Celine, left, aged 12, and Therese, aged 8
The spirit of gratitude is a vital element of the way of confidence and love of St. Therese of Lisieux. We can't be surprised that the saint to whom "everything is grace" radiated a spirit of gratitude. In reading Story of a Soul, Therese's letters, poems, prayers, plays, and reported conversations, I have noticed again and again how often she spontaneously overflows with gratitude to God, to the person to whom she is writing, to Mary, to the saints, or to anyone she is remembering who has been good to her.
St. Therese's counsel on the importance of gratitude to God
In the words of her sister Celine, writing of the years when Therese was her novice mistress at Lisieux Carmel:
"It is the spirit of gratitude which draws down upon us the overflow of God's grace," our holy Mistress said to me one day, "for no sooner have we thanked Him for one blessing than He hastens to send us ten addiitonal favors in return. Then, when we show our gratitude for these new gifts, He multiplies His benedictions to such a degree that there seems to be a constant stream of divine grace ever coming our way." She added, "This has been my own personal experience; try it out for yourself and see. For all that Our Lord is constantly giving me, my gratitude is boundless, and I try to prove it to Him in a thousand different ways." . . . .
One day, when I was lamenting the fact that God seemed to have abandoned me completely, Therese energetically admonished me:
"Oh! don't speak like that. You know that at times I, too, become perplexed about circumstances or the turn of events, but I try to keep on smiling; I even turn to Our Lord and say 'Thank You.' We are disloyal to His love whenever we do not trust Him completely. Please! never any 'imprecations' against divine Providence, but only, and always, a spirit of deep and lasting gratitude!"
My Sister Saint Therese, by Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face (Celine Martin). Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books and Publishers, 1997, pp. 97-98.
St. Therese on showing gratitude to those around us
Celine speaks of the tender gratitude Therese felt and expressed to anyone who did her the slightest favor;
Even in her human contacts, Therese was always outstanding for this virtue of gratitude, however trifling the favor might be. There was an added dimension to her spirit of gratitude, however, with regard to those priests who, in Our Lord's place, had, from time to time, solved her spiritual difficulties; to these benefactors she was eternally grateful.
My Sister Saint Therese, p. 97.
Celine's remarks about the gratitude Therese showed to the persons around her are echoed by another novice, Marie of the Trinity, who entered in June 1894, shortly before Celine. Therese was her "angel" (in charge of instructing the newcomer in the community's customs), and Marie reports that Therese had done her quite a few favors for which she was grateful, but for which she had never expressed thanks. Then Therese said to her:
You must get used to letting your gratitude be seen, to saying thank you with an open heart for the least little thing. This is the practice of charity, to act this way; otherwise, it is indifference which, even if it is only exterior, freezes the heart and destroys the cordiality that is necessary in community.
Therese of Lisieux and Marie of the Trinity, by Pierre Descouvement. Staten Island, New York: Society of St. Paul/Alba House, 1997, p. 110.
These two sources are a valuable look at St. Therese through the prism of two important relationships. Both were written by novices who lived under her care from 1894 until her death in 1897: Celine, the sister whom she called "the sweet echo of my soul;" Marie of the Trinity, for whom Therese experienced a deep spiritual affection. The translationof Celine's memoir, My Sister Saint Therese, reflects that it was written in the 1950s, but this little book is rich in details of Celine's relationship with Therese and in conversations not reported elsewhere. Therese of Lisieux and Marie of the Trinity, a more contemporary work, tells much about the relationship between the two young women and also about the life story of this early disciple of Therese and of what happened in the Lisieux Carmel after the death of Therese. Which of her counsels to these two novices can you adapt to suit your own formation in the life of the spirit and in community life?
To cultivate the spirit of gratitude so important to St. Therese, consider these two other resources: the TED talk "Want to be happy? Be grateful," by Brother David Steindl-Rast (a 14:30 video accompanied by a transcript) and his marvelous book, "Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer: A Guide to Life in Fullness." He remarks that "it's not happy people who are grateful, but grateful people who are happy."
I rejoice to think of the gratitude St. Therese has inspired in me and in her countless other friends; every day she is, as St. Paul wrote, "increasing the amount of thanksgiving that God receives."