The Little Way of Love lived and revealed by Thérèse of Lisieux Original texts selected by Benedicte Delelis Artistic design by Pierre-Marie Dumont
Magnificat would like to thank the grandchildren of George Desvallières: Thérèse de Bayser, Bernadette Dumont, and Gabriel Ambroselli, for allowing the reproduction of works from their collection for the illustration of this book. Thanks also to Claire Denis, granddaughter of Maurice Denis, and Fabienne Stahl for their precious help. Publisher: Romain Lizé Editor: Claire Stacino Graphic design: Gauthier Delauné Iconography: Isabelle Mascaras Proofreading: Sam Wigutow Translation: Michael J. Miller Production: Thierry Dubus and Sonia Romeo Photo engraving: SNO Copyright © 2022 by Magnificat Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in September 2022 by Interak, Poland. First edition: January 2023 Edition number: MGN22027 ISBN: 978-1-63967-027-7 No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For more information, write to Magnificat, PO Box 834, Yonkers, NY 10702. www.magnificat.com
Paris • New York • Oxford • Madrid Original texts selected by Benedicte Delelis Artistic design by Pierre-Marie Dumont The Little Way of Love lived and revealed by Thérèse of Lisieux
TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword............................................................................................................................................. 6 Preface................................................................................................................................................... 9 I. Darling Thérèse............................................................................................11 This child is named Thérèse....................................................................................13 (From Zélie’s letters) Happy moments and tenderness......................................................................14 (Manuscript A) Song........................................................................................................................................................17 (The Canticle of Céline) Almost invincibly stubborn. .....................................................................................18 (Manuscript A) Restless and proud...............................................................................................................19 (Manuscript A) A little rascal. ...............................................................................................................................20 (Letter to Louise Magdelaine, April 4, 1877) I choose all......................................................................................................................................21 (Manuscript A) Winter..................................................................................................................................................22 (Manuscript A) The large, dismal coffin. ...............................................................................................24 (Manuscript A) Pauline will be my Mama!.......................................................................................... 25 (Manuscript A) Why I love you..........................................................................................................................26 (Why I Love You, O Mary) II. Thérèse dying and cured ..................................................................29 Broken.................................................................................................................................................30 (Manuscript A) Papa.........................................................................................................................................................31 (Manuscript A) I made my confession like a big girl............................................................. 32 (Manuscript A) I sighed. ............................................................................................................................................. 33 (Manuscript A) My Guardian Angel. ........................................................................................................... 35 (To My Guardian Angel) The Thimble................................................................................................................................ 37 (Manuscript A) Becoming a great saint..................................................................................................38 (Manuscript A The saddest years of my life....................................................................................40 (Manuscript A) Continual sufferings and separations. ........................................................41 (Manuscript A) My loss of Pauline. ...............................................................................................................42 (Manuscript A) The inexplicable sickness. .........................................................................................43 (Manuscript A) Mary’s smile.................................................................................................................................45 (Manuscrit A) Come smile at me again.............................................................................................. 47 (Why I Love You, O Mary) III. Thérèse shattered and recovered....................................49 Learning to fight....................................................................................................................50 (Manuscript A) It was a kiss of love...............................................................................................................51 (Manuscript A) Heaven in my soul............................................................................................................... 53 (Manuscrit A) Little Key, I envy you.........................................................................................................54 (My Desires near Jesus Hidden in His Prison of Love) The visit of the Holy Spirit......................................................................................... 