St. Thérèse Of Lisieux

L’histoire d’une ame (Story of A Soul): An Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Contents Contents Introduction Introduction Who Whowas wasSt. St.Thérèse? Thérèse? Social Social Story Storyof ofaaSoul Soul Cultural Cultural Ecclesial Ecclesial

The Three Manuscripts

Manuscript A: A Family Souvenir Addressed to Mother Agnes of Jesus

Manuscript B: A Souvenir Exclusively for Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart

Manuscript C: A Document to Supply Information For composing a Circular after Thérèse’s death, Addressed to Mother Marie de Gonzague

The Little Way Evaluation Conclusion

Bibliography

Born: Born: 22 22 August August 1823, 1823, Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Gironde, Gironde, France France Occupation: Occupation: Watchmaker, Watchmaker, lacemaker lacemaker Died: Died: 29 29 July July 1894, 1894, Arnières-sur-Iton, Arnières-sur-Iton, Eure, Eure, France France Beatified: Beatified: 19 19 October October 2008, 2008, Basilique Basilique de de Sainte-Thérèse Sainte-Thérèse by by Pope Pope Benedict Benedict XVI XVI

Born: 23 December 1831, Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon, Orne, France. Occupation: lacemaker Died: 28 August 1877, Alençon, Orne, France Beatified: 19 October 2008, Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse by Pope Benedict XVI

Married on: July 13, 1858

Although the couple lived as brother and sister for ten months after their wedding, they decided to have children. They would later have nine children, though only five daughters would survive infancy:

Marie Martin is the oldest of the siblings. She was born on February 22, 1860.

The second to enter Carmel on October 15, 1886, and took the name Marie of the Sacred heart, Therese was just only 14 years old. She died on January 19, 1940

Pauline was the first to enter Carmel, an order of contemplative nuns, at Lisieux. And took the name Mother Agnes of Jesus. Thérèse began to be drawn in the same direction. Thérèse considered her as her second mother after the death of their mother. The first manuscript was dedicated to her as a family

souvenir. She was born on September 7, 1861. Became a Carmelite on October 2, 1882. Died on July 28, 1951.

Born: June 3, 1863 Became a Visitandine: January 28, 1899. Died: June 16, 1941

Celin Martin was born on April 28, 1869. She became a Carmelite on September 14, 1894 , and took the name Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face. She was the last sister of Therese to enter Carmel after the death of their father. She died on February 14, 1959.

“I MIEI GIORNI DI GRAZIA" Nato a Alencon, in Francia il 2 gennaio 1873 Battezzato il 4 gennaio 1873 Sorriso della Madonna e guarigione miracolosa: 10 Maggio 1883 Prima Comunione: 8 Maggio 18884 Cresima: 14 Giugno 1884 Grazia di Natale: 25 Dicembre 1886 Udienza da Papa Leo XIII: 20 Novembre 1887 Entra nel Carmelo: 9 Aprile 1888 Vestizione Religiosa: 10 Gennaio, 1889 Professione Religiosa: 8 Settembre 1890 Prende il velo di carme-litana: 24 Settembre 1890 Atto di oblazione: 9 Giugno 1895

Morta a Lisieux, in Francia il 30 Settembre, 1897 Canonizzata da Papa Pius XI: 17 Maggio 1925 Teresa di Gesù Bambino è proclamata da Pio XI Patrona principale, con Francesco Saverio, di tutte le Missioni cattoliche: 14 Dicembre 1927

Proclamata da Giovanni Paolo II Dottore della Chiesa: 19 Ottobre 1997

Original Title: L’histoire d’une ame Inspired by the first words of Therese when she began her writing: “It is to you dear Mother, to you who are doubly my Mother, that I come to confide the story of soul” (Ms A, 2r)

Genre: Autobiography “Mon histoirien” and the first editor: Mother Agnes of Jesus First Edition Published: September 30, 1898

The first edition read beautifully because of Mother Agnes’ masterly work of editing. It also appeared as a composite whole that contained the intimate outpourings of Sister Therese’s soul to her Mother Prioress, Marie de Gonzague. The subsequent editions retained this format until the Diocesan Process held in 1910. The judges on this tribunal, on hearing about Mother Marie’s directive (to Mother Agnes that all three manuscripts are publish in one condition i.e all must be rearranged in such a way as to seem to be addressed to herself), insisted that all future editions indicate clearly the individual direction of each of the manuscripts, namely, to Mother Agnes of Jesus, to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, and finally to Mother Marie de Gonzague

The Three Manuscripts 1895 Mother Agnes of Jesus

1896

1897

Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart

Mother Marie de Gonzague

A family souvenir, destined exclusively for her sisters

Souvenir of Thérèse’s last retreat to Sister Marie

To supply her with information for composing a circular after Thérèse’s death

Childhood Memories

Thérèse’s Little Doctrine

Religious life of Thérèse

It is an image that tries to capture her understanding of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, of seeking holiness of life in the ordinary and the everyday St Therese based “her little way” on two fundamental convictions:

(1) God shows love by mercy and forgiveness, and (2) she could not be “perfect” in following the Lord. St Therese knew from her life that God is merciful love; many scripture passages in the Old and New Testaments bore out that truth. She loved the maternal images for God in the Old Testament and the love of God for us in Jesus Christ. In fact, St Therese once wrote that she could not understand how anyone could be afraid of a God who became a child. She also knew that she would never be perfect. Therefore, she went to God as a child approaches a parent . . . with open arms and a profound trust/confidence

When Thérèse wrote Manuscript C, she showed to us what her little way was meant all about. First she wrote about the great saints like Teresa of Avila and then said "Alas! I have always noticed that when I compared myself to the saints, there is between them and me the same difference that exists between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and the obscure grain of sand trampled underfoot by the passers-by. Instead of becoming discouraged," she wrote, "...I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short, and totally new....I am too small to climb the rough stairway of perfection.” Thérèse referred directly to Teresa and then used two metaphors (the mountain, and the stairway of perfection) that deftly combined references to John of the Cross and his Ascent of Mount Carmel and Teresa's Way of Perfection. The work she was trying to do in this text was to articulate a spirituality as profound as that of the Carmelite founders, but much more easily accessible!

As she wrote in her text, "We are living now in an age of inventions, and we no longer have to take the trouble of climbing stairs, for, in the homes of the rich, an elevator has replaced these very successfully. I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus." This is another metaphor for her little way, and looking closely to her life, she indeed used this elevator; “Your arms O Jesus!”

Story of a Soul does not give us a scholarly presentation of spirituality. Nor a revelation of a new kind of sanctity, but merely a new way of presenting sanctity to us which is the interior core of our search for God in a living, accessible language that stands in harmony with the Church's most authentic tradition rooted in biblical insights.