Teresa of the Child Jesus is one of the great teachers of spiritual life in our time, so much so that Pope Pius XI called her a “masterpiece of nature and grace,” “a living word of God,” and “the greatest saint of modern times.”

Pope Francis reminded us of this in the apostolic exhortation C’est la confiance, published 150 years after the birth (1873) of the little Carmelite saint, Doctor of the Church, and on the centenary of her beatification (1923). To commemorate these anniversaries and pay tribute to Teresa’s life and work, a jubilee year was held, which concluded solemnly on Sunday, January 7, with the celebration of the Eucharist and the closing of the Holy Door, presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. In his homily, the cardinal emphasized: “Your names are written in heaven: this statement by Jesus, which little Teresa applies to herself, is the root of Christian joy and trust.”

During the jubilee year that has just ended, the ever-relevant message and the significance of the experience of this great saint, known and loved throughout the world and invoked by millions of devotees as the “saint of roses,” were explored in greater depth. But not everyone knows that she is also invoked as the “saint of divine love” and “the saint who makes hell tremble.” Why? Because of the trust and love with which she lived her faith: “It is trust, and trust alone, that must lead us to Love.” These words, which Teresa wrote in September 1896, sum up the genius of her spirituality, in which her constant awareness of Jesus’ presence and action emerges.
In the book Story of a Soul, first published in 1898, Teresa does not write a spiritual treatise but recounts her life, lived under the sign of love for Jesus and of Jesus. Recalling her childhood, she states: “I wanted to love, to love Jesus passionately.”
Her writing reveals the full strength of her spirituality, known as the “little way” or the “way of spiritual childhood,” which springs from life and points back to life. Her personal life experience coincides with her spiritual proposal: “To make people love the good Lord as I love him, to give my little way to souls.”

What matters to her is God’s action, grace, not personal merits, because it is the Lord who sanctifies: «The elevator that must raise me to Heaven is your arms, O Jesus! That is why I do not need to grow; rather, I must remain small, becoming ever smaller».
Therefore, the most appropriate attitude, one we should make our own, is to place our trust in the infinite mercy of a God who loves us without limits, to the point of giving his very self in the passion and death of Jesus. It is this trust that conquers fear, dispels darkness, drives away evil, frees us from the fears and doubts that take peace from our hearts, and helps us advance in that holiness which she understands as carrying out, not great deeds, but every daily act, even the most insignificant, out of love for God: «Holiness does not consist in this or that practice, but in a disposition of the heart that makes us humble and small in the arms of God, aware of our weakness and trusting in his goodness as a Father to the point of daring».

What matters to her is God’s action, grace, not personal merits, because it is the Lord who sanctifies: «The elevator that must raise me to Heaven is your arms, O Jesus! That is why I do not need to grow; rather, I must remain small, becoming ever smaller».
Therefore, the most appropriate attitude, one we should make our own, is to place our trust in the infinite mercy of a God who loves us without limits, to the point of giving his very self in the passion and death of Jesus. It is this trust that conquers fear, dispels darkness, drives away evil, frees us from the fears and doubts that take peace from our hearts, and helps us advance in that holiness which she understands as carrying out, not great deeds, but every daily act, even the most insignificant, out of love for God: «Holiness does not consist in this or that practice, but in a disposition of the heart that makes us humble and small in the arms of God, aware of our weakness and trusting in his goodness as a Father to the point of daring».

The trust that Thérèse proposes to us is an act of daily love; it is choosing every day to allow God to work in our lives; it is abandoning oneself to him, even when one does not understand, even when everything is dark; it is the deep desire to give up all human securities in order to place one’s hope in God. Cardinal Semeraro, too, echoing the words of the French theologian Father François-Marie Léthel, specified in his homily: «Thérèse’s most evident and original contribution concerns hope, with new horizons and new perspectives. It is also her most timely message at a moment of great suffering for the Church and all humanity». A message of hope for everyone, which is the common thread linking Saint Thérèse to the jubilee that will open in 2025 and whose motto will be: “Pilgrims of hope”. And precisely «in this context – Semeraro observed again – we can certainly return to meditating on our Thérèse, who was a woman of hope».

And you, are you devoted to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux? Do you have any anecdotes to share? Share them in the comments!