October first is the liturgical memorial of St Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus, as she is commonly known, her fame spread far and wide by the publication of her autobiography.
When one looks closely at her own reflections, one gets the clue that her story of a soul is the story of our soul too. Her “Little Way” is a blessing in our daily lives. St Therese has much to teach us. For me, the first one is what it means to love God. Her reply is that this implies means surrendering ourselves. She confides to us: Jesus points out to me the only way which leads to Love’s furnace – that way is self-surrender – it is the confidence of the little child who sleeps without fear in its father’s arms. For Therese, true love is measured by loving deeds. How shall I show my love is proved by deeds? Well – the little child will strew flowers…she will embalm the Divine Throne with their fragrance, will sing with silvery voice the canticle of love. Humility is the key to access God’s goodness and merciful Love. The Divine Heart’s Goodness and Merciful Love are little known! It is true that to enjoy these treasures we must humble ourselves, must confess our nothingness – and here is where many a soul draws back.
Love is the decisive element in our actions. You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them. Small sacrifices, motivated by love, make all the difference in the end. Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.