ST. THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS (MEMORIAL)

Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. 

St. Thérèse of Lisieux spent only nine years as a cloistered nun before her death in 1897 at the age of twenty-four. Yet the witness of her life and the depth of her writings have brought millions of people closer to the Lord. Her influence was so profound that in October 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church.

Thérèse understood the gospel to be nothing less than the revelation of God’s tenderness and mercy toward his children. Her writings focus on this great mystery: that those who choose the trust and humility of children discover who God really is.

“You have revealed [hidden things] to the childlike,” Jesus tells his Father in today’s Gospel (Luke 10:21). Interestingly, Jesus says this directly after the seventy-two disciples tell him that “even the demons are subject to us because of your name” (10:17). Clearly, having childlike faith can give us great power over the enemy!

This is what Thérèse discovered. When she was young, Thérèse could be easily hurt by even the smallest offenses. She also suffered from scrupulosity, a distressing focus on her sin and a fear of offending God. In one of her letters, she described herself as a fragile little bird that places all its hope in Jesus, the divine Eagle. But with childlike trust in the Lord, Thérèse managed to overcome her inner struggles and find peace in Jesus’ embrace.

Like that little bird, we too can find peace and freedom as we learn to live in childlike trust. It’s not always easy, but we can become more aware of God’s power and goodness in our lives. We can respond to our weakness with a renewed trust in God’s strength.

Always remember that you are a child: God’s beloved child. When you choose to be weak in him, that’s when you become strongest of all.

“Jesus, I choose to place all my hope and trust in you today.”

Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17
Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130
Luke 10:17-24