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The Spirituality of Saint Thrse of Lisieux: Her Little Way

Gabriel Eckstein

Theology 721 A
Dr. Mark Miravalle
November 19, 2011

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According to Pope Pius X, Saint Thrse of Lisieux is the greatest saint of modern
times.1 She is a great saint because she presents to us a spirituality that is simple and can be
faithfully followed by everyone. Pius XII tells us, This way, conceived under the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost, is suitable for learned men, for those who, like the apostles, are responsible for
souls, as well as for the lowly and unlearned.2 Her great role in bringing souls to God in our
time should not be overlooked, and we should not fail to spread devotion to her Little Way. Abb
Andr Combes writes that
Her importance lies not in that she either knew or foresaw the progress of atomic
research, the march of Marxism, or of existentialist speculation. She is important because,
having given her life unreservedly to the living God in order to be of help in the salvation
of souls, particularly the souls of unbelievers, she became a vehicle through which God
perfected a type of sanctity scaled to the preoccupations of the day. To speak more
precisely: she was a means by which God set upon this kind of sanctity the mark of his
prophetic creativeness in bringing it to pass even before the general trends which have of
late most influenced mankind had fully manifested themselves.3
Saint Thrse is a saint for us in our times. She found the solution to her human weakness
in the love of God. Saint Thrse shows us the way to obtain holiness in our current age which is
dominated by sin and disorder. Using her life as a model, she addresses the modern dilemma:
not only the issue of our fundamental human limitations, our sense of guilt, the depth of suffering
inherent in human life, and our fear of annihilationbut more so, our sense of alienation, our
tendency to self-hatred and violence, our quest for meaning in life, our search for authentic
existence, our complete divorce from any sense of hope, our loss of the security of truth and our

1. Pope Pius X quoted by Joseph F. Schmidt, F.S.C in Everything is Grace: The Life and Way of Thrse of
Lisieux (Ijamsville, MD: The Word Among Us, 2007), 12.
2. Pope Pius XII quoted by Franois Jamart in Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux, trans.
Walter Van de Putte (Staten Island, N.Y.: Alba House, 1961), 7.
3. Abb Andr Combes, Saint Thrse and Her Mission: The Basic Principles of Theresian Spirituality,
trans. Alastair Guinan (New York: P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 1955), 24.

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fear of eternal solitude, as Nietzsche put it.4
Because she has the answer to our modern problems, it is very important that we discover
what exactly Saint Thrse can teach us. It is important for our own sake to understand Theresian
spirituality but more importantly for the sake of those Christians who have families and live and
work in the world. They must have a way to grow in holiness by performing their little duties in
life. Because I want to become a pastor of a parish someday, I chose Saint Thrse for this very
reason. Once we understand who little Thrse is and what she taught, then that is when we can
wins souls for Christ, and be like little Thrse converting souls so that Jesus can receive more
love.
Where do we begin? According to Joseph Schmidt, To understand and appreciate
Thrses spirituality, there is no better way than to see it lived out by Thrse herself. Yet her
life contains nothing extraordinary; in fact, many of the details are similar to the details of the
lives of multitudes of common holy men and women, who at their deaths, are quickly forgotten
because their lives were so ordinary.5 This is the remarkable, yet somewhat perplexing, fact
about Saint Thrse that sheds so much light on her spirituality way. She was ordinary. Based on
outside appearances, she was a good and faithful Carmelite, yet she was no better or no worse
than any of the other Carmelite sisters. In a room full of Carmelite sisters, Saint Thrse would
not stand out. Many of her fellow Carmelite sisters attested to how ordinary she truly was.
Schmidt shows us two examples.6 One of her religious sisters, upon Thrse nearing death, said,
My sister Thrse of the Child Jesus is going to die soon; and I really wonder what our mother
[superior] will be able to say after her death. She will be very embarrassed, for this little sister, as
4. Schmidt, 21.
5. Ibid., 13.
6. Ibid.

