The Little way of St Therese of Child Jesus
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses St. Therese of Lisieux's 'Little Way,' a spiritual path emphasizing humility, trust, and surrender to God. It highlights her belief in the importance of spiritual childhood, where one acknowledges their own nothingness and relies entirely on God's goodness. St. Therese's approach to holiness involves active love and good works, not passivity. She encourages maintaining a childlike disposition, expecting everything from God's goodness, and using virtues as God's treasures. The script suggests that by embracing this 'Little Way,' one can journey towards sanctity.
Takeaways
- 🌟 St. Therese emphasized 'the little ways' as a path to spiritual growth and perfection in daily life.
- 👶 She referred to this path as 'spiritual childhood,' highlighting humility and surrender to God's will.
- 💬 Pope Benedict XV and Pius XI recognized the transformative potential of this approach for individuals and society.
- 📜 The concept is rooted in Jesus' teachings about humility and the importance of being like a little child in the kingdom of heaven.
- 🌱 St. Therese did not write about the 'little way' extensively but verbally conveyed its significance.
- 🌼 She encouraged offering 'flowers of little sacrifices' to Jesus as a means of spiritual progress.
- 🙏 The 'little way' involves recognizing one's own nothingness and relying entirely on God's goodness.
- 💡 It is not about passivity but about active trust in God while performing good works to the best of one's ability.
- 💪 St. Therese's approach was to remain a spiritual child, never attributing virtues to herself but acknowledging God's role.
- 📝 Despite not writing a formal treatise, her final words encapsulated the essence of the 'little way' as a disposition of arms and trust in God's goodness.
- 🔥 St. Therese's unwavering desire was to be a saint, and her 'little way' was a tool for achieving this holiness.
Q & A
What is the 'little way' as described in the script?
-The 'little way' is a spiritual path of humility, confidence, and complete surrender to God, inspired by the words of Jesus about humbling oneself as a little child to be great in the kingdom of heaven.
Why did St. Therese refer to her spiritual path as 'the little ways'?
-St. Therese referred to her spiritual path as 'the little ways' because it is based on the idea of spiritual childhood, which involves recognizing one's own nothingness and expecting everything from God's goodness.
How did St. Therese explain the concept of remaining like a child before God?
-St. Therese explained that remaining like a child before God means recognizing our own nothingness and relying entirely on God's goodness, similar to how a child looks to its father for everything.
What did St. Therese mean when she said that one should not grow up spiritually?
-St. Therese meant that one should not attribute virtues to oneself or believe in one's own capabilities, but rather remain humble and recognize that all virtues are God's treasures given to us to use as needed.
How does the 'little way' relate to the idea of spiritual childhood according to St. Therese?
-The 'little way' relates to spiritual childhood by emphasizing the importance of humility, trust, and dependence on God, just as a child depends on its parents for everything.
What role did St. Therese believe one should play in achieving salvation?
-St. Therese believed that while one should be humble and childlike in faith, one should also actively work towards salvation by doing all in one's power to give without counting the cost and by performing good works.
How did St. Therese's 'little way' influence the views of other religious figures like Pope Benedict XV and Pius XI?
-Pope Benedict XV and Pius XI recognized the significance of St. Therese's 'little way,' with Pius XI stating that human society could be reformed and restored if this path were followed.
What did St. Therese mean when she spoke of 'casting before Jesus the flowers of little sacrifices'?
-St. Therese meant that one should offer small acts of sacrifice and love to Jesus, which, though seemingly insignificant, are precious and contribute to one's spiritual growth and path to holiness.
What was St. Therese's view on the importance of confidence in one's spiritual journey?
-St. Therese believed in maintaining confidence in God's love and mercy, even in the face of personal faults and failures, drawing a parallel to how a loving father cherishes a repentant child.
How did St. Therese's desire to be a saint shape her approach to the 'little way'?
-St. Therese's desire to be a saint was the driving force behind her development of the 'little way,' as she aimed to achieve holiness through humility, trust, and active love expressed through good works.
What is the significance of the 'little way' in St. Therese's teachings, and how can it be applied today?
-The 'little way' is significant because it offers a practical and accessible path to holiness for everyone, emphasizing the importance of spiritual childhood and confidence in God's goodness. It can be applied today by embracing humility, trust, and performing small acts of love and sacrifice.
Outlines
🌟 The Little Way of Spiritual Childhood
This paragraph introduces the concept of 'the little way' as a path to spiritual perfection, inspired by St. Therese of Lisieux. It emphasizes humility and childlike trust in God, suggesting that true holiness is not about grand gestures but rather about daily acts of surrender and confidence. St. Therese's teachings highlight the importance of recognizing our own limitations and relying entirely on God's goodness. She encourages making small sacrifices and maintaining a childlike dependence on God, not out of passivity but as an active stance of trust and love. The paragraph also clarifies that this approach does not imply passivity in spiritual growth; rather, it involves actively doing good and striving for holiness, despite our weaknesses.
