Words of Wisdom from St Therese - Doctor of the Church

St Therese of Lisieux

The way to becoming saints is God's goodness, not our own

"For me to become greater is impossible; I must put up with myself just as I am with all my imperfections, but I wish to find the way to go to Heaven by a very straight, short, completely new little way. We are in a century of inventions; now one does not even have to take the trouble to climb the steps of a stairway; in the homes of the rich an elevator replaces them nicely. I, too, would like to find an elevator to lift me up to Jesus, for I am too little to climb the rough stairway of perfection...The elevator which must raise me to the heavens is Your arms, O Jesus! For I do not need to grow; on the contrary, I must necessarily remain small, become smaller. O my God, You have surpassed what I expected, and I want to sing Your mercies."

"I'm not relying on my own merits, as I have none, but I put my hope in Him who is goodness and Holiness Himself."

"To limit your desires and your hopes is to misunderstand God's infinite goodness!"

"I am certain that even if I had on my conscience every imaginable crime, I should lose nothing of my confidence; rather I would hurry, with a heart broken with sorrow, to throw myself into the Arms of Jesus."

"My own way is all confidence and love, and I cannot understand those souls who are afraid of so affectionate a Friend."

Prayer is our first response to God's love

"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."

"In a word, prayer is something noble, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites it to God."

"Sometimes when I am in such a state of spiritual dryness that not a single good thought occurs to me, I say very slowly the "Our Father," or the "Hail Mary," and these prayers suffice to take me out of myself."

"How often have I thought that I may owe all the graces I've received to the prayers of a person who begged them from God for me, and whom I shall know only in heaven."

Each of us is created unique - not to compare ourselves to others...

"The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness."

"Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be."

...but in all our uniqueness, we are all called to love...

"I understood that all we accomplish, however brilliant is worth nothing without love."

"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."

"Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love."

"True charity consists in bearing all our neighbour's defects - not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues."

"A word. a kindly smile, will often suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart."

"Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events - to the heart that loves, all is well."

"Love can accomplish all things."

...until we come to our eternal home

"It is true that in these periods of loneliness I sometimes felt sad, and I used often to console myself by repeating this line of a beautiful poem Papa had taught me: "The world is thy ship, not thy home...' When my thoughts run on in this way, my soul loses itself as it were in the infinite; I seem already to touch the Heavenly Shore and to receive Our Lord's embrace. I fancy I can see Our Blessed Lady coming to meet me, with my Father and Mother, my little brothers and sisters; and I picture myself enjoying true family joys for all eternity."

"When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth."

"We must abandon the future into the hands of God."