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likeable as she is, has certainly done nothing worth the trouble of being recounted. Even the
prioress of Thrse convent, Mother Marie de Gonzague, laughed when asked about the chances
of Thrse being canonized. She said, In that case, many Carmelites would have to be
canonized.
These responses show how truly little Saint Thrse was. Instead of performing outward
acts of penances, she chose inward acts that could only be seen by Jesus. Instead of performing
penances for her own merit, it was all for the love of Jesus. She was so humble, that her sisters,
both biological and religious, did not think her to be a great saint, until after her death when her
personal autobiography was being read and reproduced. That was when the heavenly light
showed the true greatness of little Thrse. Sister Marie of the Trinity, a novice under Thrse
described the life of holy life of Thrse as follows:
[She] has done nothing extraordinary: no ecstasies, no revelations, no mortification which
frighten little souls like ours. Her whole life can be summed up in one word: she loved
God in all the ordinary actions of common life, performing them with great
faithfulnessShe took every as coming from God;to abandon yourself to God and to
think of yourself as little as possible, not even to seek keeping an account of whether you
make [spiritual] progress or not. Thats not our business. We have only to try to perform
all the little acts of daily life with the greatest possible love, to recognize humbly but
without sadness, our thousand imperfections which are always resurfacing and to ask
God with confidence to transform them into love.7
This testimony gives us a basic understanding of who Saint Thrse was when she was
close to reaching spiritual perfection. However, we still need to start from the beginning and see
the foundational aspects of her spirituality set in place and the spiritual back drop in which she
lived. After providing a historical foundation, we can give a give a general definition of her Little
Way before thoroughly analyzing all of its characteristics. Thus, at present we must first present

7. Ibid., 20-21.

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a brief overview of the history of spirituality leading up to Saint Thrse.8 Once this
is done, we can look at Thrses childhood leading up to entering the convent to see how much
those early years had an effect on the later years. This will allow us to contrast the more
aesthetical treatises and the heresies of the time with her Little Way, both in its primitive form
and its advanced form.
Following the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ and the descent of the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the early Church spirituality was very communal and evangelistic. At
this point it was very primitive and there was much room for spiritual and doctrinal development.
The focus of the Church was on spreading the good news about Jesus Christ and welcoming
more members into the Church. The New Testament, currently being written at this point,
focuses on the redemption found in Christ because God is love (1 John 4:16) and the charisms
of the Holy Spirit. The spirituality was very simple and focused on love of neighbor and love of
God.
This primitive spirituality gradually became more complex.9 With time and practice,
the spiritual life was better understood and many spiritual treatises were written about various
forms of prayer. According to Franois Jamart, these spiritual treatises were helpful for those
who were not fortunate to have someone spiritually guiding them, but, as a result of it, there
developed a multiplicity of ascetical rules and practices which tended to obscure the heart of the
matter: that interior disposition of confident love for God, which should be the basis for our
relations with Him.10 Thus, the idea developed that the only means in which to reach perfection

8. For this historical overview, I will be paraphrasing Franois Jamart in Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St.
Therese of Lisieux pages 13-17 unless specifically footnoted otherwise.
9. Jumart, 15.
10. Ibid.

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were through these very challenging ascetical rules and practices. Only those who lived
extremely focused lives, such as cloistered and monastic religious monks and sisters, could
obtain this holiness and perfection. This was a time of great saints who focused on very strict
penances and were often favored by extraordinary graces: visions, revelations, miracles,
prophecies and many other extraordinary gifts.11 Those lay people, and especially those with
families in the world, were out of luck, and would have to rely on Gods generous mercy in
purgatory to be saved. Thus, there was a great divide between those great holy saints and the
normal everyday person.
This notion of holiness for the few and perfection based on strict ascetical models
dominated Saint Thrses time. In the two centuries leading up to when Thrse lived (the late
1800s), two heresies raised their ugly heads: Jansenism and Pelagianism. Jansenism, a heresy
that promoted a false image of God as punitive and vindictive, had been condemned two
centuries earlier, but was still sending out roots and tendrils into Catholic teaching. Pelagianism,
an even earlier heresy that taught that people could successfully strive to merit Gods love, also
contaminated Catholic life.12 These two heresies, although condemned, greatly affected how
people viewed the spiritual life. The emphasis of salvation was changed from something freely
given by the mercy of God to something that had to be earned by us. God the Father is willing to
tolerate us and grant us forgiveness if we are willing to repent and take on hard penances. Even
the smallest sin is an infinite offense against God and to be a holy saint, we must rid ourselves
completely of this stain on our souls. God is just and only the holiest souls in heaven deserve to
be there.

