This short reflection was submitted on October 9, 2020 for my Christian Spirituality course.
In Story of a Soul, Therese of Lisieux denotes how she took herself as the bride of Christ, seeing it to be her mission to be completely devoted to her union with Christ and always kept her eyes on His Kingdom. Therese had trouble fitting in with the world around her because she never felt truly satisfied when interacting with others in comparison to spending time with God. She writes, "This was my only consolation, for was not Jesus my only Friend? I knew how to speak only to Him; conversations with creatures, even pious conversations, fatigued my soul" (IV, 40v, p. 95). Therese carried herself as someone who did not want to settle with what life on earth could give her and insisted on keeping her gaze on a union with God, posing the rhetorical question: “How can a heart given over to the affection of creature be intimately united with God?” (IV, 38r, p. 91). Therese’s descriptions of Christ is filled with romance; it is obvious that she is in love with Jesus and adores Him. While reminiscing about her first communion, Therese writes a striking passage of her romantic adoration for Christ:"Ah! how sweet was that first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love; I felt that I was loved, and I said: "I love You, and I give myself to You forever!" (IV, 35r, p. 86).
Therese had an unbreakable devotion to God ever since she could remember, which I found to be very admirable and striking. Since she writes in detail about her life growing up, we get an insight into her humanity, but as much as I see her humanity, it is clear to me that her eyes are fixed on God and never really saw much appeal to the world around her. Unlike Francis and Clare of Assisi who chose a life of poverty in order to rid themselves of the fruits of the world, Therese merely chose to be indifferent towards anything on earth that did not bring her closer to God, firm in her belief that nothing but God can satisfy her. This mentality did not exempt Therese from experiencing several bouts of suffering, but still she remained fixed on God and His goodness.
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