The Little Way

Upon the deepening of my convictions in the Catholic faith, reading about the Saints has greatly encouraged me along my faith journey. One such Saint is Therese of Lisieux. Her efforts in prayer led her to the philosophy of "the little way"--the idea that holiness is not determined by heroic acts or great deeds. She writes,

You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love at which we do them.

I have learned much about myself over the years. I often find that my main fault is that I am always looking to the future for happiness and holiness. I remember when I was in community college I worried about where I was going after that. Then after deciding to go to Western Washington University- I worried about deciding on a major. And keep in mind through all of this, I would always worry about my vocation (as I am sure many do). I prayed for all of these worries… but my focus was always on what I should do in the future. Near the end of my college life, I met my boyfriend whom I love dearly. We have been together for almost 2 years now and I truly feel God calling me to the married life, but now this call has just led me to more worries. As I see that marriage is not in my immediate future, I sit here now and worry about what God has planned for me and what I should do when my lease ends in September...

I could go on and on about all of my worries, but that only feeds in to this mindset that I am trying to battle. St. Therese’s “little way” is my weapon in this battle. I find such consolation in the fact that holiness is a daily activity, it is not a thing of the future but of the here and now. It is my desire to embody this sentiment more: I desire to give each moment to Our Lord, trusting that He will take care of me. I do not need to worry.

For my blog, I have chosen the URL wolffia because this is a plant that produces one of the smallest flowers in existence. This is to remind me that I do not need to produce something great for Our Lord to be pleased with me, I just need to do what He wills me. St. Therese once said this prayer:

Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be- and becoming that person.

I leave you today with words from Christ himself (Think he was speaking directly to me?)

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Luke 12: 22-34