5 FACTS ABOUT ST. THERESA OF THE CHILD JESUS

 St. Theresa of the Child Jesus is among the most popular Saint of the modern times. She is popular because of her spirituality of doing little things with so much love and devotion that it merited her great sanctity. As the Nigerian Church celebrates the memorial of this great Saint of the modern times, we want to share 5 golden facts that forms St Theresa's spirituality. To have a better and full grasp of this great Saints' life, read up Her classical Autobiography THE STORY OF A SOUL 

HER PRAYER LIFE 

For St. Theresa, prayer isn't an organized and systematic process of communication with God. For her, it's something, spontaneous, continuous, discussive, loving and simple. It's more like opening up one's heart continuously to God. She says "I (pray) like children who do not know how to read, I say very simply to God what I wish to say, without composing beautiful sentences, and He always understands me." And again  "For me, prayer is a burst from my heart, it is a simple glance thrown toward Heaven, a cry of thanksgiving and love in times of trial as well as in times of joy."

HER LOVE FOR SUFFERING 

Considering St Theresa upbringing, that is, not being from a poor family, one will marvel at her attraction to the cross of Christ. She accepted everything with a happy resignation. She said "Much later, when I understood what perfection was, I realized that to become a saint one must suffer a great deal, always seek what is best, and forget oneself. I understood that there were many kinds of of sanctity and that each soul was free to respond to the approaches of Our Lord and to do little or much for Him - in other words,to make a choice among the sacrifices He demands"

HER LOVE FOR OUR LADY 

St. Theresa had a great love for the blessed Mother of God. She displayed this love both by tender devotions and words of affection. She said “Do not be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her enough. And Jesus will be very happy, because the Blessed Virgin is His Mother.”

HER SIMPLICITY 

This is one of the most popular attribute of St. Theresa. Her simplicity is shown in the way she related to God, her sisters and all those who encountered her. Her simplicity is, also, very explicit in her writings. She said "If a little flower could speak, it seems to me that it would tell us quite simply all that God has done for it, without hiding any of its gifts. It would not, under the pretext of humility, say that it was not pretty, or that it had not a sweet scent, that the sun had withered its petals,or the storm bruised its stem, if it knew that such were not the case."

HER STRENGHT OF WILL 

St. Theresa is often referred to as the Saint that did little things in order to get to heaven. But it's obvious that doing little things well and consistently requires a great deal of strength of the will. The courage that made her request entrance to Carmel at a very tender age from the Pope, strength that made her persevere in such a strict enclosure having being brought up in a well-to-do family is something to be admired. She said "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."

These are just few of many heroic character of this great Saint.

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