From the Religious Education Coordinator Term 1 Week 8

Living the Little Way of St Thérése of Lisieux

The past week has been a turbulent time for our world with almost wall to wall media coverage of panic, fear, and suffering as everyone scrambles to cope with the recent pandemic. In the midst of all this, it was perhaps fitting, that some of our students in Year 11 and 12 had the opportunity to celebrate Mass and visit the relics of St Thérése of Lisieux and her parents St Louis and Zelie Martin at the local parish of St Therese Sadleir-Miller. St Thérése is my own personal favourite saint of the Church and it was only months ago that I shared this information with the students that attended ACYF in Perth. It was therefore fitting that some of these students had the privilege of visiting the relics. Commonly referred to as “the little flower”, St Thérése promoted a love of God that was childlike and pure. Her spiritual mantra of “the little way” encourages us to see each moment of the day as an opportunity to demonstrate your love for God through performing simple acts of kindness to those around you. Considering we are now living in a time where it is no longer unusual seeing grown adults fighting over toilet paper in our supermarket aisles, I strongly believe that we can learn from the example of St Thérése and her little way.

The irony of the little way of St Thérése is that its childlike simplicity is not necessarily easy to follow. When we are confronted with so much negativity in the media and in our communities, it is often challenging to recognise the difference that small acts of kindness can make on each other. While St Thérése is a saint of the Church and has even been granted the rare title of “Doctor of the Church”, her life was renowned for its simplicity and humbleness. She even went as far to describe herself as a small little wildflower in God’s garden. As she said: “The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.” So as we enter the halfway mark of the season of Lent, let us look to St Thérése for guidance. Let us make sure that each day we are mindful of opportunities to share God’s loving kindness with each other. As she said herself: “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.” Finally, despite dying at the young age of 24 she promised to send forth a shower of roses and spend her time in heaven praying for all those in need. You might like to say the special Novena Prayer to St Thérése as a family over the next week.

Mr Matthew Bradbury

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

St Thérése Prayer

O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose

from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love.

O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors

I now place with confidence in your hands.

(mention in silence here)

St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did in

God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your "Little Way" each day.

Amen