THOUGHTS
OF SAINT THÉRÈSE
OF THE CHILD JESUS
Nihil Obstat
REMIGIUS LAFORT, S. T. D.
_Censor_
Imprimatur
JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY
_Archbishop of New York_
NEW YORK, _October_ 22, 1915
[Picture of Saint Thérèse]
SAINT THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS
_The Little Flower of Jesus_
THOUGHTS
OF SAINT THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS
THE LITTLE FLOWER OF JESUS
CARMELITE OF THE MONASTERY
OF LISIEUX, 1873-1897
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
"PENSÉES" BY AN IRISH CARMELITE
NEW YORK • PUBLISHED BY
P. J. KENEDY & SONS • 1915
COPYRIGHT, 1915
BY P. J. KENEDY & SONS
THE•PLIMPTON•PRESS
NORWOOD•MASS•U•S•A
TO
PETITE THÉRÈSE
AND
MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
A LITTLE TRIBUTE OF
REVERENT AND LOVING GRATITUDE
FROM CARMEL OF KILMACUD
_June_ 9, 1914
CONTENTS
LOVE OF GOD
LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR
FAITH
HOPE
HUMILITY
DETACHMENT
MORTIFICATION
OBEDIENCE
POVERTY
CONFIDENCE
SELF-ABANDONMENT
GRATITUDE
ZEAL
SIMPLICITY
PRAYER
HOLY COMMUNION
SUFFERING
THE DIRECTION OF SOULS
THE BLESSED VIRGIN
VARIOUS SUBJECTS
PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF THE SERVANT OF GOD
THOUGHTS
OF SAINT THÉRÈSE
OF THE CHILD JESUS
LOVE OF GOD
JESUS! . . . I would so love Him! Love Him as never yet He has
been loved. . .
IV LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
(_Her sister Pauline_.)
THE science of love! Sweet is the echo of that word to the ear
of my soul. I desire no other science. _Having given all my
substance for it_, like the spouse in the Canticles, _I think
that I have given nothing._ [1]
HISTOIRE D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
[1] Cant., viii, 7.
WITHOUT love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
ONE evening, at a loss for words to tell Jesus how I loved Him
and how much I wished that He might be everywhere served and
glorified, I reflected with pain that not one act of love would
ever mount upwards from out of the depths of hell. Then I cried
out that willingly would I consent to see myself plunged into
that place of torment and blasphemy, in order that He might be
loved there eternally. That could not really glorify Him since
He desires only our happiness, but love makes one want to say a
thousand foolish things. If I spoke thus, it was not that I did
not long for heaven; but then, my heaven was none other than
_Love_, and in my fervour I felt that nothing could separate me
from the Divine object of my love. . .
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. V
SEEING the eternal recompense so disproportionate to the
trifling sacrifices of this life, I longed to love Jesus, to
love Him ardently, to give Him a thousand proofs of tenderness
while yet I could do so. . .
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. V
THE love of God reveals itself in the very simplest soul who
resists His grace in nothing, as well as in the most sublime.
Indeed, the characteristic of love being to humble itself, if
all souls resembled those of the holy Doctors who have
enlightened the Church, the good God would not seem to descend
low enough in coming to them. But He has created the infant who
knows nothing and can only wail; He has created the poor savage
who has but the natural law for guidance, and it is even unto
their hearts that He deigns to stoop.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. I
IN order that Love may be fully satisfied it must needs stoop to
very nothingness and transform that nothing into fire.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
IN times of aridity when I am incapable of praying, of
practising virtue, I seek little opportunities, mere trifles, to
give pleasure to Jesus; for instance a smile, a pleasant word
when inclined to be silent and to show weariness. If I find no
opportunities, I at least tell Him again and again that I love
Him; that is not difficult and it keeps alive the fire in my
heart. Even though this fire of love might seem to me extinct I
would still throw little straws upon the embers and I am certain
it would rekindle.
XVI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
ON _the day of my conversion_ Charity entered into my heart and
with it a yearning to forget self always; thenceforward I was
happy.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. V
I DO not will that creatures should possess a single atom of my
love; I wish to give all to Jesus, since He makes me understand
that He alone is perfect happiness. All shall be for Him, all!
And even when I have nothing to offer Him I will give Him that
nothing.
II LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
OUR Lord is more tender than a mother, and well do I know more
than one maternal heart! I know a mother is ever ready to
forgive the little involuntary failings of her child.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
I KNOW of one means only by which to attain to perfection: LOVE.
Let us love, since our heart is made for nothing else. Sometimes
I seek another word to express Love, but in this land of exile
_the word which begins and ends_ [2] is quite incapable of
rendering the vibrations of the soul; we must then adhere to
this simple and only word: TO LOVE.
But on whom shall our poor heart lavish its love? Who shall be
found that is great enough to be the recipient of its treasures?
Will a human being know how to comprehend them, and above all
will he be able to repay? There exists but one Being capable of
comprehending love; it is Jesus; He alone can give us back
infinitely more than we shall ever give to Him.
LETTER TO HER COUSIN MARIE GUÉRIN
[2] St. Augustine.
THERE is one ONLY THING to do here below: to love Jesus, to win
souls for Him so that He may be loved. Let us seize with jealous
care every least opportunity of self-sacrifice. Let us refuse
Him nothing--He does so want our love!
VI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
WHEN we really love, we rejoice in the happiness of the loved
one and make every sacrifice to procure it for him.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
TRUE love is nourished by sacrifice, and the more the soul
denies itself natural satisfactions, the stronger and the more
disinterested becomes its tenderness.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
THE good God 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. . .
