“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” -Mt 11:25
St. Therese of Lisieux wrote about the importance of making yourself little so that God can work. What does it mean to make yourself little? These two quotes below give a good idea of what she meant by “little”.
“The remembrance of my faults humbles me, draws me never to depend on my strength which is only weakness, but this remembrance speaks to me of mercy and love even more. When we cast our faults with entire filial confidence into the devouring fire of love, how would these not be consumed beyond return?”
“I am not distressed when my helplessness is brought home to me; on the contrary, I make it my boast and expect each day to reveal some imperfection which I had not seen before. This enlightenment on my nothingness does me more good, in fact, than enlightenment on matters of faith.”
Two Parts of Being Little
Two parts of being little in St. Therese’s eyes are accepting your weaknesses and faults and allowing them to lead you to greater trust and confidence in our Lord. St. Therese does not mean accepting your faults in the sense of deliberately choosing to sin. Her confessor said she never committed a single mortal sin, and she would do everything possible to avoid all sin and imperfections. But she recognized that she is very weak, and she must completely rely on God. For anyone struggling with scrupulosity, this is especially important. Your faults should never lead you to despair. Instead, after a fault you should run back to God, thank Him for showing you how weak you are and tell Him because of your weakness you need even more help! God delights in this humility and confidence in Him. Did He not say in the Gospel Acclamation from today: “you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”
God is infinitely loving, and He wants to take care of His children. He knows our weaknesses better than us, and He is always here to help us!
“We can never have too much confidence in our God, who is so mighty and merciful. As we hope in Him so shall we receive.” -St. Therese
May St. Therese help you to be little this week!
