Spiritual childhood
In these days I received a big gift from God from the Diary of St Faustina. It was the following quote: I want to teach you spiritual childhood. I want you to be very little, because when you are little, I carry you close to My Heart, just as you are holding Me close to your heart right now (Diary, 1481).
How beautiful it is the message of Jesus! I want to teach you spiritual childhood. I want you to be very little. But what does it mean to be little? St Therese of Lisieux teaches us the spiritual childhood throughout her autobiography. For her, to be very little means Love. She wrote: You ask me for a method of attaining perfection. I know of Love – and Love only! Our hearts are made for it alone. Sometimes I endeavour to find some other word for love; but in a land of exile words which have a beginning and an end are quite unable to render adequately the emotions of the soul, and so we must keep to the one simple word – Love.
Furthermore, for St Therese to be very little also means doing his will. She said: I desire neither death nor life. Were Our Lord to offer me my choice, I would not choose. I only will what he wills, and I am pleased with whatever he does. Adding to this, for our saint to be very little also signifies doing actions with love. She observed: You know well that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them. Another aspect of being little means to pray from the heart simply through a loving glance towards Heaven. Oh with how much force the soul is united with God thanks to that glance! St Therese wrote: For me, prayer is an uplifting of the heart, a glance towards Heaven, a cry of gratitude and of love in times of sorrow as well as of joy. It is something noble, something supernatural, which expands the soul and unites it to God.
Lord, help me believe that you are interested and active in our lives, down to the smallest detail. You know what must be done. Give me the grace to be still and listen to you. Take control over my life. Help me trust in Your plan. Give me the grace to be still and attentive to You with the intercession of Mary and St Therese of Lisieux. Amen.
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
