Joseph F Schmidt - The Gospel According to St. Therese: A Faith-Sharing Guide

Praise for The Gospel According to St. Thrse

Read this book carefully, and you will get more than a glimpse at what it means to be an emotionally and spiritually healthy human being who can love nonviolently.

Sally K. Severino, MD, professor emeritus of psychiatry, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and author of Behold Our Moral Body: Psychiatry, Duns Scotus, and Neuroscience and Becoming Fire: A Freudian Psychoanalysts Spiritual Journey

In The Gospel According to St. Thrse, Br. Joseph Schmidt helps us encounter the extraordinary science of love that was the lived faith of the beloved St. Thrse. And he has crafted it precisely as Thrse would have appreciatedas a resource for people to share their faith together, inspired by her little way of spirituality. Her focus on the historical Jesus as the source and model of her own faith surely anticipated the pontificate of Pope Francis. This is truly a rich and timely resource.

Thomas Groome, professor of theology and religious education, director of Boston Colleges Church in the 21st Century Center, and author of What Makes Us Catholic: Eight Gifts for Life and Will There Be Faith? A New Vision for Educating and Growing Disciples

Illumined by the word of God, St. Thrses sometimes rugged path toward inner freedom and peace is invitingly described by Br. Joseph Schmidt. Those who accept this challenge will contribute greatly to world peace!

Sr. Mary Grace, O Carm, Vicar Prioress, Carmel of Our Lady of Grace, Christoval, Texas

This is a beautiful book that will inspire readers to embrace the spirituality of the Little Flower. Br. Joseph Schmidt offers great insight into Thrses call for nonviolence to oneself and to othersa timely challenge in todays world. The book should be read slowly in order to savor the richness of trusting in Gods mercy, forgiveness, and unconditional love. The Gospel According to St. Thrse helps us understand why Pope St. John Paul described St. Thrses as the living icon of God.

Br. Bernard LoCoco, FSC, past president of Christian Brothers University, Memphis; former director of SAT Sabbatical Program in Berkeley, California; and currently a spiritual director and teacher in spirituality

St. Thrse of Lisieux is the apostle of interpersonal, nonviolent lovewhat she called the science of loveand Br. Joseph Schmidt is one of the best teachers of Thrses little way of nonviolent love writing in English today. The Gospel According to St. Thrse should be read prayerfully and reread often so that we, too, might renounce the little jabs of violence, retaliation, and retribution and become saints and scientists of nonviolent love.

Fr. John Dear, a coordinator with Pace e Bene, and author of thirty-five books on peace and nonviolence, including The Questions of Jesus and The Beatitudes of Peace

By naming Thrse a doctor of the Church, Pope St. John Paul II attested to the authenticity of her Gospel for our time. Br. Joseph Schmidts genius has been to explore and articulate Thrses spirituality of creative nonviolent love. The Gospel According to St. Thrse: A Faith-Sharing Guide continues this vitally important work. Br. Joseph is always meaty, always intriguing. How much those of us who love Thrse owe to him.

Heather King, author of Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Thrse of Lisieux

Br. Joseph Schmidts profound insights into the life and spirituality of St. Thrse permeate his new book. It is like a meditation that plumbs the depth of her Gospel little way spirituality. When Pope St. John Paul II declared Thrse a Doctor of the Church, he basically told us to read the Gospels through her eyes and heart. The Gospel According to St. Thrse helps us understand our inner experience of Gods love and mercy. It is a real gem!

Fr. Bob Colaresi, O Carm, Society of the Little Flower, Darien, Illinois

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. THRSE

A Faith-Sharing Guide

Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC

Copyright @ 2017 Brothers of the Christian Schools

All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press

7115 Guilford Drive, Suite 100

Frederick, Maryland 21704

www.wau.org

21 20 19 18 17 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-315-8

eISBN: 978-1-59325-497-1

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSVCE), copyright National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.

All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations noted DR are from the Douay-Rheims 1899 American edition.

Quotations are taken from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America (indicated as CCC), 2nd ed. Copyright 1997 by United States Catholic ConferenceLibreria Editrice Vaticana.

Additional acknowledgments begin on page 158.

Cover design by Coronation Media

Cover art copyright Office Central de Lisieux

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.

Made and printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017949369

CONTENTS

Other Books by Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC

Praying Our Experiences: An Invitation to Open Our Lives to God

Praying with Thrse of Lisieux

Everything Is Grace: The Life and Way of Thrse of Lisieux

Walking the Little Way of Thrse of Lisieux: Discovering the Path of Love

A Note about Thrses Words

The words Thrse underlined in her writing are in italics; the words she capitalized are in uppercase.

A Note about the Scripture Translations

All Scripture translations are from the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) unless indicated as Douay-Rheims (DR). The Douay-Rheims is an English version of the French translation that is close to the translation Thrse herself might have used.

SOURCE ABBREVIATIONS

CCC:Catechism of the Catholic Church

DAS:Divini Amoris Scientia, Apostolic Letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II Proclaiming St. Thrse a Doctor of the Church

EIG:Everything Is Grace: The Life and Way of Thrse of Lisieux by Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC

FGM:Saint Thrse of Lisieux: Her Family, Her God, Her Message by Bernard Bro, OP

GC:General Correspondence, Volumes 1 and 2, translated by John Clarke, OCD

HLC:St. Thrse of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations, translated by John Clarke, OCD

SS:Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thrse of Lisieux, third edition, translated by John Clarke, OCD

STL:St. Thrse of Lisieux by Those Who Knew Her, edited and translated by Christopher OMahony, OCD

TLMT:Thrse of Lisieux and Marie of the Trinity by Pierre Descouvemont

WLW:Walking the Little Way of Thrse of Lisieux: Discovering the Path of Love by Joseph F. Schmidt, FSC

INTRODUCTION

I t is possible to write a convincing book about China without ever having visited the vast and beautiful country. It is possible to speak compellingly about the realities of the Gospel text without ever having had an experience of Jesus authentic good news. With Thrse things are different. She speaks from the few outer geographical places and the many inner spiritual spaces that she has personally visited. From her own lived experience, and not from theological treatises or faith hearsay, she proclaimed the true God and the authentic Gospel (see FGM 1011).