11. Ibid., 16.

12. Schmidt, 24.

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Growing up, Saint Thrse had to deal with the after effects of these heresies. Against the
preaching of the day, which was influenced negatively in part by these heresies, Thrse had her
personal relationship with God and through this she was able to discern that God is truly a loving
God, and, although He is a just judge, he freely gives out his mercy to those who humble
themselves before Him. This firm relationship with God began when she was a young child and
her personal relationship with God was greatly influenced by the family environment in which
she was raised. The psychological role of this family environment in projecting a loving image of
God the Father cannot be ignored.
To illustrate how much a positive or negative family environment can be on the spiritual
development of the person, let us compare Saint Thrse with Martin Luther. Martin Luther, of
course, is the man who started the Protestant Reformation. Some historians hold that Martin
Luther had a strict father with anger problems. Luthers home life was not easy for him, and
becoming a monk offered him an escape of sorts. However, the psychological damage he
received as a child had an effect on how he viewed human nature and the fatherhood of God.
Luther held that human nature could not be redeemed, and that God the Father was a just and
vindictive God. Luther held that God the Father punished Jesus on the cross rather than
punishing us. Therefore, instead of the notion that man could truly become holy and pure, Luther
held that God covered us with His holiness. Jesus is merciful, whereas, God the Father is more
strict and just.
Saint Thrse, on the other hand, as mentioned above, had a very positive family
environment. Being the youngest child in the family, she was loved by all and quickly forgiven
for anything she did wrong. In this family structure, all she knew was love, never punishment or
judgment. As a child, she felt protected, and secure, and never had to be afraid of those who were

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closest to her. Saint Thrse attested to this love when she wrote, God was pleased all through
my life to surround me with love, and the first memories I have are stamped with smiles and the
most tender caresses. But although He placed so much love near me, He also sent much love into
my little heart, making it warm and affectionate.13 Joseph Schmidt explains why this love and
security was very formative for the spiritual growth of little Thrse:
Only a person who had experienced a glimmer of divine love through immersion in
human love would be able to proclaim Gods love convincingly. Only a person who had
known personal human weakness and experienced a taste of divine mercy through the
experience of human forgiveness could assert and manifest Gods mercy and forgiveness
in a compelling way. Only a person who had lived the deep human desire to be
connected, to be loved, and to live in return could announce with conviction Gods own
longing to love and be loved. And divine providence was preparing Thrse from her
earliest years to be just that person.14
Thrse, based on her human experiences of her father, was able to feel secure and see
God the Father as He truly was: merciful and loving. It was from her loving relationship with her
father that she developed a foundational characteristic of her spirituality: spiritual childhood.15
Furthermore, by the grace of God and the spiritual formation her family gave her, at an early age
she learned never to refuse God anything of what He asks of her and to always strive to be a
saint.16 Reflecting back on this subject she wrote,
[L]ater on when perfection was set before me, I understood that to become a saint one
had to suffer much, seek out always the most perfect thing to do, and forget self. I
understood, too, there are many degrees of perfection and each soul was free to respond
to the advances of our Lord, to do little or much for Him, in a word, to choose among the
sacrifices He was asking. Then as in the days of my childhood, I cried out: My God I
choose all! I dont want to be a saint by halves, Im not afraid to suffer for You, I fear
only one thing: to keep my own will; so take it, for I choose all that You Will!17
13. Thrse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thrse of Lisieux, 3rd ed., trans. John
Clarke, O.C.D. (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1996), 17.
14. Ibid., 67.
15. Combes, Saint Thrse and Her Mission: The Basic Principles of Theresian Spirituality, 29.
16. Schmidt, 67, 71.

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With this important foundation in mind, we can proceed quickly through the rest of
Thrses years leading up to her entering the convent highlighting the key points. In her
autobiography, Thrse divides her life up into three periods. According to her, the first period
extends from the dawn of my reason till our dear Mothers departure for Heaven, which
happened when Thrse was just four.18 Because she was without a mother, she chose her older
sister Pauline to be her second mother. However, having already discussed much of this
foundational period above, we can turn to the second period.
Concerning the second phase, Saint Thrse tells us, As I've already said, it's from the
end of this phase in my life that I entered the second period of my existence, the most painful of
the three, especially since the entrance into Carmel of the one whom I chose as my second
Mama. This period extends from the age of four and a half to that of fourteen, the time when I
found once again my childhood character, and entered more and more into the serious side of
life.19 After her mothers death, Thrse and her family moved from Alenon to Lisieux, to
leave near relatives and to provide the girls better maternal support.20 Thrse continues in her
autobiography by describing this new stage, I must admit, Mother [Agnes of Jesus], my happy
disposition completely changed after Mama's death. I, once so full of life, became timid and
retiring, sensitive to an excessive degree. One look was enough to reduce me to tears, and the
only way I was content was to be left alone completely. I could not bear the company of
strangers and found my joy only within the intimacy of the family.21

17. Thrse, 27.

18. Ibid., 16.
19. Ibid., 34.
20. Schmidt, 75.
21. Thrse, 34-35.

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During this second phase, three very important events happened in her life. First, when
Thrse was ten years old she became very ill due to the lingering unresolved disturbances of
her mothers death, the overwhelming anxiety she was experiencing with the loss of Pauline
[who entered the convent in Lisieux], the excessive tension and self-doubt in the school situation,
the uncertainty she felt about how she needed to act to best please her beloved Lord, and then the
upsetting intrusion of her uncle.22 Thrse was very sick for six weeks, but on the feast of
Pentecost, with her sisters surrounding her bed and praying for her, she received a vision of the
Blessed Mother and was healed. In her autobiography Thrse tells us, All of a sudden the
Blessed Virgin appeared beautiful to me, so beautiful that never had I seen anything so attractive;
her face was suffused with an ineffable benevolence and tenderness, but what penetrated to the
very depths of my soul was the ravishing smile of the Blessed Virgin. At that instant, all my pain
disappeared23 The second important event was when little Thrse received communion for
the first time and was confirmed in the Church. The last major event was Thrses Christmas
conversion in which she was completely transformed by Gods love. This conversion led her out
of her childhood into spiritual maturity. Thrse tells us,
On that night of light began the third period of my life, the most beautiful and the most
filled with graces from heaven. The work I had been unable to do in ten years was done
by Jesus in one instant, contenting himself with my good will which was never lacking. I
could say to Him like His apostles: "Master, I fished all night and caught nothing." More
merciful to me than He was to His disciples, Jesus took the net Himself, cast it, and drew
it in filled with fish. He made me a fisher of souls. I experienced a great desire to work
for the conversion of sinners, a desire I hadn't felt so intensely before. 24
Thus, Thrse entered the third phase in her life restored and empowered by the grace of
God. No longer did she suffer from the weaknesses which plagued her leading up to her grave
22. Schmidt, 92.
23. Thrse, 65-66.
24. Ibid., 98.

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illness. She was renewed and God made her strong. The time leading up to entering the
Carmelite convent in Lisieux was filled with Gods continual grace being given to her. She was
spiritually formed by Imitations of Christ and The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of
the Future Life and received Gods will for her life: to become a Carmelite.25
Although Thrse had to make a few extraordinary requests to enter the convent in
Lisieux, nonetheless, she was able to join the convent. On the feast of the Annunciation, April
9th, 1888, Thrse formally entered.26 Immediately she felt a deep sense of peace which never
left her.27 Even though Thrse was very young to be a Carmelite, she fulfilled her spiritual
duties as well as everyone else. In a letter to Cline Gurin, Thrses aunt, concerning Thrses
profession of vows, Mother Gonzague wrote, This angelic child is seventeen and a half, and she
has the judgment of one of thirty, the religious perfection of an old perfected novice, and
possession of herself; she is a perfect religious. Yesterday not an eye remained dry at the sight of
her great and entire immolation.28
As mentioned previously, Thrse chose to do the will of God in her ordinary tasks. She
did not do extreme outward penances, but rather chose to perform the small tasks in life as
penance. She was a faithful Sister, but extremely ordinary on the outside. Yet, on the inside, she
was the greatest saint of modern times. She entered the Carmelite order to pray for priests and
sinners. However, by the providence of God, her mission became much greater than this. Her
mission was to spread the little way which she lived. She did not pray for the simply for the
conversion of sinners. Rather, she prayed for the conversion of sinners to that God would receive

