HUMILITY
Table of Contents IT appears to me that humility is the truth. I know not whether I am humble, but I know that I see the truth in all things.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
I HAVE understood what true glory is. He whose Kingdom is not of this world [1] showed me that the only enviable royalty consists in loving to be unknown and esteemed as nothing, [2] and finding our joy in contempt of self. I wished that like the Face of Jesus, mine might be as it were hidden and despised. [3] That none upon earth might esteem me. I thirsted to suffer and to be forgotten.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VII
JJESUS made me understand that the true, the only glory is that which will last for ever; that to attain to it we need not perform wonderful deeds, but rather, those hidden from the eyes of others and from self, so that the left hand knoweth not what the right hand doth. [4]
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IV
THÉRÈSE is weak, very weak; of this she has new and salutary experience every day. But Jesus takes pleasure in teaching her how to glory in her infirmities. [5] It is a great grace this, for herein is found peace and tranquillity. When we see ourselves so miserable, we wish no longer to look at self but only on the Well-Beloved.
II LETTER TO HER COUSIN MARIE GUÉRIN
I AM a very little soul who can offer only very little things to the good God; yet, it often happens that these little sacrifices which give such peace to the heart escape me; but that does not discourage me, I bear with having a little less peace and I try to be more watchful another time.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X
VEILED in the white Host, O my Well-Beloved, how meek and humble of heart dost Thou show Thyself to me! Thou couldst not stoop lower to teach me humility, and I, to respond to Thy Love, desire to put myself in the lowest place and share Thy humiliations, that I may have part with Thee [6] in the Kingdom of Heaven.
I beseech Thee, my Jesus, to send me some humiliation every time that I shall attempt to put myself above others.
HIST. D'UNE AME, APPENDIX
WHAT pleases the good God in my little soul is to see me love my littleness and my poverty, it is seeing the blind trust that I have in His Mercy.
VI LETTER TO SR. MARIE DU SACRÉ-COUR
TO draw near to Jesus we must be so little . . . Oh! how few souls aspire to be little and unknown. . .
XIV LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
I AM no longer surprised at anything, nor do I grieve at seeing that I am frailty itself; on the contrary I glory in it, and expect to discover new imperfections in myself each day. These lights concerning my nothingness do me more good, I affirm, than lights regarding faith.
HIST D'UNE AME, CH. IX
WHEN we commit a fault we must not think it due to a physical cause, such as illness or the weather, we must attribute this fall to our imperfection, but without ever growing discouraged.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
SINCE Jesus has gone back to Heaven I can follow Him only by the path He has traced. Oh how luminous are His footprints-diffusing a divine sweetness . . . I have but to glance at the holy Gospels and immediately I inhale the fragrance of the life of Jesus, and I know which side to take. Not to the first place do I run but to the last. I let the Pharisee go up, and full of confidence I repeat the humble prayer of the publican. Above all I copy the example of Magdalene; her amazing, or rather, her loving audacity, which so touched the Heart of Jesus, charms my own.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
WITH a simplicity that delights me my little Sisters, the novices, tell me of the interior combats I arouse in them, in what way they find me trying; they are no more embarrassed than if it were question of some one else, knowing that by acting thus, they greatly please me.
Ah! truly it is more than a pleasure, it is a delicious feast which replenishes my soul with joy. How can a thing so disagreeable to nature give such happiness? Had I not experienced it I could not have believed it.
One day when I had an ardent desire for humiliation, it happened that a young postulant so fully satisfied it, that the thought of Semei cursing David came to my mind and I repeated interiorly with the holy King: Yes, it is indeed the Lord who has commanded him to say all these things to me. [7]
Thus the good God takes care of me. He cannot always offer me the strength- giving bread of exterior humiliation, but from time to time He permits me to feast upon the crumbs that fall from the table of the children. [8] How great is His Mercy!
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X
ALL creatures might incline towards the little flower, admiring it and overwhelming it with their praise, but never would that add a shadow of vain satisfaction to the true joy of knowing itself to be a mere nothing in the sight of God.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
BECAUSE I was little and weak, Jesus stooped down to me and tenderly instructed me in the secrets of His Love.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. V
I AM too little to have any vanity, I am also too little to know how to turn beautiful phrases so as to make it appear that I have a great deal of humility. I prefer to acknowledge simply that He that is mighty hath done great things to me; [9] and the greatest is His having shown me my littleness, my powerlessness for all good.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX
THE only thing not subject to be envied is the lowest place, it is therefore this lowest place alone which is without vanity and affliction of spirit. Still, the way of a man is not always in his power [10] and sometimes we are surprised by a desire for that which glitters. Then, let us take our place humbly amongst the imperfect, deeming ourselves little souls whom the good God must sustain at each moment. As soon as He sees us truly convinced of our nothingness and we say to Him: My foot hath slipped: Thy mercy, O Lord, hath held me up, [11] He stretches out His Hand to us; but if we will attempt to do something grand, even under pretext of zeal, He leaves us alone. It is enough therefore that we humble ourselves, and bear our imperfections with sweetness: there, for us, lies true sanctity.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
THE most eloquent discourses would be incapable of inspiring one act of love without the grace that moves the heart.
See a beautiful, rose-tinted peach, of so sweet a savour that no craft of confectioner could produce nectar like it. Is it for the peach itself that God has created this lovely colour and delicate velvety surface? Is it for the sake of the peach that He has given it so delicious a flavour? No, it is for us; what alone belongs to it and forms the essence of its existence is its stone; it possesses nothing more.
Thus is Jesus pleased to lavish His gifts on some of His creatures, that through them He may draw to Himself other souls; but in His mercy He humiliates them interiorly, and gently constrains them to recognize their nothingness and His Omnipotence. These sentiments form in them, as it were, a kernel of grace, which Jesus hastens to develop for that blessed day when clothed with a beauty, immortal, imperishable, they shall without danger have place at the Celestial banquet.
XVI LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
THE Apostles, without Jesus, laboured long-a whole night-without taking any fish; their toil was pleasing to Him but He wished to show that He alone can give anything. He asked only an act of humility: "Children, have you any meat?" [12] and St. Peter confesses his helplessness: "Lord we have laboured all night and have taken nothing." [13] It is enough! The Heart of Jesus is touched . . . . Perhaps if the Apostle had taken a few little fishes the Divine Master would not have worked a miracle; but he had nothing, and so through God's power and goodness his nets were soon filled with great fishes.
That is just our Lord's way. He gives as God, but He will have humility of heart.
XVII LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE
TO think ourselves imperfect, and others perfect-that is happiness. That creatures should recognize we are without virtue takes nothing from us, makes us no poorer; it is they who by this lose interior joy; for there is nothing sweeter than to think well of our neighbour.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
IT is a great joy to me, not only when others find me imperfect, but above all when I feel that so I am: compliments, on the contrary, cause me nothing but displeasure.
COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES
A NOVICE confided to her that she made no progress and felt quite discouraged.
"Till the age of fourteen," said Therese, "I practised virtue without feeling its sweetness. I wished for suffering but had no thought of finding my joy therein; that is a grace which has been granted me later. My soul was like a beautiful tree whose blossoms no sooner opened than they fell.
"Offer to...
