The "little way"

St. Therese of Liseux is beloved by many for her simple path to holiness. She did not strive to perform superhuman works of piety, but rather sought to love God and others in small ways. She did not seek to serve God in exotic places, but in her ordinary day-to-day life. She recounted her "little way" in obedience to the leader of the convent in which she spent her last years. This autobiographical book is entitled The Story of a Soul.

Early in the book, she mentioned that she wondered why God showered some people with grace while others never had the opportunity to hear of him. At first she couldn't understand why God seemed to pour out so much grace on some people that they continually progress toward God, while others seemingly are completely ignorant of God. Here is what she concluded:

Our Lord has deigned to explain this mystery to me. He showed me the book of nature, and I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He has also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His Feet, and whose mission it is to gladden His Divine Eyes when He deigns to look down on them. And the more gladly they do His Will the greater is their perfection...

If a little flower could speak, it seems to me that it would tell us quite simply all that God has done for it, without hiding any of its gifts. It would not, under the pretext of humility, say that it was not pretty, or that it had not a sweet scent, that the sun had withered its petals, or the storm bruised its stem, if it knew that such were not the case.

It seems to me that part of the charm of Therese is that she displays neither false pride nor false humility. She does not strive to gain recognition for her goodness; she recognizes that all good things come from God. And for that same reason, there is no need for her to sell herself short. Once again, all good things have their source in God.