St. Therese of Lisieux

A Saint & Doctor’s use of little imagery in "Story of a Soul"

by Rev. John A. Sistare

November 04, 2000

Throughout the history of the Church, many men and women have witnessed to the grace of God working in their lives, as they lived out their baptismal call to holiness. These models of the Catholic faith sought to do God’s will as they focused on returning to their true eternal home. The will of God was not always easy and clear to see, but the desire to race toward Heaven remained. St. Therese of Lisieux, a nineteenth century saint, possessed that strong desire to follow God’s will and reach the eternal banquet. She had her share of trials and struggles throughout her brief twenty four years of life. However, during those years, St. Therese only sought to do the will of her Beloved so she could be with Him forever in eternal life. In the three manuscripts which comprise her autobiography, "Story of a Soul", Therese spoke of her trials and sufferings. She presents images of little things to convey how she endured these trials and kept her focus on doing the will of God. Her use of ‘little’ imagery sheds light on how to endure suffering and persevere through feelings of abandonment. More importantly, these ‘little’ images encourage the reader to completely surrender and trust in God’s providence. Therese often used words, such as, ‘little’, ‘weak’, and ‘poor’ to refer to herself in comparison to God. This humility and vision of her own frailty before God gave way to dependence, trust, and absolute submission to the Almighty. St. Therese used the images of a little ball and little boat to remind us to hope and trust in God in times of trial and suffering. The images of the little bird, flower, and Divine elevator, manifest the theme of complete submission to our ever- loving God. Certainly, Therese uses many more images to teach and present spiritual themes throughout her autobiography. However, in the brief selected examples that follow, we will get an idea of the theology of this simple, yet glorious saint. Therese of Lisieux was canonized a saint on May 17, 1925 and proclaimed a doctor of the Church on Oct. 19, 1997. Holy Mother Church honors and presents St Therese of Lisieux to the faithful, to show the ‘little way’ of holiness as we strive towards ultimate union with our Lord in the heavenly homeland.

Little Plaything

The first image that I would like to examine is the image of the little plaything that St.

Therese speaks of just after her audience with Pope Leo XIII on November 20, 1887. Therese went to Rome with her father, Louis, and her sister, Celine. Therese recalls her audience with the Pope: "I kissed his slipper and he presented his hand, but instead of kissing it I joined my own and lifting tear filled eyes to his face, I cried out: ‘Most Holy Father , I have a great favor to ask you!’ (Story of a Soul, p. 134). Therese was there to seek special permission from the Holy Father to enter the cloistered convent of Carmel at the early age of fifteen. However, after asking Pope Leo XIII this favor, the following conversation took place between Therese and His Holiness:

"Well, my child,’ the Holy Father replied, looking at me kindly, ‘do what the Superiors tell you.’… ‘Oh! Holy Father, if you say yes, everybody will agree.’

He gazed at me steadily, speaking these words and stressing each syllable: ‘Go…go…You will enter if God wills it! (pp. 134-35)."

This event in the life of Therese left her with a feeling of abandonment. She had offered herself as the Child Jesus’ little plaything to throw, pierce, press to His heart, and, in short, amuse Him. However, in this particular episode of her life, she felt as though, "He let His little ball fall to the ground and He went off to sleep (p. 136)." She envisioned herself as a little ball for the Child Jesus to play with, but not to simply cast aside. However, her delayed entry into Carmel left her with a feeling of abandonment, cast aside by the Child Jesus.

However, she never gave up hope despite this feeling of abandonment. Instead, she gave the following explanation as to what was taking place. "Jesus dreamed He was still playing with His toy, leaving it and taking it up in turns, and then having seen it roll quite far He pressed it to His heart, no longer allowing it to ever go far from His little hand (p. 136)." She had not given up hope and trusted that the Child Jesus was still present and interested in his little plaything. The Child Jesus didn’t abandon His little ball and Therese entered Carmel just five months later on April 9, 1888.

