St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower
Today, the Catholic Church honors the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the beloved “Little Flower of Jesus.” Why does her witness matter to us now? Because St. Thérèse shows how God works through the humble to transform the world. While we may feel insignificant at times, God never sees us that way. Every act of love can ripple outward, shaping a shoreline we may never see.
Born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin, she was the youngest of nine children. After her mother’s death when she was only four, she grew up with a deep longing for God. At just 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, taking the name Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. She later contracted tuberculosis at 22, and after two years of intense suffering, she died at only 24.
Her life was short, but her spirituality endures. Thérèse’s “Little Way” teaches us that holiness isn’t found in grand gestures but in doing ordinary things with extraordinary love and trust in God. Her simple example profoundly shaped another saint of our time—St. Teresa of Calcutta, who lived out the “Little Way” on the streets of the poor.
St. Thérèse reminds us that true joy comes only from walking with Jesus, who longs to use us—even in our littleness—to change the world. Her final words were as simple as her life: “My God, I love you.”
