Vocation to Love. Memorial of Saint Theresa of The Child Jesus, Virgin

10/1/2010

(Page 2 of 2)

gave me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction."

The Little Flower of Jesus: Prudent And Wise, Driven To Love To The End

In the Office of Readings -- from the Liturgy Of The Hours, the official and public prayer of the Church -- antiphon in Common of Virgins we read, "Radiant virgin, prudent and wise, you are the spouse of the holy Word of God." St. Theresa displayed profound prudence and wisdom in her trust in God; in her understanding of the holy Catholic Church as a nourishing mother whose life is lived for the sake of her children; in her penetrating grasp of the vocation of love; and in her unwaveringly fervent desire to travel farther along the path of Christ's will.

St. Theresa of The Child Jesus was, we might say, driven to love to the end. Is this not what our Savior was? Our God who, driven by a resplendent, divine love beyond our understanding, loved us to the end? Further, it is our Savior who continues to truly give of himself in Eucharist, received, celebrated and adored by millions upon millions around the world each day. That is Love given to the end and beyond, a Love which is perpetuated for all time, flowing into eternity itself. St. Theresa recognized this Love in her Beloved, and sought to model her life after this Love of magnificence beyond comparison.

The Little Flower of Jesus sacrificed her life for love of souls, for their salvation and entry into the heavenly Kingdom, and for the building up of the Church, the People of God and the Mystical Body of Christ, for she saw the magnitude of her Beloved's love for them. That is truly a vocation of love, a love which is bound up in the Supreme Love, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Theresa died on September 30, 1897. As a result of her sanctity and the many miracles which were accounted to her intercession, the cause for her canonization was introduced only seventeen years later. The Little Flower's life was one of beauty, joy, and wonder, a life which continues to affect members of the Church to this day. Therefore her death did not mark the end of her vocation of love, but rather sparked a new reality of "beginning" in which she continues to touch souls the world over, inflaming within them her ardent desire to love to the end.

----------------

F. K. Bartels is a Catholic writer who knows his Catholic faith is one of the greatest gifts a man could ever have. He is managing editor of catholicpathways.com, and a contributing writer for Catholic Online.
- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: saints, st theresa, the little flower, intercession, miracles, mission

NEWSLETTERS »

