St Therese: Chapter XI

Way of spiritual childhood
Love

• Two priest brothers
• What she understands by these words from the Canticle of Canticles: 'Draw me...'
• Her confidence in God
• A visit from Heaven
• She finds peace in love
• Sublime childhood
• A call to all 'little souls'

Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger. PS VIII 3

Excerpts

Two priest brothers

For  years  I  had  cherished  a  longing which  seemed  impossible of  realisation—to have  a  brother  a  Priest.  I often used to think that if my little brothers had not gone to Heaven, I should have had  the  happiness  of  seeing  them  at  the  Altar.  I  greatly  regretted  being deprived of this joy. Yet God went beyond my dream; I only asked for one brother  who  would  remember  me  each  day  at  the  Holy  Altar,  and  He  has
united  me  in  the  bonds  of  spiritual  friendship  with  two  of  His  apostles.  I should  like  to  tell  you,  dear  Mother,  how  Our  Divine  Master  fulfilled  my desire.

In  1895  our  holy  Mother,  St.  Teresa,  sent  my  first  brother  as  a  gift  for  my feast. It was washing day, and I was busy at my work, when Mother Agnes of  Jesus,  then Prioress,  called  me  aside  and  read  me  a  letter  from  a  young Seminarist, in which he said he had been inspired by St. Teresa to ask for a sister  who  would  devote  herself  specially  to  his  salvation,  and  to  the salvation of his future flock. He promised always to remember this spiritualsister when saying Mass, and the choice fell upon me. Dear Mother, I cannot tell  you  how  happy  this  made  me.  Such  unlooked-for  fulfillment  of  my desire awoke in my heart the joy of a child; it carried me back to those early days,  when  pleasures  were  so  keen,  that  my  heart  seemed  too  small  to contain them. Years had passed since I had tasted a like happiness, so fresh, so unfamiliar, as if forgotten chords had been stirred within me.

Fully  aware  of  my  obligations,  I  set  to  work,  and  strove  to  redouble  myfervour.  Now  and  again  I  wrote  to  my  new  brother.  Undoubtedly,  it  is  byprayer and sacrifice that we can help our missionaries, but sometimes, whenit  pleases  Our  Lord  to  unite  two  souls  for  His  Glory,  He  permits  them  to communicate  their  thoughts,  and  thus inspire  each  other  to  love God  more. Of  course  an  express  command  from  those  in  authority  is  needed  for  this, otherwise, it seems to me, that  such a correspondence would do more harm than good, if not to the missionary, at least to the Carmelite, whose manner of life tends to continual introversion. This exchange of letters, though rare, would occupy her  mind uselessly;  instead of uniting her to God, she  would perhaps fancy she  was doing wonders, when in reality, under cover of zeal,she  was doing nothing but producing needless distraction.—And here am I,launched, not upon a distraction, but upon a dissertation equally superfluous.I  shall  never  be  able  to  correct  myself  of  these  lengthy  digressions  which must  be  so  wearisome  to  you,  dear  Mother.  Forgive  me,  should  I  offend again.

Last year, at the end of May, it was your turn to give me my second brother, and  when  I  represented  that,  having  given  all  my  merits  to  one  future apostle,  I  feared  they  could  not  be  given  to  another,  you  told  me  that obedience would double their value. In the depths of my heart I thought the same  thing,  and,  since  the  zeal  of  a  Carmelite  ought  to  embrace  the  whole world,  I  hope,  with  God's  help,  to  be  of  use  to  even  more  than  two missionaries.

'Draw me...'

...my  thoughts  on  this  passage  of  the  Sacred Canticles: "Draw me—we will run!" Our Lord has said: "No man can come to Me except the Father Who hath sent Me, draw him," and later He tells us  that whosoever  seeks  shall  find,  whosoever  asks  shall  receive,  that  unto him  that  knocks  it  shall  be  opened,  and  He  adds  that  whatever  we  ask  the Father  in  His  Name shall  be  given  us. 

It  was  no  doubt  for  this reason  that, long  before  the  birth  of  Our  Lord, the  Holy  Spirit  dictated  these  prophetic words:  "Draw  me—we  will  run!"  By  asking  to  be  drawn,  we  desire  an intimate  union  with  the  object  of  our  love.  If  iron  and  fire  were  endowed with  reason,  and  the  iron  could  say:  "Draw  me!"  would  not  that  prove  its desire  to  be  identified  with  the  fire  to  the  point  of  sharing  its substance? Well, this is precisely my prayer. I  asked  Jesus  to draw  me into  the  Fire of His love, and to unite me so closely to Himself  that He may live and act in me.  I  feel  that  the  more  the  fire  of  love  consumes  my  heart,  so  much  the more shall I say: "Draw me!" and the more also will souls who draw near me run swiftly in the sweet odour of the Beloved.

Yes,  they  will  run—we shall  all  run  together,  for  souls  that  are  on  fire  can never be at rest. 

Way of spiritual childhood
Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven, for the gate is narrow

And a path and a way shall be there, and it shall be called the holy way: the simple in heart will follow it and will not go astray. (Is XXXV)