Little Boat

Therese refers to her soul as the little boat, in which the Child Jesus often sleeps. The figure of the sleeping Jesus brings about a feeling of abandonment that Therese felt in times of trial. In her attempt to enter Carmel at an early age, after her father gave his own permission, she sought the approval of her uncle. Her uncle, however, refused to grant his permission on the basis of setting precedence. This refusal put her once again in a feeling of abandonment or ‘dark night’ as she calls it. Therese recalls the event: "I was in a sad desert, or rather my soul was a like a fragile boat delivered up to the mercy of the waves and having no pilot. I knew Jesus was there sleeping in my boat, but the night was so black it was impossible to see Him…(p. 109)." Therese knew Jesus was there, but her inability to see Jesus sleeping in the darkness created a sense of abandonment.

The sense of abandonment was soon replaced with hope. Two weeks later, her uncle granted his permission for Therese to enter Carmel and the little boat was immediately in joy. "…in place of the wind of trial, a light breeze expanded my sail and I believed I’d reach the blessed shore, now seemingly so close! It was really very close to my boat, but more than one storm was still to arise (p. 111)." The shore or convent of Carmel was close and the little boat had hope. Her feeling of abandonment disappeared as she trusted that God’s will would be done.

Another example in which her sense of abandonment gives way to hope is illustrated in an episode that took place just a month after the Papal audience. After the midnight Christmas Mass, Celine gave Therese a little surprise.

"I found in my room, in the center of a charming basin, a little boat carrying the Little Jesus asleep with a little ball at His side, and Celine had written these words on the white sail: ‘I sleep, but my heart watches’, and on the boat itself this one word, ‘Abandonment!’ (p. 142-143)."

In that episode, Celine had offered Therese the hope she needed. Therese was feeling abandoned and Celine reminded her with this little surprise that Jesus, though asleep, was still with her in this trial. Jesus had not abandoned her and would bring the little boat to the shore of Carmel very soon.

In fact, after she reached the shore of Carmel, Therese spoke of the little boat as floating.

"…the joy I was experiencing was calm, the lightest breeze did not undulate the quite waters upon which my little boat was floating and no cloud darkened my blue heaven. Ah! I was fully recompensed for all my trials. With that deep joy I repeated those words: ‘I am here forever and ever!’ (p. 148)."

At last, the little boat had reached the shore of Carmel and had complete joy now that her goal, since the age of two, had been achieved. Jesus had brought the little boat to shore and Therese had entered Carmel. The Child Jesus who often was portrayed as sleeping had been aware of His little boat all along. He remained with His little boat through all the waves, storms, and dark nights. The little boat, Therese, had reached the shore of Carmel with the guidance and protection of the ever-present Child Jesus.

Little Bird

Therese uses a wonderful image of a weak little bird to convey the necessity of complete submission to the Creator. In this act of surrender, Therese is completely content and at peace. The weak little bird is unable to fly and can only raise its’ wings. Unlike the eagles flying above, the little bird must be content with this inability and remain in the nest. The little bird, representing Therese, though desiring to fly, is perfectly content and at peace with a fixed gaze on the bright Sun. Despite the clouds, rain, and wind that come, the little bird trusts in the protection and presence of the Sun, representing God in this image.

Therese seeks to imitate the saints and angels who are depicted as eagles flying above the nest. The saints have reached their final end and Therese seeks their protection and intercession as she strives to do the same.

"It calls upon the angels and saints who rise like eagles before the consuming Fire, and since this is the object of the little birds desire the eagles take pity on it protecting and defending it, and putting to flight at the same time, the vultures who want to devour it (p. 199).’

Therese, with the frailty of a weak little bird, unable to fly, called upon the intercession of the saints and angels to aid in the battle with the vultures or demons.

Therese views herself as weak and imperfect and thus completely dependent on God for sanctification. She mentions that the little bird has never strayed from the Sun. This possibly could be a reference to the fact that Therese never committed a mortal sin in her lifetime (p. 149). However, she still saw herself as a sinner and dependent upon God for mercy. In order to show her own frailties, she cast herself as the little bird distracted with the trifles of the earth.