VI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
LOVE can supply for length of years. Jesus, because He is
Eternal, regards not the time but only the love.
V LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
I DESIRE no sensible consolation in loving; provided Jesus feel
my love that is enough for me. Oh! to love Him and to make Him
loved . . . how sweet it is. . .
V LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
O JESUS, I ask of Thee only Peace! . . . Peace, and above all
LOVE--love without bound or limit. Jesus, let me for Thy sake
die a martyr; give me martyrdom of soul or body. Ah! rather give
me both the one and the other!
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
I HAVE no longer any desire unless it be to love Jesus even to
folly! Yes, LOVE it is that draws me. I can say these words of
the canticle of our Father, St. John of the Cross:
In the inmost cellar
Of my Beloved have I drunk; and when I went forth
Over all the plain
I knew nothing,
And lost the flock I followed before.
My soul is occupied
And all my substance in His service;
Now I guard no flock,
Nor have I any other employment:
My sole occupation is love.
(_Spiritual Canticle, Trans. D. Lewis._)
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
OH! if souls weak and imperfect as mine, felt what I feel, not
one would despair of reaching the summit of the mountain of
Love, since Jesus does not demand from us great deeds, but only
self-surrender and gratitude.
_I have no need,_ saith He, _of the goats of thy flocks . . . If
I were hungry I would not tell thee . . . Offer unto God the
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving._ [3]
See then, all that Jesus asks of us! He has not need of our
works but only of our _love_. This very God who declares that He
needs not to tell us if He were hungry, did not hesitate to
_beg_ of the Samaritan woman a little water . . . He thirsted!!!
But in saying: "_Give me to drink_," [4] it was the love of His
poor creature that the Creator of the universe besought. He
thirsted for Love!
And now, more than ever is Jesus athirst. He meets with none but
the ungrateful and the indifferent among the disciples of the
world; and amongst _His own_ disciples He finds, alas! very few
hearts that surrender themselves without any reserve to the
tenderness of His infinite Love.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
[3] _Cf._ Ps. xlix, 9, 12, 14.
[4] John, iv, 7.
Since ever I have known Love's mighty power
Thus hath it wrought its work within my soul--
Whate'er it findeth there, or good or ill,
It turneth all to gain; its living flame
Transforms my soul into its very self. [5]
[5] St. John of the Cross.
HOW sweet is the way of Love! True, one may fall, one may not be
always faithful, but Love, knowing how to draw profit from all,
very quickly consumes whatsoever may displease Jesus, leaving
naught but humble and profound peace in the innermost soul.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
THINKING one day of those who offer themselves as victims to the
Justice of God in order to turn aside the punishment reserved
for sinners by taking it upon themselves, I felt this offering
to be noble and generous, but I was far from feeling moved to
make it.
"O my Divine Master," I cried in the depths of my heart, "shall
Thy Justice alone receive victims of holocaust? Has not Thy
Merciful Love also need of them? On all sides it is ignored,
rejected . . . the hearts on which Thou wouldst lavish it turn
to creatures, seeking happiness in miserable and fleeting
affections instead of casting themselves into Thine arms, into
the ineffable furnace of Thine Infinite Love.
"O my God, must Thy Love--disdained--remain within Thy Heart?
Methinks that if Thou shouldst find souls offering themselves as
victims of holocaust to Thy Love, Thou wouldst consume them
rapidly; that Thou wouldst be glad not to restrict the flames of
infinite tenderness pent up within Thee.
"If Thy Justice--the Justice which Thou dost exercise on earth--
be pleased to find voluntary victims on which to discharge its
weight, how much the more must Thy Merciful Love also desire its
victims, since _Thy Mercy reacheth even to heaven_. [6]
"O Jesus, that happily I may be that holocaust consume Thy
little victim in the fire of Divine Love."
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
[6] _Cf_. Ps. xxxv, 6.
AH! since that day love penetrates me and surrounds me; this
_Merciful Love_ each moment renews and purifies me, leaving in
my heart no trace of sin. No, I cannot fear Purgatory; I know
that I do not merit even to enter with the Holy Souls into that
place of expiation, but I know too that the fire of Love is more
sanctifying than the fire of Purgatory, I know that Jesus cannot
will needless suffering for us, and that He would not inspire me
with the desires I feel if He were unwilling to fulfil them.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII
TO offer oneself as a Victim to Divine Love is not to offer
oneself to sweetness--to consolation; but to every anguish,
every bitterness, for Love lives only by sacrifice; and the more
a soul wills to be surrendered to Love, the more must she be
surrendered to suffering.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
IN order to love Jesus, to be His victim of love, the more weak
and miserable we are, the more fitting are we for the operations
of this consuming and transforming Love . . . The sole desire to
be victim suffices; but we must consent to remain always poor
and without strength, and there lies the difficulty, for _where
shall be found the truly poor in spirit? He must be sought afar
off_, [7] saith the author of the _Imitation_ . . . He did not
say that we must seek him amongst great souls, but afar off,
that is to say in lowliness, in nothingness . . . Oh! let us
keep _afar off_ from all that glitters, let us love our
littleness, and be satisfied to feel nothing, then shall we be
truly poor in spirit, and Jesus will come to seek us how far
soever we may be; He will transform us into flames of Love! . . .