57 (Manuscript A) Jesus forgave me more than Saint Mary Magdalene. .............58 (Manuscript A) A drop of water in a fiery furnace.....................................................................59 (Yellow Notebook, July 11, 1897)) Scruples.............................................................................................................................................60 (Manuscript A) The Holy Innocents............................................................................................................61 (Manuscript A) To My Little Brothers in Heaven.........................................................................63 (To My Little Brothers in Heaven) The Christmas miracle...................................................................................................64 (Manuscript A) Strength in weakness. .....................................................................................................66 (Manuscript A) Love penetrated my heart.......................................................................................... 67 (Manuscript A) “I thirst!”.............................................................................................................................................68 (Manuscript A) A great criminal. .....................................................................................................................69 (Manuscript A) I am the work of your love. ........................................................................................71 (For Sister Marie of the Trinity) IV. Thérèse, determined. ........................................................................... 73 Breaking the news to Papa. ...................................................................................... 75 (Manuscript A) ...To the pope if necessary!. ....................................................................................... 76 (Manuscript A) I grew in love...............................................................................................................................77 (Manuscript A) Journey to Rome: to pray for priests............................................................ 78 (Manuscrit A) Foolish boldness and confident abandonment in failure.80 (Manuscript A) The little ball................................................................................................................................82 (Letter dated November 20, 1887, to Sister Agnes of Jesus) Still nothing..................................................................................................................................83 (Manuscript A) Break my will..............................................................................................................................85 (Manuscript A) The great day..............................................................................................................................86 (Manuscript A) I have found it........................................................................................................................... 87 (For the Clothing of Marie-Agnes of the Holy Face) V. Thérèse, soldier: the underground passage. .......................89 I came to save souls...........................................................................................................90 (Manuscript A) Dryness, sleep.............................................................................................................................91 (Letter dated January 6, 1889, to Céline) Under the snow.......................................................................................................................92 (Manuscript A) The passion of our dear father.............................................................................93 (Manuscrit A) Look Jesus in the face.....................................................................................................94 (Letter dated April 4, 1889, to Céline) My only Homeland.............................................................................................................96 (My Heaven on Earth) Poverty of heart....................................................................................................................... 97 (Manuscript A) A prayer of suffering.........................................................................................................98 (Manuscript C) Dirty water in my face. ...................................................................................................99 (Manuscript C) Weakness......................................................................................................................................100 (Letter dated April 26, 1889, to Céline) Your little Thérèse is very weak........................................................................103 (Letter dated July 27-29, 1890, to Marie Guérin) Truly I am far from being a saint....................................................................104 (Manuscript A) I see nothing............................................................................................................................105 (Letter dated August 30-31, 1890, to Sister Agnes of Jesus)
May my darkness serve to enlighten. .......................................................106 (Letter dated September 1, 1890, to Sister Agnes of Jesus) Profession.................................................................................................................................... 107 (Manuscript A) My very little resources...............................................................................................109 (Manuscript A) My weapon. ................................................................................................................................110 (Strewing flowers) VI. The light.......................................................................................................113 I have flown in the ways of love.......................................................................115 (Manuscript A) To receive and to love much................................................................................116 (Letter dated July 6, 1893, to Céline) I never get discouraged, I abandon myself........................................ 117 (Letter dated July 18, 1893, to Céline) Jesus wants humility of heart.............................................................................118 (Letter dated April 26, 1894, to Céline) Who made you so little?. ...........................................................................................120 (Inscription on a picture painted by Thérèse for Céline’s 25th birthday in 1894) Just for today............................................................................................................................121 (My Song for Today) Fill my little hand................................................................................................................ 122 (Manuscript C) Love alone is what attracts me.......................................................................... 123 (Manuscript A) Living on Love....................................................................................................................... 124 (Living on Love!) To me he gave his infinite mercy.................................................................. 