The Little Way
The Gospel of Mark 6:7-13 brings attention to how Jesus instructed the twelve disciples to prepare for their mission of preaching repentance and the Kingdom of God: Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts (Mark 6:8). This implies that for this mission, they should not even bring any provision for their material needs.
But who would provide for them? Jesus tells them: “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.” (Mark 6:10) Those who hear and accept the Gospel message will invite the disciples into their homes and provide for them.
What were the results of this mission? In this mission, the twelve disciples drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6:12-13)
Later on, after the Last Supper but before His Passion, Jesus reminded His disciples of this event by asking them: “When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals, were you in need of anything?” “No, nothing,” they replied. (Luke 22:35) Jesus said this to His disciples so that they would remember how God provided for them in the past, when they followed what Jesus told them.
The Church is going through difficult times, but God provides for those who live in faith and trust in God. More than ever, Christians would do well by increasing their trust in God. How can we do that? One way is by applying the “Little Way” of St. Therese in our lives.
Many authors have explained the “Little Way” of St. Therese as doing very small and ordinary things out of love for God. All of that is good and well, but the true essence of the “Little Way” is not so much in doing small things, but for one to become little, stay little, and become smaller and smaller in the eyes of the world. St. Therese believed that this method attracted the grace of Christ to her.
St. Therese said, “I don’t aim at any extraordinary feats or grandiose deeds that everyone would admire. In the banality of my daily life, I seek to please God in little things, to show simple signs of love, to offer myself not to accumulate merits or rise above other people, but to please God as a child seeks to please her Father.” For St. Therese, this is what Jesus meant when He said to His disciples: “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)
Every Christian has a different spirituality. Just because your fellow Christian does not have the same spirituality as you do, doesn’t mean that they are inferior Christians compared to you. St. Therese’s spirituality is simplicity and trust in God. As a child, Therese was super sensitive; she was very needy and dependent on others. Whenever she did a small act to help, like watering the flower pots, and no one thanked her, she would cry and make a huge drama out of it. It was during a Midnight Mass after she had received Holy Communion that she received the grace to overcome her hypersensitivity. In her own words, she said: “It was as if God made me understand. That’s it, finished!” Without calling any attention to herself, she quite simply became a changed person.
It is no secret that Therese had always wanted to become a saint even when she was still a child, but she wanted to become a saint not because of ambition or vainglory, but in order to love God as much as He can be loved by her. The “Little Way” of St. Therese cultivates tremendous trust in God, because it also cultivates humility and gratitude in the hearts of those who apply it in their lives.