Dialogue 3: The Holy Face
Summary
This podcast episode explores the teachings of Saint Therese of Lisieux, focusing on her 'little way' and her devotional name, 'Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face'. The discussion delves into the concept of reciprocal self-surrender to God's love, the significance of Jesus as the image of the invisible God, and the idea of finding 'heaven on earth' through divine intimacy. It also touches upon Therese's approach to suffering, her illness, and her death, highlighting her profound faith and her ability to find joy and meaning even in the midst of hardship.
Key Insights
Surrendering our littleness to God is itself a great spiritual act.
For Therese and many saints, the act of surrendering oneself and one's littleness is considered the truly great thing. This surrender is a response to the understanding that in Jesus, God has already surrendered to humanity, signifying that humans belong to God and God belongs to them.
Jesus embodies the unity of human and divine natures, central to Christian belief.
The core of the Christian understanding is that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. In him, God takes on human nature, merging divine and human realities into a unified being. This oneness in Christ reveals humanity to itself, suggesting a reciprocal merging of human nature into God's.
The reciprocity between God and us is the unitive mystery, the heart of heaven on earth.
The experience of reciprocity and communion with God is the unitive mystery, which is simultaneously God's being and our own. Thomas Merton's quote, 'When I say I and Jesus is I, it's the same I,' illustrates this ontological oneness that can flood into our hearts as faith experience.
Suffering and death are a transition, a 'dying to everything less than love.'
The discussion frames suffering and death, even horrendous experiences, as part of a process. This includes a desire to 'die to everything less than love,' mirroring Jesus' self-emptying on the cross. This ultimately leads to a resurrectional light shining throughout the world.
To live unknown on earth is to relinquish worth based on external recognition.
Therese's desire 'to live unknown on earth' is interpreted as a choice to be hidden, not seeking worth from external recognition. This hiddenness aligns with the apophatic way, embracing the incomprehensibility of divine reality rather than seeking finite comprehension.
Sections
Introduction to Therese's Little Way and Devotional Name
Therese's 'little way' means God loves us in our ordinary lives; we don't need great deeds.
The overarching theme of Therese's 'little way' is the belief that God loves us in our ordinary-ness. This concept emphasizes that individuals do not need to perform extraordinary actions or achieve great things to be loved by God. Instead, the focus is on surrendering to the divine love that is already present.
Surrendering our littleness to God is itself a great spiritual act.
For Therese and many saints, the act of surrendering oneself and one's littleness is considered the truly great thing. This surrender is a response to the understanding that in Jesus, God has already surrendered to humanity, signifying that humans belong to God and God belongs to them.
Therese's chosen name, 'Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face', reflects her deep devotion.
Upon entering the Carmelite order, Therese chose her own devotional name: Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. This choice stemmed from her personal inner experience, desire, and devotion, contrasting with the practice in some monasteries where names are assigned.
The 'Holy Face' refers to the face of Jesus, a central element of Catholic devotion.
The 'Holy Face' in Therese's devotional name specifically refers to the Holy Face of Jesus. The discussion aims to explore Therese's insights into this devotion to deepen the listener's experience and response to God's love.
Devotional sincerity is a gift from God, guiding one's spiritual path.
Spiritual direction involves listening to what has been given through one's devotional sincerity, which is seen as a gift from God. These devotions are described as poetic expressions of the heart's deepest resonance, which one then strives to live by with fidelity.
Listening to others' experiences, like Therese's, can resonate and draw us into reciprocity.
One can also connect with the innate reciprocity experienced by others, such as Therese, even if they don't have a personal devotion to Jesus. This connection can draw individuals into the same sense of mutual self-donation that Therese experienced through Jesus.
Spiritual paths are personal; one must adapt or be open to different expressions of devotion.
The discussion acknowledges that spiritual paths are personal. If Jesus doesn' specific form isn't the primary resonance for an individual, they can transpose the experience into their own framework or remain open to new phases in their devotional life with God, allowing the experience to unfold.
Jesus as the Image of the Invisible God and the Cosmic Christ
Colossians 1:15 states Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation.
The podcast references Colossians 1:15, which describes Jesus as 'the image of the invisible God' and 'the firstborn of all creation.' This highlights Jesus' role not only as a historical figure but also as a divine manifestation through whom all things were created.
All things are created through and for Christ, revealing a profound reciprocity.
Colossians further explains that all things were created through Christ and for Christ, emphasizing a cosmic role for Jesus. This reiterates the theme of reciprocity, mirroring the mutual self-donation inherent in God's oneness with us.
Jesus embodies the unity of human and divine natures, central to Christian belief.
