By Susan Ciancio
On October 1, we celebrate the feast of a very special saint who helps us all realize that every action we take to glorify God and further His work here on earth makes an impact.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who is now a Doctor of the Church, knew from a very young age that she wanted to serve God as a religious person. At the age of 15, she entered a Carmelite convent and spent the rest of her short life praying and doing good works in her own “Little Way.”
She smiled at the other nuns who annoyed her. She did extra chores. She listened and was a friend to those around her. She talked to them about God. She sacrificed her sufferings. And she prayed—for the conversion of sinners, for lost souls, for the sick and dying, and for anyone who needed prayers.
Thérèse died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, but in her last years, she wrote a three-volume tome that would eventually become one book called Story of a Soul. Shortly before her death, she stated, “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”
Now known as the Little Flower, this saint is responsible for countless miracles.
My family, especially my great-uncle, has always had a special devotion to her. My great-uncle was a Holy Cross priest, and he often prayed for her intercession. At one point, someone gave him a first-class relic of St. Thérèse. My parents cared for it after his death, and they have now entrusted it into my care. I cherish it, and I keep it in a special place near a statue of her; it reminds me of her love and prayers for my family over the years.
And there have been numerous answered prayers and showers of roses! One specifically sticks in my mind. I had been suffering from some health problems and had made plans to take my sons on a trip. I was terribly afraid that I would not feel well or that something would happen that would disrupt our travels. I prayed a novena to her, and while on the trip, a stranger walked up to me and actually handed me a rose. He said he just thought I needed one. I was flabbergasted and nearly moved to tears.
That rose was a sign that the saints—our friends in heaven—do intercede on our behalf. That doesn’t mean that we always get what we want, but we can be assured of their prayers. And through our prayers and our devotion to them, we have the opportunity to not only grow closer to them but to become more like them in our own lives, thus strengthening our relationship with God.
One of the things I really like about St. Thérèse is that she understood that we don’t need to do grand things to make a difference in the world. We don’t need to spend hours volunteering at a shelter or soup kitchen each week. We don’t need to give away all of our money to the poor. We don’t need to travel to far-away lands and evangelize. We can prayerfully discern where God wants us to make the most difference with the gifts He has given us, and then we set about doing them.
That means we can openly talk about our faith in the hope that someone will listen and be converted. It means we can offer a smile instead of a scowl when we see a mom struggling with a fussy child. It means we can do without something we want so that someone else can have something they need. It means we can pray throughout our day for the sick, the elderly, or moms considering abortion. And it means we talk to our families and our friends about the sanctity of life and marriage.
There is an endless list of small actions we can take every day to make a difference in our world. We can even create our own ministry. For example, a couple years ago, I discovered these little one-inch rubber Jesus figures. I saw a video where a young couple was leaving them in random places around town so people would find them, as everyone needs a little Jesus. I thought that sounded like a fun way to spread the faith, and since then, I have bought numerous bags of them and leave one figure wherever I go—stores, airports, airplanes, waiting rooms, even in the hole of a tree. On many occasions, I have watched people pick them up and exclaim how awesome they are.
Often, we get it in our heads that we have to do something immense for God or nothing at all. As the old adage says, “Go big or go home.” Well, that doesn’t hold true when it comes to matters of faith. Little acts of faith, kindness, generosity, compassion, and respect for life can make a huge impact. St. Thérèse proved that with her life. And we can prove that with ours.
Jesus taught His disciples that when they did things for others, they were also doing it for Him. In the Gospel of Matthew, He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
Yes, we can and should literally do all of those things when we are able, but their literal interpretation is not the only way to serve God. Maybe someone is hungry for the truth about our faith. Maybe someone is thirsty for more knowledge about the Church that Christ founded. Maybe someone is spiritually ill and needs care from words of compassion and love. These are all ways we can serve in our own little ways. And these are the things we can teach even young children to do.
St. Thérèse taught that the little things we do matter and can have a profound impact on others. Let us look at our lives and decide what we will do each day to follow in her footsteps. And let us encourage our kids to do the same.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us!
The Culture of Life Studies Program offers a lesson booklet on St. Thérèse and her Little Way. Download it from our store. For a limited time, this booklet is on sale for just $1!
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