Religious, mystic, playwright, doctor of the Church together with Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila, patroness of France together with Joan of Arc, protector of those suffering from AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, even patroness of missions, she who chose seclusion and died very young from tuberculosis. The human and spiritual story of Saint Therese of Lisieuxbetter known as Saint Teresa of the Child Jesusis one of the most paradoxical in the history of the Church which celebrates it on October 1st.
She died of tuberculosis at the age of 25 in the monastery of Lisieux and is venerated worldwide. The Basilica of the French city dedicated to her is the second place of pilgrimage in France only after Lourdes. Pius XI, who canonized her in 1925, considered her the “star of his pontificate”. John Paul II in 1997 he proclaimed her Doctor of the Church on the occasion of the centenary of her death.
What is the worldwide fame of Saint Therese due to, then? Certainly to the fact that she left her memories, reflections, spiritual crises collected in the diaries published by her sister Pauline, who became mother Agnese after her death. Story of a soulpublished for the first time in 1898, is not only a religious text but collects poems, plays, letters and prayers that tell the spiritual journey of an exalted soul, in spite of the humility and concealment of his earthly life.
Having entered the Carmelite nuns of Lisieux with the name of Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, she discovered that the monastic environment was not only not what she expected but was hostile to her, full of ugliness and not very spiritual. And in a certain sense she reforms that environment, starting from herself.
The basilica of Saint Therese of Lisieux, in Normandy
The theology of the “little way”
The novelty of his spirituality, also called the theology of “little street”consists in seeking holiness, not in great actions, but in even the most insignificant daily acts, on the condition that they are carried out for the love of God. After her death, the voice of this humble Carmelite nuns travels through France and the world, striking intellectuals, it also arouses popular emotions and tenderness.
Pius XI recommends to the bishop of Bayeux: «Say and have others say that Teresa’s spirituality has become a little too insipid. How masculine and virile she is, however! Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus, whose entire doctrine preaches renunciation, is a great man». Saint Teresina also composed eight theatrical works which she personally staged in the Carmel theatre, personally taking care of not only the scenography but also the costumes, sometimes appearing as the protagonist. These works had the name Récréations Pieuses (Pious Recreations). Among the themes, evangelical episodes and the life of Joan of Arc.
the request to the Pope to enter the convent
Fourteen-year-old Teresa Martin stands out in the French pilgrimage, which arrived in Rome at the end of 1887 for the priestly jubilee of Leo XIII. But, in the papal audience with the whole group, he dismayed the prelates by directly asking the Pope to be able to enter the monastery immediately, before the age of 18. Leo XIII’s response was cautious; but after four months Teresa entered the Carmel of Lisieux, where two of her sisters preceded her (and she would not be the last). The Roman Martyrology remembers her thus: «When she entered the Carmel of Lisieux in France while still a teenager, she became, through purity and simplicity of life, a teacher of holiness in Christ, teaching the way of spiritual childhood to reach Christian perfection and placing every mystical concern at the service of the salvation of souls and the growth of the Church. He ended his life on September 30, at the age of twenty-five.”
(Top image: Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus (photo: Ecured)