VI LETTER TO SŒUR MARIE DU SACRÉ-CŒUR
_(Her sister Marie.)_
[7] _Cf._ Imit., II, xi, 4.
TO be truly a Victim of Love requires absolute self-surrender.
_The soul is consumed by Love only in so far as she surrenders
herself to Love._
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
IT appears to me that for Victims of Love there will be no
judgment, but rather, that the good God will hasten to
recompense with eternal delights His own Love, which He will see
burning in their hearts.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
AT any cost I will cull the palm of Saint Agnes; if not by
shedding my blood then it must be by Love. . .
IV LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
O MY God, Thou knowest I have never desired but to love Thee
alone. I seek no other glory. Thy Love has gone before me from
my childhood, it has grown with my growth, and now it is an
abyss the depths of which I cannot fathom.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
LOVE attracts love, mine rushes forth unto Thee, it would fain
fill up the abyss which attracts it; but alas! it is not even as
one drop of dew lost in the Ocean. To love Thee as Thou lovest
me I must borrow Thy very love--then only, can I find rest.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
JUST as a torrent sweeps along with it unto the depths of the
sea whatsoever it encounters on its course, even so, my Jesus,
does the soul which plunges into the boundless ocean of Thy Love
draw after her all her treasures. Lord, Thou knowest that for me
these treasures are the souls it has pleased Thee to unite to
mine.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
CHARITY gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the
Church being a body composed of different members, the most
essential, the most noble of all the organs would not be wanting
to her; I understood that the Church has _a heart_ and that this
heart is burning with love; that it is love alone which makes
the members work, that if love were to die away apostles would
no longer preach the Gospel, martyrs would refuse to shed their
blood. I understood that love comprises all vocations, that love
is everything, that it embraces all times and all places because
it is eternal!
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
O MY Well-Beloved! I understand to what combats Thou hast
destined me; it is not on the battle field that I shall
fight . . . I am prisoner of Thy Love; freely have I riveted
the chain which unites me to Thee and separates me for ever
from the world. My sword is LOVE; with it _I shall chase the
stranger from the kingdom, I shall make Thee to be proclaimed
King_ in the souls of men.
HIST. D'UNE AME, APPENDIX
_LOVE!_ . . . that is what I ask . . . I know but one thing
now--_to love Thee_, O Jesus! Glorious deeds are not for me, I
cannot preach the Gospel, shed my blood . . . what does it
matter? My brothers toil instead of me, and I, _the little
child_, I keep quite close to the royal throne, _I love_ for
those who fight.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
HOW shall I show my love since love is proved by deeds? Well,--
_the little child will strew flowers_ . . . she will embalm the
Divine Throne with their fragrance, will sing with silvery voice
the canticle of love.
Yes, my Beloved, it is thus that my life's brief day shall be
spent before Thee. No other means have I of proving my love than
to strew flowers; that is, to let no little sacrifice escape me,
not a look, not a word, to avail of the very least actions and
do them for Love. I wish to suffer for Love's sake and for
Love's sake even to rejoice; thus shall I strew flowers. Not one
shall I find without shedding its petals for Thee . . . and then
I will sing, I will always sing, even if I must gather my roses
in the very midst of thorns--and the longer and sharper the
thorns the sweeter shall be my song.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
SŒUR Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus often spoke of a well-known toy
with which in childhood's days she had amused herself: a
kaleidoscope; in form somewhat like a small telescope; on
looking through, one sees an endless succession of pretty and
many-coloured designs, varying at each turn of the kaleidoscope.
"This toy," she said, "aroused my admiration and I used to
wonder what could produce so pleasing a phenomenon; when one
day, after serious examination, I saw there were simply a few
tiny scraps of paper and of wool cut no matter how, and thrown
here and there. I pursued my investigation and discovered three
mirrors inside the tube: I had there the key to the problem.
"This was for me the image of a great mystery. As long as our
actions, even the least of them, remain within the focus of
Love, the Blessed Trinity, which is figured by the three
mirrors, reflects them, and endows them with a wondrous beauty.
Jesus, looking at us through the little lens, that is to say, as
it were through Himself, finds all our actions pleasing to Him.
But if we leave the ineffable centre of Love, what will He see?
Mere straws . . . actions sullied and nothing worth."
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
THIS little prayer which includes all my desires I ask you to
say for me each day:
"Merciful Father, in the name of Thy sweet Jesus, of the Blessed
Virgin and of the Saints, I pray Thee that my sister be fired
with Thy spirit of love, and that Thou wilt grant her the grace
to make Thee greatly loved."
If God should take me soon to Himself, I ask you to continue
each day this same prayer, for in Heaven my desire will be the
same as upon earth; to love Jesus and to make Him loved.
III LETTER TO HER MISSIONARY "BROTHERS"
SHE was looking at the sky one day when some one remarked to
her:
"Very soon you will dwell beyond the blue sky; with what love
you contemplate it!"
She merely smiled, but afterwards said to the Mother Prioress:
"Mother, our Sisters little know what I suffer! Looking at the
blue sky I was thinking only of the beauty of the material
heavens; _the other is more and more closed to me_ . . . I was
at first distressed by that remark, then an interior voice
answered: 'Yes, through love thou didst look at the heavens.
Since thy soul is wholly consecrated to Love, all thy actions,
even the most indifferent, bear the impress of this divine
seal.' I was instantly consoled."
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
UNTIL two days before her death she wished to be alone at night,
however, notwithstanding her entreaties, the Infirmarian used to
rise several times to visit her. On one occasion she found our
little invalid with hands clasped and eyes raised to Heaven.