🎵 The Musical Interlude
This paragraph is a placeholder for a musical interlude in the video script, serving as a transition or a moment of reflection between the sections discussing St. Therese's teachings and the broader implications for spiritual life.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Little Ways
💡Spiritual Childhood
💡Sanctity
💡Humility
💡Surrender
💡Confidence
💡Self-Denial
💡Prodigal Son
💡Holiness
💡Ordinary
Highlights
St. Therese's 'little ways' is a path of spiritual childhood and perfection in daily life.
Benedict XV and Pius XI recognized the transformative potential of the 'little ways' for sanctity and societal reform.
The 'little ways' are based on the teachings of Jesus about humility and childlike faith.
St. Therese never explicitly wrote about the 'little ways' but verbally expressed it shortly before her death.
The 'little ways' involve confidence and complete surrender to God.
St. Therese aimed to teach others the simple means that led to her spiritual success.
She emphasized the importance of recognizing our own nothingness and relying on God's goodness.
The 'little ways' do not advocate passivity but rather active reliance on God's provision.
St. Therese believed that even as adults, we should remain spiritually childlike, not childish.
She wrote about the importance of not attributing virtues to ourselves but recognizing them as God's gifts.
St. Therese encouraged not being discouraged by faults, comparing children's resilience to spiritual strength.
Despite her faults, St. Therese maintained unwavering confidence in God's love and forgiveness.
The 'little ways' imply an active role in achieving salvation through good works and self-denial.
St. Therese's teachings on the 'little ways' emphasize a disposition of arms and reliance on God's strength.
She aspired to be a saint and directed all her thoughts, words, and actions towards this goal.
St. Therese's 'little way' is a practical approach to holiness that anyone can adopt.
Her message invites us to march towards holiness by embracing the 'little ways' in our daily lives.
Transcripts
the little ways of st. er s through what
she did and wrote she showed how in the
daily business of life we can make sure
that we are advancing along the path of
perfection she called it the little ways
of spiritual childhood Benedict's the
15th said that it holds the secret of
sanctity and pius xi declared that human
society would be reformed and restored
if this way of spiritual childhood were
followed there was nothing new in her
little way it rested on the words of
Jesus whoever therefore shall humble
himself as a little child he is greater
in the kingdom of heaven though she
never mentioned the little way in her
writings she mentioned it verbally
though only just a month or two before
she died when she was asked for an
explanation of this little way she said
it is the way of spiritual childhood the
path of confidence and complete
surrender
I wish to teach others the little means
which have succeeded so perfectly with
me to tell them it is necessary to do
one thing only to cast before Jesus the
flowers of little sacrifices when she
was asked what she meant when she said
we must keep like a child before God she
said it is recognizing our own
nothingness and expecting everything
from the goodness of God just as the
little child looks at his father for
everything by this she didn't mean to be
passive and expect all from God it means
worrying about nothing not even about
gaining spiritual riches even poor
people always give a little child what
he needs but as soon as he is grown up
his father no longer wants to provide
for him but tells him to work and look
after himself he never wanted to grow up
as she felt herself incapable of earning
eternal life by herself alone remaining
always a child does not mean being
childish but it means never attributed
to ourselves the virtues we possess in
the belief that we ourselves are capable
of anything we must recognize that God
puts this treasure of virtue in the hand
of his little child for him to use when
he needs it but it remains God's
treasure
she writes he must not be discouraged by
our faults for little children often
tumble down but they are too small to
hurt themselves badly
she could say I am certain that even if
I had every imaginable crime on my
conscience
I should lose nothing of my confidence
rather would I hate them
with a heart broken with sorrow to throw
myself into the arms of my Jesus I
remember how he cherished the prodigal
son who had returned to him it would be
a mistake however to imagine that the
little way implies that our role in
achieving salvation is a passive one she
told her novices we must do all in our
power to give without counting the cost
we must deny ourselves constantly we
must prove our love by all the good
works of which we are capable and which
after all are of little worth
though she did not live long enough to
write a treatise on her little way she
said something nearly 2 months before
her death which perfectly explained her
little way holiness is not a matter of
this or that pious practice it consists
of a disposition of arms of God being
aware of our weaknesses yet boldly
confident in the goodness of our Father
can we also be like her though she
wanted to be a simple ordinary nun she
was firm on one thing before entering
the order she wrote to her sister
Pauline I want to be a saint all what
she thought said and did were directed
towards the achievement of this aim it
was to achieve this end that she
developed her own little way today if we
are ready to take up her little way we
too can march towards holiness
[Music]
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