University of San Jose – Recoletos

2nd Semester S.Y. 2017 – 2018

Christology:
SAINT THERESE
OF THE CHILD
JESUS
Submitted By:

 Mary Antonette Ysorio

 Louis Marie Escuadro
 Sheinna Mae Lagada
 Mary Rose Jalalon

Submitted To:

Ms. Beverly Antonio

 TOPIC:

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus

OBJECTIVES:

 DOCTRINE: To know Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and how to be like her

 MORALS: To do well in becoming and following the vocation of Saint Therese who
ought to preserve "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13), offer our prayers and sacrifices
for the apostles of the Lord and to be their apostles while by word and example they
preach the Gospel to our brethren.

 WORSHIP: To pray to Saint Therese asking her for her guidance and protection

PRELIMINARIES: The catechists will prepare the following:

 Visual Aids
 Snacks and Prizes
 Video Camera

FLOW OF THE PROGRAM:

I. Opening Prayer
II. Introduction of Project and its Purposes
III. Introducing the Catechist and Catechumens
IV. Discussing the Topic
V. Short Sharing of the Respondents and Catechumens
VI. Explaining the topic
VII. Answer and Question
VIII. Closing Prayer

THE OBJECTIVE: 1.) provide knowledge who Saint Therese really is and her way to
sainthood 2.) share to the kids on how to be like Saint Therese 3.) make them realize how
important it is to follow God 4.) to make them realize that we can be like Saint Therese and set
her as an example.

LESSON PROPER:

To discuss who Saint Therese of the Child Jesus is and why she became a saint and also
to dig deeper why she is also called “the Little Flower of Jesus”. We also want the pupils to
follow Saint Therese in doing ordinary things in extraordinary way.
TOPIC:

Our topic is all about Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September
1897), more popularly known as "the Little Flower of Jesus" or the Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
(French: Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux), born , also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and
the Holy Face, O.C.D., who was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun or belonging to one
of several strict orders of Catholic friars or nuns who go barefoot or wear only sandals. One of
the many words of Saint Therese is “Miss no single opportunity of making some small
sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and
doing it all for love.” St. Thérèse is the patroness of all foreign missions and patroness of
France. Her father, Louis, was a watchmaker, and her mother, Zelie, who died of breast cancer
when Thérèse was four, was a lace maker. She was brought up in a model Christian home. While
still a child she felt the attraction of the cloister, and at fifteen obtained permission to enter the
Carmel of Lisieux. For the next nine years she lived a very ordinary religious life. There are no
miracles, exploits or austerities recorded of her. She attained a very high degree of holiness by
carrying out her ordinary daily duties with perfect fidelity, having a childlike confidence in God's
providence and merciful love and being ready to be at the service of others at all times. She also
had a great love of the Church and a zeal for the conversion of souls. She prayed especially for
priests. She died of consumption on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24, and was canonized in
1925. She has never ceased to fulfill her promise: "I will pass my heaven in doing good on
earth." Her interior life is known through her autobiography called Story of a Soul. Pope John
Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church in 1997. In more recent times, St. Therese of Lisieux
shows us the courageous way of abandonment into the hands of God to whom she entrusts her
littleness. And yet it is not that she has no experience of the feeling of God's absence, a feeling
which our century is harshly experiencing: "Sometimes it seems that the little bird (to which she
compared herself) cannot believe that anything else exists except the clouds that envelop it. This
is the moment of perfect joy for the poor, weak little thing. What happiness for it to remain there
nevertheless, and to gaze at the invisible light that hides from its faith." In her autobiography, she
beautifully explains this spirituality: Jesus set before me the book of nature. I understand how all
the flowers God has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the
lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I
understand that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and
the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. So it is in the world of souls,
Jesus' garden. He has created smaller ones and those must be content to be daisies or violets
destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in
doing His will, in being what He wills us to be. Therese had a great devotion to the Infant Jesus,
and her spirituality was a childlike simplicity and trust in God's love. St. Therese is the originator
of "The Little Way", which is the way of those who are not rich and famous, and who want to
serve God their loving Father through their littleness and simplicity and love. In other words, St.
Therese knew that she was not capable of great sacrifices, or of performing great and mighty
works. Rather, she chose to remain as a child in the eyes of God, performing all of her duties
with love and obedience, no matter how small and insignificant they were.

