Trusting like St. Thérèse of Lisieux

By Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan
Homily for the Solemnity of All Saints
Christ the King Parish, Worcester. 

In celebrating All Saints, we honor all those holy men and women who’ve gone before us, the well-known ‘canonized,’ and the much larger number, millions, who’ve never achieved world recognition...those perhaps we’ve even known. 

All the saints are connected to us. They pray for us. And we to them…in a wonderful, symbiotic union. The prayers we offer to God through them assure us that we’re not here alone. And they help us.

All the saints are unique. They’re not “look-a-likes.” They were poor and wealthy. Some achieved holiness early in life, others late. They’re men and women, young and old - from every country - both ancient and modern. And their variety makes this a rich feast.

Today, however, I want to shine a spotlight on just one: St. Thérèse of Lisieux.  

I do so in light of a letter about Thérèse that Pope Francis sent to the world just two weeks ago, celebrating the 150th anniversary of her birth in 1873.  

Millions love her.  And she’s modern. All four of my grandparents were alive during her lifetime. Two of them, my mother’s parents, were actually born before Thérèse. So, that feels very recent.

But first, a short story that partly explains my decision to speak of her. There’s an Irish Dominican priest teaching spirituality in Rome, Father Paul Murray. He was a close friend of another saint, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa chose her religious name because of Thérèse of Lisieux.

Back in the 1990s, Father Murray told Mother Teresa he wanted to go on a retreat in her motherhouse and he asked her to pray for him. She said, “Sure. And what to do you want me to pray for?” 

He said, “clarity of mind.” 

She said, “No, I won’t pray for that. I’ll pray that you trust.”

Trust.

To be a saint you must trust God. It means we don’t rely on our own good works to achieve holiness. Saints don’t go to the gates of heaven saying, “Well, Lord, here’s a list of all my good works.” 

No, they say, “I trusted you. I had confidence in your grace.” Saint Thérèse had that gift.

Pope Francis’ recent letter is called, C’est la Confiance. Translated: “It’s Trust.” 

Thérèse said, “It’s confidence, and nothing but confidence, that leads us to Love.” 

“In the evening of this life,” she wrote, “I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I don’t ask you, Lord, to count my works.”

She lived a brief life. Just 24 years. Her family life, and then as a sister in the Carmelite convent in Lisieux, was in many ways ordinary. The extraordinary burst of light that she radiated came to be known soon after her death in 1897, through her writings. 

Thérèse defined her mission like this: “I shall desire in heaven the same thing as I do now on earth: to love Jesus and to make him loved.”Jesus’ name was constantly on her lips...even to her last breath. 

One of her most important insights for the benefit of all people was her “little way,” the path of trust and love. 

She described it as an “elevator” meant to raise her up to the arms of Jesus! She felt she had to remain ‘small’- ‘little’ - not so much being confident in herself but secure in Jesus’ arms. She felt God’s grace working in her life. 

In other words, we can’t be certain of our own achievements. But we can always be certain of God’s love which is unconditional, proven by Jesus going to the Cross.

And what Jesus asks of us is simply to surrender to love, be grateful, and trust that He will help us.

Before entering the convent, Thérèse felt a remarkable spiritual closeness to a man she never met, a notorious criminal, Henri Pranzini, who was sentenced to death for a triple murder. He was unrepentant.

So, she had Masses said for him. She prayed with confidence that she was drawing him closer to Jesus. She trusted that at the last moment God would pardon Pranzini. 

And she was overjoyed when she learned that as Pranzini mounted the scaffold to be hanged, he bowed before a crucifix a priest was holding and kissed it three times.

In an age that urges us to focus on ourselves, Thérèse shows us the beauty of making our lives a gift to others - of praying for them - and, mostly, just trusting God.”