Today is the feast day of Saint Therese. When she was just fourteen years old at Christmas, she encountered Jesus in such a powerful way that it changed her life. She entered a convent at only 15 years old and began to live a simple life. She believed that what mattered in life was not great deeds, but that we do every single, small act with great love.
She saw her uniqueness in God’s eyes as being like a flower among all the other blooms in the garden. That brought about the nickname of the “little flower of Jesus,” which stuck with her. She died at the young age of 24 from tuberculosis. Many millions have been touched by her intercession and strive to follow her little way.
Is it any wonder that the Holy Spirit inspired the Church to choose the reading from Job this morning on her feast day? At the end of that reading, we hear:
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
“My inmost being is consumed with longing.” As a newly ordained Deacon, the one thing I continually feel God calling me to do is to help people to fall in love with Jesus. Job is talking about a relationship. After all the bad things that we’ve heard happening to him in the readings this week, he isn’t longing for things or people. He’s longing for God! His soul is thirsting for God’s touch! As the Psalmist says, “Of you my heart speaks, you my glance seeks!”
How do we tie that into the Gospel, which talks about not taking supplies with you when going out to preach? A few years ago, I made a Cursillo weekend. For three days, I sent time in prayer, in adoration, and learning about the faith. I didn’t know that my wife would be there at the closing ceremony. Someone commented later that “it was like he had eyes only for her.” That’s exactly how it felt. My heart was welling up with love for her, and appreciation, and a need to apologize for all my shortcomings.
That’s how we should feel about Jesus Christ. When we see Him in the Eucharist, our hearts should yearn for Him! Our soul should seek His face. If we genuinely saw with the eyes of our flesh, what it is we perceive with our soul, we’d be overwhelmed with love and desire. Then when we needed to go out into the world to find Him in the guise of the stranger, we wouldn’t worry about what to take with us. Instead, we’d be so excited that we’d run out in search of those who were missing from this table.
It’s no wonder our Saint had chosen the name of the child Jesus. There is no purer and genuine love than that of a young toddler. When they talk about their loved ones or something they are excited about, they stumble over their words. They run out the door when they are going somewhere fun, never worrying about jackets or shoes. The only thing that matters to the one madly in love is their beloved.
So how do we get there? How do we go from wherever we are to the kind of love that Therese had for Jesus? She said: “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” In the same line as her little way, I watched a video this week that spoke about one small action we can do to grow in prayer. It’s effortless, takes just a second, but ultimately changes our day.
In the morning, when you open your eyes, say: “Good morning Jesus.” It sounds so small, so tiny an effort. Saint Therese reminds us, though, that we should do little things with great love. Don’t just say good morning, mean it. Remember who it is you are talking too. Realize that He sees you as a flower in His garden, a beautiful and unique person. God has given you one more day to love Jesus! That will make all the difference.
A homily for the Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church Saint: October 1st, 2020