25. Schmidt, 130-131.

26. Ibid., 166.
27. Thrse, 148.
28. Schmidt, 178.

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more love and be loved as Thrse loves Him. In her Act of Oblation to Merciful Love she writes,
O My God! Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to Love You and make You Loved, to work for the
glory of Holy Church by saving souls on earth and liberating those suffering in purgatory. I
desire to accomplish Your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory You have prepared for
me in Your Kingdom. I desire, in a word, to be saint, but I feel my helplessness and I beg You, O
my God! to be Yourself my Sanctity!29 To bring God more love was her mission and she
fulfilled this mission by writing down her autobiographical account containing the Little Way.
Even close to death, Thrse knew that her mission to spread the Little Way had not yet ceased,
and was only beginning. On her deathbed she made her famous prophetic statement, I feel that
my mission is about to begin, my mission of making others love God as I have loved Him, my
mission of teaching my little way to souls. If God answers my request, my heaven will be spent
on earth until the end of the world. Yes, I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.30
With this historical foundation as a basis, we can now turn to the Little Way, itself, and
all it entails. Joseph Schmidt broadly defines the Little Way as the spiritual way of accepting
with loving surrender and gratitude all the happenings of life as sent by divine providence.31
This Little Way finds its foundation in three scriptural passages: Proverbs 9:4, Wisdom 6:7, and
Isaiah 66: 12-13.32 Proverbs 9:4 tells us, Whoever is a little one, let him come to me. Wisdom
6:7 tells us, For to him that is little, mercy will be shown. Isaiah 66: 12-13 tells us, As one
whom a mother caresses, so will I comfort you; you shall be carried at the breasts, and upon the
knees they will fondle you.

29. Thrse, 276.

30. Ibid., 263.
31. Schmidt, 17.
32. John Clarke, O.C.D., Introduction to Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thrse of Lisieux, xii.

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In reference to the many scripture passages, in both the Old and New Testaments,
emphasizing childlike littleness in relation to God, Benedict XV explains to us, When a teacher
adopts various methods to inculcate the same lesson, does he not thereby seek to emphasize its
value in his sight? If Jesus Christ used so many devices to drive home this lesson to His
disciples, it is because He wishes, by one means or another, to ensure their thorough
understanding of it. From this we must conclude it was the divine Masters express desire that
His disciples should see that THE WAY OF SPIRITUAL CHILDHOOD IS THE PATH
WHICH LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE.33 Saint Thrse simplifies our call to holiness and
presents the Gospel in a humble manner. Sanctity is an interior disposition which makes us
humble and little in God's arms, conscious of our weakness and trusting even to audacity in the
goodness of our Father.34
What then are the fundamental characteristics of the Little Way? According to Franois
Jamart, When we carefully look for the dominant character of Thrse doctrine, we find that it
does not consist in any particular virtue but in a special attitude of the mind. Everything is based
on and flows from an attitude of spiritual childhood.35 This spiritual childhood can be reduced
down to six fundamental characteristics: littleness, spiritual poverty, confidence, love,
abandonment, and simplicity.36 Let us elaborate on each of these six characteristics so that we
can get a full understanding of the Little Way.

33. Ibid., xiii.

34. Thrse quoted by Franois Jamart in Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux, 16.
35. Jamart, 27.
36. Ibid., 28-29.

