In the podcast "A Parade of Saints" by Sister Jo-Ann, Saint Therese of Lisieux is mentioned. The Catholic Church celebrates her life and virtues during this month of October. In the book, My Life With The Saints, Jesuit John Martin recalls his first meeting with Saint Therese through the movie, Therese, directed by Alain Cavalier. Therese lived humbly as a Carmelite nun , patiently endured suffering and died at age 24.Therese describes herself as "little" but Pope John Paul I called her a "steel bar" because she refused to let church law deter her from entering a monastery at an early age. Pope John Paul II declared Therese a doctor of the church, a teacher of the faith.
Therese had a desire to become a priest and missionary to Vietnam. The inability to do this made her express her love and concern for people through "the activities of her heart." Therese's own "dark night" of her soul is a place where many of us find a companion on the road of our contemporary lives.
The book, My Life With the Saints is available ($16) at Wisdom House (programs@wisdomhouse.org / 860-567-3163.)
