Master·evangeli.net
Today's Gospel + short theological explanation
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin & Doctor of the Church (1873-1897)
Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)Today, we celebrate the “champion” of spiritual “smallness”. The issue being that this has deserved her the title —quite uncommon— of “Doctor of the Church”. From this "spiritual childhood" a complete refreshing and renewed spiritual theology has sprouted...
Paradoxical as it may seem, «God's greatness lies in the fact that He can make himself small» (Benedict XVI). Thus, we could say that discretion, simplicity, humility... make part of the divine DNA. Today’s saint Doctor of the Church joined the Carmel when she was very young (aged 15) and entered the “eternal Carmel” when she was twenty-four. So small and so great! What a paradox to human eyes! But not really so from the perspective of love. If you want to love, if you want to serve, make yourself small, very small, as the Child Jesus in the manger, as Jesus Christ on the Cross.
—Therese traveled the path of childhood: «I am a very little soul who can only offer very little things to the Lord».