Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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St. Therese of Lisieux was born in France in 1873. She is known as the “Little Flower of Jesus.” She lived a simple life of prayer, penance, and service within a Carmelite monastery. She died at the young age of 24 from tuberculosis.
Yet, despite her few years and relative obscurity while she was alive, she became one of the most popular saints of all time after her death. Her autobiography, “The Story of a Soul,” has been a best-seller and one of my favorite spiritual books. It is short, to the point, and eminently practical.
Why was she known as the “Little Flower?” It comes from an image that she used. She loved nature and saw the world as God’s garden. Some people in God’s world are like the stunning, tall trees that quickly get noticed. But some people are more like the wildflowers that grow unnoticed and yet are still the handiwork of God’s goodness. She saw herself more like a “little flower.” Yet, she was no less important to the garden or any less loved by the Gardener than more recognized plants in the world.
She put it this way in her autobiography:
“Jesus set before me the book of nature. I understand how all the flowers God has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understand that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wildflowers. So it is in the world of souls, Jesus' garden. He has created smaller ones and those must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.”
In today’s Gospel, I think that the apostles who were debating among themselves about their personal greatness could have learned something from St. Therese of Lisieux. Maybe we all can.
We are each different in our own unique ways; but none of us is less called to serve the garden of God’s world by doing God’s will and giving testimony to God’s beauty. We are called by God to become who we were created to be…children of God, each in our own way and according to the call of God. Whether we are more like lilies, roses or wildflowers we have something in common: we are the beloved of God who created us and we are all dependent upon God who sustains us.
Have a blessed week everyone.