"But what are you doing?" she asked; "you should try to sleep."
"I cannot, dear Sister, I suffer too much! then I pray. . ."
"And what do you say to Jesus?"
"I say nothing, _I love Him!_"
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
A SISTER was speaking to her of the happiness of Heaven: Thérèse
interrupted, saying:
"It is not that which attracts me. . ."
"What is it then?"
"Oh! it is LOVE! To love, to be beloved, and _to come back to
earth to make_ LOVE _loved_."
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
LOVE alone have I ever given to the good God, with love He will
repay me.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
ALL that I have written regarding my desire of suffering is most
true; oh! I do not repent of having surrendered myself to Love.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
JESUS! Jesus! if it be so sweet to desire Thy Love, what will it
be to possess and to enjoy it for ever!
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
O JESUS! could I but tell all _little souls_ of Thine ineffable
condescension! . . . I feel that if it were possible to find one
more weak than mine Thou wouldst take delight in showering upon
her greater favours still, provided that she abandoned herself
with entire confidence to Thine Infinite Mercy.
But why these desires, O my Beloved, to impart the secrets of
Thy Love? Is it not Thyself alone Who hast made them known to me
and canst Thou not reveal them to others? Yes, I know it and I
implore Thee to _do_ so: _I beseech Thee to let Thy divine gaze
rest upon an immense number of little souls, I beseech Thee to
choose in this world a Legion of little victims worthy of Thy
Love!_
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
HER last words--looking at her crucifix:
"OH! . . . I LOVE HIM! . . . MY GOD, I . . . LOVE . . . THEE!!!"
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
O MY God, Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to love Thee and to
make Thee loved, to labour for the glory of Holy Church by
saving souls still on earth and by delivering those who suffer
in purgatory. I desire to accomplish Thy Will perfectly, and to
attain to the degree of glory which Thou hast prepared for me in
Thy Kingdom, in one word, I desire to be a saint, but I know
that I am powerless, and I implore Thee, O my God, to be Thyself
my sanctity.
Since Thou hast so loved me as to give me Thine only Son to be
my Saviour and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His merits
are mine, to Thee I offer them with joy, beseeching Thee to see
me only as in the Face of Jesus and in His Heart burning with
Love.
Again, I offer Thee all the merits of the Saints--in Heaven and
on earth--their acts of love and those of the holy Angels; and
finally I offer Thee, O Blessed Trinity, the love and the merits
of the Holy Virgin, my most dear Mother; it is to her I entrust
my oblation, begging her to present it to Thee.
Her Divine Son, my well-beloved Spouse, during His life on
earth, told us: "_If you ask the Father anything in My Name He
will give it to you._" [8] I am then certain that Thou wilt
hearken to my desires . . . My God, I know it, the more Thou
willest to give the more dost Thou make us desire. Immense are
the desires that I feel within my heart, and it is with
confidence that I call upon Thee to come and take possession of
my soul. I cannot receive Thee in Holy Communion as often as I
would; but, Lord, art Thou not Almighty? . . . Remain in me as
in the Tabernacle--never leave Thy little Victim.
I long to console Thee for the ingratitude of the wicked and I
pray Thee take from me the liberty to displease Thee! If through
frailty I fall sometimes, may Thy Divine glance purify my soul
immediately, consuming every imperfection--like to fire which
transforms all things into itself.
I thank Thee, O my God, for all the graces Thou hast bestowed on
me, and particularly for making me pass through the crucible of
suffering. It is with joy I shall behold Thee on the Last Day
bearing Thy sceptre--the Cross; since Thou hast deigned to give
me for my portion this most precious Cross, I have hope of
resembling Thee in Heaven and seeing the sacred stigmata of Thy
Passion shine in my glorified body.
After exile on earth I hope to enjoy the possession of Thee in
our eternal Fatherland, but I have no wish to amass merits for
Heaven, I will work for Thy Love alone, my sole aim being to
give Thee pleasure, to console Thy Sacred Heart, and to save
souls who will love Thee for ever.
At the close of life's evening I shall appear before Thee with
empty hands, for I ask not, Lord, that Thou wouldst count my
works . . . All our justice is tarnished in Thy sight. It is
therefore my desire to be clothed with Thine own Justice and to
receive from Thy Love the eternal possession of Thyself. I crave
no other Throne nor other Crown but Thee, O my Beloved! . . .
In Thy sight time is nothing, one day is as a thousand years.
[9] Thou canst in an instant prepare me to appear before Thee.
That I may live in one Act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A
VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO THY MERCIFUL LOVE, imploring Thee to
consume me without ceasing, and to let the tide of infinite
tenderness pent up in Thee, overflow into my soul, that so I may
become a very martyr of Thy Love, O my God!
May this martyrdom, having first prepared me to appear before
Thee, break life's thread at last, and may my soul take its
flight, _unretarded_, into the eternal embrace of Thy Merciful
Love.
I desire, O Well-Beloved, at every heart-beat to renew this
Oblation an infinite number of times, _till the shadows retire_
[10] and I can tell Thee my love eternally face to face!
[_Signed_]
MARIE-FRANÇOISE-THÉRÈSE
DE L'ENFANT JÉSUS ET DE LA SAINTE FACE
_Rel. Carm. ind._
Feast of The Most Holy Trinity.
The 9th of June in the year of grace, 1895.
[8] John, xvi, 23.
[9] _Cf_. Ps. lxxxix, 4.