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First we have littleness.37 According to Thrse, littleness means that we acknowledge
our nothingness, await everything from the good Lord, refuse to attribute to ourselves the virtues
we practice, but believe that we are incapable of doing anything that is good.38 This littleness,
this humility, allows us to see ourselves as we truly are and allows us to accept ourselves as we
truly are, in love. This includes seeing our imperfections and accepting them. We should not beat
ourselves up for small imperfections that cannot easily be changed, because we have a human
nature, but we also must strive to rid ourselves of these imperfections as best as we can.
Abb Andr Combes presents us five reasons why her spiritual way can be called little39:
1. Because it is the way that is suitable for all souls who are conscious of their littleness
in Gods sight, whether because they have to rely on pure faith, or because, knowing how
weak they were to begin with and how weak they remain after their best efforts, they dare
not compare themselves with saints.
2. Because it is a way that does not necessarily include any exceptional grace that might
be the occasion of vainglory.
3. Because it is so short and rapid a route that, of itself, it brings the travellor to the
desired end almost as soon as he has started his journey, or evenif he understands
wellbefore he starts.
4. Because the soul who travels on this way has not to grow great through her own
efforts, but to remain in her littleness and even, in a sense, to be pleased with it, because,
being in her nothingness incapable of any supernatural act, she looks to God alone for,
and receives from Him, all her greatness, which then is true greatness.
5. Because it is a way on which the soul is borne along by Our Lord and, therefore,
reduces its activity to a minimum, doing no more than loving and offering to God the
numberless sacrifices for which this little way provides the occasion.

37. Jamart, 35-48.

38. Thrse quoted by Franois Jamart, 35.
39. Abb Andr Combes, The Spirituality of St. Thrse: An Introduction, trans. Philip E. Hallett (New
York: P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 1950), 136-137.

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Finally, humility and littleness is important because of Gods loving condescension. It is proper
to divine love to lower itself; hence, the lower we are, the more we attract God.40 By lowering
ourselves, there is more room in our hearts for God to possess.
Next we have spiritual poverty.41 A child is both little and owns nothing of their own.
Everything that sustains that child is provided by his parent. A child does not have the capacity
to survive without parental help. Thrse explains to us, In order to remain a little child, we
must expect everything from our good Lord, as a child expects everything from his father,
without worrying about anything.42 Because nothing belongs to us, we rely on God that much
more. Thrse gives us personal witness of this, I am very poor; it is the good Lord who
provides me from moment to moment with the amount of help I need to practice virtue.43
Thrse even lived in such a state of spiritual poverty that she gave all the graces she merited to
God as a gift of love, rather than storing up her treasures in heaven.
Third we have confidence in God.44 We cannot truly be little and live spiritual poverty
without having confidence in God that he will provide for us in every moment. If we do not fully
trust God, our souls cannot find complete peace. Because God is merciful and good, we can
never place too much trust in the Lord. We can always have confidence in the Lord. For God
knows our weakness. He remembers that we are but dust. As a father is tender towards his
children, so is the Lord compassionate towards us.45 Plus if we want to be blessed by God and

40. Thrse quoted by Franois Jamart, 35-36.

41. Jamart, 49-57.
42. Thrse quoted by Franois Jamart, 49.
43. Ibid., 54.
44. Jamart, 59-72.
45. Thrse quoted by Franois Jamart, 61.

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become saints we must have confidence in the Lord for He measures His gifts according to the
amount of confidence He finds in us.46
Next we have love of God and love of neighbor.47 Love is essential for us to have a
relationship with God. The more we are aware that God loves us, the more we have confidence
in Him. This confidence leads to us loving God more and being more aware of His love. Love is
the soul of the Way of Spiritual ChildhoodFor without love, we will not have either the
fidelity or the generosity that are required to bring our efforts to a successful end.48 Thrse
emphasizes the importance of this love. I understand so well that it is only love that makes us
acceptable to God, that this love is the only good I ambition. Jesus deigned to show me the road
that leads to this Divine Furnace, and this road is the surrender of the little child who sleeps
without fear in its Fathers arms.49 For Thrse love was the easiest way of sanctity. If you love
and please God, you will grow holy. Furthermore, we have to share this love for two reasons.
One, it is right for us to love a person just as Christ loves that person. Two, by loving someone
into conversion, God receives more love in return.
Fifth, we have abandonment to God.50 Abandonment to God and His divine will is very
important for the humble, childlike saint striving for perfection. First, Whatever the motive or
the love that may inspire us in our activities, there is no greater proof of love of and confidence
in God to abandon ourselves fully to Him. There is no better means of honoring Him than to
acknowledge the supreme role of His providence in the government of the universe and of our

