St. Thérèse: Living Mary’s “Yes”
Living Mary’s “Yes”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
In one sentence history was forever changed.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” At Mary’s assent to the Angel, the Word of God became Man. But her acceptance of God’s Will—her “yes” —didn’t stop at the end of her sentence. Her “yes” was a daily one. And she helps us give our daily “yes” to God, too.
As a matter of fact, our Church honors thousands of saints who imitated Mary’s ongoing “yes” in their own lives – people who remained faithful to God, virtuous, and peace-filled even amidst severe trials.
One of these saints is Thérèse of Lisieux. Even though she lived 125 years ago—and in a cloistered monastery in France—she shows us how we can live with peace and virtue in the 21st century.
It’s called the “little way,” and it imitates Mary’s continual “yes” to God, regardless of what is going on around us.
Don’t let the name fool you, though. Her “way” may be “little,” but it’s definitely not easy—because saying “yes” to God oftentimes means saying “no” to ourselves.
This is what her “little way” looked like in her life:
Thérèse never complained about the difficulties of monastic life—and there were many. For one, her superior, Mother Marie de Gonzague, was a very moody woman who would grant permission to do something one moment and then revoke it the next. Yet, according to all the sisters who lived with her, Thérèse remained habitually patient, calm, and joyful.
Even though she was routinely served cold, sparse, and frequently spoiled leftovers for dinner, she smiled, ate her food, and offered it up for the good of souls.
And when the other sisters chided and ridiculed her, calling her names like “big nanny goat,” she smiled and remained silent. It wasn’t that their words didn’t pierce her heart. They did. But she offered it to Jesus as consolation for His sufferings.
She said that “When something painful or disagreeable happens to me, instead of a melancholy look, I answer by a smile. At first, I did not always succeed, but now it has become a habit, which I am glad to have acquired.”
Instead of seeking the company of the sisters she enjoyed the most, she actually sought the sisters that were difficult to be around. She gave their actions the best interpretation she could, saying, “True charity consists in bearing all our neighbors’ defects–not being surprised at their weakness but edified at their smallest virtues.”
She also performed small acts of charity for all of her sisters, even when it meant giving up her rest or the opportunity of working on her own projects. For Thérèse, sacrifice was the soil of love.
These are things all of us can do: refrain from complaining; respond to criticisms with a smile; go out of our way to make small acts of charity for others, especially when it’s difficult; act with patience when situations change from one moment to the next (even when we don’t feel patient); and seek—or just accept—the company of people we’re not naturally drawn to, while looking for their virtues.
We need to remember that Thérèse did not do these things as forms of punishment. Pain was not her goal, love was. Love for God and love for others motivated her “little way” of spiritual childhood, which is the way of complete trust and self-surrender. This is Thérèse’s secret—the secret to discovering great interior peace—the secret to imitating Mary’s love and whole-hearted “yes” to God.
So, at the beginning of this new year, let’s imitate our Blessed Mother and St. Thérèse by saying, “yes” to God every day: by humbly and quietly accepting annoyances and difficulties, by seeking—and loving—people who are difficult to be around, and by giving ourselves to others through small acts of charity. And, over the course of the year, we will discover the secret to peace, joy, and love.
Photo Attributions:
BANNER and INSET: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_de_Lisieux_(19705630879).jpg”>Miwok from France</a>, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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