A couple weeks ago at Mass (the 5th Sunday of Lent) we heard two Scripture passages about leaving the past behind. The first reading included this: “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” …
October 1 is the feast of St. Therese, Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church. I have a giveaway and some special deals to celebrate. But first, here are five things you may not have known about this beloved saint. 1. She almost died as an infant. Before Therese was even born, her mother, Blessed …
As we have seen in past posts, St. Therese of Lisieux did not want to place any trust in her ability to do good works. She knew she was weak. But she still performed many little sacrifices of love for God daily. She didn’t want to be tempted to start counting her merits again, to …
Last Monday I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Danis, host of Carmelite Conversations on Radio Maria. You can listen to a recording of the hour-long program here.
One of the themes that struck me as I researched and wrote about the life of St. Therese was the fatherhood of God. Jesus taught His disciples to address God as “Father.” He revealed the mystery of the Holy Trinity. What does that mean for our spirituality? As you know from past posts, St. …
In the thinking of St. Therese, what does it take to be a saint? Therese grew up in a culture influenced by Jansenism. Jansenism was a heresy from the seventeenth century that over-emphasized the role of grace in man’s salvation. It had a long-lasting effect on the Church in France. In the late nineteenth century, …