| Age | Sources and Pages | Code Number | Quotations | Relevant Key Words, Phrases and Their Code Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | SS 77. |
15-11-1 | Ah! how sweet was that first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love; I felt that I was loved, and I said: “I love You, and I give myself to You forever!” There were no demands made, no struggles, no sacrifices; for a long time now Jesus and poor little Therese looked at and understood each other. That day, it was no longer simply a look, it was a fusion; they were no longer two, Therese had vanished as a drop of water is lost in the immensity of the ocean. Jesus alone remained; He was the Master, the King. Had not Therese asked Him to take away her liberty, for her liberty frightened her? She felt so feeble and fragile that she wanted to be united forever to the divine Strength!… |
8-11-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-11-2 (The Little Way), 17-11-1 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 11 | SS 83 -84. |
15-11-2 |
…Without having drunk the empoisoned cup of a too ardent love of
creatures, I feel I cannot be mistaken. I have seen so many souls,
seduced by this false light, fly like poor moths and burn their
wings, and then return to the real and gentle light of Love that
gives them new wings which are more brilliant and delicate, so that
they can fly towards Jesus, that Divine Fire “which burns without
consuming.” Ah! I feel it! Jesus knew I was too feeble to be exposed
to temptation; perhaps I would have allowed myself to be burned
entirely by the misleading light had I seen it shining in my eyes.
It was not so for me, for I encountered only bitterness where
stronger souls met with joy, and they detached themselves from it
through fidelity.
I have no merit at all, then, in not having given
myself up to the love of creatures. I was preserved from it only
through God's mercy! I know that without Him, I could have fallen as low as St. Mary Magdalene, and the profound words of Our Lord to Simon resound with a great sweetness in my soul. I know that “ he to whom less is forgiven, LOVES less,” (Luke 7:47.) but I also know that Jesus has forgiven me more than St. Mary Magdalene since He forgave me in advance of preventing me from falling. Ah! I wish I could explain what I feel…. |
8-11-2 (Weakness, Frailty), 16-11-2 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-11-3 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-11-2 (Mercy of God, Grace), 45-11-1 (Magdalene) |
| 11 | GCI 186, Feb. 21(?), 1884, LC 22: from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-3 |
I think you are always busily cultivating
the little garden of our heart….
You must, for in a few days the planting of the flowers will begin. Oh, Therese, just think! in hardly three months little Jesus will come to rest in your heart for the very first time! And who is this little Jesus? He is the same, yes, the same one whom the Blessed Virgin held in her arms, whom she wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in the manger, and rocked on her knees! It is this little Child, so beautiful, so ravishing, who today makes up heaven's delights! It is He!… |
2-11-4 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 39-11-3 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 189, Feb. 29, 1844, from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-4 | … the Eucharistic Jesus wants to find heaven in your child's heart. |
39-11-4 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 191, Mar. 1-6, 1884, from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-5 | …little Jesus be so pleased in my heart that He will not think of going back to heaven…. |
39-11-6 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 192, Mar. 6?, 1884, from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-6 | …It is the little Host, the Heart of Jesus that is claiming an entrance into Theresita's heart. |
39-11-7 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 197, Apr. 10 (?), 1884, from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-7 | …He loves her more than the heavens, and the garden in bloom that she's preparing for Him will be more delightful than all heaven's gardens! … |
39-11-10 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 199, May 6, 1884, from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-8 | …When I ask this beautiful Child who He is and why He is present in this white Host, I hear a voice, more melodious than all heaven's concerts, answering me: “I am Theresita's Jesus; I have just left heaven to visit the little flower garden she has been preparing for Me for three months. I have a great desire to walk in it and to take my rest in it. Theresita's heart is about to become my heaven; I prefer her heart to the throne of gold and precious stones destined for me up above I will never leave the pretty lily cradle where I'm going to sleep…. I'll remain there forever…as long as the lilies don't fade…for sin alone can make me leave it, and sin alone can fade the lilies of her heart!”. |
27-11-1 (Sinners, Sin), 39-11-11 (Pauline) |
| 11 | GCI 211, Dec. (?), 1884, from Sr. Agnes of Jesus. |
15-11-9 |
…
the prettiest crib must be in your heart.