126 (Manuscript A) How much Jesus desires to be loved........................................................ 127 (Manuscript A) I offer myself to your merciful love............................................................. 128 (Offering myself as a Holocaust Victim to the Merciful Love of the Good Lord) Banish all fear. ........................................................................................................................ 129 (Living on Love!) My imperfect love..............................................................................................................130 (Manuscript C) A brother priest......................................................................................................................131 (Letter dated October 17-21, 1895, to Father Bellière) I live on Love. .......................................................................................................................... 132 (Living on Love!) VII. The darkness..........................................................................................135 A first call, the arrival of the Bridegroom. .............................................137 (Manuscript C) The gloomy tunnel.......................................................................................................... 138 (Manuscript C) At the sinners’ table.........................................................................................................140 (Manuscript C) The night of nothingness .......................................................................................141 (Manuscript C) May he open heaven to the poor................................................................... 142 (Manuscript C) I love the night as much as the day. ........................................................... 143 (My joy!) I feel in my soul the courage of a papal guard.............................. 144 (Manuscript B) I understood............................................................................................................................. 145 (Manuscript B) My vocation is Love........................................................................................................ 147 (Manuscript B) Loving my littleness. ......................................................................................................148 (Letter dated September 17, 1896, to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart) When spiritual riches make us unjust.....................................................149 (Letter dated September 17, 1896, to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart) The poorer you are........................................................................................................... 150 (Christmas Letter, 1896, to Sister Geneviève) It’s what he does that I love....................................................................................151 (Yellow Notebook, May 27, 1897) I am not dying, I am entering into life.................................................... 152 (Letter dated June 9, 1897, to Father Bellière) I rejoice in my weaknesses.................................................................................... 153 (Yellow Notebook, July 5, 1897) I need mercy so much!............................................................................................... 154 (Yellow Notebook, July 29, 1897) Heaven is closed. ................................................................................................................ 155 (Yellow Notebook, August 8, 1897) A tiny little soul showered with graces................................................... 156 (Yellow Notebook, August 9, 1897) And the saints, where are they, then?.......................................................157 (Yellow Notebook, August 15, 1897) I can only say: Jesus!..................................................................................................... 158 (Last Words with Céline, August 6, 1897) I am afraid that I have feared.............................................................................. 159 (Yellow Notebook, September 11, 1897) If I had no faith.....................................................................................................................160 (Yellow Notebook, September 22, 1897) I love you...................................................................................................................................... 162 (Yellow Notebook, September 23, 1897) Never will I know how to die!............................................................................. 163 (Yellow Notebook, , September 29, 1897) I am not sorry for delivering myself up to Love..........................164 (Yellow Notebook, September 30, 1897) My God... I love you......................................................................................................... 165 (Yellow Notebook, September 30, 1897) Dying of Love. ........................................................................................................................166 (Living on Love!) VIII. The little way....................................................................................... 169 My mission will begin.................................................................................................. 170 (Yellow Notebook, July 17, 1897) Ripe plums................................................................................................................................... 171 (Yellow Notebook, July 13, 1897) The little way. .......................................................................................................................... 172 (Manuscript C) To be little. ................................................................................................................................... 174 (Yellow Notebook, August 6, 1897) Don’t think about what might happen to us....................................175 (Yellow Notebook, July 23, 1897) Raising oneself to God through trust and love............................. 176 (Manuscript C) Taking hold of Jesus by the heart................................................................. 