Several nuns with the same name are known in the history of the Christian world: the greatest missionary mother Teresa, who died in 1997 of the last century, one of the best writers of the Spanish Golden Age, Carmelite Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), as well as the little Teresa of Lisieux, whose history and activity not so grand or famous, but no less important.
Little flower of jesus
This is the name of Teresa of Lisieux, a French nun who became a saint by the power of her faith in God. She is also called Teresa Malaya, Teresa the Infant Jesus and St. Luke, although before shearing she was simply called Teresa Marten.
Having lived only 24 years, this girl with her love for God proved that you can live forever in the hearts of people, even if few people knew you during life.
About family
The biography of Theresa of Lisieux (a small town in the north of France) does not shine with special feats or impressive deeds, but despite this, the young girl managed to draw attention to God of many people. She was born in 1873 in a simple family in which her father Louis maintained a small watch business: a shop and a workshop, and Zelia's mother was a lacemaker who made stunning Alencon lace. It is noteworthy that before the marriage, both parents seriously thought about a monastic vow, but, apparently, fate decreed otherwise.
Baby Teresa of Lisieux had four more sisters, who later (like her) became a monk. Moreover, four more children (two sons and two girls) died in infancy, so the future saint had a rather large family, which was a model of Christian love in her neighbor. The whole family actively helped the disadvantaged, visited the lonely dying in hospitals and hospitals, trying to instill a love of people for everyone who wants to. Before the first significant event in her life, Teresa and her family lived in Alencon, but when the baby was four years old, her mother died of cancer, and the family had to move to Lisieux.
Short biography
From this moment on, the mischievous and cheerful, but at the same time categorical and masterful Maria-Francoise-Teresa completely changes: she becomes too vulnerable, sensitive and takes everything to heart. They often talk about such people: they make an elephant out of a fly. The slightest word or a sidelong glance could unsettle little Teresa for a long time, turning into a timid little ball that sought to be invisible to the world. This condition will last about nine years, torturing the psyche of the child, but at the same time tempering the spirit. Her sister Polina (Paolina) takes care of the upbringing of a girl who is less and less in contact with the outside world, but suddenly decides to leave for the monastery. Therese from Lisieux at that time was ten years old, for her it was a new blow and a new test of faith. But very soon it dawns on her: she, too, must become a Carmelite, like her beloved Polina.
At the same time, she is struck by an unprecedented ailment that physicians cannot characterize: strange hallucinations attend her, panic attacks and unexplained tantrums. The family tries to help by ordering many hours of prayers and making generous donations, but in vain: the child is on the verge of death. At her request, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is brought into the room so that you can pray, because there was no strength in Teresa to stand up. In one of the attacks, the girl began to earnestly pray, asking for help and protection. And according to Theresa herself, at some point she saw the Holy Face of the Virgin Mary come to life and her angelic smile, assuring that everything would be fine. A sense of delight and unearthly happiness pierced Theresa's soul from Livier, from that moment she miraculously recovered.
The path of true and unbreakable faith
It was this moment that strengthened the girl’s faith, and she firmly decided to become a Carmelite nun. Her desire was so strong that she decided on a trip to Rome, to Pope Leo the Thirteenth himself, in order to ask permission. At first she was refused because of her young age, but literally the next year, when she was fifteen, the clergy, seeing her unquenchable desire for dignity, agreed: Teresa of Lisieux became the novice of the monastery. At the same time, her father suffers a blow, as a result of which he partially loses his mind, which is why Theresa and her sisters are called "crazy daughter" by the eyes. This plunges her even more into the anxiety that she heals with prayers and church service. A year later, she cut her hair as a nun, choosing for herself the name of the sister of Theresa the Baby Jesus and the Holy Face.
Already at that time she was grasped by lofty thoughts: she wants to become a great saint and shares these thoughts with her confessor, who warns her of pride, which has no place in the heart of a nun. But Teresa knows for sure that this is not pride at all, but a great desire to convey to mankind the power of divine love, which can manifest itself in anything. She begins to write poems, plays in which she expresses her exceptional love for God. Her words: “I realized that love embodies all callings, all times and spaces and that it is eternal” - become its further motto in life. At 23, a girl suffering from chest pain and cough for several years, doctors make a disappointing diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. After only seven years of being in the monastery of St. Teresa of Lisieu dies in agony. It happened on September 30, 1897.