Previous Page 1 | 2

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

1 - 10 of 13 Comments

Savino
7 months ago
Am inspired by the love which was the answer found by St Theresah to the question of her place in the Church.
May God help each person to really find a place in heaven.
Diane
2 years ago
To C Cotton. Here is why I think St. Theresa is a Dr. of the church and a great saint. What she did first and at all times was focus on the interior life of the soul, where God dwells. There she loved and adored Him and He turned her to see all others, including herself as the objects of His love. To imitate Him she loved all others. This is not to deny His presence in the Eucharist, she loved and adored Him there.It's to be able to realize that God, Who dwells in us is the same God Who dwells outside us. One and the same. That's to experience total harmony, within and without. God used St. Theresa to show others that they can do the same thing.If you surrender to God everything you do becomes holy because you are in union with Him. Even the daily work you describe. Hope that helps. I'm a devotee of her too because her example and writings have shown that hliness is easier than many think.
LJ4789
2 years ago
becoming our best as God's creations and for Gods will, but one can only interpret this when one is free of the self. Gods love and strength often comes through others
LJ4789
2 years ago
St. Therese opened minds and (hearts) to becoming our best as God's creations and for God’s will, but one can only interpret this when one is free of the “self”. Being a Catholic, this sentiment is innate to demonstrate in our own lives. God’s love and strength often comes through others - and St. Therese was one of them! She was instrumental is proving that each of us, every one of us is loved and even in the smallest of actions on our part--it is a magnificent act. This is not based upon the magnitude or amount the charitable act is-- but from the pure, loving, non selfish giving of the person who is loving. Everything thing we do-- no matter how small it is, is huge and noted by God and the heavenly family! We are heard, understood and loved. I had hit rock bottom in my life and in a dream She came to me -- just like the statue of her in a favorite old Nogales, Sonora, AZ church - beautiful, radiant and beaming with love and grace and she led me to read her autobiography (Story of a Soul) which anyone in exile in this life, will drink this book in. It is as though she is there with you as you read it, humbled, meek and loving she fully understands our cries and desire to be the best we can in whatever predicament the Lord has chosen for us! We are NEVER alone! She did return to Earth to help and save souls, and I am one of them! Thank you Little Flower of Jesus!! I love you always. God Creates Miracles, He absolutely does!
Shilo Stigen
2 years ago
An honest question, C Cotton. I'm not a Therese expert by any stretch, but I'll try anyhow. You sound like you want concrete ACTS that Therese performed, or perhaps difficult CONDITIONS that she suffered for love of Jesus, to flesh-out all the warm fuzzies that Therese gets from by the "Flower-azzi". Here's a couple examples I verified online: A. She wrote to and befriended a seminarian-missionary named Maurice, and her letters helped him to overcome various struggles & choose his vocation to the priesthood (Google "Maurice and Therese,"). B. A "Flower-azzi" friend told me that Therese loved having her picture taken when she was doing the dishes, because she loved doing small humble things for God. C. As far as community goes, she some difficult nuns in the cloister to live with and love, and she took it upon herself to care for a crippled nun. (Google "Therese of Liseux dishes" for a Google book preview that talked a bit about B and C, and Wikipedia has a GREAT pic of her smiling while doing dishes). D. She suffered physically with TB, which eventually was the cause of her death-only 24 years old- and she suffered this alongside a serious temptation against faith ("A Saint's Dark Night" on nytimes.com mentioned her temptation briefly). Hope these examples help, C Cotton, and God bless!
Johnny
2 years ago
@ C Cotton, I would recommend one of her books "Story of a soul" written by John Clarke,O.C.D. This will clarify many things you may have.God Bless.
vance
2 years ago
This is a great article and uplifting. I bought the Time magazine edition on Mother Teresa to commemorate her hundreth birthdate. I found it fascinating that Mother Teresa chose St. Theresa as her favorite saint. She kept a picture of St. Theresa where she prayed and slept. Now both are in heaven and I pray that they pray for us.
Helen Hawkins
2 years ago
C. Cotton,

I understand your question. When I first read her autobiography "Story of a Soul" I really wondered why so many intellectual men and women - especially intellectual men, made such an important study of her.

Her life seemed so simple, so ordinary.

The question really nagged at me because it did not make sense. If her followers had only been parents who wanted a beautiful role model for their daughters, well.. that would have made sense. Her devotees are scholars and theologians. They are not sentimental individuals and they are fascinated by her.

So I kept on reading and re-reading the "Story of a Soul"
I read the letters between her and the missionary priest Maurice.
I am looking for other material as well.

And bit by bit, I am beginning to see her contribution to the world. It is hard to explain but her "little way" is one of those obvious truths that is over-looked and totally misunderstood.

I can honestly say that I love her and her struggles. Mother Teresa chose her name after Saint Therese the Little Flower.
C Cotton
2 years ago
I'm confused by this article. What was the point? St. Therese obviously loved Jesus very much, but what did she do in her life that set her apart so much? There are many who love Christ and devote themselves daily to prayer, but do not have the luxury of all kinds of "contemplation time" that a young girl, with only herself to care for, would have in a convent. Those without that luxury, such as any mother, must "sacrifice herself" for the Mystical Body of Christ in the form of caring for little children who need noses and hineys wiped, amongst a thousand other services. If that mother has an elderly parent to care for at the same time, increase the "sacrifice". This is something I have never understood about "The Little Flower": What did she actually do in her life that set her apart? This article did very little to explain and I wish someone would actually explain, rather than just state with sentimentality how "devoted" she was and how she "sacrificed her life". Or is it just culturally popular in our Catholic faith to praise St. Therese? Anyone? I would be grateful for an honest, unemotional answer.
Mervyn Dias
2 years ago
This article defenitely helped me and strengthen my faith further. God Bless !

Prev12 Next

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment

More Christian Saints & Heroes News

Featured News

Find Saints

Catholic Online offers the largest searchable database of Catholic Saints on the internet.

Browse Saints by Alphabet	A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Patron Saints by Alphabet	A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z