[10] Cant., iv, 6.
LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR
THERE are moments when we are so wretched within, that we must
needs hurry away from ourselves. The good God does not oblige us
to remain at such times in our own company; indeed He often
permits that it should be displeasing to us just that we may
leave it. And I see no other means of going out of ourselves
than by going to visit Jesus and Mary, that is, hastening to
deeds of charity.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
I APPLIED myself above all to practise quite hidden little acts
of virtue; thus I liked to fold the mantles forgotten by the
Sisters, and sought a thousand opportunities of rendering them
service.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VII
HAD I been rich I never could have borne to see a poor person
hungry without giving him to eat. It is the same in my spiritual
life: knowing there are souls on the point of falling into Hell,
I give them my treasures according as I earn anything, and I
have never yet found a moment to say: "Now I am going to work
for myself."
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
I FEEL that when I am charitable it is Jesus alone who acts in
me; the more I am united to Him the more do I love all my
Sisters. If, when I desire to increase this love in my heart,
the demon tries to set before my eyes the faults of one or other
of the Sisters, I hasten to call to mind her virtues, her good
desires; I say to myself that if I have seen her fall once, she
may well have gained many victories which she conceals through
humility; and that even what appears to me a fault may in truth
be an act of virtue by reason of the intention.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
TRUE Charity consists in bearing with all the defects of our
neighbour, in not being surprised at his failings, and in being
edified by his least virtues; Charity must not remain shut up in
the depths of the heart, for _no man lighteth a candle and
putteth it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may
shine to all that are in the house._ [1] It seems to me that
this candle represents the Charity which ought to enlighten and
make joyful, not only those who are dearest to me, but _all who
are in the house_.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
[1] _Cf_. Matt., v, 15.
THERE is no artist who does not like his work praised, and the
Divine Artist of souls is pleased when we do not stop at the
exterior, but penetrating even to the inmost sanctuary which He
has chosen for His dwelling, we admire its beauty.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
I OUGHT to seek the company of those Sisters who according to
nature please me least. I ought to fulfil in their regard the
office of the Good Samaritan. A word, a kindly smile, will often
suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X
OH! what peace inundates the soul when she rises above natural
sentiment. No joy can compare with that known to one who is
truly poor in spirit. If he ask with detachment for some
necessary thing, and it is not only refused him, but an attempt
made besides to deprive him of what he already has, he follows
the counsel of our Lord: "_And if a man will contend with thee
in judgment and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto
him._" [2]
To yield up our cloak means, I think, to renounce our last
rights, to consider oneself as the servant, the slave of others.
When we have abandoned our mantle it is easier to walk, to run;
therefore Jesus adds: "_And whosoever will force thee one mile,
go with him other two_." [3]
It is not enough that I should give to whosoever may ask of me,
I must forestall their desires, and show that I feel much
gratified, much honoured in rendering service; and if they take
a thing that I use, I must seem as though glad to be relieved of
it.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
[2] Matt., v, 40.
[3] Matt., v, 41.
IF it is hard to give to whoever asks, it is still harder to let
what belongs to us be taken, without asking it back, or rather,
I ought to say it _seems_ hard; for _the yoke of the Lord is
sweet and light:_ [4] when we accept it we feel its sweetness
immediately.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
[4] _Cf_. Matt., xi, 30.
WHEN Charity is deeply rooted in the soul it shows itself
exteriorly: there is so gracious a way of refusing what we
cannot give, that the refusal pleases as much as the gift.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
TO want to persuade our Sisters that they are in the wrong, even
when it is perfectly true, is hardly fair, as we are not
responsible for their guidance. We must not be _Justices of the
peace_, but only _angels of peace_.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
JESUS wills that we give alms to Him as to one poor and needy.
He puts Himself as it were at our mercy; He will take nothing
but what we give Him from our heart, and the very least trifle
is precious in His sight. He stretches forth His Hand, this
sweet Saviour, to receive of us a little love, so that in the
radiant day of Judgment He may be able to address to us those
ineffable words: "_Come, ye blessed of My Father; for I was
hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me
to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; sick and you
visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me._" [5]
XV LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
[5] Matt., xxv, 34-36.
IF I were still to live, the office of Infirmarian is the one
which would please me most. I would not ask for it, but if it
came direct by obedience I should think myself highly privileged.
It seems to me that I would discharge its duties with a tender
love, thinking always of our Saviour saying: "_I was sick and
you visited me._" [6] The Infirmary bell should be for you as
Heavenly music. You ought purposely to pass along beneath the
windows of the sick to give them facility in calling you and
asking your services. Ought you not to consider yourself like
a little slave whom everyone has a right to command? If you
could but see the Angels who from the heights of Heaven watch
you battling in the arena! They await the end of the combat to
cover you with flowers and wreaths. The good God does not
disdain these combats, unknown and therefore all the more
meritorious. "_The patient man is better than the valiant, and
he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh cities._" [7]
By our little acts of charity practised in the shade we convert
souls far away, we help missionaries, we win for them abundant
alms; and by that means build actual dwellings spiritual and
material for our Eucharistic Lord.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
[6] Matt., xxv, 36.
[7] Prov., xvi, 32.
A NOVICE remarked to Sœur Thérèse: "I do not like to see others
suffer, especially saintly souls." She replied instantly:
"Oh! I am not like you: to see saints suffer never moves me to
pity! I know they have the strength to endure, and they thus
give great glory to God: but those who are not holy, who know
not how to profit by their sufferings, oh! how I pity them; they
do indeed arouse my compassion, and I would do all I could to
comfort and help them."
