| In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese of the Child Jesus a doctor of the Church. She is one of only thirty-three people who bear this title. What was it about her that caused him to declare her a doctor of the Church? St. Therese' spirituality of using simple, daily tasks to show her love for God and others is an important message for everybody in every age. These days especially, we are always tempted to "make something of ourselves" and "be somebody", but Therese shows us that these things are not necessary for a holy life that is pleasing to God. All of the common and tedious things we do, whether it's shopping for our family's material needs or scrubbing toilets, we must do it with love.
To me it's always interesting to read about a saint's parents and family life. Often the parents gave saintly examples themselves, and can help us make decisions to make a Catholic environment for our family as well. This is the case for Therese' parents. Her father, Louis Martin, and her mother, Zélie-Marie Guérin, both tried to enter religious life but were not able to, so her mother vowed that if she married, she would give all her children to the Church. Louis and Zelie had nine children, but only five survived to adulthood. The family had its share of sorrows. In addition to the death of the four children, Zelie died when Therese was only four years old. But the family environment did not focus on the sorrow. On the contrary, it was marked by an identity, a sense of direction, and a way of life. Through their attendance of daily mass, their support for each other in their work, and the way they shared their faith with their children, Louis and Zelie's faith commitment had a profound effect on their daughters.
Therese' parents' work commitments outside the family did not distract them from their main goal of raising their children in ways that showed respect for God and a love for each other. Love of God was taught through prayer, self-discipline, and generous love. Love for each other was taught by the parents' commitment to each other and family life. Family life gave way to a good deal of entertainment, story-telling, games and feast day celebrations.
Three good points to take away from Louis' and Zelie's example are:
1) Family life needs to have a concrete way of expressing faith in Christ and His Church
2) The example of parents needs to be consistent and genuine
3) Loving family relationships require affirmation, challenge, correction and a generous spirit.
St. Therese and Venerable Louis and Zelie, pray for us, that we may have holy families.
God bless,
Daniel
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