178 (Letter dated July 12, 1896, to Léonie) Bearing sweetly with one’s imperfections......................................... 179 (Letter dated June 7, 1897, to Sister Geneviève) To love with the love of Jesus............................................................................180 (Manuscript C) How great is the power of prayer!................................................................. 182 (Manuscript C) Having shown me my littleness, my impotence....................... 183 (Manuscript C) I will come down................................................................................................................184 (Last words to Céline, September 26, 1897) Chronology. ..............................................................................................................................186 Sources of the textes......................................................................................................189 Art Credits. ...................................................................................................................................191
During the Process [of beatification], when the Promoter of the Faith asked me why I wanted the beatification of Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus, I told him that it was only to make known her ‘little way.’ That is what she called her spirituality, her way of going to God. He replied: ‘If you speak of a “way,” the Cause will infallibly fail, as it has already happened in several similar circumstances.’ ‘So be it,’ I replied, ‘the fear of losing the Cause of Sister Thérèse cannot prevent me from emphasizing the only point that interests me: to have, in a way, the “little way” canonized,” Thus speaks Céline,1 in religion Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face, the most intimate sister of the little Thérèse.2 It is this “little way” that this book offers you to go through or to go through again, lived and revealed by the little Thérèse herself. Moreover, along this path, you will discover an environment, landscapes, faces, allegories that speak to the soul and the heart, far beyond what words can express. You will be able to appreciate what depth of resonance the language of the greatest artists of her time gives to the simplest words of the little Thérèse. For those who embark on the little path of Love according to Thérèse, there is a road to travel, there are stages to reach... and to cross, crossings that little Thérèse herself sometimes calls a conversion.3 On the way, you will share with her powerful spiritual experiences,4 wonderful joys, but also many trials to go through, and soon the dark night that will surround her until her death. The only things that remain constant along her Foreword FOR LOVE TO BE LOVED Pierre-Marie Dumont “ 6
little way are the spirit of spiritual childhood,5 of total abandonment and, of course, finally, the only good solution to everything: Love. AN ULTIMATE CONVERSION: THE COMMANDMENT OF LOVE It is precisely with regard to Love that little Thérèse lived her ultimate “conversion,” at the last stage of her life, as an accomplishment. As she entered the terminal phase of the terrible illness that would take her away a year later, she did not even have the consolation of seeing the dark night of faith, in which she was immersed, light up with the slightest glimmer.6 And when her elder sister and godmother, Marie-Louise—in religion Sister Marie du Sacré-Coeur—asked her for her recipe for loving the good God as she loved him, Thérèse replied: “It is, in fact, spiritual riches that make one unjust, when one rests on them with complacency and believes that they are something great....”7 This warning, in the form of a testament, is also addressed to all of us who would like so much to follow Thérèse on her little path of Love, and to be accompanied by her, until the blessed fulfillment of our lives. From her own experience as assistant to the novice-mistress—an experience that shows that spiritual riches can divert us from the little way of Love—little Thérèse was to rediscover, so to speak, the extraordinary divinizing power of the new Commandment of Jesus. For Thérèse, loving others for the love of God has always been the privileged means of the little way, the only way to verify, in reality, that one loves God in act and in truth, and this even more so when she no longer feels the love of God. But in this final stage, the meditation on the new Commandment makes her realize that in putting into practice the Commandment of Jesus, “his own Commandment,” it is no longer a question of loving others for the love of God, but of the love of God itself.8 THERE IS ONLY ONE LOVE In fact, the little way of Love according to Saint Thérèse joins the way that surpasses all others, the one that Saint Paul designates in his epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 12:31). And Saint Paul categorically affirms that, outside of this way, all spiritual gifts are nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3). As we have seen, Thérèse goes so far as to warn that they can make us unjust. This way which, according to Saint Paul, is the only way to eternal life— the one he solemnly reveals in his “Hymn to Charity” and which little Thérèse so marvelously followed and promoted with her own genius and charisma—this way consists in the fact that by the grace of the New Commandment, our love for others is the manifestation of God’s love for others, of our personal love for God, and of God’s love for us personally: there is but one Love. That is why Saint John can truly say: The love of God is this, that we keep his commandments (1 Jn 5:3), and again: if we love one another as Jesus has loved us, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us (1 Jn 4:12). There is only one Love, because God is Love (1 Jn 4:8). “I want to make people love love,” said Thérèse. Her little way proposes no other goal than to lead us to make the Love of God reach its perfection in us. 7
