Answer Heaven’s Request for Penance by the Little Way of St. Thérèse

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s parents, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, were both devout Catholics and loving parents to their five daughters. Four daughters entered the Carmelite order while one became a Visitation Sister. Saint Thérèse was the youngest and joined her two older sisters at the Lisieux Convent when she was only fifteen. In 1895, St. Thérèse was asked to write down her memories and obediently did so. The Story of a Soul explains St. Thérèse’s search for holiness through her Carmelite vocation.

The Carmelite Order has produced numerous saints – St. Theresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross,[1] for instance, who were both profound writers and mystics. Saint Thérèse, however, determined that the best way she could achieve holiness was to follow her “little way”.

“Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I saw that if the Church was a body made up of different members, the most essential and important one of all would not be lacking. I saw that the Church must have a heart; that this heart must be on fire with love.” (St. Thérèse, p. 156)[2]

How could St. Thérèse implement this vocation in her convent? Did she perform great penances or become a martyr for the Faith? No, her way was one that we all may follow – it was to do small things with great love while doing so in the state of sanctifying grace. Saint Thérèse gave us several examples of this, and they are as mundane as her ability to overcome them was sublime.

St. Thérèse’s mother, St. Zelie Martin, had died when Thérèse was a young child. Perhaps because of this early tragedy, the five sisters developed a remarkably close relationship. The older sisters taught the younger sisters about the Holy Catholic Faith, and the family always prayed together. This special relationship had to change when Thérèse entered the Carmelite Convent in Lisieux to join her two older sisters. Thérèse did not want special treatment or the condolence of her sisters’ special care.

Instead of spending time with her beloved sisters, Thérèse went out of her way to befriend the most difficult personalities in the Convent. There was one infirmed nun who had to be helped to her meals but was notoriously fussy. Instead of giving her a wide berth, Thérèse volunteered to help her and suffered her constant rebukes without any sign of annoyance – indeed, she willed herself to smile sweetly during the entire ordeal (cf., St. Thérèse. pp. 139-140).

At other times, St. Thérèse had to kneel near a Sister who was always fidgeting with her Rosary or anything else close at hand. Saint Thérèse tried to meditate; and at first, she found the noise very annoying:

“I wanted to turn round and glare at the culprit to make her be quiet, but deep in my heart I felt that the best thing to do was to put up with it patiently for the love of God first of all, and also not to hurt her feelings.” (St. Thérèse, p. 141)

How many of us would be so patient and kind during such daily annoyances? We all face these in our families, among our relatives, at work, and in parish life. Most likely, we face them even more frequently and strenuously on account of the upheaval brought into our lives since COVID-19 first came on the scene. Yet, every small annoyance is an opportunity for us to grow in grace and gain merit. We must but accept them humbly and respond charitably – as St. Thérèse encourages us!

St. Thérèse was willing to just be a “little flower” in God’s Garden. She, in turn, wanted each of her actions to metaphorically be a “little flower” that she gave to God. She did this so exceptionally well that she is now often referred to by the epithet “The Little Flower.” And now she joyfully spends her heavenly eternity showering roses upon those here on earth.

The Little Flower’s life was not a sprint but rather a marathon of small, hidden victories. As St. Thérèse wrote:

“So you see, Mother, what a very little soul I am. I can only offer very little things to God.” (St. Thérèse, p. 142)

St. Thérèse explained further when she talked about her preparations to enter the Convent:

“When I say mortification, I do not mean the sort of penance the saints undertake. I was not like those great souls who practice all kinds of penances from childhood. My mortification consisted in checking my self-will, keeping back an impatient word, doing little things for those around me without their knowing, and countless things like that.” (St. Thérèse, p. 80)[3]

It was not only these petty problems that St. Thérèse had to endure. For many years she received little or no consolation in her prayers. Her father, St. Louis Martin, also had to endure a long illness during which he was often confused and once disappeared for several days, causing his daughters great anguish. Saint Thérèse had her own physical sufferings as she endured the cold of her unheated cell in the convent and eventually tuberculosis.

Through all these trials she continued in her “little way” of holiness. We may also achieve holiness by following her example to do everything – our cooking, our cleaning, our studies, our business – for the glory of God, making sure we do it all well because God sees everything. He knows if we are faithful in our duties. So do everything well. Cut no corners since God sees all. And offer it all for the conversion of poor sinners and for reparation for sin.


[1] Read of his heroic struggles in the face of significant opposition in the previous article on the Monastic Fast, at https://fatima.org/news-views/the-monastic-fast/

[2] The references in this article are quoted from Saint Therese of Lisieux. The Story of a Soul. Ed. Mother Agnes of Jesus, Trans. Michael Day (Wheathampstead: Anthony Clarke, 1990).

[3] We must answer Heaven’s call for penance; and while we may think that rigid fasts and mortifications are the only answer, there are actually four categories of penance that we must consider. Learn more at https://fatima.org/news-views/the-four-types-of-penance/

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