St. Theresa, the Little Flower – following the little way

In times of aridity when I am incapable of praying, of practicing virtue, I seek little opportunities, mere trifles, to give pleasure to Jesus; for instance a smile, a pleasant word when inclined to be silent and to show weariness. If I find no opportunities, I at least tell Him again and again that I love Him; that is not difficult and it keeps alive the fire in my heart. Even though this fire of love might seem extinct I would still throw little straws upon the embers and I am certain it would rekindle.

St. Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower, is a contemporary saint. We have actual photographs of her. I think sometimes because as Catholics we speak about her so piously and there are so many statues of her, children might not realize that she lived in a time not that long ago.

Who was St. Theresa?

St. Theresa was born in France in 1873 to Zelie and Louis Martin. She was the youngest of five living daughters. As the baby of the family, little Theresa was quite mischievous and strong-willed. Simply put, she was a little spoiled, but much loved. Her world changed when her mother died in 1877 when Theresa was only four years old.

Her family life after that seemed a little sad, but normal. She had disagreements with her sisters but felt the most comfortable with them. She grew close to her father and grew deeper in her faith.

There are a couple of stories about Theresa that I love. One is how she and her sister slipped away from a tour group when they were visiting Rome. They went down into the Coliseum to get some stones as relics where the saints had died, but they got back before they were missed.

The other is how a young impatient Theresa could not wait for her superiors to allow her into the convent, so she approach the pope himself for permission to enter! Leo XIII wisely told her that when God willed it, she would enter, and eventually, she did.

Why is she special?

Theresa is mostly known for her Little Way. This is a way of doing small things, with great kindness and love, for other people and offering up our sacrifices and disappointments for our souls and for the souls of others. She is also known for sending roses from heaven when she is petitioned for a favor.

A miracle of roses

I once had a friend whose husband had recently died. The husband had had a strong devotion to St. Theresa. My friend was grieving terribly for him and prayed to St. Theresa for some sign that her husband had made it to heaven. The next morning she woke up early and just had the idea that she should go to early morning mass. There was a church with a 6 a.m. mass, but it wasn’t her parish church, so she had to leave especially early to get there.

On her way out after mass, she coincidentally ran into her neighbor who was so glad to see her! “I have been thinking about you! I decided to come to mass early this morning so that I could go to your house later. I have something for you!” Together, they walked out to the parking lot, and in her friend’s car was a lovely bouquet of roses! My friend took that as a sign from St. Theresa that her husband was indeed happy in heaven.

After the feast of St. Jerome yesterday, the grumpy saint, to St. Theresa, who encourages us to do small things even if it is difficult to practice virtue, I was inspired to do a small thing. I sent a card to someone that is suffering. This is also someone that hurt me by hurting my children years ago. I do not possess the virtue to see this person face-to-face, but I can practice a little thing like sending a simple card, perhaps even with a holy card with it. Maybe that is something St. Theresa would approve of as part of her little way. Maybe something like that is all it takes.