St. Therese: Little Flower of Jesus

October 1 marks the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Born Marie-Francoise Therese Martin on Rue Saint-Blaise, Alencon, France on January 2, 1873 from a devout Catholic parents Marie – Azelie Guerin and Louis Martin.
St. Therese’s simplicity and practicality to the spiritual life made her a highly influential model of sanctity for Roman Catholics and been acclaimed the greatest saint of the modern times.
Her spiritual foundation lies on her little ways. She said that in order to attain holiness and to express our love to God, we don’t need to do heroic acts or great deeds. All what we have to do is to perform our ordinary daily tasks, acts, chores, activities with an extraordinary love. St. Therese has an entrenched assurance of God’s love. For her, what matters in life are not great deeds but great love.
Even on her young age, St. Therese already knew and understood her vocation and that is to pray for the priests. “I came to save souls, and especially to pray for priests.” She was true to this as she prayed fervently for priests throughout her life.
Like any other ordinary girl, St. Therese loved flowers and considered herself as “little flower of Jesus” who glorify God by being one of the little beautiful flowers in God’s garden. For that, the title “little flower” remained with St. Therese.
St. Therese died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897 at the young age of 24. However, even on her death bed her loved to God and simplicity was insurmountable. She said on her death-bed, “I only love simplicity. I have a horror of pretence. I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more, because all suffering is sweet to me.”
Her last words were, “My God, I love you!”
However, her death did not put all her simplicity and love to God in vain. She promised to continue doing good here on Earth while she was already in heaven. “My mission – to make God loved – will begin after my death,” she said. “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.”For this, roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese’s symbol.
St. Therese was beatified on April 29, 1923 and canonized on May 17, 1925, by Pope Pius XI, 28 years after her death. Pope John Paul II on October 19, 1997 through his Apostolic Letter DiviniAmorisScientia declared her as Doctor of the Church, the youngest person to be given such declaration.
Her feast day was added to the catholic calendar of saints in 1927 for celebration on October 3. In 1969, 42 years later, Pope Paul VI moved it to October 1, the day after her dies natalis (birthday to heaven). Devotion to St. Therese of the Child Jesus has now spread all over the world. Scattering her little flowers and spreading her little ways for the greater GLORY and LOVE of GOD.