arms.
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St. Thérèse believed that she had an apostolic vocation, "to travel over the whole earth" to preach Jesus' name. On 14 February 1992, St. John Paul II referred to her special calling in his ad limina speech to French bishops.
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In May 1890 St. Thérèse sent a note to her sister Pauline to tell her that Léonie would go to Lourdes and seek healing in the baths for her eczema, accompanied by Céline; the family prayed for her cure.
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On 10 January 1889 St. Thérèse was clothed in the holy habit of Carmel in the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Lisieux, France. Concerning that day she wrote, “The wait had been long, but what a beautiful celebration it was!" View a video of the Lisieux cloister and a photo by Father Gombault that was taken several days later.
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As St. Thérèse concludes her retreat to prepare to be clothed in the Carmelite habit, her sister Pauline writes to encourage her: "the Beloved runs over the hills; He is coming; He is here; only two days more!"
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In a recent web exclusive column published in First Things magazine's online edition, scholar and author George Weigel recounted a conversation with Pope Benedict XVI in September 1997. At that moment, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Weigel recalls that he asked Ratzinger this point-blank question: "Why is Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church?" We are grateful to First Things for their permission to publish excerpts of Benedict's magisterial reply.
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In honor of the 150th anniversary of St. Thérèse's birth on 2 January 2023, Discalced Carmelite friars from the Washington Province met to discuss the impact her spirituality has had on the Church throughout the last century. Join Fr. Pier Giorgio, Fr. Michael-Joseph, and Br. John-Mary for this lively discussion on the CarmelCast podcast.
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To prepare for the Theresian Anniversary Year, we offer three reflections based on the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Day 1 reflection focuses on the symbolism of flowers.
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As Thomas Merton discerned his vocation in 1941, he wrote in his journal on 4 November, “Saint Therese of Lisieux, pray for me that I may refuse my God nothing…”
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Elizabeth of the Trinity was beatified on this day in 1984. As a tribute, we’ve translated her prayer, “Make me a martyr of your love,” along with comments from her biographer, Fr. Conrad de Meester, OCD.
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Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d. quotes both St. Thérèse and St. John of the Cross as he explains how God humbles himself to “look up” and seek us first like Jesus seeking Zacchaeus, thereby showing God's greatness through his merciful love.
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St. Thérèse replies on this date in 1896 to two letters from Maurice Bellière—his anguished plea in July from the barracks in Caen and his grateful 14 October thank-you after his return to the seminary.
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The Carmel of Dijon celebrated a triduum of liturgies from 13 to 15 October to mark the beatification of the Martyrs of Compiègne in 1906. St Elizabeth of the Trinity wrote, “I will be able to attend them.” We explain how this was possible.
In 1885 St. Louis Martin accompanied a priest on a pilgrimage to Constantinople, Athens, and Rome. While in Constantinople he wrote a newsy letter on this date to his daughter Marie, praising her for doing an excellent job of managing the household. He also described in some detail the sights that he had seen.
"Our age is not radically different from nineteenth-century France. The Martins would have been aware of the anti-Christian and anti-marriage ideas current in the France of their day. In the intervening 150 years, such attitudes have only hardened... In canonizing Zélie and Louis Martin the Church places before us the ideal of strong Christian family life."
St. Thérèse of Lisieux explains what the work of a Good Samaritan can be in everyday life: "A word and a kind smile often are enough to cheer up a sad soul."
On the 9th of June 1895, which was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, St. Thérèse of Lisieux—"in order to live in one single act of perfect Love"—offered herself "as a victim of holocaust" to God's merciful love. Here is the testimony of Mother Agnès of Jesus concerning the offering during the Ordinary Process for the Cause of Beatification.
When St. Thérèse was still an infant on the farm with her wet nurse Rose, St. Zélie Martin describes one visit she made to the farm to visit little Thérèse. "She let out piercing screams when she didn't see the wet nurse anymore."
!["I took for my advocate and lord the glorious St. Joseph and earnestly recommended myself to him. [...] I don’t recall up to this day ever having petitioned him for anything that he failed to grant."](https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t39.30808-6/336879821_1374507696727108_3000064146961560788_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8ae9d6&_nc_ohc=GeKBPoaKfMcAX9shUqP&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfDrfWUU45P4ozvDEXryS1x7VAQ2kKpuY7CQu61x-qE-zA&oe=64238CFB)
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Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. ~ St. Teresa of Avila
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