“WE WILL BE JUDGED ON LOVE” When Jesus returns in glory and we beg him one last time: “O take my soul, take it, Lord,” it is precisely on this true criterion of our love for God that we will be judged, and on this criterion only (Mt 25:31-46). In this sense, the spiritual master of little Thérèse, doctor of the Dark Night, Saint John of the Cross, said: “We will be judged on love.” In the spirit of the little way, we must be even more precise: we will be judged on Love, by Love. Let us not be mistaken, then: the little way of the love of God as actually walked by little Thérèse is terribly demanding. It is proposed to us as a path to be walked in our real life, in deeds and in truth and not in thought and in speech (1 Jn 3:18). It is a path desirable for its simplicity, its spirit of childhood and abandonment, but also difficult in the sense of being narrow according to the Gospel (Mt 7:13-14); a path where it is only a question of “giving everything and giving oneself”; a steep path that leads from conversion to conversion, from the love of God as we like to experience it (“spiritual riches”) to the love of God as God loves us and really gives himself to be loved until Jesus returns, that is, in the putting into practice of the new Commandment. A little way that consists of loving one’s own who are in the world and loving them to the end, to the point of giving one’s life for them. A little way that could turn out to be a way of the cross. 1. Céline Martin, Conseils et souvenirs, Cerf/Desclée de Brouwer, 1973. 2. “She was asked by what name we should pray to her when she was in Heaven: ‘You will call me little Thérèse’, she replied.” Céline Martin, ibid. 3. Notably on Christmas Day 1886. See page 62. 4. Thérèse herself would minimize her spiritual experiences to emphasize the simplicity of her little way: “humility, supernatural poverty, and trust in God.” In this sense, her sister Céline, Sister Geneviève de la Sainte Face in religion, writes: “The Summarium recorded this answer I made about [Thérèse's] spiritual gifts: ‘They were only very rare in the life of the Servant of God. For myself, I would rather she not be beatified than not give her portrait as I believe it to be accurate in conscience.’” Celine Martin, Ibid. 5. “It is the Gospel itself, it is the heart of the Gospel that she [Thérèse] rediscovered; but with what grace and freshness: ‘If you do not become like children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven’ (Mt 18:3)” Pius XII, Radio Message for the Consecration of the Basilica of Saint for the Consecration of the Basilica of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, July 11, 1954. 6. In the summer of 1897, Thérèse wrote to Mother Marie de Gonzague, “When I sing of the happiness of heaven, the eternal possession of God, I feel no joy, for I sing what I want to believe.” Thérèse de Lisieux par elle-même, Grasset/ Desclée de Brouwer, 1997. 7. Ibid. Thérèse meditated a great deal and commented on the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Mt 7:21-23: Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?” Then I will declare to them solemnly, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.” 8. See page 178 the letter of Thérèse to Mother Marie de Gonzague (Manuscript C). 8
I am not a saint,” said Thérèse of Lisieux on her deathbed. “I am a very small soul whom the good Lord has filled with graces.” That is why, since her death in the Carmel on September 30, 1897, the one who was at once affectionately called the little Thérèse has never ceased to inspire, to console, to protect sinners, the devout, the powerful, and the poor. Thérèse is patroness of France like Joan of Arc, patroness of the missions like Francis Xavier, Doctor of the Church like Thomas Aquinas. And yet, she knew neither Greek nor Hebrew, spent her life within four walls, and liberated neither Orleans nor Reims. Thérèse had a tenderness and sensitivity that almost broke her, a detachment from herself and an endurance of suffering that made her a soldier. When we look at her life, we discover with amazement that all her desires were fulfilled beyond her expectations, and we begin to dream: what if God did the same for us? That is why this book gathers some of her greatest texts: so that after her, with her, we may walk the path of radical humility that has only to throw itself into the arms of God and rely on him alone, hoping for everything from him, with a crazy and loving audacity. Preface “I AM NOT A SAINT” Bénédicte Delelis “ 9
From birth to her mother’s death I. Darling Thérèse John Henry Twachtman, On the Terrace
January 2, 1873 - August 28, 1877
This child is named Thérèse Thérèse was the last child of the Martin Family. In 1872, when her mother Zélie discovered that she was pregnant, her maternal joy was mixed with great anxieties. It was her ninth pregnancy and, by the age of forty-one, she had already had the sorrow of losing four children at an early age: two boys, both named Joseph, Hélène, who died when she was only five, and a first little Thérèse. Thérèse was born in Alençon on January 2, 1873. Her father Louis Martin was a clockmaker and jeweler; her mother Zélie Guérin— a lacemaker. She had four sisters: Marie, Pauline, Léonie, and Céline, who was four years older than she. After being nursed by Rose Taillé in the countryside in order to strengthen her frail health, Thérèse returned to her family home, where she was cherished tenderly. Her little childish personality unfolded. She was happy, tenderhearted, ardent in her love, impetuous, and extremely determined. Imust share with you an event that will probably take place at the end of the year, but which is of hardly any interest to anyone but me at the moment.... However, I would be happy over it if I knew that I could raise this little poor little person who is coming to live in our home. I’m already thinking about the end of the year because of the child who’s coming as my New Year’s gift. How will I raise [it]? I have nightmares about it every night. Oh well, I have to hope that I’ll come through it better than I think and that I will not have the sorrow of losing [it]. From Zélie’s letters My little one is not at all difficult during the day, but at night she often makes us pay dearly for her good day. Last night I held her until 11:30. I was exhausted, and I couldn’t do it any more. Fortunately, afterwards she didn’t do anything but sleep. This child is named Thérèse, like my last little girl. Everybody tells me that she’ll be beautiful. She already laughs. I saw this for the first time on Tuesday. I thought I was mistaken, but yesterday it was impossible to doubt it any longer. She looked at me very carefully, then gave me a delightful smile. 13 Darling Thérèse Berthe Morisot, The Cradle
