Meditations on “The Little Way” of Following JesusChikamu

Introduction to St. Thérèse of Lisieux

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, known as “the Little Flower,” was born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France, the youngest of five surviving children in a loving Christian family. Desiring to devote her life to God, she persuaded the religious authorities to allow her to join the Carmelite convent at Lisieux at the age of fifteen. Feeling unable to meet the perceived demands of Christian perfection, she sought a simpler, scriptural way to reach God. The “little way” she discovered—that of humility, trust, sacrifice, and resting in God’s deep love—captured the essence of the gospel with profound simplicity. It transformed her relationship with her heavenly Father, and its ripple effects have surged to a global impact that continues to this day.

Although Thérèse died of tuberculosis in a secluded convent in France at the young age of twenty-four, her renowned spiritual writings have been read by multitudes of people around the globe. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, published shortly after her death, eventually became a worldwide bestseller, with millions of copies in print. The work has been translated into more than sixty languages and dialects. Followers of Thérèse’s “little way” transcend denominational boundaries, and her words and way of life continue to inspire millions.

The meditations in this six-day devotional come from St. Thérèse’s writings and recorded wisdom. The wording of Scripture verses in the quotations has been retained from the original translations (from French to English).

The Little Way

I have always felt, in comparing myself with the saints, that I am as far removed from them as the grain of sand that the passerby tramples underfoot is remote from the mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds.

Instead of being discouraged, I concluded that God would not inspire desires that could not be realized, and that I may aspire to sanctity in spite of my littleness. For me to become great is impossible. I must bear with myself and my many imperfections; but I will seek out a means of getting to heaven by a little way—very short and very straight—a little way that is wholly new. We live in an age of inventions. Nowadays, the rich need not trouble to climb the stairs; they have lifts [elevators] instead. Well, I mean to try and find a lift by which I may be raised to God, for I am too tiny to climb the steep stairway of perfection. I have sought to find in Holy Scripture some suggestion as to what this lift might be that I so much desired, and I read these words uttered by the Eternal Wisdom Itself: “Whosoever is a little one, let him come to Me” (Proverbs 9:4). Then I drew near to God, feeling sure that I had discovered what I sought; but wishing to know further what He would do to the little one, I continued my search, and this is what I found: “You shall be carried at the breasts and upon the knees; as one whom the mother caresseth, so will I comfort you.” (See Isaiah 66:12–13.)

Never have I been consoled by words more tender and sweet. Your arms, then, O Jesus, are the lift that must raise me up even to heaven. To get there, I need not grow. On the contrary, I must remain little; I must become still less.

Thought: [The little way] is the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute self-surrender.