Saint Therese of the Child Jesus is considered the saint of the “Little Way” because she presented holiness as a simple and humble path.
She showed that it was not necessary to do great things or have mystical experiences to love God and be faithful.
Below are three things she practiced in her daily life that can also help you on your path to God.
1. Don’t Complain
In her autobiography “Story of a Soul,” Saint Therese says a sister sat next to her and made an uncomfortable sound with her teeth. She confesses that it greatly irritated her, but she never complained.
On the contrary, she “suffered” in silence, offering the noise as penance to God and remembering that in the same way that it irritated her, she herself could do things that irritated others.
In a separate instance, while washing clothes, another sister hit the fabric very hard on the stone and splashed water on Therese’s face, but she never complained.
2. Strengthen the Will
Sitting without leaning back against her chair was one of Saint Therese’s favorite penances. She did this precisely with the intention of discomfort and strengthening the mind instead of the flesh.
Physical mortifications are much more common during Lent, but we can take advantage of small, everyday situations to overcome our flesh and thus become stronger in combatting sin.
3. Prioritize Others
Once while at a birthday party at her home, Saint Therese chose the smallest slice of the cake so her sisters could have the larger ones.
This shows that even if she liked something and it was perfectly okay to do, she gave it up for the love of others.
This was a striking trait in her life–her openness to community life and her desire to love even when it wasn’t easy.
Even in Carmel, every time Saint Therese saw a certain sister, she smiled and was kind. Many of the nuns thought that the two were very close, but in fact, only after Therese died and they read her diary did the sisters discover that she experienced difficulties with this sister. Instead of mistreating her and acting indifferently, she always chose charity.
