October 1st, as you probably know is the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux who is probably one of the best known saints in the world.
One of the interesting things about St. Thérèse is that we have a variety of things that she wrote.
Perhaps it is less well-know, but St. Thérèse wrote eight short plays, including a few about St. Joan of Arc and the Holy Family.
And we have many letters that she wrote. A number of these were written when she was in the Carmel. Although her sisters were also nuns at the Carmel, they frequently used letters slipped under one another's doors to communicate because the nuns limited their talking throughout the day. And she also wrote many letters to her sister Celine who cared for their ill father.
Of course, she is best known for her Story of a Soul which she wrote under obedience.
Interestingly, one of the early manuscripts of Story of the Soul was circulated in other Carmel monasteries not long after her death. Because of that, it fell into the hands of a 17-year-old girl named Elizabeth Catez who lived near a Carmelite monastery in Dijon, France.
The words written by St. Thérèse helped confirm young Elizabeth's vocation. After waiting until she was 21, at the request of her mother, she entered the Carmel at Dijon.
The Story of Soul continued to have an impact upon Elizabeth's spiritual life. Today, we know her as St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. You can read more about her story here.
St. Thérèse, pray for us!
For more from St. Thérèse, here are twenty-five inspiring St. Thérèse of Lisieux quotes.
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