St. Thérèse of Lisieux, affectionately known as the "Little Flower," left an indelible mark on the Catholic Church through her profound yet accessible spirituality. Born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France, she entered eternal life at just 24 years old on September 30, 1897. Despite her brief earthly existence, her message of holiness through small acts of love continues to inspire millions. As she herself reflected in her autobiography, "Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be." This simplicity, rooted in childlike trust in God, forms the core of her "Little Way," a path that emphasizes humility, confidence in divine mercy, and offering everyday actions with great love.
Thérèse's foundation in faith was laid by her exemplary parents, Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin, who were canonized as saints on October 18, 2015—the first married couple with children to receive this honor in a single ceremony. Pope Francis, in his homily during their canonization Mass, praised them as models of family life: "The holy spouses Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin practised Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus." Louis, a skilled watchmaker born in 1823, had once aspired to monastic life but was deterred by his struggles with Latin. Instead, he settled in Alençon, where he met Zélie, a talented lace maker born in 1831. Zélie, who had also sought religious life but was rejected, built a successful business in the renowned Point d'Alençon lace. Their marriage on July 13, 1858, blended discipline, creativity, and deep piety, producing nine children, though four died in infancy.
The Martins' home was a sanctuary of prayer and charity, but it was not without profound sorrow. Zélie endured the loss of her children with unwavering faith, writing in a letter to her sister-in-law after burying an infant son: "When I closed the eyes of my dear little children and buried them, I felt sorrow through and through... My children were not lost forever; life is short and full of miseries, and we shall find our little ones again up above." This resilience shaped Thérèse, the youngest, who was born frail and nearly died in infancy. Zélie described her as "full of life, giggles a lot, and is sheer joy to everyone," yet noted her stubborn streak: "She flies into frightful tantrums; when things don’t go just right and according to her way of thinking, she rolls on the floor in desperation like one without any hope."
Zélie's death from breast cancer in August 1877, when Thérèse was only four, plunged the family into grief. Louis relocated his five daughters to Lisieux, renting a home called Les Buissonnets. There, Thérèse's education began under her sisters Marie and Pauline, and she attended the Benedictine Abbey school of Notre-Dame du Pré from 1881 to 1886—a period she later called "the saddest of my life" due to academic pressures and social isolation. Her sensitive nature led to a severe illness in 1883, marked by hallucinations and fever, which she attributed to spiritual torment. On May 13, 1883, Thérèse experienced a miraculous cure while gazing at a statue of the Virgin Mary, whom she described as radiating "kindness and love." This event, known as "Our Lady of the Smile," deepened her devotion.
Thérèse's spiritual maturation accelerated with her First Communion on May 8, 1884, which she called her first "kiss of love" from Jesus, and Confirmation a month later. Scruples plagued her afterward, but a pivotal "Christmas Conversion" in 1886 transformed her. Overhearing her father's weary remark about holiday traditions, Thérèse chose self-forgetfulness over tears, later writing: "I felt charity enter into my soul, and the need to forget myself and to please others." Freed from self-absorption, she embraced a thirst for souls, praying fervently for the conversion of murderer Henri Pranzini, who kissed the crucifix before his execution—a sign she interpreted as divine mercy.
Inspired by her sisters' vocations—Pauline entered the Lisieux Carmel in 1882, followed by Marie in 1886—Thérèse resolved to join them. At 14, during a pilgrimage to Rome, she boldly petitioned Pope Leo XIII for permission to enter at 15, despite prohibitions against speaking. Though he replied, "You will enter if God wills it," her persistence paid off, and she entered on April 9, 1888, taking the name Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Life in the cloister was austere, with communal prayer, manual labor, and challenges like caring for difficult sisters. Thérèse assisted an elderly nun, Sister St. Pierre, enduring complaints with patience, and turned annoying chapel noises into "a concert" offered to Jesus.
Central to Thérèse's legacy is her "Little Way," influenced by St. John of the Cross's writings on divine love. Aware of her limitations, she sought an "elevator" to heaven: "The elevator which must raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus... I have no need to grow up, but rather I have to remain little and become this more and more." As she explained, "Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love." This path, as Pope John Paul II noted in his 1997 apostolic letter Divini Amoris Scientia, reveals "the science of divine love... a gift granted to the little and the humble so that they may know and proclaim the secrets of the kingdom."
Tuberculosis struck Thérèse in 1896, confining her to the infirmary where she wrote her autobiography, Story of a Soul, at her prioress's request. Amid suffering and temptations against faith, she affirmed, "I go to God with confidence and love." Her final words were, "Oh, my God, I love you!" After her death, reports of graces flooded Lisieux, fulfilling her promise: "I shall spend my heaven in doing good upon earth... I will let fall a shower of roses."
Thérèse was beatified in 1923 and canonized on May 17, 1925, by Pope Pius XI. In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church, stating in his homily: "Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the youngest of all the Doctors of the Church, but her ardent spiritual journey shows such maturity, and the insights of faith expressed in her writings are so vast and profound, that they deserve a place among the great spiritual masters." Her parents' canonization further highlights the family's sanctity. Today, Thérèse's "Little Way" invites all to holiness through ordinary love, proving that greatness lies in humility.
Sources
- Pope Francis, Homily for the Canonization of Louis and Zélie Martin, October 18, 2015 (Vatican.va: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20151018_omelia-canonizzazioni.html)
- Pope John Paul II, Homily for the Proclamation of St. Thérèse as Doctor of the Church, October 19, 1997 (Vatican.va: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19101997.html)
- Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia, October 19, 1997 (Vatican.va: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris.html)
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Quotes sourced from Society of the Little Flower: https://www.littleflower.org/st-therese/st-therese-quotes/)
- Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux (http://www.archives-carmel-lisieux.fr/ – Note: Site content accessed for historical details, though current redirect noted; quotes drawn from Thérèse's letters and writings as preserved in official Carmelite sources)
- Little Flower Basilica, "Discover the Little Way of St. Thérèse" (https://littleflowerbasilica.org/blog/discover-the-little-way-of-st-therese)
