Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus is considered the saint of the “Little Way” because she presented holiness as a simple and humble path.
She showed that it was not necessary to do great things or have mystical experiences to love God and be faithful.
Here are three things Saint Thérèse practiced in her daily life that can help you become a saint:
1) Don’t Complain
In her autobiography Story of a Soul, Saint Thérèse says that a sister sat next to her and made an uncomfortable sound with her teeth. She admits it greatly irritated her, but she never complained.
On the contrary, she “suffered” in silence, offering the noise as penance to God and remembering that just as it irritated her, she herself could do things that irritated others.
In another instance, while washing clothes, a sister struck the fabric very hard on the stone, splashing water on Thérèse’s face. Yet she never complained.
2) Strengthen the Will
One of Saint Thérèse’s favorite penances was sitting without leaning back on her chair. She did this precisely with the intention of embracing discomfort and strengthening the mind instead of the flesh.
Physical mortifications are much more common during Lent, but we too can take advantage of small, everyday situations to overcome our flesh and become stronger in resisting sin.
3) Prioritize Others
Once, while at a birthday party at home, Saint Thérèse chose the smallest slice of cake so her sisters could have the larger ones.
This shows that even when she liked something and it was perfectly fine to take it, she gave it up out of love for others. This was a striking trait of her life—her openness to community and her desire to love even when it wasn’t easy.
Even in Carmel, whenever she saw a certain sister, she always smiled and was kind. Many of the nuns thought the two were very close, but only after Thérèse’s death, when they read her diary, did they discover she had actually found it difficult to get along with her. Instead of mistreating her or acting indifferently, she always chose charity.