The core of the Christian understanding is that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. In him, God takes on human nature, merging divine and human realities into a unified being. This oneness in Christ reveals humanity to itself, suggesting a reciprocal merging of human nature into God's.
Love for another can reveal God's presence, acting as a spiritual sacrament.
Human love for one another can mirror the divine connection. A deep love for someone allows one to see beyond their physical appearance to the shining of their soulful presence. Similarly, when a beloved loves back, they can reveal the other person to themselves as love. This mutual love acts as a sacrament of divine oneness.
Richard Rohr's 'Universal Christ' concept suggests Christ is another name for everything.
The discussion references Richard Rohr's idea in 'The Universal Christ,' where Christ is presented not just as Jesus' surname but as a name for all of reality. In Christ, the unity of all that is divine and human is realized, encompassing the entire cosmos.
The Christ nature is inherent in all of creation, both animate and inanimate.
Since all things are created through Christ, the Christ nature is present in everything, from oceans and mountains to the darkness of night. Christ becomes a new name for the fundamental reality of existence.
Therese's Poem: 'My Heaven on Earth'
Therese's poem 'My Heaven on Earth' expresses Jesus as her divine, earthly reality.
The poem 'My Heaven on Earth' by Therese articulates her profound connection with Jesus, viewing him as her ultimate source of joy and grounding, essentially her 'heaven on earth.'
Heaven is found within, as God's presence makes the soul God's heaven.
Echoing Teresa of Avila, the idea is presented that if heaven is where God resides, and the kingdom of heaven is within, then the soul itself becomes God's heaven. This internal heaven arises from the intimate communion and reciprocal love between God and the individual.
The reciprocity between God and us is the unitive mystery, the heart of heaven on earth.
The experience of reciprocity and communion with God is the unitive mystery, which is simultaneously God's being and our own. Thomas Merton's quote, 'When I say I and Jesus is I, it's the same I,' illustrates this ontological oneness that can flood into our hearts as faith experience.
Jesus' ineffable image is a guiding star, divinely unexplainable yet illuminating.
In the poem, Jesus' 'ineffable image' is described as a star guiding Therese's steps. The term 'ineffable' means delightfully unexplainable, pointing to a state of wonderment where the image itself, and the light it emits, guides her daily existence.
Contemplative living means actions are performed out of love, the reason for existence.
Living a contemplative life means that the reason for one's actions is the reason for one's existence – love. Whether mundane tasks like wiping kitchen counters or more profound activities, they are seen as love incarnate, demonstrating the constancy of oneness in daily life.
Heaven on earth is found in the soul's depth, unveiled through devotion to Jesus' face.
Therese's statement, 'Your sweet face is for me heaven on earth,' connects her devotion to Jesus' Holy Face with accessing the depth of her soul. This practice unveiled an inner 'heaven on earth' experience.
The resurrected Jesus' light shines in us now, making heaven on earth present.
The light of the resurrected Jesus shines within us in our day-to-day lives on earth. This presence is evident in our love for one another, fulfilling Jesus' words about discipleship and serving the least of his brethren.
Therese embraced Jesus' suffering, finding beauty and oneness with His sorrow.
Therese's connection to Jesus' suffering is explored through the line, 'My love discovers the charms of your face adorned with tears.' She saw the suffering of Jesus as the mystery of love and offered her own tears in response, drawing close to the 'love crucified.'
Suffering and death are a transition, a 'dying to everything less than love.'
The discussion frames suffering and death, even horrendous experiences, as part of a process. This includes a desire to 'die to everything less than love,' mirroring Jesus' self-emptying on the cross. This ultimately leads to a resurrectional light shining throughout the world.
To live unknown on earth is to relinquish worth based on external recognition.
Therese's desire 'to live unknown on earth' is interpreted as a choice to be hidden, not seeking worth from external recognition. This hiddenness aligns with the apophatic way, embracing the incomprehensibility of divine reality rather than seeking finite comprehension.
Littleness is the vessel for boundless infinity, paradoxically enhancing divine oneness.
The 'little way' is seen as the incarnation of boundless infinity within one's own littleness. Constantly trying to 'inflate' oneself reduces intimacy with God's oneness, whereas embracing littleness paradoxically strengthens it.
God's beauty is veiled, revealing mystery through hiddenness, not by comprehension.
Therese speaks of God's beauty being veiled, yet this veiling discloses God's mystery. What is revealed is not something concrete or fully comprehensible, but the very incomprehensibility of divine being, which in turn reveals the incomprehensibility of our own being as beloved.
