St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Patroness of the Missions
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s overriding message in his pastoral letter, “Unleash the Gospel,” is for us as Catholics to truly live out our faith. By living out our faith, we must do more than just go to church every Sunday and attend Catholic School everyday. Rather, we are called to evangelize others as missionary disciples. One saint who is a leading exemplar of this way of life is St. Thérése of Lisieux.
Thérèse Martin, a discalced Carmelite of Lisieux, ardently desired to be a missionary. She was one, to the point that she could be proclaimed patroness of the missions. Jesus himself showed her that by fully practicing the commandment of love, she would be immersed in the heart of the Church’s mission, supporting those who proclaim the Gospel with the unfathomable power of prayer and communion.
As stated by Pope John Paul II in a 1997 homily, “The Church is sent to all peoples, all lands and cultures: “Go … and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28: 19–20).”
St. Thérèse not only “made disciples of all nations,” but became a source of revitalized life. She not only described the profound truth of love as the center and heart of the Church, but lived it intensely.
Modern day society is now, more than ever before, so dependent on materialistic needs that we often lose sight of the simplicity of life that we are called to live. St. Thérèse speaks of the importance of our “little way,” or our simplicity, and expresses how effective it can be in enlightening the mind and heart. If we begin to live with this message in mind, then we may start to live outwardly as missionary disciples.
The first step in the journey towards the “little way,” is trust in the Lord. St. Thérèse often spoke of how she looked up to Virgin Mary as this model of trust. Mary’s unbelievable trust in God is what brought Jesus Christ to this earth. Though no one can be as perfect as Mary, by looking up to her as our ultimate guide, we can begin to visualize our own path of never-ending trust. A path of trust and total self-abandonment to the Lord will in the end, lead to grace.
“The desire Thérèse expressed to spend her heaven doing good on earth,” Pope John Paul II wrote, “continues to be fulfilled in a marvellous way.” Through living out in our own simplicity, we are amplifying her success as missionary disciples.
