30 Days with Saint Thérèse
ISBN 9781935302674
eISBN 9781618900692
ASIN B009ZNHJFC
I stumbled across another volume in this series, 30 Days with Saint Paul, while doing research for a volume from the Great Spiritual Teachers series from Ave Maria Press. I enjoyed that volume on Saint Paul so much that I picked up both other volumes from Craughwell. I greatly enjoyed this volume, and the 2 companion books, and am looking forward to exploring other Catholic works from the pen of Thomas. Back to the volume at hand:
The description of this volume states:
“Saint Therese of Lisieux saint, mystic, Doctor of the Church is one of the most venerated saints of the Church. Her simple, yet remarkably profound "Little Way" is a wonderful devotion for all Christians. Now, take the wisdom and holiness of Saint Therese wherever you go.
In "30 Days with Saint Therese", Thomas J. Craughwell packs the wisdom of Saint Therese and the scriptures into a 30-day devotional. Supplemented by meditations and prayers for each day, "30 Days with Saint Therese" is the perfect way to begin following her "Little Way".”
The chapters in this volume are:
Biography of St. Thérèse
Day 1: The Little Way
Day 2: The Beloved’s Garden
Day 3: God Knows Your Weakness
Day 4: The Power of Prayer
Day 5: A Pure Soul
Day 6: Trust the Little Way
Day 7: The Love of Sinners
Day 8: Cultivate Your Soul
Day 9: Humbly Submit to Christ
Day 10: A Spiritual Bouquet
Day 11: A Tabernacle for Jesus
Day 12: The Mission of the Angels
Day 13: The Way of Love
Day 14: The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Day 15: Harken to the Voice of God
Day 16: Different Gifts
Day 17: Christ Loves the Weak
Day 18: You Shall Be Lifted Up
Day 19: Take Up Your Cross
Day 20: The Beauty of Ordinary Things
Day 21: Food Ever New
Day 22: The Victim of Love
Day 23: The Master’s Will
Day 24: Unhappy Souls
Day 25: Love Is Patient
Day 26: Pray As a Child
Day 27: The Wisdom of Solomon
Day 28: The Gift of Peace
Day 29: A Very Little Soul
Day 30: Love God with All Your Heart
About the Author
A sample day is:
“Day 13: The Way of Love
How sweet the way of Love, Mother! One can fall, I know; there may be infidelities, yet Love knows how to turn all things to profit, quickly consuming everything which might displease Jesus, and leaving at the bottom of one’s heart nothing but deep and humble peace.
Story of a Soul, Ch. 8
O taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him! O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want!
Psalm 34:8–9
Today’s Meditation
In heaven as on earth, there is nothing that love cannot cure. If you love God, you will never fall too far away from him. If you love God, no matter how serious your sins, you will always repent and return to him. Remember, even the saints were not perfectly faithful to God, and he does not expect perfection from us. As long as you love him, he will return that love a thousand-fold.
Prayer
O God, I am weak and at times I fail in my fidelity to you. Yet it is my heartfelt prayer that you will increase my love for you so that at the end of my life I will not be separated for all eternity from your love. Fill my heart with love for you, and each day draw me a little closer to you.
St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, pray for me!”
I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume. Some of them are:
“Devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux—popularly known as the Little Flower—is one of the religious phenomenon of the 20th century. Here was a young woman, scarcely known outside her circle of family and relatives, who died at age twenty-four in a Carmelite cloister, in an obscure French town; yet within a year or two of her death, her fame had spread around the Catholic world.”
“It was Thérèse’s spiritual autobiography, The Story of a Soul, that brought her into the spotlight. At the heart of this brief memoir was a method Thérèse called “the Little Way:” instead of striving for holiness through great acts of charity or penance, or even hoping for the grace of martyrdom, Thérèse urged her readers to perform every task during the day and bear every petty annoyance for no other purpose than the love of God.”
“The simplicity and sweetness of Thérèse’s book found a wide audience, but scholars of the great Catholic mystics observed that beneath the sentimental style of the book, Thérèse’s ideas were rooted in the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and Thomas á Kempis’ Imitation of Christ.”
“Have no fear of following St. Thérèse’s Little Way. The Church has endorsed it, particularly Blessed Pope John Paul II. In 1997, when he proclaimed St. Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church, he said that in her Little Way “we can discern an enlightened witness of faith which, while accepting with trusting love God’s merciful condescension and salvation in Christ, reveals the mystery and holiness of the Church.””
“Highlight(blue) - Page 29 · Location 254
Intercede for me, St. Thérèse, so that I can be more like you: content to be modest, not looking for praise and attention, delighting in offering to God the countless little things that make up my day. St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, pray for me!”
“There is no telling where inspiration will come from. You may expect to find it in the Bible, or the writings of the saints and mystics—and you will find it there. But many times it will come from a friend or acquaintance, who, unbeknownst to himself, has brought you a message from God.”
“Open my heart and my ears, O Lord, so that I will always be ready to hear your voice. Let me follow it along the narrow path that leads to eternal life. Let nothing distract me from the great goal of my life—at last seeing you face to face. St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, pray for me!”
“Every time you receive Holy Communion worthily, you become a living tabernacle for Jesus. Pray and make sacrifices so that you will always be prepared to welcome Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament into your heart.”