"It picks up a piece of grain on the right or on the left; it chases after a little worm; then coming upon a little pool of water, it wets its feathers still hardly formed. It sees an attractive flower and its little mind is occupied with this little flower. In a word, being unable to soar like the eagles, the poor little bird is taken up with the trifles of the earth (p.198)."

Despite these imperfections the little bird always turned back toward the Sun. Therese realized the need to completely surrender to God and always sought His mercy and forgiveness. Just as the little bird quickly turns back towards the Sun to have it’s wet wings dried, so Therese turns back towards God to have her imperfections healed. She recalls the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus’ mission to call sinners and not the just (Mt 9:11).

Finally, Therese completely submits and surrenders herself to the ‘Adored Eagle.’ The Adored Eagle is Jesus and it is in Him, whom Therese places her complete trust to bring her to Heaven. She seeks the eagles, the angels and saints, to intercede and as the faithful little bird remains hopeful that one day the Adorable Eagle will fetch the little bird. "One day I hope that you, Adorable eagle, will come to fetch me, Your little bird; and ascending with it to the Furnace of Love, You will plunge it for all eternity into the burning Abyss of this Love to which it has offered itself as a victim (p.200)." Therese is a victim, who is weak and little, but perfectly content and at peace, remaining fixed on Heaven. Despite the trials that came during her life, Therese was at peace at being ‘the prey’ of Divine love as she fixed her gaze upon her Beloved.

Little Flower

One of the most popular images associated with Therese is that of the little flower. This image also shows her complete submission to the will of God. She was at peace and content with being a weak little flower and only desired to be what God willed her to be. "And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daises or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when he looks down at his feet (p.14)." She didn’t desire to be the greatest or most beautiful flower, but accepted what God simply called her to be.

Therese actually uses the image of flower with her whole family. At the beginning of her autobiography, when she speaks about her family, she refers to them as a Lilyplant. In fact, she refers to her father and mother, Louis Martin & Zelie Guerin, as the two stems, reunited in Heaven. "The two stems who brought these flowers into existence are now reunited for all eternity in the heavenly Fatherland (p. 16)." She had eight other siblings who preceded her and refers to them as dazzling white Lilies. The Martin family produced four Carmelite sisters (Marie, Pauline, Celine, & Therese) and one Visitandine sister (Leonie). Two boys and one girl died within their first year and the other girl died at the age of five. Therese loved her family life and believed she was "born in a holy soil, impregnated with a virginal perfume (pp. 15 –16)." She truly believed that God was at work from the very beginning of her life and was perfectly content in letting His will be done.

It wasn’t always easy to see God’s holy will. In fact, Therese at the early age of ten was deathly ill and in need of a miracle healing. She recalls the event and states, "the little flower alone was languishing and seemed forever withered. However, she had a Sun near her, and this Sun was the miraculous statue of the Blessed Virgin…(p. 64)." The withered little flower was dependent on a miracle and God answered.

"I owed the grace of the Queen of heaven’s smile…Yes, the little flower was going to be born again to life, and this luminous Ray that had warmed her again was not to stop its favors; the Ray did not act all at once, but sweetly and gently it raised the little flower and strengthened her…(p. 66)."

In this healing grace she attributes to the Blessed Virgin, we can see the protection and care that God had for his little flower. This protection and nourishment led Therese to submit herself completely to His will and be content with this act of surrender.

The image of the little flower is portrayed beautifully in an episode with her father. Therese recalls the event:

"Going up to a low wall, he pointed to some little white flowers, like lilies in miniature, and plucking one of them, he gave it to me, explaining the care with which God brought it into being and preserved it to that very day. While I listened I believed that I was hearing my own story, so great was the resemblance between what Jesus had done for the little flower and little Therese (p. 108)."

Louis Martin granted his daughter permission to enter Carmel at that moment. Thus, a beautiful symbolic action took place when her father plucked the flower out of the ground and the roots came out without breaking. Therese, the little flower, was to be rooted and begin new life in Carmel very soon. Life in the convent of Carmel asked for full submission and dependence on God, which Therese was perfectly content to render.

