“So it is in the world of souls, the living garden of the Lord. It pleases Him to create great Saints, who may be compared with the lilies or the rose, but He has also created little ones, who must be content to be daisies or violets, nestling at His feet to delight His eyes when He should choose to look at them... What delights Him is the simplicity of these flowers of the field, and by stooping so low to them, He shows how infinitely great He is. Just as the sun shines equally on the cedar and the little flower, so the Divine Sun shines equally on everyone, great and small.”
- St Thérèse of Lisieux
St Thérèse of Lisieux is one of my favourite saints. She is probably the first saint I felt I could resonate with. Maybe it is because I am (obviously) small and ordinary. When I think of St Thérèse, I think of her heart, her extraordinary love.
She shows me that the daily decisions count, the small acts of love, even the ordinary days and moments can make a difference in attaining holiness and ultimately heaven.
Today, St Thérèse is very well-known but she wasn’t always recognised in the way we know her now. In actual fact, it seemed as if St Thérèse made no significant impact in her life to remember her by. She didn’t find a religious order nor did she do missionary work. Instead, it was her humility and acceptance of her weaknesses that she found the little way to heaven. She shows us the surest way to Heaven is simple, it is to love and to trust God wholeheartedly. She followed her vocation (ultimately, our vocation too) which is to love. St Thérèse surrendered her life and shows us what it truly means to abide in God and by His will. We don’t merely need to do anything extravagant to make a difference, but it can also be in the small and what may seem like ordinary moments that we can shine in. St John Paul II spoke of St Thérèse’s acts of love and service of God even in the most mundane circumstances, perfectly illustrating the characteristics of the feminine genius.
St Thérèse didn’t have any education qualifications and yet, was able to become a Doctor of the Church. St Thérèse knew she didn’t have the intelligence and education unlike many other saints. She realised she was to remain little and humble. She knew she needed to totally depend on God, and persevere with a childlike faith. It was through her hidden acts of love and sacrifice, abandonment to the will of God, that she was able to attain holiness. In her littleness, humility and weaknesses she allowed herself to be embraced by grace. She allowed God to shower her with His infinite love and ultimately, allowed God to be God.
St Thérèse died at the age of 24. In those 24 years of life, she was able to live in a way that she is to be remembered forever. She may seem ordinary, she may seem little, but she is courageous, she is bold and she is a warrior - a great example for us all.
St Thérèse shows us that there is more to what we see, there is so much more than what meets the eye. We are all beautiful flowers, in the field of God’s garden. He sees and knows us even when others may not see us or even we can’t see ourselves clearly. No one is too young, too little, too ordinary for the Lord. While we each have our unique gifts and characteristics, He sees and knows our hearts. Like St Thérèse, we too, can bloom into saints, and live simply in infinite love. Her little way, her simple life, her prayer, her heart and soul is what made her a saint. St Thérèse may have thought herself to be ordinary, a ‘petite ame’ (which means little soul in French) but she loved with an extraordinary love.
janz.
The “Field of Flowers” collection inspired by St Thérèse of Lisieux is now available on www.madebyesther.com.
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