"The story of one soul"
In the last years of her life, Teresa of Lisieux, with the firm motivation of the abbess of the monastery, the mother of Agnes, wrote an autobiographical novel in which the lion's share is given to thoughts about God, faith, and also thoughts from childhood. By and large, this is a diary of a young girl with whom she shares the most intimate. This work is called “The Story of One Soul” by the abbess and was published a year after the death of the author with a circulation of only two thousand copies. It was a kind of posthumous gift, which unexpectedly gained stunning success immediately among the clergy, but soon among ordinary people. Circulations were multiplied, distributed, and at the beginning of the twentieth century the book was translated into all the leading languages of the world. Only a few years later the world discovered that the mother of Agnes and Pauline, the sister of Theresa, is one person. Initially, only the monastery employees knew about this.
Saints
Pope Pius the Tenth in 1907 expressed his first desire to canonize Theresa, which was later completed by Pius the Eleventh in 1925, only 28 years after the girl’s death. Such honor was awarded to units.
Moreover, in 1997, Pope John the Second awarded St. Teresa of Lisieux the title of Teacher of the Church, which in addition to her has only three women and 35 people in the whole world.
Little way
That is what Little Teresa called her ministry, explaining that it is not necessary to prove love for God with great heroes or epic actions - you can only generate love for people in various manifestations and the most insignificant acts only every minute, every second. She served and dutifully smiled at the most nasty of the nuns, who fed her only scraps, rubbed the floors and stairs of the monastery, suffering at the same time from attacks of tuberculosis, gave warmth and attention to the most flawed and destitute, praying for their health. Theresa's soulful violet flame from Lisieux did not fade for a second, fueled by a selfless and sacrificial love for God, which she expressed in such a simple, but at the same time complicated way. Love, and only love, she claimed, was able to exalt the soul of man and give her the kingdom of heaven.
She continues to help, even leaving this world
One of Theresa's most famous quotes: "My heaven will be on Earth." Thus, she made it clear that she would never stop helping the suffering, even after her spirit left her physical body. Many believers claim that this is true, feeling her invisible presence.
There are many stories telling about the miraculous occurrences of St. Theresa in different places and her protection, help and support. Her written works are still the most important pillars of faith for many people:
- Manuscripts A, B, C tell about her childhood, the formation of faith and the acquisition of spiritual experience, showing the reader the subtlety of her soul.
- Letters: 266 appeals to believers, parishioners, relatives in writing convey the depth of her faith.
- 54 four poems about the love of God, the most significant of which are “Why I Love You, Mary” and “Live by Love”.
- Theatrical compositions of Pious Recreations of religious nature for certain holidays, as well as a collection of sayings and quotes “Recent Conversations”.
The legacy of St. Theresa
In the small town, which became a pilgrimage site for millions of believers every year, the Basilica of St. Theresa was built. In Lisieux, where parishioners flock to honor the memory of the great saint and gain her strength of faith, the church began to be built back in 1929, four years after its canonization. Construction continued until 1954, as the pilgrims to the Teresa’s grave walked in an inexhaustible stream, which somewhat complicated the construction work.
As a result, it turned out that the interior of the temple was developed by three generations of architects: father, son, and grandson of Cordognaire. The basilica has a height of ninety meters and a length of more than a hundred, all its walls are generously decorated with mosaics, this is the second most important holy place in all of France.
A few facts about St. Theresa
- On December 25, 1886 (as the saint herself claimed), she achieved oneness with God, what is now called the state of enlightenment. This happened when the girl saw her father secretly putting gifts in a Christmas sock (one of the symbols of Christmas among Catholics).
- The world famous mother Teresa of Calcutta took herself the monastic name Teresa in honor of the little flower from Lisieux, inspired by her faith and the power of love for her neighbor.
- In 2011, the tomb with the relics of Theresa Malaya was exhibited in Israel and was there for about two months.
- Her last, dying words were: “My God, I love you so much!”