Ever Ancient, Ever New: A series on Saints with a special devotion to the Eucharist

Ever Ancient, Ever New
A series on Saints with a special devotion to the Eucharist

St. Thérèse of Lisieux


Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face or The Little Flower, was often called by Pope Pius X (1903-1914) “the greatest saint of modern times.” Her feast day is celebrated on Oct. 1.

She was a French Discalced Carmelite nun, the youngest of nine children of Louis and Zélie Martin, canonized as a couple by Pope Francis in 2015. Thérèse entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux at the age 15, and died at age 24 from tuberculosis. 

After Thérèse’s death, her spirituality was described by her sister Pauline, also a Carmelite in the same convent, as “the little way of spiritual childhood,” characterized by humility and littleness of a child before God the father. With childlike trust and confidence, Thérèse used to entrust herself unconditionally into Jesus’ hands. This spiritual approach and attitude were prevailing in her daily prayers and activities, including her profound devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Eucharistic adoration. 

Her extraordinary love for the Eucharistic Jesus was present during her early childhood and manifested in a special way during Corpus Christi processions, where she documented in her autobiography, “The Story of the Soul,” “How I loved the feasts! ... I especially loved the processions in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. What a joy it was for me to throw flowers beneath the feet of God! ... I was never so happy as when I saw my roses touch the sacred Monstrance ...”

Taking this childhood memory to her daily duties as an adult nun, she used to explain her spiritual pathway, “How shall I show my love is proved by deeds? Well – the little child will strew flowers … she will embalm the divine throne with their fragrance, will sing with a silvery voice the canticle of love.”

In her poem “Canticle of a soul having found the place of its rest,” remembering her Holy Communion, she expressed, “O Jesus! on this day, you have fulfilled all my desires. From now on, near the Eucharist, I shall be able to sacrifice myself in silence, to wait for Heaven in peace. Keeping myself open to the rays of the divine host; In this furnace of love, I shall be consumed; And like a seraphim, Lord, I shall love you.”

Saint Thérèse kept her eyes constantly fixed on Jesus, encouraging others to contemplate the great gift of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, as she emphasized, “Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacles expressly for you, for you alone? He burns with desire to come into your heart.”

Recognizing the greatness of God’s love, she realized the need to create a welcoming place for the Lord in her heart when he comes in the Holy Eucharist, “It is not to remain in a golden ciborium that he comes down each day from heaven, but to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which he takes delight.” 

During Thérèse’s lifetime, weekly or daily reception of the Eucharist was not common and required permission from a spiritual director or a priest. She received permission to receive Holy Communion on all the principal feasts. Appreciating the great privilege of the miracle of love in the Holy Eucharist, she wrote, “Receive Communion often, very often ... there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing.”

Saint Thérèse also had a deep devotion to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In her writings, she described the Eucharistic adoration as Heaven on earth, “Heaven for me is hidden in a little host where Jesus, my spouse, is veiled for love. I go to that divine furnace to draw out life, and there my sweet savior listens to me night and day.”

Thérèse of Lisieux was beatified in 1923 (only 26 years after her death), canonized by Pius XI in 1925 and declared a doctor of the universal Church by Saint John Paul II in 1997. 

A prayer of Saint Thérèse states, “I want to shine like a little candle before his altar.”

Information compiled from the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association and the Society of the Little Flower.

Jad Ziolkowska is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.