The Miraculous Medal - Book Report/Review Example

The Story of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower The story of St. Therese, or "Little Flower of Jesus" is awe-inspiring especially if read in the context of today’s world. Her love for God and His creation, her self-sacrificing nature and complete devoutness to heaven makes her deserving of the glory that she receives today. Her autobiography – ‘The Story of a Soul’ gives us a deep insight into her life on earth and how she came to be called ‘Little Flower’. This book is a compilation of her letters to her mother superior at the convent who requested her to document her thoughts in her last days.

Born to a pious couple Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin, Marie Francoise Therese Martin was the last of nine children. By coming together in the holy sacrament of matrimony, Louis and Zelie prayed before the altar of God that they be granted the favour of many children and that all of them be dedicated to God. After the birth of their first four girls, the couple prayed to St. Joseph for the favour of a son only because they perfectly understood the sanctity and grandeur of priesthood that they wished for their male child.

They were blessed with two sons, one after another, but the little infants each time, soon left this earth to join their creator in their heavenly abode. They were soon reminded that “God’s thoughts were not their thoughts and His ways were not their ways.” (Isaiah 55:8) It was some years later that on January 2, 1873 the ninth child of Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin was born. Although they felt a slight disappointment that they were still denied the gift of a son, they soon felt grateful for their ‘little’ bundle of joy and did not fail to regard her as a ‘special gift’ from heaven.

Therese became a fond child of the family, especially her father who would also call her his “Little Queen”. On January 4, she was taken to the Church of Notre Dame where she received the sacrament of Baptism and given the name Marie Francoise Therese. Zelie Guerin, Therese’s mother died of breast cancer when she was barely four and a half years old. During her last days on earth, Zelie prepared Therese’s elder sisters Pauline and Celine to be her guardians. Zelie’s death was a shock to Therese as a child and she began keeping to herself as much as she could and found solace only when with her core family.

Later in her growing years she learnt that there lay no happiness in being attached to anything from the earth for all of it was temporary and would one day fade away. Therese’s life came to a remarkable turning point on the eve of Christmas 1886. She was hoping to find her gifts just like she did every year. However this time, her Papa seemed quite tired and she overheard him saying that he wished this ritual was for the last time and that Therese should behave more grown up. Therese, being very sensitive burst into tears but quickly realized that her Lord wished to free her from her childhood failings.

Then is when she pulled herself together and wiped out her tears, she happily opened each present and knew that ‘Jesus had changed her heart’. Theresa loved the thought of being compared to a flower. She also entitled her auto-biography "THE STORY OF THE SPRINGTIME OF A LITTLE WHITE FLOWER" in which she expresses her longing for the Lord and belief in His mercy from the depths of her soul. In her bid to understand why it seemed that God had preferences and that some people found His favour seamlessly (the likes of St. Paul, St. Augustine and many others) while others did not, she grew closer to her Lord as He unfolded this mystery.

As she explains what God revealed to her she writes, ‘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.’ In such a manner she expresses her thoughts of the abundant mercies and graces that God had bestowed on His creation. St. Therese like most other girls loved affection especially when it came from her parents. She remembers them fondly in her letters to her sisters later in her life. She had innocence about her that was cherished most dearly, especially by her mother who remembers her saying once “Oh, how I wish you would die, dear Mamma”.

Therese was taken by surprise when she was scolded about what she said and answered, “But I want you to go to Heaven, and you say we must die to go there.” This only tells us how much Little Therese was attached to the thought of ‘unity’ with God which she desired with all her heart for herself and everyone she loved. Therese’s mother also noticed that as a child that she was self-sacrificing in nature. She was very close to her sister Celine and they would have a lot of spiritual conversations together. For.eg, Therese’s mother recalls in one letter to her elder daughter Pauline, “Celine said the other day: 'How can God be in such a tiny Host?

' Therese answered: 'That is not strange, because God is Almighty!' 'And what does Almighty mean?' 'It means that He can do whatever He likes.'” St. Therese was eager with all her heart to become a Carmelite nun and make Jesus her spouse, so much so that at the tender age of fourteen, she knelt at the feet of the Holy Father Pope Leo XIII and requested to be allowed to enter the Carmel when she was fifteen. On becoming a nun, she took on the name ‘Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

’ She went on to live the life of Christ, to be humble in all ways, to deprive oneself of every pleasure only to be able to partake of the suffering of her Lord, Jesus. The proof that she has a special place in heaven can be witnessed in the fulfillment of her promises. She explained in her letters, ‘After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved.’ It is quite miraculous that after her death, a rain of roses began.

A rose would either appear out of nowhere or its fragrance would emerge whenever a miracle took place. It was the signature of St. Therese’s intercession for people who were needy and received the grace of God through her prayer. She passed away at the age of 24, and believed that her live on earth was only the beginning of her journey to heaven. Her work for God and fervent intercession for souls on earth were not limited to the number of years that she devoted to neither her Carmelite home nor her life on earth.

She continues to miraculously grant favors to needy souls through the abundant grace of her heavenly father. Reference: Translated from the critical edition by John Clarke. Story of a Soul. n.p. 1997. Print.