QUESTION:

Who is Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and why is she called “the Little Flower of Jesus?

St. Therese loved nature, and often used the imagery of nature to explain how the Divine
Presence is everywhere, and how everything is connected in God's loving care and arms. Therese
saw herself as "the Little Flower of Jesus" because she was just like the simple wild flowers in
forests and fields, unnoticed by the greater population, yet growing and giving glory to God.
Therese did not see herself as a brilliant rose or an elegant lily, by simply as a small wildflower.
This is how she understood herself before the Lord - simple and hidden, but blooming where
God had planted her. Therese believed passionately that Jesus was delighted in his "Little
Flower," and just as a child can be fascinated by the grandeur of a simple flower, she believed
that Jesus was fascinated by her as his "Little Flower." Therese understood that she was just like
the tiny flower in the forest, surviving and flourishing through all the seasons of the year.
Because of God's grace, she knew that she was stronger than she looked. Following the
Carmelite tradition, Therese saw the world as God's garden, and each person being a different
kind of flower, enhancing the variety and beauty which Jesus delighted in. When various people
tried to explain her powerful inspiration and her place within the Church, it always seemed to
come back to one title "the Little Flower."

WORD OF GOD:

Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs
the kingdom of heaven."

CONCLUSION:

Children as especially sweet, innocent, and even wise and they know almost nothing
about life. They function mostly on emotion rather than reason. Yet Jesus said, “The kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Scripture often compares believers to
children (e.g., Luke 10:21; Galatians 4:19; 1 John 4:4). In fact, Jesus told those following Him,
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3–4; cf. Mark 10:15). Jesus’ command to “let the little
children come to me” reveals several truths: 1) Children need to be blessed by the Lord. 2) The
Lord wants to bless children. 3) Parents should be encouraged to bring their children to Jesus at
an early age and teach them His ways. 4) Jesus has regard for the weakest and most vulnerable
among us. 5) No matter how compassionate Jesus’ followers are, Jesus Himself is more
compassionate still. 6) Those who come to Christ must do so in childlike humility, faith, and
simplicity. Like children who implicitly trust their parents, believers trust God. Faith is not about
knowing everything or doing everything right. It is about knowing that, no matter what happens,
our Father will take care of us. That trust in Him, even when life is terrifying and sad and makes
no sense, is what makes a believer like a child. “All those the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). God loves His children.

Archimedes said: "Give me a lever and a fulcrum, and I will raise the world." What he was
unable to obtain because his request had but a material end and was not addressed to God, the
Saints have obtained in full measure. For fulcrum, the Almighty has given them Himself,
Himself alone! for lever, prayer, which enkindles the fire of love; and thus it is that they have
uplifted the world, thus it is that saints still militant uplift it, and will uplift it till the end of time.

Story of A Soul, Chapter XI

PRAYER:

Miraculous Invocation to St. Therese

O Glorious St. Therese,

whom Almighty God has raised up to aid
and inspire the human family,
I implore your Miraculous Intercession.

You are so powerful in obtaining every need

of body and spirit from the Heart of God.
Holy Mother Church proclaims you "Prodigy of Miracles...
the greatest saint of Modern Times."

Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition

(mention in silence here)
and to carry out your promises of
spending heaven doing good on earth...
of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses.

Little Flower, give me your childlike faith,

to see the Face of God
in the people and experiences of my life,
and to love God with full confidence.

St. Therese, my Carmelite Sister,

I will fulfill your plea "to be made known everywhere"
and I will continue to lead others to Jesus through you.

Amen.