A Coaching Session on Thérèse of Lisieux
Summary
This episode explores the teachings of Saint Therese of Lisieux from her 'Story of a Soul,' focusing on the wisdom of children, divine acceptance, and finding divinity in the ordinary. Host Kirsten Oates and spiritual director Jim Finley discuss how Therese applied childlike qualities like surrender and acceptance to her faith, emphasizing God's unconditional love amidst limitations. They highlight the power of imagery, listening, and entering into contemplative states to access this love, finding God's presence in everyday moments and small acts of love and sacrifice. The discussion also touches on personal illuminations and the profound meaning found in humble, hidden experiences.
Key Insights
Cultivating childlike surrender is key to adult faith.
Therese meditated on becoming like a child, emphasizing adult surrender as akin to an infant asleep in a father's arms—profoundly vulnerable yet completely protected by love. This invitation is to find that place of divine sustenance in our simplicity and to live consistently grounded in God's presence, independent of feelings.
Visual metaphors like a sleeping infant aid spiritual understanding.
Images and parables, like a child asleep in a father's arms, convey spiritual truths intuitively without needing intellectual comprehension. These metaphors disarm our tendency to 'figure things out' and allow us to rest in God's immense love, similar to how icons of Mary holding Jesus show vulnerability held in love.
Understanding comes through patient waiting in the absence of comprehension.
Therese experienced spiritual texts as hidden, where initial incomprehension led to sitting 'empty-handed' in God's presence. Understanding then arrived as an unexplainable realization, offering consolation for those who struggle with not understanding challenges, with the lesson often appearing much later.
Nature as the 'first Bible' expresses God's equal love for all.
Therese found in nature, particularly flowers, that God loves all expressions of creation equally. This challenges perceived hierarchies (e.g., roses vs. wildflowers) and invites appreciation for God's equal expression through all things, from a dandelion to a mountain, emphasizing that this divine presence is not limited by measurable size.
One's 'littleness' is a unique expression of the divine in God's garden.
Therese recognized her own perceived 'littleness' compared to great spiritual figures, likening herself to a small flower in God's garden. This insight encourages all individuals, regardless of how ordinary or limited they perceive themselves, to embrace their full expression of God's love, acknowledging that God doesn't await extraordinary achievements.
The divinity of the ordinary is revealed through mindful attention.
Mystically awakened individuals pause to notice the divine in the ordinary, such as breathing or a simple flower, which the average person overlooks. This requires an attitudinal shift to sense the incomprehensible stature of life, recognizing that all ordinariness is God's ongoing self-donation, with the world as God's body.
An oblation is a personal offering of oneself to God.
Therese's secret act of oblation, an offering of oneself to God, was found after her death. This highlights that some sacred expressions are deeply personal and not for public telling. Finley suggests offering hidden pain and frustrations as a place for God's mercy, and embracing the divinity shining through life's fragility.
Sections
Introduction to Therese and the Wisdom of Children
Therese's 'Story of a Soul' reveals intimate divine love within human limitations.
Jim Finley introduces Saint Therese of Lisieux's 'Story of a Soul,' highlighting her sincere intimacy with God's infinite love, which is present even within her limitations, consoling and reassuring listeners that God's love is constant, regardless of feelings.
Mysterics offer prompts, not prescriptions, for spiritual life.
Kirsten Oates frames the mystical teachings as prompts for personal application, not strict prescriptions. She compares belief in God to falling in love, suggesting sincerity and vulnerability are key to deeper connection, a journey explored through Therese's writings.
Cultivating childlike surrender is key to adult faith.
Therese meditated on becoming like a child, emphasizing adult surrender as akin to an infant asleep in a father's arms—profoundly vulnerable yet completely protected by love. This invitation is to find that place of divine sustenance in our simplicity and to live consistently grounded in God's presence, independent of feelings.
Acceptance of the present moment is being in God's presence.
God's infinite love embraces us exactly as we are in the present moment, without waiting for us to overcome anything. This acceptance is realized through trusting that we belong to God, resting in that belonging, and asking for grace to live by it, with love as the key to this realization.
Visual metaphors like a sleeping infant aid spiritual understanding.
Images and parables, like a child asleep in a father's arms, convey spiritual truths intuitively without needing intellectual comprehension. These metaphors disarm our tendency to 'figure things out' and allow us to rest in God's immense love, similar to how icons of Mary holding Jesus show vulnerability held in love.
Listening to spiritual voices can embody truth beyond the mind's grasp.
Hearing spiritual truths spoken aloud, whether it's listening to an audiobook, chanting, or reading sacred texts aloud, can help internalize their message. The cadence and rhythm can resonate with the heart, embodying truths that the intellect may not grasp, a practice Therese herself used by reading her writings aloud.