Little Jesus loves to come
and rest there, and this not only for a certain time but forever.
A little heart, very innocent, very gentle, filled with good will and
the desire to please Him, oh! what a delightful home, what a pleasant
crib for Him!… Little darling, from now on place all your joy in goodness, in love for Jesus! Later on, you will see from the experience of all things that on earth we cannot be truly happy except with this. |
39-11-13 (Pauline) |
| 16 | GCI 567 -568, May 30, 1889, LT 93: to Marie Guerin. |
15-16-1 |
Should I tell you something that has given me much sorrow?… It is that my little Marie has given up her Communions…on the feast of the Ascension and on the last day of Mary's month!… Oh! what sorrow this has caused Jesus!… The devil has to be very clever to mislead a soul in this way!… But don't you know, my dear, that this is the only goal of his desires? The evil one knows well that he can't make a soul that wants to belong totally to Jesus commit a sin, so he tries to make the soul believe it has. It is already much for him to put disturbance in this soul, but to satisfy his rage something else is needed; He wants to deprive Jesus of a loved tabernacle, and, not being able to enter this sanctuary, he wants, at least, that it remain empty and without any Master!… Alas, what will become of this poor heart?… When the evil has succeeded in drawing the soul away from Holy Communion, he has won everything…. And Jesus weeps!… Oh, my darling, think, then, that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle expressly for you, for you alone; He is burning with the desire to enter your heart…so don't listen to the devil, mock him, and go without any fear to receive Jesus in peace and love!…. …what offends Him and what wounds His Heart is the lack of confidence!… Dear little sister, receive Communion often, very often…. That is the only remedy if you want to be healed, and Jesus hasn't placed this attraction in your soul for nothing. |
4-16-1 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 14-16-11 (The Little Way), 18-16-1 (Holy Communion), 27-16-2 (Sinners, Sins), 50-16-4 (Jesus's Wounds, Pains and Tears) |
| 16 | GCI 577, July 14, 1889, LT 94: to Celine. |
15-16-2 | My soul doesn't leave you … it suffers exile with you!… Oh! how hard it is to live, to remain on this earth of bitterness and anguish…. But, tomorrow … in an hour, we shall be at port, what joy! Ah, what a good it will be to contemplate Jesus face to face all through the whole of eternity! Always, always more love, always more intoxicating joys… a happiness without clouds…. What has Jesus done, then, to detach our souls from all that is created? Ah, He has struck a big below… but it is a blow of love. God is admirable, but He is especially lovable; let us love Him, then … let us love Him enough to suffer for Him all that He wills, even spiritual pains, aridities, anxieties, apparent coldness …. Ah, here is great love, to love Jesus without feeling the sweetness of this love … this is martyrdom…. Well, then, let us die as martyrs. Oh! Celine… sweet echo of my soul, do you understand? … Unknown martyrdom, known to God alone, which the eye of the creature cannot discover, a martyrdom without honor, without triumph…. That is love pushed to the point of heroism.… But, one day, a grateful God will cry out: “Now, my turn. ” Oh, what will we see then?… What is this life which will no more have an end?… God will be the soul of our soul… unfathomable mystery.… The eye of man has not seen the uncreated light, his ear has not heard the incomparable harmonies, and his heart cannot have any idea of what God reserves for those whom He loves. And all this will come soon, yes, soon. |
2-16-28 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-16-3 (Silence, Hidden), 7-16-11 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 8-16-1 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-16-12 (The Little Way), 16-16-12 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-16-13 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 23-16-11 (The Joy of Sufferings), 37-16-10 (Time), 41-16-4 (Unfelt Love) |
| 17 | SS 165. |
15-17-1 | …God showed me clearly, however, without my perceiving it, the way to please Him and to practice the most sublime virtues. I have frequently noticed that Jesus doesn't want me to lay up provisions; He nourishes me at each moment with a totally new food; I find it within me without my knowing how it is there. I believe it is Jesus Himself hidden in the depths of my poor little heart: He is giving me the grace of acting within me, making me think of all He desires me to do at the present moment. |
24-17-1 (Mercy of God, Graces), 37-17-1 (Time) |
| 17 | GCI 684, Sep. 23, 1890, LT 120: to Celine. |
15-17-2 |
…It is Jesus alone who is conducting this affair, it is He, and I
