The Little Way - Section 5 "Daily Practice" (Part 1)

We are now on the fifth and final core element in Therese of Lisieux's "Little Way", which is "Daily Practice of the Little Way of Love". (For the sake of brevity in each post, I will do two posts on this fifth element...)

The four core elements leading up to this that we have covered are:

1. Joyful Humility as a Little Child of God  (here)
2. Bold Confidence in God's Mercy and Loving Kindness  (here)
3. Tranquil Trust in the Actions of God's Limitless Love ( here)
4. Persistence in Prayer as a Simple Raising of the Heart to God ( here)

I believe these four preliminary core elements are the ongoing preparation and tending of the heart for the "daily practice" of loving deeds. They tenderize the heart and open our eyes to be able to see the tiny opportunities that each day holds for us to love others in the most menial, yet meaningful ways. Without joyful childlikeness, bold confidence in God's love, trust in His loving actions, and persistence in simple prayer, we miss seeing the small opportunities

that are around us daily.

John Nelson says in the opening part of this fifth section: "Therese quoted the saying of Saint John of the Cross that the smallest act of pure love is of greater value than all other works put together. Her insight taught her that, while some singular souls are given the means to perform great works, most of us are little, too little to perform great actions...God is drawn to our weakness. He accepts the smallest, the least, act of real love on our part. Then, with a 'love which reaches even unto folly,' He will act for us, in a creative collaboration between the Father and the child, between the Creator and creature."

(In the quotes below, keep in mind that Therese was living in a convent so most of her interaction with others was with her fellow-sisters...)

"Love must act...a love that does not prove itself in action is not enough...Jesus teaches me to 'give to everyone that asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.' It is much harder to give to all who ask than to offer our services spontaneously; nor is it so hard to comply with a friendly request, but if we happen to be asked in a tactless way, we are at once up in arms, unless we are rooted in perfect charity. We find countless excuses, and only after we have made it quite clear to the Sister that she is lacking in courtesy do we condescend to grant her request as a favor..."

"The truly poor are happy...I used to think I was detached from everything, but now...I realize how imperfect I am. If, for example, I find my brushes all over the place when starting to paint, or if a ruler or penknife has disappeared, I have to take strong hold of myself to resist demanding them back with asperity. As I really need them, there is no harm in asking...if I do so in all humility...I am only acting like the poor who hold out their hands for alms and are not surprised if they are refused because nobody owes them anything...The joy of the truly poor in spirit is beyond all compare...
I can't always carry out these words of the Gospel (Matt. 5:40,41) to the letter; there are bound to be times when I have to refuse my Sisters something. But when we are deeply rooted in charity, we can always find a way to refuse so charmingly that our refusal gives more pleasure than the gift would have done."

"God loves others through us...I know that whenever I am charitable, it is Jesus alone who is acting through me, and that the more closely I unite myself to Him, the more I will be able to love my Sisters. Should the devil draw my attention to the faults of any one of them when I am seeking to increase this love in my heart, I call to mind at once her virtues and her good intentions. I tell myself that though I have seen her fall once, there are probably a great many other occasions on which she has won victories which, in her humility, she has kept to herself. What may appear to me to be a fault may even be an act of virtue because of her intention; and as I have experienced this for myself, I have little difficulty in persuading myself that this is indeed the case."

I will complete this section in a couple of days...