St. Thérèse of Lisieux

During the year 2000, the relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1874–1897) toured throughout the United States—at once confirming and stimulating an extraordinary resurgence of interest in the life and work of a Carmelite nun known as the “Little Flower.” In Thérèse of Lisieux: Transformation in Christ, Abbot Thomas Keating reflects on what St Thérèse understood the teaching of Jesus Christ to be. Thérèse had an extraordinary penetration into the heart of Jesus’ teaching, something she developed into a program for daily life. Although she was only twenty-four years old when she died, Thérèse had an extraordinary spiritual maturity. Father Keating writes about the teachings of Jesus in the parables and then shows what extraordinary insight Thérèse had into those enigmatic sayings. According to Father Keating, St. Thérèse tried to live the Gospel precept, “To love one another as I have loved you!” on a daily basis. She believed it was the best program to propose to people because anybody could do it and because the Kingdom of God was, and is, in everyday life and in what we, as individuals, do with it. As Father Keating shows, St. Thérèse’s teaching continues to reveal to us that if we only build up instead of tear down others and fully and lovingly trust that Christ is with us until the end of time we will be transformed.