More from the Little Flower

Therese presents for me a new way to understand what Jesus meant in the story of the rich young man and his instruction to give all he has away. She along with Balthasar provides much to meditate on in two passages from Romans. Mining the thought of the Little Flower provides an inexhaustible source of golden wisdom. The text below in quotes, except for the Scripture quotes, is from the writings of St.Therese and the rest from Balthasar's Two Sisters in the Spirit (pp. 257- 259).

The mentality that confronts Therese so frequently in the Catholic asceticism of her day … is the Old Testament mentality of justification by works ….

This attitude assumes that man’s relations with God are based entirely upon justice, and this limited conception of justice … can only imagine one ideal – to step up one’s own achievements so as to produce a corresponding increase in God’s favors. But this ideal overlooks … the very basis and raison d’etre of God’s testament with the chosen people: Abraham’s faith, which implicitly includes hope and love as well.

God first revealed himself as the God of justice, not as the God of love. And besides wishing  to prepare humanity for love by means of the law, God also wished the failure of the law and its works to demonstrate what happens when men rely upon their own achievements apart from the Cross of Christ. (Rom 5:20)

Therese inserts her New Testament theology and asceticism at the exact point where the transition takes place. Her “little way” to “little sanctity” at first appears … as one way among many others and she contrasts it particularly with the “great ways” of the “great saints” …. These great saints have done mighty deeds for God, but they are so superior as to discourage Therese …. But the more she gets to know the little way, the more she realizes … that it is the only way.

… as time goes on and she assumes the role of David, armed with a sling and venturing into the open to attack the Goliath of “great sanctity”. “The great saints have gained heaven by their works; myself I wish to imitate the thieves, I wish to take it by a trick, a trick of love that will give me entry, me and other poor sinners.”

And what is this trick? “It is quite simple. Hold nothing back. Distribute your goods as soon as you get them …. If at the moment of death, I were to present my little coins to have them estimated at their true worth, our Lord would not fail to discover dross in them that I should certainly go and deposit in Purgatory.” And now she transfers  … her amused gaze … toward God, teasing the God of justice: “When I think of the good God’s statement: ‘I shall come soon and bring my reward with me, repaying everyone according to his works’, then I say to myself that he will find himself very much embarrassed with me, because I have no works! So he will not be able to repay me according to my works. Very well, then, I trust he will repay me according to his works.”

Therese is here preaching a lesson straight from the gospel of Paul: “Now to him that works, the reward is not reckoned according to grace but according to debt. But to him that works not, yet believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God” (Rom 4:4-5).

And: “ since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God they are justified by his grace as a gift , through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus …. (Rom 3:23-24)