It seems that Therese’s most difficult struggle was her desire to find her calling in life. She knew she would be devoted to God, but she wasn’t always sure how to accomplish it. In her words…
“I have always wanted to become a saint. Unfortunately when I have compared myself with the saints, I have always found that there is the same difference between the saints and me as there is between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and a humble grain of sand trodden underfoot by passers-by. Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults. But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.” Then she found this quote from holy Scripture, “Whosoever is a little one, come to me,” and it led her to decide, “And so there is no need for me to grow up: I must stay little and become less and less.“ (found here, para 21, 22)
Eventually, she found an answer that gave her life the focus she desired.
“Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation … I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love … I saw and realized that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything … Then nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love … In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.” (found here, para 6)
Isn’t that a beautiful thought? When we search to discover what God is calling each of us to do, we usually think along the lines of a career path or a major volunteer activity. I think that is the beauty of St. Therese. It seems that she found her calling not in considering what to do in her life, but how to live it. She decided to demonstrate love in everything that she did. What a wonderful vocation!
How can we make that vocation a reality in our lives? Could you imagine what the world would be like if everyone made such a commitment? Let’s think about that for a while and find ways to be more like St. Therese.
Dear God, we know that You are love, and we long for full communion in that love. Help us to embrace Your message of love and share it with the world. Lead us to understand and imitate the beautiful example of St. Therese.