True spiritual knowing comes from quiet emptiness, not intellectual comprehension.
Through practices like Lectio Divina, even when scripture isn't immediately comprehended, quiet contemplation allows God's love to descend into the emptiness of the heart, a quiet light shining forth. This is a spiritual knowing beyond intellectual grasping.
The 'science of love' is an internal, orderly understanding of divine intimacy.
The 'science of love,' as mentioned by Therese quoting St. Margaret Mary, is not a conventional academic discipline but an inner, orderly understanding of the incomprehensible intimacy of love. It is learned through lived experience and felt in the heart.
Therese, unlike ecstatic mystics, lived a profound mystical realization in ordinary moments.
Therese is characterized not as an ecstatic mystic, but as one who lived a profound mystical realization of the unfolding moment as divine. Her accessibility lies in her intimate and experiential grounding in this reality.
The desire for the 'science of love' arises from a divinely created longing for infinite union.
The deep desire for the 'science of love' stems from a fundamental human setup: nothing less than infinite union with God can satisfy the heart's restless longings. Therese's path helps individuals align with this singular desire.
Therese's Illness and Offering to Merciful Love
Therese viewed her diagnosis of tuberculosis with 'joyful' anticipation, calling it 'good fortune.'
Upon discovering she was coughing up blood, indicative of tuberculosis, Therese described the experience with 'joy,' calling it 'good fortune.' This reaction stands in stark contrast to the typical dread associated with such a terminal diagnosis.
Acceptance of death mirrors Christ's freedom from the tyranny of death.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's stages of dying are discussed, moving from denial and bargaining to anger and depression, representing the ego's struggle. 'Acceptance,' however, signifies a freedom from death's tyranny, recognizing that the body dies but the essence is eternal, mirroring Christ's own experience.
Therese's 'Act of Oblation to Merciful Love' offered herself as a martyr.
A year before her diagnosis, Therese wrote an 'Act of Oblation to Merciful Love,' offering herself as a martyr for God's love. This involved embracing a 'holocaust' of God's love, burning away everything not aligned with divine love.
Seeking sainthood involves recognizing personal helplessness and receiving God's sanctity.
Therese's desire to be a saint, while acknowledging her helplessness (littleness), is met by God being her sanctity. Her sanctity is not self-achieved but is the infinite love of God given to her, becoming the reality of her being in her nothingness.
Inner wisdom and trust in heart's intimations are often revealed in hindsight.
The understanding of events, like Therese's diagnosis, can be illuminated by inner wisdom and trust in the heart's intimations, which may not be fully grasped until years later. This internal wisdom, given through acts like the oblation, means the reaction to blood was not precipitous but rooted in prior spiritual grounding.
Therese endured her illness and dying process with discipline and adherence to communal life.
Therese's final months were marked by extreme pain from tuberculosis, with no painkillers. She continued her monastic duties until physically unable, reflecting a mindset of dying to self for Christ. This discipline included enduring suffering without complaint, even when breathless and in pain.
The 'dark night' of lost divine felt sense is a profound human experience, even for saints.
Therese experienced a profound 'dark night,' where she believed in God but could not feel His presence or consolation. This loss of felt sense, combined with physical suffering, highlights her humanity and vulnerability, mirroring the experience of Jesus on the cross.
Fear of the process of death, not the afterlife, is a natural human experience.
Therese expressed concern about the 'mysterious separation of the soul from the body,' a fear of the process of dying itself rather than what comes after. This fear is presented as a profoundly human experience, which Jesus also underwent.
The soul's union with God can become stronger than its union with the body.
Quoting St. Catherine of Siena, the idea is presented that the soul's union with God can surpass its union with the physical body. This is seen as true for Therese, where her spiritual connection transcended her physical suffering.
Therese's death was marked by peace, ecstasy, and a smile, embodying her life's journey.
Therese's death, after a prolonged period of suffering, was characterized by a moment of ecstasy where she declared 'Oh, I love him' and 'My God, I love you.' Her face regained its healthy appearance, and she died with a smile, appearing beautiful, signifying a perfect culmination of her life's embrace of divine love.
The presence of divine love during death can be sensed by others, offering heavenly comfort.
The experience of someone not evading death, but embracing it with faith, can create a heavenly presence palpable to those around them. Therese's final moments, and similar experiences of others, offer profound confidence and a glimpse of deathless presence.
Abandonment to divine providence means trusting God's presence even in powerlessness.
Even when efforts to alleviate suffering are insufficient, one can trust in the infinite presence of Jesus woven into that powerlessness. God, as Lord of life and death, is the light of resurrection shining within death itself.
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