← [[f2-c-09|Those Whom You Have Given Me — Final Hours (Part I)]] | [[formation-II-c-handbook-toc|Table of Contents]] | [[f2-c-11|The Local Council — Understanding the Function of the Council]] → # Those Whom You Have Given Me — Final Hours (Part II) **Required Reading:** Story of a Soul, chapter XI, pg. 393-404 Additional Reading: Epilogue and Appendices, pg. 419-436; His Holiness Pope John Paul, II, Homily — Proclamation of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face as a “Doctor of the Church,” October 19,1997 (Appendix H); His Holiness Pope John Paul, II, Apostolic Letter, Divini Amoris Scientia — Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face — Proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church, October 19, 1997 (Appendix I); Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2746-2751, Article 3 — The prayer of the hour of Jesus — Gospel of John chapter 17 (Appendix J) Note: While reading over Thérèse’s final manuscript, the reader would find it hard to believe that Thérèse had been seriously ill for several weeks. On Thursday, September 30, 1897, Thérèse died as an ordinary Discalced Carmelite after being in agony for two days. She was buried in the Lisieux cemetery on October 4, 1897. “While in the infirmary, she had written these lines to Father Belliere on June 9: ‘I am not dying; I am entering into life!’” (pg. 431). “Soon I’ll hear that sweet harmony. Soon I’ll go to beautiful Heaven to see you. You who came to smile at me in the morning of my life, Come smile at me again…Mother…It’s evening now. ” Why I Love You, O Mary! Poetry of St. Thérèse PN54. # Essential Points to Discuss Note Thérèse continued to meditate on her vocation of love and the mission of Carmel in the midst of her failing health. • Thérèse admits that at times the practice of charity was not so sweet and easy for her. She recounts another story of one sister with considerable charm and wit: “For a long time at evening meditation, I was placed in front of a Sister... As soon as this Sister arrived, she began making a strange little noise which resembled the noise one would make when rubbing two shells, one against the other… Mother, it would be impossible for me to tell you how much this little noise wearied me. I had a great desire to turn my head and stare at the culprit who was very certainly unaware of her ‘click.’ This would be the only way of enlightening her” (pg. 393). However, Thérèse realized “it was much better to suffer this out of love for God and not to cause the Sister any pain... ” While making a prayer of suffering, a bright idea came to her mind: “I searched for a way of doing it without annoyance and with peace and joy, at least in the interior of my soul. I tried to love the little noise which was so displeasing; instead of trying not to hear it (impossible), I paid close attention so as to hear it well, as 43 though it were a delightful concert, and my prayer (which was not the Prayer of Quiet) was spent in offering this concert to Jesus” (pg. 393). • Another sister, with whom she did laundry regularly, splashed Thérèse with dirty water. Again, she was tempted to show her displeasure by wiping her face with a stern look. Instead, she let go of her annoyance and rejoiced in offering God “very little things” (pg. 393-394). • When reading about these incidents, one cannot simply assume that Thérèse adapted to a “coping mechanism” that made the best out of minor difficulties caused by the sisters in the community. But she did more than that: she recognized the God-given choices in the present moment to practice her “little way” of offering little sacrifices to God. She transformed temptations into a source of prayer and grace. “... this is how my life will be consumed. I have no other means of proving my love for you [my God] than that of strewing flowers, that is, not allowing one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one word, profiting by all the smallest things and doing them through love. I desire to suffer for love and even to rejoice through love; and in this way I shall strew flowers before Your throne. I shall not come upon one without unpetalling it for You. While I am strewing my flowers, I shall sing, for could one cry while doing such a joyous action? I shall sing even when I must gather my flowers in the midst of thorns, and my song will be all the more melodious in proportion to the length and sharpness of the thorns” (pg. 304-305). • Thérèse always had a deep love for priests. She often used to think that if her little brothers had not gone to Heaven, she could have had the happiness of seeing them at the Altar. However, much to her surprise and delight, she was asked to correspond with two missionary priests to render support and prayers for their vocation. She writes: “Mother, it would be impossible for me to express my happiness. My desire, answered in this unexpected way…I felt my soul was renewed; it was as if someone had struck for the first time musical strings left forgotten until then” (pg. 395). • Thérèse cautiously reflected upon the importance of her mission of caring for the souls entrusted to her (novices and the missionary priests) and her handling of this delicate task. Pondering the pitfalls, she writes “[what if] instead of uniting her to God, this exchange of letters (even at long intervals) would occupy her mind, and imagining herself to be doing great marvels, she would be simply procuring useless distraction for herself under the cover of zeal. As for me, it is exactly the same with this matter as with all others…For example, when I interview a novice, I try to do this as a mortification, and I refrain from asking questions simply to satisfy my curiosity…For it seems to me we can do no good when we seek ourself” (pg. 396). p.44 • Thérèse continues to meditate on the mission of Carmel in general: “‘the zeal of a Carmelite embraces the whole world,’ I hope with the grace of God to be useful to more than two missionaries and I could not forget to pray for all… Finally, I want to be a daughter of the Church as our holy Mother St. Teresa was and to pray for the Holy Father’s intentions which I know embrace the whole universe. This is the general purpose of my life... ” (pg. 398). • Thérèse was looking for a simple means to accomplish her mission without going into grandiose plans and complicated ways. “He made me understand these words of the Canticle of Canticles: ‘DRAW