God in the Little Things

A few weeks ago I received a gift in my mailbox from a friend I met on the Ave Maria cruise two years ago.  It was A Shirt of Flame by Heather King and it came with a thoughtful note stating something to the affect that this book had inspired my friend and helped her during difficult times.  The gift recalled a conversation that a group of us had during dinner one night on this year’s cruise sharing our favorite saints.  My friend contributed that Saint Therese was her favorite because Saint Therese was known for seeing Jesus in “the little things.” I was really moved by her thoughtfulness and started reading the memoir soon after receiving it; but, since the book portrays the author's one year walk with Saint Therese, not knowing much about the saint I struggled through the first couple of chapters.  

At the time, I didn’t know anything about Saint Therese other than her name and seeing that Netflix had a movie about her life available for instant streaming.  Knowing that this book was special to my dear friend motivated me to read The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lesieux: Story of a Soul. After reading the autobiography I got a better appreciation for A Shirt of Flame.  In the memoir, King travels with Saint Therese for a span of a year.  While experiencing daily struggles in Los Angeles, King reflects on the life of the saint and is inspired to a deeper conversion.  King finds solace in the childish faith of the woman who would become one of the doctors of the Catholic Church.  The premise of the memoir inspired me to take the idea of walking with a saint. So, this Lent I will be walking with some extremely godly women.  Each week I will take a different woman from the bible or a lady saint as a role model.  I will study her life, her faith, her struggles and her relationship with God.

This week I have been walking with Saint Therese and in my walk I have come to understand the importance of learning about saints because their lives inspire us to be more godly - they make the spiritual quest more human and holiness more attainable.  While reading her autobiography I was transported into a soul that loved God deeply and in manner that "the closer she approaches God, the simpler she becomes."  Reading her autobiography drew me into God and I yearned to love Him with the strength & devotion she did.
Her greatest desire was of letting go of everything because one cannot enter into heaven carrying anything and also to let more of God in.  I understood why King had decided to travel along with Saint Therese for King discovered like me that in this earthly journey we need faithful companions who will guide us towards God. 

The literal definition of the word “lent” is spring, which is so fitting because during this liturgical period we are challenged to grow and in growing produce fruits.  Lent is a time to work on personal spiritual growth, but it’s also a time to ensure that our spiritual growth is bearing fruit, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”  Jesus teaches us that faith is not enough, unless it is a faith that bears fruits.  Therefore, my goal is that walking with these women will in addition to getting to know them better will improve my relationship with God and others.  For our relationship with God affects every relationship in our lives and the way we treat others reflects our level of focus and the depth of our love for Him.  Consequently, during this Lenten Season my random posts will be dedicated to women of the Bible or women saints because women hold a very special place in God's heart (smile).