From the Bulletin of July 5, 2020
Recall that we learned about Jansenism last week. That particular heresy greatly impacted French Catholicism and the parts of the world influenced by it, including our own Acadiana. With its emphasis on our unworthiness, it caused a lot of scrupulosity and fear so that many Catholics considered their faith a burden rather than a blessing. The Church, as guardian of the truth, did condemn this error and work to undo it’s effects, but our faith is not a list of ideas. Our doctrines and teachings mean very little unless they are lived out and seen and it is that lived expression that becomes a key part of our tradition.
In this case, perhaps the lived-out answer to Jansenism came in the form of a little French girl who became a nun at age 15 and died at age 24, St. Therese of Lisieux. Born in 1873 in Alençon , France to Louis and Zelie Martin, Therese grew up in a very devout Catholic family. Her father was a watchmaker and her mother made lace, but both saw to the children’s education in the faith as well as regular prayer, attendance at Mass, and observance of the regular fasts required by the Church. They also practiced charity, sometimes inviting the destitute into their home for a meal. When she was just four years old, her mother died of breast cancer. This had a profound impact on Therese, making her very emotionally unstable for a long while afterwards.
Eventually, she even developed physical symptoms of this sensitivity, often trembling terribly. Her older sisters tried a number of different strategies and treatments, but without much success. One night, May 13, 1883, Therese saw a vision of Mary smiling at her, which cured her of both the trembling and the excessive sensitivity. Still, she continued to struggle in different ways as her other sister also became a nun, leaving her feeling a little less secure at home. Around this time, Therese developed what we call “scruples.” This is a condition where a person’s conscience becomes so overly sensitive that they always feel guilty about every little sin and often about things that are not sinful at all, even after going to confession. This experience with crippling guilt do doubt helped Therese when she later formulated her “Little Way” based on God’s mercy.
As she neared the age of 15, Therese wanted to follow the example of her older sisters and become a Carmelite nun. The order wanted her to wait until they were older, but with a great deal of persistence and prayer – and even asking the Pope himself in person – Therese was allowed to enter the convent at age 15. In the early stages of her time as a nun, she was very vigorous in her approach to religious life. She often fasted, prayed for long hours, and strove to practice charity with the most difficult sisters in her community. Yet, she quickly realized she did not have the fortitude to match the heroic efforts of “great souls.” On top of this, the influence of Jansenism was still present as many preachers emphasized fear of hell and the suffering of souls in purgatory, even remarking that no one knew if they were worthy of God’s love or his hatred. This greatly discouraged Therese who felt she could not possibly please God.
With the help of one kindly priest, however, Therese’s own interior spiritual life began to change focus. Instead of doing great and amazing things for God, she focused on doing small things with great love. Instead of emphasizing the hard work of becoming a saint, she emphasized a more radical trust in God’s mercy. Instead of offering herself as a “victim to Divine Justice” as some nuns would do, she decided to offer herself as a “victim to God’s Merciful Love.” This focused on praising God for his mercy and a continual effort to trust oneself to that mercy. This extended even as far as trusting that God could not only save a soul from Hell, but actually bring it straight to heaven without having to spend time in purgatory. As she practiced this “Little Way,” Therese was eventually told to write her autobiography, “The Story of a Soul”. After her death from Tuberculosis in 1897, her writings and her Little Way spread throughout the world effectively counteracting the influence of Jansenism. To this day, many of us are influenced by Therese’s spirituality without even realizing it. I highly recommend that everyone, especially those who struggle with trusting in God’s mercy, read about her life. In addition to her autobiography, you can find books about her parents, the poems she wrote and a broad array of reflections on the “little way.” One book I do recommend is Fr. Michael Gaitley’s “33 Days To Merciful Love,” which offers a kind of self-guided retreat to make the same consecration to Mercy that Therese made.
In Christ,
– Fr. Albert