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St. Therese of Lisieux

Episode 170 with Heather King
In this podcast episode, Heather King shares a short article she wrote for Magnificat on Servant of God Rhoda Wise.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” is one of the most popular and well-known Catholic Saints. She said her mission was to “make God loved as I love Him, to give my little way to souls.” Brother Ryan, MIC, explains this new spirituality which can supercharge our relationship with our Lord. Then hear the inspiring story of a group of high school students from Louisville, Kentucky, whose “St. Joseph of Arimathea Society” performs the corporal work of mercy of burying the dead.

Divine Mercy; Mary Immaculate; intercession for the Holy Souls; serving the Church where the need is greatest. In light of the Marian charisms, we’re coming up on one of the spiritually richest weeks of saints and feasts in the Church’s entire calendar.

Why is St. Therese of Lisieux considered one of the most beloved modern-day saints? Fr. Chris Alar explains how, like most of us, she could not do extraordinary deeds so she found a new way. This new "little way" is the quickest way to become a saint and get to heaven.

"My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death," she said. "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses."

By Marc Massery

Is there someone in your life who is hard to love? 

Sometimes, God puts people in our lives with whom we have a hard time reconciling. Maybe we understand them but they just never seem to get us. But if they’re a family member, a friend, or a coworker, sometimes we have to withhold from them our anger and frustration in order to keep the peace. Saint Faustina knew this silent pain well. She wrote:

Divine Mercy is so central to the spirituality of St. Therese that she literally begins and ends her autobiography in praise of God's merciful love.

Another metaphor that Therese used to make sense of her spiritual journey was the metaphor of the "little flower." Several times in her autobiography she refers to herself as "the little flower," and this has been her ecclesiastical "nickname" ever since.

It is probably true that no single person had more profound and lasting impact upon the spirituality of Catholics in the 20th century than St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower.