The Little Flower’s Secret to Holiness | St. Thérèse of Lisieux | Be Little on This Earth

About this sermon

What does it actually mean to follow the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux? St. Thérèse entered Carmel at only fifteen years old after overcoming repeated obstacles to her vocation. Her life would not be marked by missionary journeys, public accomplishments, or spectacular achievements. Instead, she discovered a path to extraordinary holiness through humility, trust in God, hidden sacrifice, and seemingly insignificant acts of love. In this sermon, we follow St. Thérèse from her childhood and famous Christmas conversion through her entrance into Carmel, the trials of religious life, and the development of her Little Way of spiritual childhood. Thérèse deliberately performed small acts of charity, served others without seeking recognition, accepted criticism—even unjust criticism—and showed kindness toward sisters who were unpleasant to her. These apparently tiny sacrifices became the material from which God formed a great saint. At the heart of her Little Way was the realization that she had nothing great of her own to offer God. Instead of becoming discouraged, she offered Him her littleness and trusted Him to provide what she lacked. Five minutes given to God, a small aspiration, an unnoticed kindness, or a hidden work of charity could become precious when offered with humility and love. Even during her agonizing final illness from tuberculosis, Thérèse persevered without surrendering her desire to love God and help souls. She famously desired to spend her Heaven doing good upon earth. We may never accomplish anything the world considers great. The world may never even remember our names. But God will know. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, pray for us! 🌹 Become great saints by becoming little. 00:00 Introduction — St. Thérèse of Lisieux 00:21 The Saintly Martin Family 01:18 Losing Her Mother at Four Years Old 02:24 Thérèse’s Deep Interior Prayer 03:09 The Christmas Conversion 03:50 Discovering Self-Forgetfulness & Charity 04:10 Her Desire to Enter Carmel 04:29 Taking Her Request to the Pope 05:09 Entering Carmel at Only 15 05:15 The Reality of Life in the Convent 06:27 Prayer, Penance & Sacrifice in Carmel 06:57 Small Hidden Acts of Charity 07:54 The Little Way Explained 08:19 God Does Not Expect His Children Never to Fall 08:43 “I Have Nothing to Give God” 09:07 Our Lady & Complete Self-Emptying 09:40 Five Minutes, a Kindness & the Little Things 10:04 Suffering Without Complaining 10:13 St. Thérèse’s Final Illness 10:33 “I Never Believed It Was Possible to Suffer So Much” 10:42 Spending Heaven Doing Good on Earth 11:15 Becoming Little Before the Infinite God 12:27 How Ordinary People Become Great Saints 12:44 Prayer to St. Thérèse & Final Blessing Please say 3 Hail Marys for the priest. #StTherese #LittleFlower #CatholicSaints #Carmelite #FeastDay #CatholicHomily #CatholicFaith #LittleWay #StoryOfASoul #Saints 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴

Topics

• Holiness