The Saint Thérèse We Did Not Read About

Joe Sparks of Catholic Household website highlights some of the temptations that Saint Thérèse, the Little Flower, had to endure that are, to put it mildly, frightening. The first issue of her autobiography, Story of a Soul, was heavily edited (censored actually) by her sister, Mother Agnes. That must have been the version I read many years ago. John Clarke’s edition, however, which was published in 1975, is unfiltered. Joe Sparks provides the original quotes from this exquisite saint whom Saint Pius X called the  “greatest saint of modern times.” Her “little way” was anything but easy — that is, for her. If you have ever thought that you cannot relate to a Carmelite nun whose journey to heaven was traveled in a cloister, maybe even assuming that she was too childlike and “protected” to relate to, think again. I have a new appreciation of the Little Flower now after reading the short tribute that follows. 

“Once a story is told wrongly, it is hard to set right. In the case of the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, it is not so much that her story was wrongly told, as much as partially told.

“When, in 1898, her edited autobiography was published, it became an instant classic, captivating the imaginations of millions. Yet, the portrayal of St. Thérèse in that original publication was deceptively limited. It contributed to an understanding that lauded her sanctity but ultimately glossed over some of the struggles that brought her to that sanctity. Through the selectively published memoirs and the lack of further information about the saint, a sort of inadvertent censorship developed around the presentation of the saint’s life.” Read the full article here.