St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus: the Little Way of Love
Thérèse was born in France in 1873 and died on September 30, 1897. She lost her mother at an early age (she was 4 years old) and was often ill, yet she continued to trust in God’s plan. At the age of 15, she joined the Carmelite nuns in Lisieux, after asking the Pope for permission herself because of her young age — a sign of her determination and courage.
She wanted to become a saint, but realized she was incapable of performing great heroic deeds. That is why she discovered her now famous “Little Way”: doing every small deed entirely out of love for God, exactly as it came her way.
Her life shows that our calling does not depend on great achievements. It is about accepting and doing everything out of love as God wants us to, without worrying about what others think. As Thérèse herself said:
“I must therefore take myself as I am, with all my shortcomings and imperfections, and become holy that way.”
