I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all
souls did not receive an equal amount of grace. I was astonished to see how
He showered extraordinary favors on saints who had sinned against Him,
saints such as St. Paul and St. Augustine. He forced them, as it were, to
accept His graces. I was just as astonished when I read the lives of the
saints to see that the Lord cherished certain favored souls for the cradle
to the grave and never allowed any kind of obstacle to check their flight
towards Him. He bestowed such favors on them that they were unable to
tarnish the spotless splendors of their baptismal robe. I also wondered why
such vast numbers of poor savages died before they had even heard the name
of God.
Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book
of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are
lovely. The splendors of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob
the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I
realized that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose
its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay.
It is just the same in the world of souls - which is the garden of
Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the
roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content
to be the daisies or violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances
down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants
us to be.
I also understood that God's love shows itself just as well in the
simplest soul which puts up no resistance to His grace as it does in the
loftiest soul. Indeed, as it is love's nature to humble itself, if all
souls were like those of the holy doctors who have illumined the Church this
the light of their doctrine, it seems that God would not have stooped low
enough by entering their hearts. But God has created the baby who knows
nothing and can utter only feeble cries. He has created the poor savage
with no guide but natural law, and it is to their hearts that He deigns to
stoop. They are His wild flowers whose homeliness delights Him. By
stooping down to them, He manifests His infinite grandeur. The sun shines
equally both on cedars and on every tiny flower. In just the same way God
looks after every soul as if it had no equal. All is planned for the good
of every soul, exactly as the seasons are so arranged, that the humblest
daisy blossoms at the appointed time.
St. Therese of Lisieux
[contributed by Dr. Douglas Holzhauer, ocds]