Happy moments and tenderness 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. I loved Mama and Papa very much and showed my tenderness for them in a thousand ways, for I was very expressive. “The little one has just placed her hand on my face and kissed me. This poor little thing doesn’t want to leave me; she’s continually at my side. She likes going into the garden, but when I’m not there she won’t stay but cries till they bring her to me.... And from another letter: “Little Thérèse asked me the other day if she would go to Heaven. I told her ‘Yes’ if she were good. She answered: ‘Yes, but if I’m not good, I’ll go to hell. But I know what I will do. I will fly to you in Heaven, and what will God be able to do to take me away? You will be holding me so tightly in your arms!’ I could see in her eyes that she was really convinced that God could do nothing to her if she were in her mother’s arms.” Here, Thérèse quotes a letter from her mother Zélie to her sisters Pauline and Marie, on June 25, 1874, which ends thus: “I am very happy to see that she has so much affection for me, but it is sometimes embarrassing!” 14 Manuscript A Maurice Denis, Child on the Doorstep
Song The Canticle of Céline Oh! how I love the memory Of blessèd days in infancy—. My innocence a flower He guarded.... He surrounded me, the Lord above With love! Yes, I was little; nonetheless My heart was filled with tenderness— This love it had, it could not but express: My promise to the King of Heav’n, Was giv’n. I loved Mama—her smile. Serene, It spoke of things that were not seen: "My joy is in Eternity. I mean To go and see the God of Love Above.” 17 Darling Thérèse Maurice Denis, The Crown
Almost invincibly stubborn Iwas very proud of my two older sisters, but the one who was my ideal from childhood was Pauline. When I was beginning to talk, Mama would ask me: “What are you thinking about?” and I would answer invariably: “Pauline!” ... I had often heard it said that surely Pauline would become a religious, and without knowing too much about what it meant I thought: “I too will be a religious.” This is one of my first memories and I haven’t changed my resolution since then! ... And now I have to speak about my dear Céline, the little companion of my childhood.... Here is a passage from one of Mama’s letters showing how good Céline was and how I was just the opposite. “My little Céline is drawn to the practice of virtue; it’s part of her nature; she is candid and has a horror of evil. As for the little imp, one doesn’t know how things will go, she is so small, so thoughtless! Her intelligence is superior to Céline’s, but she’s less gentle and has a stubborn streak in her that is almost invincible; when she says ‘no’ nothing can make her give in, and one could put her in the cellar a whole day and she’d sleep there rather than say ‘yes.’” Manuscript A 18
Restless and proud... Iam obliged to correct this poor little baby who gets into frightful tantrums; when things don’t go just right and according to her way of thinking (Zélie writes concerning Thérèse), she rolls on the floor in desperation like one without any hope. There are times when it gets too much for her and she literally chokes.” ... You can see, dear Mother, how far I was from being a faultless little child! They weren’t even able to say about me: “She’s good when she’s asleep” because at night I was more restless than during the day.... There was another fault I had when wide awake, which Mama doesn’t mention in her letters, and this was an excessive self-love.... One day, Mama said: “Little Thérèse, if you kiss the ground I’ll give you a sou.” A sou was a fortune at the time...and still my pride revolted at the thought of “kissing the ground”; so standing up straight, I said to Mama: “Oh! no, little Mother, I would prefer not to have the sou!” At the beginning of this excerpt, Thérèse quotes a letter from her mother Zélie to her sister Pauline, December 5, 1875. “ Darling Thérèse Manuscript A 19
A little rascal Louise Magdelaine is the recipient of Thérèse's very first letter at the age of 4. Dear little Louise, I don't know you, but I love you very much just the same. Pauline told me to write you; she is holding me on her knees because I don't know how to hold a pen. She wants me to tell you that I'm a lazy little girl, but this isn't true because I work all day long playing tricks on my poor little sisters. So I'm a little rascal who is always laughing. Adieu, little Louise. I'm sending you a big kiss. Thérèse Letter to Louise Magdelaine, April 4, 1877 20
I choose all One day, Léonie, thinking she was too big to be playing any longer with dolls, came to us with a basket filled with dresses and pretty pieces for making others; her doll was resting on top. “Here, my little sisters, choose; I’m giving you all this.” Céline stretched out her hand and took a little ball of wool that pleased her. After a moment’s reflection, I stretched out mine saying: “I choose all!” and I took the basket without further ceremony. Those who witnessed the scene saw nothing wrong and even Céline herself didn’t dream of complaining (besides, she had all sorts of toys, her godfather gave her lots of presents, and Louise found ways of getting her everything she desired). This little incident of my childhood is a summary of my whole life; later 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 were 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 don’t want to be a saint by halves, I’m 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!” Manuscript A Thérèse talks about two of her sisters, when she herself is four years old. Léonie is 9 years older than Thérèse. Céline is 4 years older. Darling Thérèse 21
Oh! everything truly smiled upon me on this earth: I found flowers under each of my steps and my happy disposition contributed much to making life pleasant, but a new period was about to commence for my soul. I had to pass through the crucible of trial and to suffer from my childhood in order to be offered earlier to Jesus. Just as the flowers of spring begin to grow under the snow and to expand in the first rays of the sun, so the little flower whose memories I am writing had to pass through the winter of trial. Manuscript A Winter 22 Bertha Wegmann, Picking Flowers