recognized His touch of love…. You know the extent to which I wanted to see our dear Father again this morning; and now I see very clearly that it's God;s will that he not be here. God has permitted this simply to test my love…. Jesus wants me as an orphan. He wants me to be alone with Him alone in order to unite Himself more intimately with me, and He wills to give me in the homeland the very legitimate joys that He has refused me in the exile!… Celine, be consoled, for our Spouse is a spouse of tears and not smiles. Let us give Him our tears in order to console Him, and one day these tears will be changed into smiles of an ineffable sweetness!… |
2-17-12 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 16-17-9 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-17-9 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity) |
| 19 | GCII 761- 762, Oct. 19, 1892, LT 137: to Celine. |
15-19-1 | …And He answered: “The foxes have their lairs, the birds of heaven their nests, but I have no place to rest my head.” (Matthew 8:20.) This is where we must descend in order that we may serve as an abode for Jesus. To be so poor that we do not have a place to rest our head. This is, dear Celine, what Jesus has done in my soul during my retreat…. You understand, there is question here of the interior. Besides, has not the exterior already been reduced to nothing by means of the very sad trial of Caen?… In our dear Father, Jesus has stricken us in the most sensitive exterior part of our heart; now let us allow Him to act, He can complete His work in our souls…. What Jesus desires is that we receive Him into our hearts. No doubt, they are already empty of creatures, but, alas, I feel mine is not entirely empty of myself, and it is for this reason that Jesus tells me to descend…. He, the King of kings, humbled Himself in such a way that His face was hidden, and no one recognized him… and I, too, want to hide my face, I want my Beloved alone to see it, that He be the only one to count my tears…that in my heart at least He may rest His dear head and feel that there He is known and understood!… |
2-19-1 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 3-19-2 (Silence, Hidden), 7-19-1 (Renunciation, Forget Self), 9-19-1 (Poor in Spirit), 11-19-1 (Nothingness), 14-19-2 (The Little Way), |
| 20 | GCII 813, Aug. 13, 1893, LT 147: to Celine. |
15-20-1 | I find that Jesus is very good in allowing my poor letters to do you some good, but, I assure you, I am not making the mistake of thinking I have anything to do with it. “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do those work who build it.” (Psalm 126:1) All the most beautiful discourses of the greatest saints would be incapable of making one single act of love come from a heart that Jesus did not possess. He alone can use His lyre, no one else can make its harmonious notes sound; however, Jesus uses all means, all creatures in order to hide His adorable presence, but He does not hide Himself in such a way that He does not allow Himself to be divined…. |
14-20-6 (The Little Way), |
| 21 | GCII 861- 862, July 7, 1894, LT 165: to Celine. |
15-21-1 | …Frequently, we descend into the fertile valleys, where our heart loves to nourish itself, the vast field of the scriptures which has so many times opened before us to pour out its rich treasures in our favor; this vast field seems to us to be a desert, arid and without water….We know no longer where we are; instead of peace and light, we find only turmoil or at least darkness…. But, like the spouse, we know the cause of our trial: our soul is troubled because of the chariots of Aminadab….We are still not as yet in our homeland, and trial must purify us as gold in the crucible…. At times, we believe ourselves abandoned. Alas! the chariots, the vain noises that disturb us, are they within us or outside us? We do not know… but Jesus really knows. He sees our sadness and suddenly His gentle voice makes itself heard, a voice more gentle than the springtime breeze: “ Return, return, my Sulamitess; return, return, that we may look at you!…” (Cant. Chap. 6, v. 12.) What a call is that of the Spouse!… And we were no longer daring even to look at ourselves so much did we consider ourselves without any splendor and adornment; and Jesus calls us, He wants to look at us at His leisure, but He is not alone; with Him, the two other Persons of the Blessed trinity come to take possession of our soul… Jesus had promised it in days gone by when He was about to reascend to His Father and our Father. He said with ineffable tenderness: “ If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and we will make in him our abode.” (John 14:23.) To keep the word of Jesus, that is the sole condition of our happiness, the proof of our love for Him. But what, then, is this word?… It seems to me that the word of Jesus is Himself… He, Jesus, the Word, the Word of God!… In another place, Jesus teaches us that He is the way, the truth, the life. We know, then, what is the Word that we must keep; like Pilate, we shall not ask Jesus: “What is Truth?” We possess Truth. We are keeping Jesus in our hearts!… |
2-21-5 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 14-21-3 (The Little Way), 19-21-1 (Words of God), 20-21-1 (Truth), 28-21-1 (Peace), 43-21-1 (Darkness), 49-21-1 (Trinity) |
| 21 | GCII 863, July 7, 1894, LT 165: to Celine. |
15-21-2 |
…For a long time, our harps were hung on the willows of the shore.”