Therese's transparency invites intuitive, simple yet profound connection.
Therese's radical transparency in writing allows her 'Story of a Soul' to be read with a contemplative approach (lectio). Despite initial perception of simplicity due to her youth, her writing reveals profound, intuitive insights that connect deeply with the reader's inner world, reflecting a divine simplicity rather than a superficial one.
Accepting Not Understanding and Divine Generosity
Understanding comes through patient waiting in the absence of comprehension.
Therese experienced spiritual texts as hidden, where initial incomprehension led to sitting 'empty-handed' in God's presence. Understanding then arrived as an unexplainable realization, offering consolation for those who struggle with not understanding challenges, with the lesson often appearing much later.
Prevenient grace reveals life's unfolding lessons over time.
Referencing John Ruusbroec's 'prevenient grace,' the concept suggests that life unfolds through realizations of divine intimations that weren't understood at the time. This process, echoed in therapy and spiritual growth, offers a deeper understanding of 'understanding' not as comprehension, but as realization unfolding in God's time.
Childlike acceptance embraces love even amidst confusion and perceived unsafety.
Acceptance, like that of a child trusting their parent, involves leaning into moments of connection and Love's voice. This isn't about striving for acceptance but about recognizing God's infinite acceptance of us, even in our inability to fully accept ourselves. These fleeting moments of acceptance are invitations to greater surrender.
True surrender occurs when God's acceptance surpasses our own.
We are on the right path when we try to accept, but true surrender is achieved when we acknowledge God's infinite acceptance already encompasses our struggles and inability to accept. Fleeting moments of grace and insight can arise from painful experiences, revealing an underlying divine reality.
Nature as the 'first Bible' expresses God's equal love for all.
Therese found in nature, particularly flowers, that God loves all expressions of creation equally. This challenges perceived hierarchies (e.g., roses vs. wildflowers) and invites appreciation for God's equal expression through all things, from a dandelion to a mountain, emphasizing that this divine presence is not limited by measurable size.
One's 'littleness' is a unique expression of the divine in God's garden.
Therese recognized her own perceived 'littleness' compared to great spiritual figures, likening herself to a small flower in God's garden. This insight encourages all individuals, regardless of how ordinary or limited they perceive themselves, to embrace their full expression of God's love, acknowledging that God doesn't await extraordinary achievements.
The divinity of the ordinary is revealed through mindful attention.
Mystically awakened individuals pause to notice the divine in the ordinary, such as breathing or a simple flower, which the average person overlooks. This requires an attitudinal shift to sense the incomprehensible stature of life, recognizing that all ordinariness is God's ongoing self-donation, with the world as God's body.
Small hidden sacrifices are offerings of love in ordinary moments.
Therese practiced 'doing small things with great love,' including small, hidden sacrifices like patience, unnoticed kindness, and accepting inconveniences. These acts are seen as love sacrifices present to God in their ordinariness, teaching us to habitually calibrate our hearts to respond to love in everyday moments.
Experiential salvation involves entrusting frailties to God's love.
Through Jesus, God walks with our broken parts. Experiential salvation means tumbling into God's arms and accepting our frailties, allowing God to lead us to the infinity of ourselves. This is embodied by Jesus as the invisible face of God, whose gaze makes our own face 'holy' as the beloved.
Choosing Names and Acts of Oblation
Personal names can reflect core spiritual insights and experiences.
Following Therese's choice of name, Jim Finley and Kirsten Oates reflect on potential personal names. Finley chooses 'James of the secret name,' referring to a stone with a hidden name given by God. Oates considers 'Kirsten of God's children,' reflecting her love for children, and 'Kirsten of God's dancing,' inspired by her love for ballet.
Sacred texts can be inspired by personal, hidden experiences.
Jim Finley shares that his first mystical awakening occurred amidst trauma, leading him to consider a name reflecting being sustained by God. He also notes the gift of discovering his mind and the importance of passing on received gifts, encouraging listeners to identify their own formative moments and potential names.
An oblation is a personal offering of oneself to God.
Therese's secret act of oblation, an offering of oneself to God, was found after her death. This highlights that some sacred expressions are deeply personal and not for public telling. Finley suggests offering hidden pain and frustrations as a place for God's mercy, and embracing the divinity shining through life's fragility.
Sincere listening from the community imbues sharing with meaning.
The hosts express gratitude to the listeners, emphasizing that the communal sincerity of their listening gives rich meaning to the sharing. This mutual exchange is how grace is offered and received, highlighting the interconnectedness of the podcast's creation and reception.
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