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
SEEING her extreme weakness the doctor ordered some
strengthening remedies; Sœur Thérèse was distressed at first on
account of their high price: then she said to us: "I am no
longer grieved about taking these costly remedies, for I have
been reading that St. Gertrude rejoiced at the thought that all
would be to the advantage of those who do us good, since our
Lord has said: '_As long as you did it unto one of these My
least brethren you did it unto Me_.'" [8]
She added: "I am convinced of the uselessness of medicine for
the purpose of curing me, but I have made a compact with the
good God, that He is to allow some poor Missionaries to profit
by it, who have neither time nor means to take care of
themselves."
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XII
[8] Matt., xxv, 40.
REMEMBERING that _Charity covereth a multitude of sins,_ [9] I
draw from this fruitful mine opened to us by our Lord in His
sacred Gospels. I search the depths of His adorable words and
cry out with David: "_I have run in the way of Thy commandments
when Thou didst enlarge my heart_." [10] And charity alone can
enlarge my heart . . .
O Jesus! since this sweet flame consumes it I run with delight
in the way of Thy new Commandment, and therein will I run until
the blessed day when with Thy Virgin train I shall follow Thee
through Thy boundless Realm singing Thy _New Canticle_ which
must surely be _the Canticle of LOVE_.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
[9] Prov., x, 12.
[10] Ps., cxviii, 32.
FAITH
WHAT helps me most when I picture to myself the interior of the
Holy Family is to think of a quite ordinary life.
The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph knew well that Jesus was God,
but wondrous things were nevertheless hidden from them and like
us they lived by faith. Have you not noticed what is said in the
sacred text: "_And they understood not the word that He spoke
unto them_," [1] and these other words no less mysterious: "_His
father and mother were wondering at those things which were
spoken concerning Him_"? [2] Does not this imply that they heard
of something new to them, for this wondering suggests a certain
astonishment?
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
[1] Luke, ii, 50.
[2] Luke, ii, 33.
DURING her temptations against faith she wrote: "I strive to
work by faith though bereft of its consolations. I have made
more acts of Faith in this last year than during all the rest of
my life.
"On each fresh occasion of combat, when the enemy desires to
challenge me, I conduct myself valiantly: knowing that to fight
a duel is an unworthy act, I turn my back upon the adversary
without ever looking him in the face; then I run to my Jesus and
tell Him I am ready to shed every drop of blood in testimony of
my belief that there is a Heaven, I tell Him I am glad to be
unable to contemplate, while on earth, with the eyes of the
soul, the beautiful Heaven that awaits me so He will deign to
open it for eternity to poor unbelievers."
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
HE whose Heart ever watcheth, taught me, that while for a soul
whose faith equals but a tiny grain of mustard seed, he works
miracles, in order that this faith which is so weak may be
fortified; yet for His intimate friends, for His Mother, He did
not work miracles until He had put their faith to the test. Did
He not let Lazarus die though Martha and Mary had sent to tell
Him that he was sick? At the marriage at Cana, the Blessed
Virgin having asked Him to come to the assistance of the Master
of the house, did He not reply that His hour was not yet come?
But after the trial, what a recompense! Water changed to wine,
Lazarus restored to life. . .
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VI
A SISTER said to her that beautiful Angels clothed in white
robes, and of joyous and resplendent countenance, would bear
away her soul to Heaven. She replied: "These imaginations do not
help me: I can draw no sustenance except from the Truth. God and
the Angels are pure Spirits, no one can see them as they really
are, with corporal eyes. That is why I have never desired
extraordinary favours. I would rather await the Eternal Vision."
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
"I HAVE asked God to send me a beautiful dream to console me
when you are gone," said a novice.
"Ah! that is a thing I should never do--ask for
consolation! . . . Since you wish to be like me you well
know that I say:
Oh! fear not, Lord, that I shall waken Thee:
I await in peace th' eternal shore. . .
"It is so sweet to serve the good God in the dark night of
trial; we have this life only in which to live by faith."
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
HOPE
TIME is but a shadow, a dream; already God sees us in glory and
takes joy in our eternal beatitude. How this thought helps my
soul! I understand then why He lets us suffer . . .
VIII LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
A DAY . . . an hour . . . and we shall have reached the port! My
God, what shall we see then? What is that life which will never
have an end? . . . Jesus will be the soul of our soul.
Unfathomable mystery! _"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man what great things
God hath prepared for them that love Him."_ [1] And this will
all come soon--yes, very soon, if we ardently love Jesus.
VI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
[1] I Cor., ii, 9. _Cf_. Is., lxiv, 4.
LIFE is passing, Eternity draws nigh; soon shall we live the
very life of God. After having drunk deep at the fount of
bitterness, our thirst will be quenched at the very source of
all sweetness.
_Yes, the figure of this world passeth away,_ [2] soon shall we
see new heavens; a more radiant sun will brighten with its
splendours, ethereal seas and infinite horizons . . . We shall
no longer be prisoners in a land of exile, all will be at an end
and with our Heavenly Spouse we shall sail o'er boundless
waters: now our _harps are hung upon the willows that border the
rivers of Babylon,_ [3] but in the day of our deliverance what
harmonies will then be heard! With what joy shall we not make
every chord of our instruments to vibrate! Today, _we weep
remembering Sion . . . how shall we sing the songs of the Lord
in a strange land?_ [4]
V LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
[2] I Cor., vii, 31.
