St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus is well known among Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Acknowledged as the greatest saint of modern times by Pope St. Pius X, she continues to inspire a great number of the faithful through her simple and accessible approach to spirituality.
If a word could capture the significance of St. Thérèse for us, then the Latin word docere would be apt in this regard. Docere in relation to an excellent teacher like Thérèse calls to mind two important words etymologically linked to it: docilitas (teachability) and doctrina (teaching).
Thérèse showed her teachability through an openness to learn. In her autobiography she recalls how she was natured by the piety of her family. Such simple pious exercises as daily family prayer, daily Mass and other basic Christian practices are often forgotten as one grows. Yet these, coupled with the warmth and love which she received from her parents and siblings, were foundational in her spiritual journey. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse, thus show us that having children is an opportunity to give God one of the most precious gifts humans can offer God: saints. Thérèse also received nourishment for her spiritual growth through meditations. She was particularly enriched by the Word of God, especially the Gospels. According to her, even in moments of dryness, she found pure and solid food while meditating on the Scriptures. Thérèse was above all attentive to the Holy Spirit. Discerning her smallness with its attendant weaknesses, she found herself incapable of great things. But she was not discouraged; she found the way of love, the way of simplicity as the most suitable path to spiritual maturity. This insight (or illumination) came to her while she meditated on the 12th and 13th chapters of 1Cor. Only an attentive and docile spirit could experience such.
But St. Thérèse moved from docilitas to doctrina, from being a student to being a doctor. When in September 1997, George Weigel asked Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger why Thérèse of Lisieux was a doctor of the Church, a title which some people considered inappropriate for her since, in their thinking, it was typically given to distinguished theologians, Ratzinger gave some reasons all of which point to the relevance of St. Thérèse to the modern world. For instance, St. Therese shows the Church a new way of teaching. In the early periods of the Church, the title doctor had been conferred on great pastors who developed their doctrines through eloquent homilies. Then, particularly in the middle ages, we had great scholars who provided sound arguments for the faith. There are also some mystics who interpreted the experience of God through mystical experiences. These are different ways of teaching in the Church. Ratzinger adds: “It is important, in our scientifically minded society, to have the message of a simple and deep experience of God, and a teaching about the simplicity of being a saint: to give, in this time, with its extremely action-oriented approach, to teach that to be a saint is not necessarily a matter of great actions, but of letting the Lord work in us.”