“In heaven the angels praise God without ceasing, and on earth they protect God’s people constantly. The Bible and the history of the Church tells of the many times when angels have intervened on our behalf—sometimes in very dramatic ways.”
“St. Thérèse is correct: Christ’s justice is tempered by his mercy and his love for us. But do not assume that you can live a godless life and gain eternal salvation in the end. You must strive to be holy, you must repent for all your sins and failings, and try, with God’s grace, to do better. Only then will you experience the mercy of Jesus.”
“Look at the crucifix: God the Father did not spare His only Son from suffering, pain, and death. How then can any of us complain of the troubles that come our way? When sorrows come, ask God to give you the strength to bear them. Unite your suffering with the Passion of Jesus Christ, and ask for the consolation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows.”
“It is unlikely that you are a mystic who receives heavenly visions, or a miracle worker with a healing touch, or a profound theologian who explores the mysteries of God, or a future martyr with undaunted courage. In other words, you are most likely like almost everyone else: one of the ordinary children of God. That is why St. Thérèse’s little way is ideal for you.”
“Give me the strength to bear what I must bear, good Lord. Increase my confidence that you will never desert me. And if there is anything I can do to alleviate my distress, clear my mind so that I can see it and act swiftly. In this, as in all things, Jesus, I trust in you. St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, pray for me!”
“My Lord and my God! You are my benefactor, my defender, my consolation, my savior. Come and dwell in my heart, let me have you always foremost in my mind so that all my thoughts and actions may be pleasing to you. St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, pray for me!”
“God is pleased by even the smallest sacrifice you make in his name. As you make sacrifice after sacrifice, imperceptibly you will be growing in holiness. And the holier you become, the less this world, with all its troubles, has a hold on you.”
I hope that sample day and the few quotes give you a feel for this excellent work. I was really blessed to have worked through this book. From the about the author section:
“For the last 30 years, Thomas Craughwell has been an independent scholar of the saints, digging through the autobiographies and letters of the saints, as well the writings of their contemporaries, to get past the sentimentality that tends to surround saints and find the living, breathing, struggling, real-life men and women.”
This was another excellent volume. I have read a number of volumes about Saint Therese and with each my devotion grows. Spending 30 days with her through this book was a wonderful experience. This was a great volume to read, and I could see myself returning to it and doing it again in the future.
I really enjoyed this volume. And to be honest am disappointed there are only three in the series from the pen of Thomas J. Craughwell. It was wonderful to work through on my own, but could also be used for a small group of the family. I enjoyed it and both the other titles in this style from Craughwell’s pen. I can easily recommend this volume! It is certain to challenge and inspire. A great read for any Catholic.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
CTS Books and Booklets on the life and spirituality of St Thérèse:
Thérèse of Lisieux - On the visit of her relics to Great Britain (Do 810)
Louis and Zélie Martin, Parents of Thérèse of Lisieux, by Paulinus Redmond (B 709)
The Prayer of St Thérèse of Lisieux by Vernon Johnson (CL23)
...
Other books by or about Lisieux:
...
Books by Thomas J. Craughwell:
50 States
5,000 Years of Royalty: Kings, Queens, Princes, Emperors & Tsars
101 Places to Pray Before You Die: A Roamin' Catholic's Guide
30,000 Years of Inventions
Alligators In the Sewer and 222 Other Urban Legends
America's Great (and Not So Great) Catholic Moments
Baby On the Car Roof and 222 Other Urban Legends
Bad Kids of the Bible: And What They Can Teach Us
Busted: Mugshots and Arrest Records of the Famous and Infamous
Catholic Cardlinks
Cowparade Kansas City
CowParade New York
CowParade Stamford
Do Blue Bedsheets Bring Babies?: The Truth Behind Old Wives' Tales
Failures of the Presidents: from the Whiskey Rebellion and War of 1812 to the Bay of Pigs and war in Iraq
Great Books for Every Book Lover: 2002 Great Reading Suggestions for the Discriminating Bibliophile
Great rescues of World War II : stories of adventure, daring and sacrifice
Heaven Help Us: Saints That Will Change Your Life
Heaven Help Us: 300 Patron Saints to Call Upon for Every Occasion
How Smart Are You Testing Your IQ
How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World
How the Irish Brigade Cleared the Way to Victory in the Greatest Brigade American Civil War
Lent and Easter With Mary
Patron Saints: Saints for Every Member of Your Family, Every Profession, Every Ailment, Every Emergency, and Even Every Amusement
Pope Francis
Popes Who Resigned: Benedict Xvi and 13 Other Popes Who Retired
Presidential Payola: The True Stories of Monetary Scandals in the Oval Office that Robbed Taxpayers to Grease Palms, Stuff Pockets, and Pay for Undue Influence from Teapot Dome to Halliburton
Saints Behaving Badly
Saints for Every Occasion: 101 of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons
Saints Preserved: An Encyclopaedia of Relics
Shakespeare
Stealing Lincoln's Body
St. Peter's Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found. . . and Then Lost and Found Again
The Buck Stops Here: The 28 Toughest Presidential Decisions and How They Changed History
The Cat in the Dryer: And 222 Other Urban Legends
The Odds – What Are the Chances
The Rise and Fall of the Second Largest Empire in History
The War Scientists
The Wisdom Of the Popes
This Saint Will Change Your Life
This Saint's for You! 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life
Thomas Jefferson's Creme Brulee
Who are you? Test Your Emotional Intelligence
…
