THE LITTLE WAY of Thérèse the Little Flower by Samuel Bastian - HTML preview

CHAPTER II

Humility

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he first mark of a child is littleness. As he grows, he stops being a child. In the same way, the first step into spiritual TchildhoodistobecomeverysmallbeforeGod.

To be small is to be humble. To be very small is to be truly humble: to see ourselves exactly as we are without God’s mercy—which is nothing at all. And not only to see it, but to rejoice in it, delighting in the truth that apart from Him we are nothing, and in Him we are everything.

Someone may know their misery and still be proud—like Satan.

True humility is not only recognizing our lowliness, but loving it.

This is humility of the heart, the only real humility. And this is what the little one must have.

So, Christian soul, if you want to become a child dear to God, begin by becoming small in your own eyes. Know who you really are: NOTHING.

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There is both good and bad in us. Every good thing is a gift of grace from God—thank Him for it. Every bad thing comes from our weaknesses. Let that teach us humility, showing us the selfishness and pride that needs to be overcome.

Our inability to only do good, our wrong inclinations, our self-love, our repeated faults—all spring from imperfection at our core. Let us face them honestly. Let us not shrink from seeing our miserible state.

And above all, we should not let our imperfections discourage us. Instead, we should rejoice when we uncover a new weakness, for it highlights our great need for God’s mercy and love. This is how Thérèse lived. She said:

"I do not grieve when I see that I am weakness itself. On the contrary, it is in that, that I glory, and I expect each day to discover new imperfections in myself. I admit that these insights into my nothingness do me more good than lights about the faith." [10]

She realized this attraction to weakness came from God Himself.

For her, the discovery of her nothingness was a greater grace than lofty insights into faith, because it drew her deeper into humility and dependence on His mercy.

[10] STORY OF A SOUL: CH 4

She thanked Him for this gift, calling it one of the greatest graces He could give a soul. So she added:

“I prefer to own in all simplicity that ‘He that is mighty has done great things for me’ (Luke 1:49)—and the greatest is that He has shown me my littleness and how incapable I am of anything good.” [11]

Her imperfections never discouraged her. They brought her joy, because she understood that faults of frailty do not offend God.

So she said: “What does it matter if I fall every moment? In that I feel my weakness, and that gives me great benefit. My God, you see what I am capable of if you do not carry me in your arms! "

This is true humility. The humble soul is not surprised by her falls. What surprises her is not that she falls, but that she does not fall more often.

No one is surprised when a small child stumbles. A little one can hardly stand steadily—falling is inevitable. Yet when children fall, they rarely suffer serious harm, because they never fall from a great height. So it is with little souls. Their wounds are never grave, and they heal quickly. Each fall deepens humility and teaches them to rely more on God.

Thérèse loved to say with St Paul: "It is my weakness that makes all my strength." [12] This is how all souls speak who have embraced humility of heart.

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But few souls fully accept this littleness. Very few who truly rejoice when they experience weakness and helplessness.

Most admit they are weak—but only to a point. They still want to keep some sense of strength. When things go well, they feel

[11] STORY OF A SOUL: CH 9

[12] 3RD LETTER TO: REV MOTHER AGNES OF JESUS

generous and believe, like the Psalmist in times of abundance,13

that nothing can bring them down.

But when dryness or difficulty comes, they think everything is ruined. Then they stumble—first into imperfections, then into discouragement.

These souls have not understood humility. They have not grasped that the strength of the child lies in weakness. The weaker and more helpless it is, the more eagerly we rush to help it. We do not give the same tender care to a grown child as to a newborn.

In the same way, God bends down with greater love toward the soul He sees as smallest and weakest.

Listen to this: "Whosoever is a little one, let him come to Me."

(Proverbs 9:4) But why does He invite the little one? Thérèse found the answer in the heart of the Father above all fathers.

There she discovered the secret of her Little Way:

"As a mother caresses her child, so will I comfort you, I will carry you upon My bosom and I will cradle you upon My knees."

(compare Isaiah 66:13) She added: "Ah! never came words more sweet, more tender, to gladden my soul." In them she found the fulfillment of her deepest desires.

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Feeling too small to climb the steps of perfection, she wanted an elevator to lift her to Jesus. Eternal Wisdom revealed it. She wrote in STORY OF A SOUL (Chapter 9):

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Examples abundance Psalms: "The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing." (Psalm 23:1). "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." (Psalm 34:10). "You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance." (Psalm 65:11). "Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever." (Psalm 112:3). "May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children." (Psalm 115:14).

"Your Arms, O Jesus, are the lift that will raise me up even to Heaven. For that, I do not need to grow bigger; on the contrary, it is necessary that I remain little and that I become even smaller."

These words contain one of the deep secrets of spiritual childhood.

In natural life, growth forces us to leave childhood. In spiritual life, the more we advance, the more we must become little.

Progress is measured by humility—by a clearer awareness of our nothingness. The more the soul loves to see herself as weak, the more prepared she is for transforming love.

•The more Jesus loves her: "What pleases Jesus in my little soul is to see me love my littleness and my poverty; it is seeing the blind trust that I have in his mercy." [14]

•The more Jesus enlightens her: "Because I was little and weak, Jesus stooped down to me and tenderly instructed me in the secrets of his love." [15]

•The more confidence she has in His action: "It was Jesus who did all in me, and I—I did nothing but be little and weak." [16]

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This state, of childlike confidence, is possible at any age and in any situation. Thérèse insisted it is possible to remain little even while holding important offices or in old age. "As for me,"

[14] 6TH LETTER TO: SR MARIE

[15] STORY OF A SOUL: CH 5

[16] [FR MARTIN’S NOTE] The hidden work of Jesus within the soul does not take away the need for personal effort. In fact, once she has become a little child before God, she must eagerly seek every chance to delight her Father in Heaven through acts of generosity. Yet what we are considering here is the very heart of spiritual childhood: a disposition marked above all by littleness and weakness—embraced, desired, and cherished.

she said, "if I lived eighty years, having filled all the offices, I should, I feel certain, be quite as little at the time of my death as I am today."

Thus, the Little Way is suited to every age and status. It is never too late to enter it, and never time to leave it.

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