The large, dismal coffin All the details of my mother’s illness are still present to me and I recall especially the last weeks she spent on earth. Céline and I were like two poor little exiles.... The touching ceremony of the last anointing is also deeply impressed on my mind. I can still see the spot where I was by Céline’s side. All five of us were lined up according to age, and Papa was there too, sobbing. The day of Mama’s departure or the day after, Papa took me in his arms and said: “Come, kiss your poor little Mother for the last time.” Without a word I placed my lips on her forehead. I don’t recall having cried very much, neither did I speak to anyone about the feelings I experienced. I looked and listened in silence. No one had any time to pay attention to me, and I saw many things they would have hidden from me. For instance, once I was standing before the lid of the coffin, which had been placed upright in the hall. I stopped for a long time gazing at it. Though I’d never seen one before, I understood what it was. I was so little that in spite of Mama’s small stature, I had to raise my head to take in its full height. It appeared large and dismal. Manuscript A When Thérèse was four years old, the kingdom of childhood collapsed. Her mother, Zélie, suffered from breast cancer, which carried her off during the night of August 27-28, 1877. 24
Pauline will be my Mama! The day the Church blessed the mortal remains of our dear mother, now in heaven, God willed to give me another mother on earth. He willed also that I choose her freely. All five of us were gathered together, looking at each other sadly. Louise was there too, and, seeing Céline and me, she said: “Poor little things, you have nomother anymore!” Céline threw her arms around Marie saying: “Well, you will be my Mama!” Accustomed to following Céline’s example, I turned instead to you, Mother, and as though the future had torn aside its veil, I threwmyself into your arms, crying: “Well, as for me, it’s Pauline who will be my Mama!” Manuscript A On August 29, 1877, her mother, Zélie was buried. Thérèse chose her sister Pauline, who is 11 years older than she, as her second mama. 25 Harold Gilman, The Absence
Why I love you Oh! I would like to sing, Mary, why I love you, Why your sweet name thrills my heart, And why the thought of your supreme greatness Could not bring fear to my soul. If I gazed on you in your sublime glory, Surpassing the splendor of all the blessed, I could not believe that I am your child. O Mary, before you I would lower my eyes!... If a child is to cherish his mother, She has to cry with him and share his sorrows. O my dearest Mother, on this foreign shore How many tears you shed to draw me to you!.... In pondering your life in the holy Gospels, I dare look at you and come near you. It's not difficult for me to believe I'm your child, For I see you human and suffering like me.... Why I Love You, O Mary 26 Giuseppe Magni, The Virgin and the Little Children
In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking you to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within you to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of your love, O my God!... May this martyrdom, after having prepared me to appear before you, finally cause me to die and may my soul take its flight without any delay into the eternal embrace of your merciful love. I want, Omy Beloved, at each beat of my heart to renew this offering to you an infinite number of times, until the shadows having disappeared I may be able to tell you of my love in an eternal face-to-face!... I offer myself to your merciful love Offering myself as a Holocaust Victim to the Merciful Love of the Good Lord On June 9, 1895, Thérèse was touched by the story of nuns who offered themselves as martyrs to divine justice, in order to divert upon themselves the punishments promised to the guilty. Thérèse says to herself that it is not to God's Justice that it is appropriate to offer oneself, but to his Mercy. And immediately, she composes her Act of offering to the Merciful Love. 128
“You will look at us from up there in heaven, right?” Céline asked. “No, I shall come down!” I will come down Last words to Céline, Septembre 26, 1897 184 Maurice Denis, Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus
From birth to her mother’s death January 2, 1873: birth of Marie-Françoise Thérèse Martin, in Alençon, rue Saint-Blaise January 4, 1873: baptism in Notre Dame Church; godmother: her older sister Marie January 17, 1873: symptoms of enteritis March 1, 1873: Thérèse is very sick. Mid-March 1873: Thérèse is sent to be nursed by Rosalie Taillé. April 2, 1874: Thérèse returns to Alençon for good. August 28, 1877: death of Zélie Martin I. Darling Thérèse III. Thérèse shattered and recovered IV. TThérèse, determined II. Thérèse dying and healed CHRONOLOGY From the move to Lisieux to Mary’s smile August 29, 1877: Zélie’s funeral; Pauline chosen as the “second mama” November 15, 1877: move to Lisieux, to Les Buissonnets Late 1879 or early 1880: first confession October 3, 1881: enters the Benedictine Abbey school in Lisieux and has the midday meal there Summer 1882: Thérèse learns suddenly that Pauline will soon leave for the Carmel and hears her own call. October 2, 1882: Pauline enters the Carmel and takes the name Sister Agnes of Jesus. October 1882: Thérèse dreams of taking the name “of the Child Jesus,” and this name is indeed proposed to her by Mother Marie de Gonzague. December 1882: Thérèse suffers from headaches and insomnia. March 25, 1883, Easter Sunday: start of Thérèse’s nervous ailment April 6, 1883: Thérèse can attend the clothing ceremony of her sister Pauline. April 7, 1883: relapse into a serious condition; the Martins begin a novena to Our Lady of Victory. May 13, 1883: Pentecost: the smile of the Virgin cures Thérèse. From Mary's smile to the grace of Christmas May 1883: parlor session with the Carmelites that leads to scruples; Thérèse fears that she invented her story of grace. May 8, 1884: First Communion at the Abbey May 14, 1884: Confirmation February 3, 1886: Mother Marie de Gonzague is elected Prioress of the Carmel. February–March 1886: Thérèse is taken out of the Abbey School permanently because of her health; she is tutored by Madame Papinau. August 1886: Thérèse learns that Marie will soon leave for the Carmel. October 7, 1886: Léonie suddenly enters the Poor Clares in Alençon but leaves the community quickly. October 15, 1886: Marie enters the Carmel with the name Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart. Late October 1886: Thérèse is freed from her scruples by the intercession of her “little brothers and sisters in heaven.” December 25, 1886: the grace of Christmas; Thérèse regains the spiritual strength that she had lost at age 4. March 19-20, 1887: Pranzini murders two women and a little girl in Paris. From the grace of Christmas to her entrance into the Carmel May 29, 1887, Pentecost: From her father Thérèse receives permission to enter the Carmel at age 15. July 13, 1887: Pranzini is sentenced to death; Thérèse prays and offers sacrifices for his conversion. August 1, 1887: Thérèse reads the newspaper account of Pranzini’s execution; the criminal asked to kiss a crucifix. October 8, 1887: Thérèse asks her Uncle Guérin for permission to enter the Carmel at Christmas. October 22, 1887: under the influence of Mother Agnes, Uncle Guérin consents. 186