We were not able to use them!… Our
God, the
Guest of our soul, knows
it well, so He comes to us with the intention of finding an abode,
an EMPTY
tent, in the midst of the
earth's field of battle. He asks
only this, and He Himself is the Divine Musician who takes charge of
the
concert…. Ah! if only
we were to hear this ineffable harmony, if
one single vibration were to reach our ears!…. “We do not know how to ask for anything as we ought, but the spirit pleads within us with unutterable groanings” (St. Paul, Romans 8:26.). We have, then, only to surrender our soul, to abandon it to our great God. What does it matter, then, if our souls be without gifts that sparkle exteriorly since within us the King of kings shines with all His glory!How great must a soul be to contain a God!… And yet the soul of a day-old child is a Paradise of delights for Him; what will it be, then, for our souls that have fought and suffered to delight the Heart of our Beloved?… |
2-21-7 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 4-21-1 (Trust, Confidence, Abandonment), 25-21-1 (Glory) |
| 22 | SS 179. |
15-22-1 | I understand and I know from experience that : “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke17:21.) Jesus has no need of books or teachers to instruct souls; He teaches without the noise of words. Never have I heard Him speak, but I feel that He is within me at each moment; He is guiding and inspiring me with what I must say and do. I find just when I need them certain lights which I had not seen until then, and it isn't most frequently during my hours of prayer that these are most abundant but rather in the midst of my daily occupations. |
5-22-1 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), 35-22-2 (Books), 37-22-1 (Time) |
| 24 | SS 220 -221. |
15-24-1 |
When the Lord commanded His people to love their
neighbor as themselves, (Leviticus 19:18.) He had not as yet come upon
the earth. Knowing the extent to which each one loved himself, He was
not able to ask of His creatures a greater love than this for one's
neighbor. But when Jesus gave His Apostles a new commandment, HIS
OWN COMMANDMENT (John 15:12.), as He calls it later on,
it is no longer a question
of loving one's neighbor as oneself but of loving him as He, Jesus,
has loved him, and will love him to the consummation of the ages.
Ah! Lord, I know you don't command the impossible.
