Suffering With St. Therese of Lisieux
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The secular world visualizes suffering as something that is bad and inhibits us. As Christians, we believe our trials lead us to sanctity. Look at the foundation of our faith: an innocent man, being scourged and killed for love. We sinful beings often expect to avoid afflictions and still reach a level of sanctity, but all canonized saints know that they would not have reached heaven if they had escaped earthly suffering. St Therese of Lisieux says it so perfectly in her autobiography, Story of a Soul: “I understood that to become a saint one had to suffer much, seek out always the most perfect thing to do, and forget self.” As a young woman who died at the age of twenty four, Therese was wise enough to understand that her earthly adversities had a divine purpose. More than anything, she desired to serve God well, through every minor inconvenience, to joyfully lying on her deathbed.
During the course of her life, Therese experienced common inconveniences, like eating something she despised or doing chores, as well as great suffering, like the death of her parents and severe illness. She remained joyful through it all. She offered up all her crosses for the greater glory of God. True to her “little way,” her joy meant not complaining and sacrificing her own desires to cultivate peace and love. For example, in the convent, Therese was treated poorly by one of the sisters. She would splash water in Therese’s face and speak badly about her. Rather than be filled with anger, Therese begged God for the ability to act with grace and remain peaceful, offering all her suffering towards God. Is this not how we are called to act when we encounter our own daily discomforts?
This conscious decision to choose joy does not seem to be a great feat. We can make an effort to approach our daily sacrifices with joy. What happens when we are faced with great suffering? When it feels like our world is falling apart? How do we approach that with joy? Once again, we can turn to St. Therese of Lisieux. Therese lost her mother at a young age, but what should have been the saddest moment of this young girl's life was a moment of sanctity. Prior to her mother's death, Therese told her mother that she wished she would die in order to experience the beauty of heaven. She saw past this life and she saw past her feelings; she saw the greater glory of God. She loved her mom so much that she wanted what was best for her, and that meant being in heaven among the angels and saints.
Along with the death of both of her parents, Therese experienced great illness in her life. In her early twenties, Therese suffered from Tuberculosis. In this year of anguish, she fought the temptation to doubt her faith and God. She claims that joy was difficult to cultivate in this time, but she strived to live out her faith through works in her desolation. It was at this time, more than ever before, that she united her suffering with that of Christ on the cross. She believed that by doing so the world would be transformed. Today, thousands of Catholics look to St. Therese in the midst of trials and tribulation, desiring to emulate her grace. It is our duty to see our crosses as St. Therese did: as a means to radiate love and bring greater glory to God.
St. Therese, walk with us, help us to be more like you. In our times of great trials, remind us of the love of Christ, a man who died out of love. Help us unite our suffering with His on the cross. May we lay our tempers and our pride at the feet of Jesus so that He may fill us with His grace. Help us to remain joyful and act with grace and faith in times of heartache and pain. Pray that we may become the Saints God is calling us to be.
-Amen