[3] _Cf_. Ps. cxxxvi, 2.
[4] _Cf_. Ps., cxxxvi, 1, 4.
HOW I thirst for Heaven--that blessed habitation where our love
for Jesus will have no limit! But to get there we must
suffer . . . we must weep . . . Well, I _wish_ to suffer all
that shall please my Beloved, I wish to let Him do just as He
wills with His _"little ball."_
V LETTER TO SR. MARIE DU SACRÉ-CŒUR
OH! What mysteries will be revealed to us later . . . How often
have I thought that I perhaps owe all the graces showered upon
me to the earnest prayer of a little soul whom I shall know only
in Heaven. It is God's will that in this world by means of
prayer Heavenly treasures should be imparted by souls one to
another, so that when they reach the Fatherland they may love
one another with a love born of gratitude, with an affection
far, far exceeding the most ideal family affection upon earth.
There, we shall meet with no indifferent looks, because all the
Saints will be indebted to each other.
No envious glances will be seen; the happiness of every one of
the elect will be the happiness of all. With the Martyrs we
shall be like to the Martyrs; with the Doctors we shall be as
the Doctors; with the Virgins, as the Virgins; and just as the
members of a family are proud of one another, so shall we be of
our brethren, without the least jealousy.
Who knows even if the joy we shall experience in beholding the
glory of the great Saints, and knowing that by a secret
dispensation of Providence we have contributed thereunto, who
knows if this joy will not be as intense and sweeter perhaps,
than the happiness they will themselves possess.
And do you not think that on their side the great Saints, seeing
what they owe to quite little souls, will love them with an
incomparable love? Delightful and surprising will be the
friendships found there--I am sure of it. The favoured companion
of an Apostle or a great Doctor of the Church, will perhaps be a
young shepherd lad; and a simple little child may be the
intimate friend of a Patriarch. Oh! how I long to dwell in that
Kingdom of Love . . .
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
A SISTER showed her a photograph representing Joan of Arc
consoled in the prison by her Voices. Sœur Thérèse said: "I too
am consoled by an interior voice. The Saints encourage me from
above, they say to me: 'So long as thou art in fetters thou
canst not fulfil thy mission; but later, after thy death--_then_
will be the time of thy conquests.'"
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
IN Heaven the good God will do all I wish, because I have never
done my own will upon earth.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
EVEN now I know it; yes, all my hopes will be fulfilled . . .
yes . . . the Lord will work wonders for me which will surpass
infinitely my immeasurable desires.
VIII LETTER TO MÈRE AGNÈS DE JÉSUS
HUMILITY
IT appears to me that humility is the truth. I know not whether
I am humble, but I know that I see the truth in all things.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
I HAVE understood what true glory is. He whose _Kingdom is not
of this world_ [1] showed me that the only enviable royalty
consists in loving _to be unknown and esteemed as nothing_, [2]
and finding our joy in contempt of self. I wished that like the
Face of Jesus, mine might be _as it were hidden and despised_.
[3] _That none upon earth might esteem me_. I thirsted to suffer
and to be forgotten.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VII
[1] John, xviii, 36.
[2] _Imit_., I, ii, 3.
[3] Is., liii, 3.
JESUS made me understand that the true, the only glory is that
which will last for ever; that to attain to it we need not
perform wonderful deeds, but rather, those hidden from the eyes
of others and from self, so that _the left hand knoweth not what
the right hand doth_. [4]
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IV
[4] Matt., vi, 3.
THÉRÈSE is weak, very weak; of this she has new and salutary
experience every day. But Jesus takes pleasure in teaching her
how to _glory in her infirmities_. [5] It is a great grace this,
for herein is found peace and tranquillity. When we see
ourselves so miserable, we wish no longer to look at self but
only on the Well-Beloved.
II LETTER TO HER COUSIN MARIE GUÉRIN
[5] II Cor., xi, 5.
I AM a _very little_ soul who can offer only _very little_
things to the good God; yet, it often happens that these little
sacrifices which give such peace to the heart escape me; but
that does not discourage me, I bear with having a little less
peace and I try to be more watchful another time.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X
VEILED in the white Host, O my Well-Beloved, how meek and humble
of heart dost Thou show Thyself to me! Thou couldst not stoop
lower to teach me humility, and I, to respond to Thy Love,
desire to put myself in the lowest place and share Thy
humiliations, that I may _have part with Thee_ [6] in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
I beseech Thee, my Jesus, to send me some humiliation every time
that I shall attempt to put myself above others.
HIST. D'UNE AME, APPENDIX
[6] John, xiii, 8.
WHAT pleases the good God 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.
VI LETTER TO SR. MARIE DU SACRÉ-CŒUR
TO draw near to Jesus we must be so little . . . Oh! how few
souls aspire to be little and unknown. . .
XIV LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
I AM no longer surprised at anything, nor do I grieve at seeing
that I am frailty itself; on the contrary I glory in it, and
expect to discover new imperfections in myself each day. These
lights concerning my nothingness do me more good, I affirm, than
lights regarding faith.