ME, WE SHALL RUN after you in the odor of your ointments... This simple statement: ‘Draw me’ suffices; I understand, Lord, that when a soul allows herself to be captivated by the odor of your ointments, she cannot run alone, all the souls whom she loves follow in her train; this is done without constraint, without effort, it is a natural consequence of her attraction for You” (pg. 398-399). • As she comes closer to the end of her manuscript, Thérèse sees herself in the great prayer of Jesus Himself, found in the Gospel of John (John 17:4). Note: The entire chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is a long prayer directed by Jesus to the Father. “Christian Tradition rightly calls this prayer the “priestly” prayer of Jesus. It is the prayer of our high priest, inseparable from his sacrifice, from his passing over (Passover) to the Father to whom he is wholly ‘consecrated’” (CCC, 2747). With a certain degree of boldness, Thérèse prayed to the Father recalling chapter 17 of John’s Gospel. “Lord, You know it, I have no other treasures than the souls it has pleased You to unite to mine; it is You who entrusted these treasures to me, and so I dare to borrow the words You addressed to the heavenly Father... I have glorified you on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do. And now do you, Father, glorify me with yourself, with the glory I had with you before the world existed. I have manifested your name to those whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they have learned that whatever you have given me is from you; because the words you have given me, I have given to them. And they have received them, and have known of a truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them, not for the world do I pray, but for those whom You have given me, because they are yours; and all things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep in your name those whom you have given to me. But now I am coming to you; and these things I speak in the world in order that they may have joy made full in themselves. I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world, I 45 do not pray that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Yet not for these only do I pray; but for those who through their word are to believe in me. Father, I will that where I am, these also whom you have given me may be with me, that they may see my glory which you have given me, because you loved me from the foundation of the world. And I have made known your name to them, and will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them. Yes, Lord, this is what I would like to repeat after You before flying into Your arms” (pg. 399-400). Therese’s last manuscript ends with this thought: “Yes, I feel it; even though I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus’ arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him. It is not because God, in His anticipating Mercy has preserved my soul from mortal sin that I go to Him with confidence and love…” (pg. 404). “For the soul, like a true daughter of God, is moved in all by the Spirit of God, as St. Paul teaches in saying that those who are moved by the Spirit of God are children of God Himself (Rom. 8:14). Accordingly, the intellect of this soul is God’s intellect; its will is God’s will; its memory is the memory of God; and its delight is God’s delight; and although the substance of this soul is not the substance of God, since it cannot undergo a substantial conversion into Him, it has become God through participation in God, being united to and absorbed in Him, as it is in this state” (St. John of the Cross, Living Flame of Love. Stanza 2:34). At the end of this year’s exploration of the Story of a Soul, the candidates should have a grasp of the following, appropriate to this level of formation: • An overview of Thérèse’ life • The influence of her family in Thérèse’ spiritual development • The influence of the Imitation of Christ and the writings of St. John of the Cross • The importance of the Gospel as the foundation of the Christian life • An appreciation of Thérèse’ virtues as lived in her daily routine • An appreciation of her contribution to the understanding and practical application of Carmelite spirituality 46 • The essence of the “Little Way” is that holiness is not the result of one’s own efforts but of divine action, which requires nothing more than absolute confidence in God’s loving mercy. • The fruit of Thérèse’ “Little Way” is ever-growing fraternal charity, especially towards those who are the most difficult. “When I am charitable it is Jesus alone who acts in me; the more I am united to Him the more do I love all my Sisters” (ch. IX). • An appreciation of the influence of Our Holy Mother St. Teresa on the missionary spirit of St. Thérèse: Toward the end of her life, Thérèse wrote, “I want to be a daughter of the Church as Our Holy Mother St. Teresa was” (p.398). • The connection between Thérèse’ spiritual life and the life of the OCDS today The candidates’ personal growth should reflect: • Increasing confidence in God’s merciful love and providence • Increasing fraternal charity within the context of the OCDS Constitutions (Art. 24. Fraternal Communion) • Ongoing commitment to the service of the Church, especially the salvation of souls, and to the local community • Faithfulness to their responsibilities as OCDS members (refer to page 2 above) “The lay faithful precisely because they are members of the Church, have the vocation and mission of proclaiming the Gospel…The spirituality of Carmel will awaken in Secular Carmelites a desire for greater apostolic commitment, in becoming aware of all that their call to Carmel implies. Aware of the need of the world has of witnesses to God’s presence, they will respond to the invitation the church directs to all Associations of the faithful followers of Christ, committing them to human society by means of active participation in the apostolic goal of the church’s mission, within the framework of their own charism. As a fruit of this participation in evangelization, Carmelite Seculars will share a renewed taste for prayer, contemplation, and the liturgical and sacramental life” (OCDS Constitutions, Art.25). 47 --- **Source:** Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, *Formation II Year C: Story of a Soul (The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux)* (US National Formation Program, 2024).