Carmelite Convent where Saint Therese lived and died in Lisieux. This is the place she longed to belong to and where she gave her life to Christ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>I approached the train ticket counter at the airport of Paris, and after uttering some words in broken French, which the young lady behind the counter could hardly understand, I had a train ticket in my hand to the small northern French town of Lisieux.\u00a0 That evening, after several hours of travel from Rome, I reached the hometown of one of the modern world\u2019s favorite saints: Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, also known as Saint Therese of Lisieux or the Little Flower.\u00a0 As I walked towards the pilgrim house where I would spend a few nights, I recalled how Saint Therese had traveled by train from Lisieux to Rome over the span of several days on a pilgrimage to meet Pope Leo XIII.\u00a0 A little over one hundred years later, I had completed the same journey in reverse, but in just a few hours.<\/p>\n
When I first entered the seminary in 2002, I read the book\u00a0I Believe in Love\u00a0<\/em>by Father Jean d\u2019Elbee. \u00a0The book was an amazing introduction to the life of Saint Therese, including her writings and her spirituality. \u00a0I had heard of her before, but knew very little about her.\u00a0 As a new seminarian, exited and eager to absorb everything faith-related, this book was ideal.<\/p>\nTomb of Saint Therese, Lisieux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThroughout the years much has been written on this popular saint, yet Father John Wright, one of the two recently ordained priests of our diocese, has published a wonderful, unique book about the life of Saint Therese that is worth a read.\u00a0 The Smallest Spark <\/em>is a well-researched, unique, and easy to read book that tells the story of this great saint through brief vignettes that help the reader enter into specific events of the life of Saint Therese.\u00a0 The title itself serves as a reminder that the smallest acts of love and kindness can serve as sparks of something great, just as the simple, hidden life of Saint Therese sparked a renewed fire in the universal Church.\u00a0 Father Wright\u2019s love for the saint is evident as he carefully crafts and brings to life the major events of her life through the eyes of different characters.<\/p>\nSaint Therese desired to be a saint from a young age, and found a little and simple way to God, one based on love and sacrifice. \u00a0Born in 1873, she entered the local Carmelite Monastery at age 15, died of tuberculosis at age 24, and was canonized on May 17, 1925. \u00a0Even though she died young in a cloistered\u00a0monastery, her life has impacted millions of faithful Christians, drawing them closer to God.\u00a0 She promised she would spend her heaven doing good on earth, and she has kept her promise through her prayers and intercession.<\/p>\n
The story of this modern saint continues to encourage many as we strive to serve God and neighbor through our small and seemingly insignificant actions.\u00a0 Father Wright\u2019s\u00a0 The Smallest Spark<\/em> is a vivid reminder of Therese\u2019s little way, that through the littleness of our lives and actions, we are indeed able to serve God and neighbor, and that the smallest spark is enough to set the world ablaze with the presence of God.<\/p>\nHouse where Saint Therese grew up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAll the pictures are mine, all rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I approached the train ticket counter at the airport of Paris, and after uttering some words in broken French, which the young lady behind the counter could hardly understand, I had a train ticket in my hand to the small northern French town of Lisieux.\u00a0 That evening, after several hours of travel from Rome, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":2041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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