“True, one can fall or commit infidelities, but, knowing how to draw profit from everything, love quickly consumes everything that can be displeasing to Jesus; it leaves nothing but a humble and profound peace in the depths of the heart.” // Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul
Over the past few years, I made it a goal to read as many of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux’s writings as possible. She’s been my best heavenly friend from my youth and a dear patron Saint. From her poems and her letters, to her prayers and her plays, and especially within the words found within her autobiography—the greatest theme of all that she writes is God’s Merciful Love.
Saint Thérèse’s fundamental message is that God is merciful and we can actively participate in this “totally gratuitous” gift through both accepting His mercy and, in turn, extending that same mercy to others (Story of a Soul)), p. 15). The whole of Saint Thérèse’s life, teachings, message, and autobiography flow from this great reality: that God so loved the world that He mercifully gave His only Son to us, that we may have life with Him and have it in abundance. This is the Good News, the one message that all the Saints, totally uniquely, echo in their lives: that God is love and His love extends to us, sinners, in Merciful Love.
This message of mercy was the focus of Saint Thérèse’s life. As she herself puts it, “To me He has granted His infinite Mercy, and through it I contemplate and adore the other divine perfections! All of these perfections appear to be resplendent with love; even His Justice (and perhaps this even more so than the others) seems to me clothed in love” (Story of a Soul, p. 180). Her complete surrender to God’s Merciful Love is what gave her the strength to practice charity towards others, to live out her “little way,” to intercede for others in her sufferings, and to make all of her beautiful sacrifices.
What I noticed as I read about Saint Thérèse, was that as she accepted God’s mercy and love, she extended that same mercy and love to others. This is the proper response that we must have when we experience God’s mercy, for we read in Scripture, “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13.) When we experience God’s Merciful Love, especially in the Sacrament of Confession, we must extend mercy and love. We must offer it to others, as He has to us.
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We have no reason to fear God and every reason to trust in Him and surrender all to Him. God is love. And His love is so deep and complete that He turns toward us in mercy. God’s Merciful Love is always available to us, and what a gift it is to be able to receive that overwhelming love and mercy! We are all in need of His mercy. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke that mercy is not for the righteous, but for sinners (see Luke 5:32). God’s mercy isn’t extended to us just once or twice; rather it is offered to us “seventy times seven times”—indefinitely (Matthew 18:22).
Our life stories are about realizing how loved we are by Him, accepting that love, and in turn, extending that same love to others. When we experience the mercy of God through Him in the Sacrament of Confession, we in turn become more merciful. We in turn desire to extend that same mercy that we have experienced, even “seventy times seven times.” Mercy humbles us, it makes us live more intimately with the rest of humanity, just as Christ did in His Incarnation. It reveals to us that we are in need of a Savior.
When we experience His Merciful Love we realize how life-changing it is. We begin to desire to extend mercy and love to others so that they, too, may know of God’s complete, transformative Merciful Love that removes all despair. When we, with Saint Thérèse, embrace our weakness and give Christ the joy of being our Savior, when we remain little and call upon His mercy, we are free! We are confident; we are His.
Turn to Him, return to Him, rejoice in Him, and respond to Him in the Sacrament of Confession. Experience His Merciful Love, and in turn, share that mercy and love with all those you encounter.
Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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