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

CHAPTER VI

LOVE

(PART II)

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hen a soul practices love with generosity and vigilance, it m

W ayseemshehasreachedperfection.YetDivineLoveis never satisfied. Its demands are boundless. It always longs for more.

Love, already immense, seeks to grow beyond limits. Human strength cannot contain it. Too confined within created power, love wants to break free and lose itself in the abyss of eternal Love.

At this stage, human effort must yield. Only God can act. He draws the soul into His own movement and carries her into the depths of His infinite love. In the Little Way, this divine action is very important. The doctrine is old, but Thérèse presents it in a

[41] 16TH LETTER TO SR LÉONIE

fresh way, applying it to little souls and giving even the weakest a means to reach the summit of Divine Love.

This is what she called the theory of the Divine Lift. Its practical application is the ACT OF OFFERING AS A VICTIM OF SACRIFICE to God’s merciful love.

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All virtues come from God. At Baptism, His grace plants their seeds in us. They grow either through our effort aided by grace, or by God’s direct action. The first way takes time. The second is instant, because God is not bound by time. In a moment He enriched Mary with fullness of grace. In a moment He transformed the Apostles into men of courage.

Thérèse had this in mind when she wrote:

“It seems to me that He does not need years to accomplish his work of love in a soul; one ray from his Heart can, in an instant, make his flower bloom for eternity.” [42]

She saw sanctification as God’s work of love. Of course, it is also the soul’s work. From childhood she never refused God anything. Yet she did not rely on her own efforts. She counted on God alone. Seeing herself too weak to climb the mountain of holiness, she looked for a short way. She thought of elevators in rich homes and wanted one for Heaven.

She wrote: “I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me up to Jesus, for I was too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection.” For Thérèse, the elevator image was the merciful arms of Christ, lifting her up because she trusted Him completely. 43 This image beautifully captures her Little Way:

[42] 6TH LETTER TO SR CÉLINE

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The message for us is that when we feel weak, incapable, or overwhelmed, we need not despair. The elevator of His mercy is always available to raise us up—if only we

not relying on her own strength, but on the loving power of Jesus to raise her to holiness.

She found her elevator in Scripture: “Whoever is a little one, let him come to Me!” (Proverbs 9:4) and “As a mother caresses her child, so will I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13)44

For her, the arms of Jesus were the elevator. By trust, love, and abandonment, the soul is carried by Him to the heights of love.

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However, the soul must remain vigilant. Abandonment does not mean laziness. “I sleep, but my heart watches.” (Song of Solomon 5:2) Even at the highest point of surrender, cooperation with grace continues. God acts continually, so our surrender must also be continual.

Thus, the offering to merciful love and the life of abandonment are the culmination of spiritual childhood. For Thérèse, this offering was the foundation of her heart and the dream of her life.

Two loves filled her soul: her love for God, and her confidence in His love for her. These kindled each other, awakening her desire to be wholly transformed into love.

She longed to give Jesus every sign of love: to fight with Crusaders, to teach with Doctors, to preach with Apostles, to suffer with martyrs. Obedience kept her hidden in Carmel cloister. Yet she could still love.

trust and allow ourselves to be carried.

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Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:15–16 ) And compare: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.” (Isaiah 40:11)To be “little” before God is to be free of pride, open to His guidance, and content in His love. A little child is weak and needs to be carried.

Realizing that love embraces all vocations. For if love were to die, apostles would not preach and martyrs would not suffer.

Love is everything. Through love she could fulfill all desires.

Then she cried: “My vocation is love!… In the heart of the Church my Mother, I will be love.” [45]

The best way to be transformed into love is to draw God’s own love into oneself. “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) He is a consuming fire.

As wood becomes fire when touched by flame, so the soul becomes love when touched by God’s love. This is the offering: to offer oneself as a sacrifice to merciful love.

On June 9, 1895, she made her ACT OF OFFERING TO MERCIFUL

LOVE. 46

Thérèse offered herself to receive the love sinners refused. She cried: “O Jesus, let me be that happy victim! Consume your little sacrifice in the fire of divine love!”

This marked the consecration of the first little victim of merciful love.

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Victims of justice offer themselves to suffer punishment for sinners. Victims of love offer themselves to be consumed by tenderness. They do not primarily offer to suffer, but to love and be loved.

This offering is not frightening.47 It draws mercy, not crosses. If suffering comes, it is sweetened by love.

[45] STORY OF A SOUL: CH 11

46 The full text of Thérèse’s ACT OF OFFERING TO MERCIFUL LOVE is reproduced in Chapter X. This differs from the ACT OF OFFERING TO DIVINE JUSTICE by which a soul consecrates itself willingly accepting suffering, sacrifice and even death to bear the weight of divine justice, for sins of others in union with Christ’s Passion.

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Thérèse insisted that souls need not fear: “Souls are afraid of God’s justice, but they do not understand that if they surrender to Love, this justice becomes clothed in mercy and tenderness. What pleases Him is not our perfection but our trust. ”

Thérèse insisted that souls had nothing to fear.

The direct result is abundant mercy. The cross, when it comes, is gentle. Though suffering is inseparable from love, but it remains secondary. Love seeks union, and the cross is where Jesus unites with His spouses as a spouse of blood. 48

The soul that loves Jesus ardently loves suffering too, because it wins souls for Him. Yet suffering is always guided by love.

Thérèse herself longed for suffering, but in the end said she no longer suffered—pain had become sweet.

Not all victims of love will know great trials. What delights Jesus most is littleness and trust. The true fruit of the offering is continual charity.

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When love takes full possession of a soul, every action bears its imprint. Even ordinary acts gain immense value. Love consumes faults and renews the soul.

The death of a faithful victim of merciful love is enviable.

Thérèse believed God would hasten to reward such a soul.

But she warned: words alone are not enough. The soul must truly surrender and live according to love’s demands.

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In conclusion, this grace is not for a few privileged souls. Many are called. Thérèse prayed: “I entreat you, O Jesus, to let your 48

In Exodus 4:24–26, Zipporah, Moses’ wife, circumcises their son and says, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” refers to the covenant of circumcision. Blood was the sign of belonging to God’s, and Zipporah’s act saved Moses’ life. Just as circumcision marked Israel’s covenant, Jesus’ blood seals the new covenant. Calling him spouse of blood means he binds himself to his people through sacrificial blood.

Scripture often portrays Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as his bride (Ephesians 5, Revelation 19). The blood highlights that this union is possible only through his Passion.

Divine Gaze rest upon a vast number of little souls. I entreat you to choose in this world a legion of little victims worthy of your love!”

Why should not each reader, if touched by grace, repeat with her: “Grant, O Jesus, that I may be that happy victim!”

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