V. Thérèse, soldier: the underground passage From the postulancy, to the day of clothing and receiving the veil From April 9, 1888, to January 10, 1889: Thérèse’s postulancy June 23, 1888: Louis Martin runs away. June 26, 1888: fire at the house next door to Les Buissonnets June 27, 1888: Louis Martin is found in Le Havre by Uncle Guérin and Céline. Early July 1888: Céline and Louis stay in Auteuil. August 12, 1888: Louis Martin’s mental health again deteriorates. Late October 1888: The Chapter decides that Thérèse may take the habit. November 1888: because of Monsieur Martin’s condition, the clothing ceremony is postponed. January 5-10, 1889: Thérèse makes a retreat before taking the habit. January 10, 1889: clothing ceremony in the presence of Louis on a snowy day; Thérèse adds “of the Holy Face” to her name in religion. From January 10, 1889, to September 24, 1890: Thérèse’s novitiate VI. The light From the retreat with Father Alexis Prou to the first signs of illness October 7-15, 1891: retreat preached by Father Alexis Prou, who confirms Thérèse in the Little Way and launches her “in full sail.” December 28, 1891: start of the influenza epidemic. Thérèse is one of the few sisters who are still well; she cares for the community, fearlessly, and can receive Communion every day. May 10, 1892: Louis Martin is still sick, but Uncle Guérin brings him back to Lisieux. May 12, 1892: Louis Martin’s last visit to the Carmel. His last words: “In heaven.” February 20, 1893: election of Pauline, Mother Agnes of Jesus, as Prioress. Thérèse becomes the assistant of Mother Marie de Gonzague in the novitiate. June 24, 1893: Léonie returns to the Visitation Convent in Caen. September 1893: Thérèse can leave the novitiate but remains in it. Spring 1894: Thérèse suffers from a sore throat. May 8, 1894: major celebrations in Lisieux in honor of Joan of Arc; Thérèse writes a hymn to promote her canonization. May 27, 1894: paralysis of Louis Martin, who receives Extreme Unction. July 1, 1894: a physician is consulted because of Thérèse’s chest pains and hoarseness. July 29, 1894: death of Louis Martin. October 25, 1887: Thérèse learns that the superior of the Carmel, Canon Delatroëtte, is opposed to her entrance at such a young age. October 31, 1887: Thérèse and Louis Martin visit Bishop Hugonin in Bayeux. November 4, 1887: departure for Rome with the pilgrimage from the Diocese of Coutances November 14, 1887: visit to the Coliseum November 20, 1887: Audience with Leo XIII; the pope leaves to the superiors the decision about Thérèse’s entrance into the Carmel. December 28, 1887: letter from Bishop Hugonin to Mother Marie de Gonzague: Thérèse can enter the Carmel. January 1, 1888: Thérèsee receives her response but she must wait until after Lent to enter the Carmel. April 9, 1888, Annunciation: Thérèse enters the Carmel. February 12, 1889: Louis is hospitalized at the Bon-Sauveur in Caen, where he will stay for three years. January 1890: Thérèse’s profession is postponed. August 28, 1890: beginning of Thérèse’s retreat before profession, complete aridity September 8, 1890: Thérèse makes her profession. September 24, 1890: Thérèse takes the black veil. 187
VII. Darkness September 14, 1894: Céline enters the Carmel. Autumn 1894: Thérèse finds in Céline’s notebooks Scripture passages that are decisive for her little way. December 1894: Mother Agnes asks Thérèse to write down her childhood memories. January 1895: beginning of the composition of Manuscript A. February 26, 1895: Thérèse writes the poem “Living on Love.” June 9, 1895: self-offering to Merciful Love. October 17, 1895: Mother Agnes entrusts Father Bellière to Thérèse. March 21, 1896: election of Mother Mary de Gonzague as Prioress. Thérèse is confirmed in her role as mistress of novices. April 3, 1896: first pulmonary hemorrhage in the night from Holy Thursday to Good Friday. From the first symptoms to the death of Thérèse April 5, 1896, Easter: enters into the “thick darkness,” the night of faith May 30, 1896: Mother Marie de Gonzague entrusts another missionary, Father Roulland, to Thérèse. August 8 and 13, 1896: Thérèse composes Manuscript B, also addressed to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart. October 8-15, 1896: retreat preached by Father Madeleine, who suggests that she carry the Creed over her heart. Thérèse writes it with her blood. April 1897, end of Lent: Thérèse falls seriously ill. May 1897: Thérèse is relieved of all her tasks and from the duty to pray in choir and, at the end of the month, she is relieved of her care of the novices. June 3, 1897: Mother Marie de Gonzague asks Thérèse to complete the account of her life: Manuscript C. June 5, 1897: her illness progresses rapidly; Thérèse is thought to be dying. June 13, 1897: Thérèse is much better after the community makes a novena to Our Lady of Victory. VIII. The little way July 6, 1897: pulmonary hemorrhages resume. July 8, 1897: Thérèse is suffocating; she is brought to the infirmary. July 30, 1897: Extreme Unction. August 23, 1897: the pains are so great that Thérèse understands the temptation of suicide. September 29, 1897: agony, confession September 30, 1897: Thérèse dies around 7:20 pm in the presence of the assembled community. March 7, 1898: Monseigneur Hugonin, Bishop of Bayeux, gives permission to publish The Story of a Soul. Easter 1899: the first edition of two thousand copies of The Story of a Soul is sold out; a second is prepared. 1899–1901: first graces and healings obtained through the intercession of Thérèse. Pilgrims come to pray at her tomb. May 26, 1908: a little blind girl, four years old, Reine Fauquet, is cured at the tomb of Thérèse. March 17, 1915: opening of the apostolic process in Bayeux April 29, 1923: Beatification of Thérèse by Pius XI May 17, 1925: Canonization of Thérèse by Pius XI December 14, 1927: Thérèse is proclaimed patron of the missions together with Saint Francis Xavier. January 19, 1940: death of Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart June 16, 1941: death of Léonie May 3, 1944: Thérèse is proclaimed secondary patron of France by Pius XII. July 28, 1951: death of Mother Agnes of Jesus February 25, 1959: death of Céline October 19, 1997: Thérèse is proclaimed Doctor of the Church by John Paul II. 188
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzMzNzY=