THE LITTLE WAY: FINDING THE ESSENTIAL WITH ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS
I recently finished reading St. Thérèse’s book The Story of a Soul for the second time, and I was once again struck by the very simple yet inspiring writing of this young woman. She doesn’t write like a learned theologian. She writes about her childhood, her family, her struggles, her life as a Carmelite nun, and the small events of everyday life. And yet, beneath this simplicity lies a remarkable depth.
Thérèse Martin was born in 1873 in Alençon, France, into a loving Catholic family. She was the youngest of nine children, although only five daughters survived infancy. Her parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, created a home filled with faith, tenderness, hard work and prayer. When Thérèse was only four, she lost her mother. Later, several of her sisters entered religious life, and at just fifteen, Thérèse herself entered the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux. She would spend the rest of her short life there, dying of tuberculosis in 1897, at the age of twenty-four.
At first glance, there is nothing spectacular about such a life. She never travelled the world or accomplished great works. Her life was hidden behind the walls of a convent. Yet, from that hidden life came one of the most beautiful and influential spiritual teachings of modern times: her Little Way.
We can spend much time debating complex theological questions, but Thérèse gently points us in another direction. She understood something we can easily lose sight of, the fact that the heart of the Christian message is to love God and those around us. She knew she was small and incapable of great deeds, but she did the little things with love. She placed herself in God’s hands, trusting he could do great things through the small acts when they are offered with love.
There’s nothing shallow about this simplicity. The older I get, the more I appreciate that wisdom is often less about accumulating answers than about discovering what truly matters.
Thérèse’s “Little Way” is not an escape from life’s difficulties. It’s a way of meeting them: being patient with someone who irritates us, offering a kind word when silence would be easier, accepting our limitations without despair, and doing ordinary work with care.
Maybe that’s why Thérèse speaks so powerfully amid today’s noise, the hurried pace, information overload, and complex arguments. Jesus’ simple invitation to love is easily lost beneath it all.
Thérèse clears away the clutter and brings us back to the essential. Her “Little Way” is simple enough for a child to understand, yet deep enough to fill a lifetime. It asks only that we start where we are, love the person in front of us, offer God the little things in our daily lives, and trust him with our littleness: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers…”.
Perhaps holiness begins there: with one small act of love, offered simply, quietly and wholeheartedly.
Eugene Aucoin is a retired human resources director and university professor. He spoke around the world about nurturing human potential, but his passion is sharing his love for the teachings of Jesus. His first book won Asia’s best book of the year in theology in 2020. The updated version, Science and God – From the Cosmos to the Heart, won the International Page Turner Award for 2026, Christian category. His other book with Novalis is The Beatitudes: Eight Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness. Eugene also gives seminars on these topics.