You know better
than I do my weakness and imperfection; You know very well that never
would I be able to love my Sisters as You love them, unless You, O my
Jesus, loved them in me. It is because You wanted to give me this grace
that You made Your new commandment. Oh! how I love this new commandment
since it gives me the assurance that Your Will is to love in me all
those You command me to love! Yes, I feel it, when I am charitable, it is Jesus alone who is acting in me, and the more united I am to Him, the more also do I love my Sisters. |
8-24-6 (Weakness, Frailty), 14-24-4 (The Little Way), 16-24-4 (His Will, Perfection, Sanctity), 17-24-4 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 24-24-3 (Mercy of God, Graces) |
| 24 | SS 238. |
15-24-2 | Mother, from the moment I understand that it was impossible for me to do anything by myself, the task you imposed upon me no longer appeared difficult. I felt that the only thing necessary was to unite myself more and more to Jesus and that “ all these things will be given to you besides.” (Matthew 6:33.) In fact, never was my hope mistaken, for God saw fit to fill my little hand as many times as it was necessary for nourishing the soul of my Sisters. I admit, dear Mother, that if I had depended in the least on my own strength, I would very soon have had to give up. |
1-24-3 (Self-love, Nature) |
| 24 | SS 242. |
15-24-3 | …For me, prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus. |
2-24-15 (Sufferings, Sacrifices, Crosses, Trials), 5-24-2 (Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation), |
| 24 | SS 243. |
15-24-4 | …I was really sure I didn't have the gift of reading souls, and this surprised me all the more because I had been so right. I felt that God was very close, and that, without realizing it, I had spoken words, as does a child, which came not from me but from Him. | |
| 24 | SS 254. |
15-24-5 | …This simple statement: “Draw me” (Canticle of Canticles 1:3.) suffices; I understand, Lord, that when a soul allows herself to be captivated by the odor of your ointments, she cannot run alone, all the souls whom she loves follow in her train; this is done without constraint, without effort, it is a natural consequence of her attraction for You …. | |
| 24 | SS 257 -258. |
15-24-6 | … I ask Jesus to draw me into the flames of His love, to unite me so closely to Him that He live and act in me. I feel that the more the fire of love burns within my heart, the more I shall say: “Draw me,” the more also the souls who will approach me (poor little piece of iron, unless if I withdraw from the divine furnace), the more these souls will run swiftly in the odor of the ointment of their Beloved for a soul that is burning with love cannot remain inactive. No doubt, she will remain at Jesus' feet as did Mary Magdalene, and she will listen to His sweet and burning words. Appearing to do nothing, she will give much more than Martha who torments herself with many things (Luke10:41.) and wants her sister to imitate her. It is not Martha's works that Jesus finds fault with; His divine Mother submitted humbly to these works all through her life since she had to prepare the meals of the Holy Family. It is only the restlessness of His ardent hostess that He willed to correct. |
17-24-7 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 45-24-1 (Magdalene) |
| 24 | GCII 1058, Feb. 24, 1897, LT 220: to l'abbe Bell- iere. |
15-24-7 | …United in Him, our souls will be able to save many others, for this gentle Jesus has said: “ If two among you agree together on something which you ask from my Father, it will be granted them.”(Matthew 18:19.) Ah! what we are asking Him is to work for His glory, to love Him and make Him loved …. How would our union and our prayer not be blessed? |
5-24-3 (Prayer), 17-24-9 (Love Jesus, The Love of God, Charity), 22-24-2 (Salvation of Souls), 25-24-2 (Glory) |
| 24 | GCII 1148 -1149, July 17, 1897, LT 257: to Leonie. The last letter to her. |
15-24-8 | …but God seemed willing to prolong my exile a little. I am not disturbed by it, for I would not want to enter heaven one minute earlier by my own will. The only happiness on earth is to apply oneself in always finding delightful the lot Jesus is giving us. Your lot is so beautiful, dear little sister; if you want to be a saint, this will be easy for you since at the bottom of your heart the world is nothing to you. You can, then, like us, occupy yourself with “ the one thing necessary,” (Luke 10:41.(sic., 42.?) that is to say: while you give yourself up devotedly to exterior works, your purpose is simple: to please Jesus, to unite yourself more intimately to Him. |
21-24-2 (A Saint) |
| 24 | LC 45, May, 15. |
15-24-9 | 7. “After all, it's the same to me whether I live or die. I really don't see what I'll have after death that I don't already possess in this life. I shall see God, true; but as far as being in His presence, I am totally there here on earth.” | |
| 24 | LC 280, Jul. 16, from a note of Mo- ther Agnes of Jesus. |
15-24-10 | A Sister said to her recently: “You haven't the least bit of fear for death, and still death is a terrifying thing.” She answered: “Yes, it frightens me very much when I see it represented in pictures as some huge spectre, but death isn't this. This idea is foolish, it's not true, and all I have to do to chase it away is recall the answer in my catechism: death is the separation of the soul from the body. That's what is! Well, I haven't any fear of a separation which will reunite me forever with God.” |
39-24-6 (Pauline) |
Proceed to the next List 16: His Will, Perfection, Sanctity.