46. Ibid., 64.

47. Jamart, 73-108
48. Ibid., 73.
49. Thrse, 188.
50. Jamart, 125-132.

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own lives.51 Once we abandon ourselves to the divine, God can start working through us,
making our work truly fruitful. For Thrse, we must have complete abandonment because
nothing happens without God willing it and if we accept this we will truly be at peace with God.
Abandonment to God allows us to find peace no matter what spiritual situation we are going
through because whatever we are going through God has a hand in it. For us to be fully
abandoned to God, Saint Thrse recommends that we always strive to be aware of the present
moment, because God only gives grace in present moments.
Last, we have simplicity.52 By simplicity we do not mean only in doing ordinary
everyday acts. Rather it is an attitude of the mind [which]considers all things and all events
as they are in their relation to God.53 One who lives in spiritual simplicity converses with God
in a simple manner and receives a simple response of love back from God. The relationship
between a simple person and God is very natural, and never fake or forced. Thrse explains how
she prays: I dont have the energy to hunt for beautiful prayers that are found in books. Not
knowing which ones I ought to choose, I act like children who cannot read. I say simply to the
good Lord what I want to tell Him, without constructing nice sentences, and He always
understands me. For me, prayer is a lifting of my heart. It is a simple glance heavenwards. It is a
cry of gratitude and of love, in the midst of trials as well as amidst joys.54
Having thus elaborated on the fundamental characteristics of her Little Way, we can now
see the beauty and the simplicity of how she lived, and how we can live. All these characteristics
shine a light on what it means to be a child of a loving Father. Thrse offers us a good summary

51. Ibid., 126.

52. Ibid., 133-148.
53. Ibid., 133.
54. Thrse quoted by Franois Jamart, 134-135.

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of all these characteristics acting together as one. Referring to what it means to be a little child,
Thrse tells us,
It means that we acknowledge our nothingness; that we expect everything from the good
Lord, as a child expects everything from its father; it means to worry about nothing, not
to build upon fortune; it means to remain little, seeking only to gather flowers, the
flowers of sacrifice, and to offer them to the good Lord for His pleasure. It also means
not to attribute to ourselves the virtues we practice, not to believe that we are capable of
anything, but to acknowledge that it is the good Lord who has placed that treasure in the
hand of His little child that He may use it when He needs it, but it remains always Gods
own treasure. Finally, it means that we must not be discouraged by our faults, for children
fall frequently.55
It is clear the importance of the Little Way for us. God, through Thrse, revealed to us a
simple way to be saved and to find peace with God. In our over-complex world, this is a breath
of fresh air, a breath of divine life into our souls. It is clear why little Thrse was canonized and
later declared to be a Doctor of the Church by Blessed John Paul II. I would like to conclude this
paper by once again quoting Franois Jamart on how he characterizes Thrse. In a nutshell he
explains why she is so relevant for us and why she is so important for our time.
[Saint Thrse of Lisieux] reminds us that we are but weakness and powerlessness, that
we are unable to accomplish anything without Gods assistance. One the other hand,
simplifying the way that leads to holiness, she reduces perfection to its essential
elements, separates it from all those external manifestations which led souls to believe
that holiness is beyond our powers and that it depends on extraordinary graces. St.
Thrse thus made holiness accessible to all. Now, if God in this manner facilitates our
access to holiness, it must be also because He wants a greater number to reach that goal.
If He makes the road more simple it is because He wishes all souls to follow it.56

55. Ibid., 28.

56. Ibid., 26.

Eckstein 19

Bibliography
Combes, Abb Andr. Saint Thrse and Her Mission: The Basic Principles of Theresian
Spirituality. Translated by Alastair Guinan. New York: P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 1955.
---. The Spirituality of St. Thrse: An Introduction. Translated by Philip E. Hallett. New York:
P. J. Kennedy & Sons, 1950.
Jamart, Franois. Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux. Translated by Walter
Van de Putte. Staten Island, N.Y.: Alba House, 1961.
Schmidt, Joseph F. Everything is Grace: The Life and Way of Thrse of Lisieux. Ijamsville,
MD: The Word Among Us, 2007.
St. Thrse of Lisieux. Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thrse of Lisieux. 3rd ed.
Translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1996.