Thérèse of Lisieux Quotes

No obstante, sigo teniendo la misma confianza audaz de llegar a ser una gran santa, pues no me apoyo en mis méritos -que no tengo ninguno-, sino en Aquel que es la Virtud y la Santidad mismas. Sólo él, contentándose con mis débiles esfuerzos, me elevará hasta él y, cubriéndome con sus méritos infinitos, me hará santa.

I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, Nature would lose her springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. It is the same in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden

M. Révérony said immediately: "Most Holy Father, this is a child who wants to enter Carmel at fifteen, but the superiors are considering the matter at this moment." (The good pope is so old that one would say he is dead; I would never have pictured him like this.) The Holy Father said simply: "If God wills it, you will enter." [-]I was crying a lot when writing this letter; my heart is heavy. However, God cannot give me trials that are above my strength. He has given me the courage to bear this trial. I am the Child Jesus' little ball;if He wishes to break His toy, He is free. Yes, I will all that He wills.

Si la tela pintada por un artista pudiera pensar y hablar, ciertamente no se quejaría de ser tocada y retocada incesantemente por un pincel y tampoco envidiaría la suerte de este instrumento pues sabría que la belleza del que está revestida no se la debe al pincel sino al artista que lo mueve. Por su parte, el pincel no podría gloriarse de la obra maestra hecha por él, pues sabe que los artistas no se inquietan, se ríen de las dificultades y a veces se dan el gusto de elegir instrumentos endebles y defectuosos.

Life is your barque not your home!”80

It is better to leave each one in his own opinion than to enter into arguments.

I saw that I wasn’t loving them as God loves them. Oh! Now I understand that perfect charity consists in bearing with others’ faults, in not being surprised at their weakness, in being edified by the little acts of virtue that we see them practice. But above all I understood that charity ought not to stay enclosed in the depths of the heart. Jesus said, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” [Mt. 5:15]. It seems to me that this lamp represents charity, which ought to illumine and cause to rejoice, not only those who are the dearest to me, but everyone in the house, without any exception.

I am convinced that one should tell one's spiritual director if one has a great desire for Communion, for Our Lord does not come from Heaven every day to stay in a golden ciborium; He comes to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which He loves to dwell.

"Who dare glory in his own good works?' I reflected. 'From one faint spark such as this, it would be possible to set the whole earth on fire.' We often think we receive graces and are divinely illumined by means of brilliant candles. But from whence comes their light? From the prayers, perhaps, of some humble, hidden soul, whose inward shining is not apparent to human eyes; a soul of unrecognised virtue and, in her own sight, of little value — a dying flame.

"What mysteries will yet be unveiled to us! I have often thought that perhaps I owe all the graces with which I am laden, to some little soul whom I shall know only in Heaven.

"It is God's Will that in this world souls shall dispense to each other, by prayer, the treasures of Heaven, in order that when they reach their Everlasting Home they may love one another with grateful hearts, and with an affection far in excess of that which reigns in the most perfect family on earth.

"There no looks of indifference will meet us, because all the Saints will be mutually indebted to each other. No envious glances will be cast, for the happiness of each one of the Blessed will be the happiness of all. With the Doctors of the Church we shall be like unto Doctors; with the Martyrs, like unto Martyrs; with the Virgins, like unto Virgins; and just as the members of one family are proud one of the other, so without the least jealousy shall we take pride in our brothers and sisters.

"When we see the glory of the great Saints, and know that through the secret working of Providence we have contributed to it, who knows whether the joy we shall feel will not be as intense, perhaps sweeter, than the happiness they themselves possess?

"And do you not think that the great Saints, on their side, seeing what they owe to all little souls, will love them with a love beyond compare? The friendships of Paradise will be both sweet and full of surprise, of this I am certain. The familiar friend of an Apostle, or of a great Doctor of the Chu

I have often noticed that Jesus will not give me a store of provisions; He nourishes me with food that is entirely new from moment to moment, and I find it in my soul without knowing how it got there.

El amor verdadero se alimenta de sacrificios. Cuanto más se niega el alma las satisfacciones naturales, tanto más desinteresado se vuelve su cariño.
Al amar a Cristo, el corazón se ensancha y puede dar incomparablemente más cariño a los que le son queridos que si se hubiera concentrado en un amor egoísta e infructuoso.

It's true, I suffer a great deal — but do I suffer well? That is the question.

La perfección consiste en hacer su voluntad, en ser lo que él quiere que seamos...

La joie réside au plus intime de l'âme; on peut aussi bien la posséder dans une obscure prison que dans un palais.

Our Lord has deigned to make me understand that by simple obedience I shall please Him best.