HIST D'UNE AME, CH. IX
WHEN we commit a fault we must not think it due to a physical
cause, such as illness or the weather, we must attribute this
fall to our imperfection, but without ever growing discouraged.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
SINCE Jesus has gone back to Heaven I can follow Him only by the
path He has traced. Oh how luminous are His footprints--
diffusing a divine sweetness . . . I have but to glance at the
holy Gospels and immediately I inhale the fragrance of the life
of Jesus, and I know which side to take. Not to the first place
do I run but to the last. I let the Pharisee go up, and full of
confidence I repeat the humble prayer of the publican. Above all
I copy the example of Magdalene; her amazing, or rather, her
loving audacity, which so touched the Heart of Jesus, charms my
own.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
WITH a simplicity that delights me my little Sisters, the
novices, tell me of the interior combats I arouse in them, in
what way they find me trying; they are no more embarrassed than
if it were question of some one else, knowing that by acting
thus, they greatly please me.
Ah! truly it is more than a pleasure, it is a delicious feast
which replenishes my soul with joy. How can a thing so
disagreeable to nature give such happiness? Had I not
experienced it I could not have believed it.
One day when I had an ardent desire for humiliation, it happened
that a young postulant so fully satisfied it, that the thought
of Semei cursing David came to my mind and I repeated interiorly
with the holy King: _Yes, it is indeed the Lord who has
commanded him to say all these things to me._ [7]
Thus the good God takes care of me. He cannot always offer me
the strength-giving bread of exterior humiliation, but from time
to time He permits me to feast upon _the crumbs that fall from
the table of the children_. [8] How great is His Mercy!
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X
[7] Kings, xvi, 10.
[8] Mark, vii, 28.
ALL creatures might incline towards the little flower, admiring
it and overwhelming it with their praise, but never would that
add a shadow of vain satisfaction to the true joy of knowing
itself to be a mere nothing in the sight of God.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
BECAUSE I was little and weak, Jesus stooped down to me and
tenderly instructed me in the secrets of His Love.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. V
I AM too little to have any vanity, I am also too little to know
how to turn beautiful phrases so as to make it appear that I
have a great deal of humility. I prefer to acknowledge simply
that _He that is mighty hath done great things to me_; [9] and
the greatest is His having shown me my littleness, my powerlessness
for all good.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
[9] Luke, i, 49.
THE only thing not subject to be envied is the lowest place, it
is therefore this lowest place alone which is without vanity and
affliction of spirit. Still, _the way of a man is not always in
his power_ [10] and sometimes we are surprised by a desire for
that which glitters. Then, let us take our place humbly amongst
the imperfect, deeming ourselves little souls whom the good God
must sustain at each moment. As soon as He sees us truly
convinced of our nothingness and we say to Him: _My foot hath
slipped: Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up,_ [11] He stretches
out His Hand to us; but if we _will_ attempt to do something
grand, even under pretext of zeal, He leaves us alone. It is
enough therefore that we humble ourselves, and bear our
imperfections with sweetness: there, for us, lies true sanctity.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
[10] _Cf_. Jer., x, 23.
[11] _Cf_. Ps., xciii, 18.
THE most eloquent discourses would be incapable of inspiring one
act of love without the grace that moves the heart.
See a beautiful, rose-tinted peach, of so sweet a savour that no
craft of confectioner could produce nectar like it. Is it for
the peach itself that God has created this lovely colour and
delicate velvety surface? Is it for the sake of the peach that
He has given it so delicious a flavour? No, it is for us; what
alone belongs to it and forms the essence of its existence is
its stone; it possesses nothing more.
Thus is Jesus pleased to lavish His gifts on some of His
creatures, that through them He may draw to Himself other souls;
but in His mercy He humiliates them interiorly, and gently
constrains them to recognize their nothingness and His
Omnipotence. These sentiments form in them, as it were, a kernel
of grace, which Jesus hastens to develop for that blessed day
when clothed with a beauty, immortal, imperishable, they shall
without danger have place at the Celestial banquet.
XVI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
THE Apostles, without Jesus, laboured long--a whole night--
without taking any fish; their toil was pleasing to Him but He
wished to show that He alone can give anything. He asked only an
act of humility: _"Children, have you any meat?"_ [12] and St.
Peter confesses his helplessness: _"Lord we have laboured all
night and have taken nothing."_ [13] It is enough! The Heart of
Jesus is touched . . . . Perhaps if the Apostle had taken a few
little fishes the Divine Master would not have worked a miracle;
but he had _nothing_, and so through God's power and goodness
his nets were soon filled with great fishes.
That is just our Lord's way. He gives as God, but He _will_ have
humility of heart.
XVII LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
[12] John, xxi, 5.
[13] Luke, v, 5.
TO think ourselves imperfect, and others perfect--that is
happiness. That creatures should recognize we are without virtue
takes nothing from us, makes us no poorer; it is they who by
this lose interior joy; for there is nothing sweeter than to
think well of our neighbour.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
IT is a great joy to me, not only when others find me imperfect,
but above all when I feel that so I am: compliments, on the
contrary, cause me nothing but displeasure.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
A NOVICE confided to her that she made no progress and felt
quite discouraged.
"Till the age of fourteen," said Therese, "I practised virtue
without feeling its sweetness. I wished for suffering but had no
thought of finding my joy therein; that is a grace which has
been granted me later. My soul was like a beautiful tree whose
blossoms no sooner opened than they fell.
"Offer to the good God the sacrifice of never gathering the
fruits of your labours. If He so will that during your whole
life you feel a repugnance to suffer and to be humiliated, if He
permit that all the flowers of your desires and of your
good-will fall to earth without fruit, be not troubled. At the
moment of your death He will know well how to bring to
perfection, in the twinkling of an eye, beautiful fruits on
the tree of your soul.