When I was a novice in my community, I was introduced in a new way to the treasure of St. Therese of Lisieux known throughout the world as “The Little Flower”. Some years before that I had read her autobiography, The Story of a Soul and loved it. In the novitiate I read every book I could get my hands on in order to discover her “little way” to God. I loved many of the other saints but their spirituality always seemed so out of reach for me. But not that of St. Therese. That is why, I think, she is so loved by so many because the average Christian can relate to her and her inspired understanding of the love and mercy of God.Her feast day is October 1 and in many parishes there are novenas (9 days of prayer) being said in anticipation of her feast. She has been called a “Prodigy of Miracles.” She promised that she would spend her Heaven doing good on earth. As she was preparing to meet the Lord, Therese said “I…feel that my mission is going to begin, my mission to make God loved as I love him, to give my little way to souls. If God grants my desires, my heaven will be spent on earth, until the end of time. Yes, I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.”
I highly recommend a little book titled My Vocation is Love by Jean LaFrance and published by St. Paul Publications. But there are many, many wonderful books about this little giant – who has been declared a Doctor of the Church. Here are just three web sites that might be of interest.
http://www.littleflower.org/offerings/celebrations/default.asp
http://www.ewtn.com/therese/novena.htm
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