1 October 2019
Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Next to Francis of Assisi, Teresa of the Little Flower earns a place among the most popular saints in the Church. Much can be said of this young lady who was quite animate about entering the Carmelite monastery as a 15 year-old. She went on a pilgrimage to Rome with her parents and in an audience with Pope Leo XIII she performed that devotional act which was referred to as kissing the pope’s slipper. She kissed it and then grabbed his foot and would not let go until he assured her that she could have the dispensation to enter the Carmelite monastery because she was under age. After the intervention of the Swiss Guard, she disattached herself from the pontiff’s foot and left the room. She entered the convent. This brief story is provided for those who may believe that the Little Flower had a weak stem. Facing yourself and God in the silence of the monastery takes the courage found in few 15 year old’s and very few adults. Her simplicity and pious writings fool those ignorant into thinking that the saints are weak men and women. Saints frequently exhibit a fortitude to which we can only aspire, even the fortitude—albeit at one time perhaps a bit socially awkward–of the Little Flower.