Thérèse of Lisieux

Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower, on finding a way to love those in our lives whom we sometimes find disagreeable.

Simple advice? Certainly.

Easily accomplished? Certainly not.

Effective? It can’t hurt!

Today, the feast of St. Therese, might not be a bad day to give it a try.

A certain member of the community had a way of annoying me by everything she did; the devil must have had a finger in this, by making me see only her unpleasant side. But I would not give way to my antipathy. I knew that charity is not merely a matter of feelings, but must be proved by deeds, so I set myself to do for her what I would do for a person most dear to me.

Every time I met her I prayed for her, offering up her virtue and merits to God. I knew this pleased Our Lord, for what artist is there who does not like to have his work praised? The divine Artist of souls is pleased when we do not stop at the exterior, but penetrate to the hidden sanctuary which He has chosen for a dwelling place, and we admire its beauty.

I not only prayed much for the one who caused me so much struggle, but I tried to be of service to her. When tempted to give her a disagreeable answer, I gave her instead a sweet smile, and tried to turn the conversation, for it is written in the Imitation of Christ: “It is more profitable to leave everyone their own way of thinking, than to give way to contentious discourse.”

You can purchase her autobiography, Story of a Soul, here, and learn more about this Doctor of the Church at www.littleflower.org.

As Therese did, maybe we too can find a way towards perfection in the small things of everyday life.

For some additional thoughts about this Saint, whose writings have touched so many since her death, please read Father Steve Grunow’s excellent post, The Feast of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, at Word on Fire.

Peace

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain