St. Therese, Disciple of the Imitation

[Joysong]

Someone recently posted a thread about the treasures they were finding in reading the Imitation of Christ, and shared an excerpt with us from the book. I tried unsuccessfully to find it with the search function, so I will just comment in a new thread here.

The dear friend whom I refer to above had perked my interest in one of my favorite books of spirituality, and I have to say, it was collecting dust for a few years as I studied other works. So I began reading it again, and came upon a remarkable discovery! St. Therese’s “little way” and doctrine was all over the book!

In many of the chapters, as I read, I could see, “Oh my gosh! Therese!” I suppose it is little wonder, for she had the book memorized so well that her family used to test her to see if she could quote the writings.

Many of us, including me, might have believed, since she studied St. John of the Cross in her later years, that he was her mentor. I am convinced that she became a saint by reading the Imitation, and echoed Kempis’s doctrine in her very life. What a hidden journey I found into the heart of St. Therese!

Maybe some of you who love this little book might want to share similarities that you noticed as well.

 

[springbreeze]

Dear Carole

I haven’t read the Imitation of Christ but I am looking forward to reading what you and other people have to say about this in your thread.

The only thing I can say is that we are all to be disciples of imitation if we are to be disciples of Christ. Having said that there is within Christ all humanity and every personality redeemed in His humanity and therefore we each are drawn to imitation of some aspect of Christ’s humanity, we can see this through the very differing but hugely numbered Communion of Saints, each different, but each fully imitating Christ in their own personality which fulfilled their own humanity to the highest sanctity of Sainthood.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[trailblazer]

The Immitation of Christ is an excellent source of inspiration!

 

[Jenlyn]

Carole,

I totally agree with you. Imitations is a book that can be read along with another because it’s meant to be read one short chapter at a time. It’s not a book where you have to start at the beginning. I like to just open it and read. It’s perfect for those busy people.

Peace,
Jen

 

[DBT]

Jenlyn:

I totally agree with you. Imitations is a book that can be read along with another because it’s meant to be read one short chapter at a time. It’s not a book where you have to start at the beginning. I like to just open it and read. It’s perfect for those busy people.

I agree. I like to read a randomly picked chapter from the Imitation while at Adoration. One chapter at a time is often enough . . . it’s good to just let it sink in.

 

[DBT]

Joysong:

Many of us, including me, might have believed, since she studied St. John of the Cross in her later years, that he was her mentor. I am convinced that she became a saint by reading the Imitation, and echoed Kempis’s doctrine in her very life. What a hidden journey I found into the heart of St. Therese!.

Hi Carole !

What a great topic. Yes, I think I remember reading in “A Story of a Soul” that St. Therese said the Imitation of Christ was the only spiritual guide she ever needed . . . at least in her early years before Carmel.

 

[Joysong]

Hi Dave,

I was just reading in the Imitation last night something we discussed on another thread. The chapter was “*Of the Difference Between Nature and Grace.” *The author wrote, “…and humbly keeps secret things that would greatly be marveled at and praised in the world. Grace does not desire that her own good deeds or inward devotion be known to others …”

We felt that she had received gifts of high contemplation from God, but hid them. You commented in so many words, that she could not have achieved the heroic virtue of love without these helps from God.

I was going to P.M. you, for I discovered that this was true after we shared our insights. What I did not realize was that there are two versions of Story of a Soul. The first one that was released was edited by her sister. With so many of the faithful wanting to see the original thought of St. Therese, the unedited version was finally printed, and it was in there that I found clues to her gifts, which was played down in the first version.

The unedited book we received in Carmel was authored by John Clarke, OCD. I had not read this because I was so much at home in my first copy, so I missed it completely! One such experience I noted was on her First Communion day.

"I don’t want to enter into detail here. There are certain things that lose their perfume as soon as they are exposed to air; there are deep spiritual thoughts which cannot be expressed in human language without losing their intimate and heavenly meaning. That day it was no longer simply a look, it was a fusion; they were no longer two.

(speaking of herself) … Her joy was too great, too deep for her to contain, and tears of consolation soon flowed, to the great consternation of her companions. This exiled heart was unable to bear it without shedding tears.

I felt myself flooded with consolations so great that I look upon them as one of the greatest graces of my life."

I cannot find the other reference, and I should have pinched the page, or written to you at that moment. Nevertheless, you and I sensed that God had blessed her, even though she lived the advice of the *Imitation *and only lightly alluded to it.

http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/ani/love.gif Carole

 

[dominicsavio]

St. Therese was a great disciple of both the Imitation and St. John of the Cross. The Imitation nourished her before entering Carmel where she really discovered John. Amazingly, by the time our little Therese was 9 yrs old, she had memorized the entire text of the Imitation. Family members would open up to a certain spot and she could recite it from any where in the book! (That is a little known but true fact of her life, but it would take me a little while to look through all my Therese books to find that quote) After entering Carmel, it was St. John of the Cross who became close friends with her, helping to guide and form her through his spiritual writings. Although there did come a time later, where she pretty much only read Sacred Scriptures noting that other books leave her with headaches/confusion, etc.

 

[Joysong]

Hello, Dominic,

What a blessing you are, for your post gave me the link to the second writing I wanted to quote for Dave, above, but could not locate! However, I knew where she spoke about the Imitation, and the writing I wanted was just below it. It is shortly after the grace of Christmas and the Pranzini conversion.

“I knew almost all the chapters of my beloved Imitation by heart. This little book never parted company with me, for in summer I carried it in my pocket; in winter, in my muff. At Aunt’s they used to amuse themselves by opening the book at random and telling me to recite the chapter before them”.

“All the great truths of religion, the mysteries of eternity, plunged my soul into a state of joy not of this earth. I experienced already what God reserved for those who love Him (not with the eye, but with the heart).”
(Referencing 1 Cor. 2:9, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him”)

I am wondering about your lovely user name, and have the sense that you are much devoted to St. Dominic Savio! What a wonderful young saint!

 

[DBT]

Yes, I do believe St. Therese kept her interior life “hidden” in her writings. The next time I get a chance to read “Story of a Soul” I’ll try to read it like a detective . . . looking for the clues

I have the John Clarke version of her book. I briefly checked the index and noticed 12 seperate references to the “Imitation of Christ.” Carole, the one you quote is the one that I remembered. Just prior to the quote you provided she had this to say:

" I’m going to speak, therefore, only of the food He provided in abundance. I was nourished for a long time on the pure flour contained in the Imitation of Christ, this being the only book which did me any good, for as yet I had not discovered the treasures hidden the Gospels."

Incidently, words like “abundance” are the type of code words I see that point ever so discretly to her interior life.

 

[Joysong]

Hi Dave,

Yes, her word *abundance *reveals an abundant message (pun intended).

I happened to remember another saint, besides St. Therese, who kept a small book on his person and read a chapter every day. It, too, made him a saint. St. Francis de Sales carried and read “Spiritual Combat” by Dom Scupoli. I was lucky to obtain a copy from (somewhere?), for I’m not sure if it is still in print - just to learn what made him holy!

It speaks to all of us that if we remain faithful to daily mental prayer from a good devotional, and put into practice the teachings we learn there, we should become very pleasing to God and experience what “eye has not seen!”

 

[DBT]

Joysong:

Yes, her word *abundance *reveals an abundant message (pun intended).

And what makes even more revealing, at least in my mind, is the emphasis placed on the word “abundance” through the use of italics was hers . . . not mine.

I happened to remember another saint, besides St. Therese, who kept a small book on his person and read a chapter every day. It, too, made him a saint. St. Francis de Sales carried and read “Spiritual Combat” by Dom Scupoli. I was lucky to obtain a copy from (somewhere?), for I’m not sure if it is still in print - just to learn what made him holy!

I’m pretty sure “Spiritual Combat” is still available . . . I think I got my copy from Amazon. I know this book had a great impact on him. I thought I read somewhere that St. Francis de Sales patterned his book “Introduction to the Devout Life” on Dom Scupoli’s work.

 

[Joysong]

Dear Dave,

And what makes even more revealing, at least in my mind, is the emphasis placed on the word “abundance” through the use of italics was hers . . . not mine.

Yes, isn’t that the truth! The same can be said of her quote, “I felt myself flooded with consolations so great that I look upon them as one of the greatest graces of my life.” These were her italics, not mine. Very telling! Aren’t we the detectives, though?

There is a very good notation from the author on page xviii of the Introduction, where he said, "I would like to assure Therese’s readers that I have tried to be absolutely faithful in translating into English what she beautifully expressed in French. After her friends have waited so long to read her in the original manuscripts, it would be a shame, I think, to give them an interpretation of her work rather than an exact rendition.

Consequently, I have retained her exclamation points, even though we seldom use them; I have capitalized words which she capitalized because they had a special significance for her; I have retained throughout the text her habit of direct address to the one to whom she is writing;

… finally, Therese frequently emphasized her thought by either underlining words and sentences or writing them in larger script; this has been duplicated here through the use of italics or capital letters."

So, it was really very important in her eyes to have italicized it.

 

[KatarinaTherese]

Great thread, I was excited to see it! I love St. Therese (she’s going to be my confirmation saint next month), and I’m just starting to read the Imitation, so this is perfect. Some of these quotes posted are my favorite from Story of a Soul (awesome book, I’m almost done with my second time through it)! I’ll have to get back to this discussion later when I get into the Imitation a little more.

 

[DBT]

Hi KatarinaTherese !
You know it never ceases to amaze me how these Carmelite threads prove to be so timely for so many people. It’s good to see you here . . . I look forward to your comments

Carole,
Speaking of being detectives, you said something very interesting in your first post about seeing signs of the Little Way in the Imitation of Christ. I’d love to hear you flesh that out a bit when you get the chance

 

[Joysong]

Happy Sunday, Dave,

Thanks for asking about the similarities. It might be good to take this slow to give folks a chance to share their observations also. Here is one example that came to mind.

Chapter 19 (Imitation)

Of Patient Suffering of Injuries and Wrongs

A truly patient man gives no heed from whom he suffers, whether from his superior or from his equal or from someone below him, or whether he is a good and holy man, or an evil and unworthy man. But whenever any adversity or wrong befalls him, whatever it be, no matter from whom it comes or how often it comes, he takes all faithfully from the hand of God, and accounts it as a rich gift and a great benefit, for he knows that there is nothing a man can suffer for God that goes without great merit.

pg. 244 “Those Whom You Have Given Me”

This good little salad is served up to me by the novices at a times when I least expect it. God lifts the veil which hides my imperfections, and then my dear little Sisters, seeing me just as I am, no longer find me according to their taste. With a simplicity which delights me, they tell me all the struggles I give them, what displeases them in me; finally, they are under no restraint any more than if they were talking about another person, for they know they give me pleasure when acting in this way. Ah! truly, it is more than pleasure, it is a delightful banquet which fills my soul with joy. I cannot explain how a thing which is so displeasing to nature can cause such a great happiness; if I had not experienced it, I could not believe it.

One day when I particularly desired to be humiliated, a novice took it upon herself to satisfy me and she did it so well that I was immediately reminded of Semei cursing David. I said to myself: Yes, it is the Lord who has commanded her to say all these things to me. And my soul enjoyed the bitter food served up to it in such abundance.

Although she speaks here about novices administering the “salad,” she was equally patient in receiving rebukes from her superior.

Pg. 150 “The First Years in Carmel”

God permitted that she was VERY SEVERE without her even being aware of it. I was unable to meet her without having to kiss the floor, and it was the same thing on those rare occasions when she gave me spiritual direction. What an inestimable grace!

 

[Joysong]

Dear Dave,

I began to wonder if I should be posting those chapters from the Imitation which St. Therese lived and ultimately taught, or if you were looking for her doctrine on her Little Way, possibly learned from the Imitation … or both?

Since we had just discussed her inclination to keep her graces hidden, I found another place where the Imitation goes into more detail besides the chapter about *Nature and Grace, *mentioned previously. Book III, Chapter 7 states:

"My Son, it is much more expedient and the sure way for you that you hide the grace of devotion and speak not much of it, nor much regard it … " etc. I thought it was another beautiful testimony to obedience that she gave us even the little clues we found. We read on pg. 189:

How fortunate we are, dear Sister, to understand the intimate secrets of our Spouse. Ah! if you wished to write all you know about these secrets, we would have beautiful pages to read, but I know you prefer to keep “the King’s secrets” (Tobias 12:7) in the bottom of your heart. And yet, you say to me, “it is honorable to publish the works of the Most High.” I find you are very right to maintain silence, and it is **only to please you that I write these lines. **

I thought it was important to clarify this, for some people are genuinely inspired by God to publish His marvelous works, justly so, in order to glorify Him! My hope is to set their minds at rest in case they might think they should follow St. Therese’s way of silence. I suppose it all depends on how the Holy Spirit leads us.

 

[DBT]

Joysong:

It might be good to take this slow to give folks a chance to share their observations also.

Good idea!

I really enjoyed the examples you shared . . . particularily the one on suffering and adversity. I guess it’s one thing to practice virtue when adversity finds you. It’s quite another to seek out adversity and actually *find joy * in it.

Somehow I don’t see myself acting the way Therese did with her novices if my employees decided to “tell me the way it is.” What a wonderful example St. Therese and the Imitation provide for us all.

 

[Joysong]

Somehow I don’t see myself acting the way Therese did with her novices if my employees decided to “tell me the way it is.”

http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Me neither, Dave! That is why I posted this chapter right away, probably because I have spent so much time struggling to learn her lesson, as do most of us. It really goes against nature, for we are quick to defend ourselves in the presence of any real or imagined injuries. There is a lot of psyche out here today telling us “I’m OK, You’re OK” and the like.

The other matter that goes against nature is to keep secret the Lord’s gifts to us, which she did very well! I’ll try to remember a few more things she taught that go against the natural grain. The more I study her, the more amazed I am at the depth of her virtue and fortitude! I really glossed over it the first few times I read her *Story, *as I was unable to detect the magnitude of her sanctity.

Dear Readers,

Please share your feelings with all of us about these insights into her life. The more we come to know her, the better we can praise God for His handiwork, and possibly try to follow her teachings and example.

Do you think it is well to act the way she did with regard to affronts? Is this just for the monastic life? Have any of you tried her way?

 

[Augustine]

Joysong:

Please share your feelings with all of us about these insights into her life. The more we come to know her, the better we can praise God for His handiwork, and possibly try to follow her teachings and example.

St. Terezinha (little Teresa, in Portuguese, to contrast her with St. Teresa), is a joyful find to me.

Yes, it’s too late to envy her upbring, and perhaps untimely to bring up my teenager children as she was. But it’s not too late to practice her Little Way. Too bad she wrote her soul’s story a short while before her death. Had she had more time, she’d be able to expand more on it. But I suspect that God wished that her works remained short, so that we could follow her Way more easily.

I just hope that as she watches us from Heaven she does so with the same tender and warm love of a mother.

St. Terese, pray for us.