Finally, at the end of her life, in a letter to Mother Marie De Gonzague, she speaks of the little flower again. Therese was seriously ill and dying fast, but once again she is in a state of peace and contentment with the situation. She states that the little flower had been sufficiently watered but now it would be the Sun that would aid it’s growth. The Sun was the simple smile of Jesus, given through Mother Superior, Marie. "Jesus wants to give her nothing but His smile and this he does through you, dear Mother. This gentle sun, far from causing the little flower to wilt makes her progress in a marvelous manner (p. 206)." Here, as the little flower was reaching the end of her earthly life, she was content with the smile of Jesus shown through Mother Marie. She sees herself as "a poor little thing, nothing at all (p. 206)." However, she was much in the eyes of God and to all around her. This weak little flower was on her way to the heavenly homeland. A life of humility, submission, and complete dependence on God, had placed the little flower at peace and ready to join the two stems, her deceased parents, that gave the little flower her existence.

The Little Way: The Divine Elevator

Finally, Therese often spoke of the little way. This little way was Therese’s path to

Heaven. In our day, this third and latest female doctor of the Church is becoming a very popular saint. However, like all saints throughout their lives, Therese didn’t place herself in the same category of the holy men and women that preceded her.

"I have always noticed that when I compared myself to the saints, there is between them and me the same difference that exists between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and the obscure grain of sand trampled underfoot by passers-by (p. 207)."

Therese saw herself as a sinner and realized imperfections that she possessed. However, instead of becoming discouraged over them, she still inspired to holiness. This humility led to a desire to reach Heaven like the saints but in a shorter, more simple, and new way. "But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short, and totally new (p. 207)." The little way gave way to another image that beautifully conveys the truth of our utter dependence on God for salvation.

Therese was fascinated with a new invention of her day. She speaks of the new invention, an elevator, that existed in the homes of the rich. Therese takes this image of the elevator and explains her simple, short, and little way. She states that she is too small to climb the "rough staircase of perfection" and so she is dependent on an elevator to obtain this sanctification. After she read, Proverbs 9:4 ("Whoever is a little one, let him come to me"), Therese was confident that she and others with imperfections were still called to the Heavenly banquet. It is God who heals our imperfections, but He asks for humility and self denial in the process. Thus she finally states: "The elevator which must raise me to heaven is Your arms, O Jesus! and for this I had no need to grow up, but rather I had to remain little and become this more and more (p. 208)." Therese was content with her need to depend on the arms of Jesus to carry her home. Therese, in her own little way, was simply stating the absolute need for God’s grace to be saved. All that was asked of Therese was to remain faithful and dependent on God’s grace to grow in holiness. The divine elevator is there to take us home and Therese’s little way invites us all to remain faithful and submit ourselves totally to the arms of Jesus.

Conclusion

The images used by Therese all have a common theme of being little, weak and fragile in the sight of the Lord. Therese in her own little way teaches us the key to grow in holiness. She teaches us that to draw closer to God, we must decrease and let Him increase within us. This process requires that we deny ourselves and fully submit our will to the perfect will of God. St. Therese experienced trials and sufferings, which began early on in life and continued in various forms unto her deathbed. However, she accepted these trials and used them to draw closer to the Child Jesus. At times when she felt abandoned she instead trusted totally in God. Her hope always was set on entering the Heavenly homeland. She sought a simple little way, by surrendering and abandoning herself completely to God’s will. St. Therese speaks to each and every one of us in a simple and coherent manner. Her little images like the little ball and little boat encourage all of us suffering in anyway to never give up hope and remember that Jesus is always there. The images of the little bird, little flower, and divine elevator remind us that, though we are weak and fragile with imperfections, we can, by means of a little way, reach perfect union with God one day. This little way only asks that we become small by fully submitting ourselves to His will and allowing God to be God. St. Therese of Lisieux has reached that perfect union and now intercedes and prays that we also may one day enter the heavenly homeland. St Therese of Lisieux… pray for us!

Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, (translated by John Clarke, O.C.D., 3^rd ed.), ICS

Publications, Washington, DC, 1996.  

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