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St. Therese, The Little Flower: The Making of a Saint
She lived 24 years and was an obscure nun for nine of those. She died in 1897 and was canonized in 1925. Yet she is known the world over by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Her statue soon appeared in most Catholic churches in the world. With St. Joan of Arc, she shares the title "Patroness of France" and with St. Francis Xavier the honor of "Principal Patroness of all Missionaries." Her devotees acknowledge her as a second St. Jude in her powerful intercession with God. Her appeal is universal-from peasants to Popes-and people of all stations know her and call upon her for help.
What factors conspired to shape St. Therese of the Child Jesus? John Beevers addresses himself to this question in The Making of a Saint. As author of an earlier biography, The Storm of Glory, and as translator of her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, he brings to his task an authority on her life unsurpassed perhaps by any writer in English.
The story of this life is a marvel-a miracle-of divine grace. For the life of St. Therese is the lesson to all men of spiritual greatness to be achieved by perfect love of God and total consecration of all our actions, even the smallest, to His greater honor and glory.
What factors conspired to shape St. Therese of the Child Jesus? John Beevers addresses himself to this question in The Making of a Saint. As author of an earlier biography, The Storm of Glory, and as translator of her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, he brings to his task an authority on her life unsurpassed perhaps by any writer in English.
The story of this life is a marvel-a miracle-of divine grace. For the life of St. Therese is the lesson to all men of spiritual greatness to be achieved by perfect love of God and total consecration of all our actions, even the smallest, to His greater honor and glory.
- GenresCatholicNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 19, 2022
Perhaps if I had not spent the past 30 years or so repeatedly reading Therese's writings and correspondence myself in 3 languages I would have enjoyed this book more. The author is too present, breaking the fourth wall repeatedly to give his own opinions on the people and events. He can't help mentioning that he has visited "several" French Carmels and talked to people about events that took place "a mere seventy years" before the book (nearly a century).
While his narration of Therese's childhood and family background was well written and informative, when we reach the time when she began to feel the driving force of her vocation he seems to be progressively threatened by her; his admiration is strongly coloured by an attitude toward his subject that falls just short of "dreamy sheltered missy". In contrast he openly declares his admiration for Marie de Gonzague, the arbitrary aristocratic prioress, even as he describes her erratic behaviour and total disregard for the norms of the Carmelite order. His snide insistence on Therese and her sisters' "total lack of artistic talent and sensibility" repeatedly damns her entire oeuvre, be it pictorial or poetic. He is also extremely sarcastic about the interior of the basilica built in her honour, blaming its supposed ugliness on the fact that her sisters had the final say. If Therese was so "indifferent" to art, why did she feel so disappointed when Marie denied her the chance to take classes in drawing? Beevers conveniently forgets or ignores that there was "nothing in Rome" for her during the pilgrimage because at that time her mind was too full of getting papal consent to enter Carmel to pay much attention to painting and statues. Was he such a great artist?
Beevers' own writings consist of translations and lives of other people. At first I thought he was an elderly, fussy priest...but then his attitudes toward Therese showed he could not be that. Having looked up his biography I find that he himself was a former juvenile delinquent and "revolutionary communist", journalist, failed poet and "aspiring" novelist whose only volume of poems was published privately under a pseudonym in 1947. While he made his name writing lives of Catholic saints, his conversion to the Church as an adult didn't stop him from keeping a mistress whom he later married after the death of his wife.
Of course this book was written long before Therese was declared a Doctor of the Church. I wonder if he had lived to witness that fact if he might have written differently about her.
I doubt it.
While his narration of Therese's childhood and family background was well written and informative, when we reach the time when she began to feel the driving force of her vocation he seems to be progressively threatened by her; his admiration is strongly coloured by an attitude toward his subject that falls just short of "dreamy sheltered missy". In contrast he openly declares his admiration for Marie de Gonzague, the arbitrary aristocratic prioress, even as he describes her erratic behaviour and total disregard for the norms of the Carmelite order. His snide insistence on Therese and her sisters' "total lack of artistic talent and sensibility" repeatedly damns her entire oeuvre, be it pictorial or poetic. He is also extremely sarcastic about the interior of the basilica built in her honour, blaming its supposed ugliness on the fact that her sisters had the final say. If Therese was so "indifferent" to art, why did she feel so disappointed when Marie denied her the chance to take classes in drawing? Beevers conveniently forgets or ignores that there was "nothing in Rome" for her during the pilgrimage because at that time her mind was too full of getting papal consent to enter Carmel to pay much attention to painting and statues. Was he such a great artist?
Beevers' own writings consist of translations and lives of other people. At first I thought he was an elderly, fussy priest...but then his attitudes toward Therese showed he could not be that. Having looked up his biography I find that he himself was a former juvenile delinquent and "revolutionary communist", journalist, failed poet and "aspiring" novelist whose only volume of poems was published privately under a pseudonym in 1947. While he made his name writing lives of Catholic saints, his conversion to the Church as an adult didn't stop him from keeping a mistress whom he later married after the death of his wife.
Of course this book was written long before Therese was declared a Doctor of the Church. I wonder if he had lived to witness that fact if he might have written differently about her.
I doubt it.
April 9, 2021
I've been intrigued by Saint Therese ever since I read The Happiness Project. This was the only book in my e-library I could find on her. I would NOT recommend it to those who haven't read her autobiography. The author assumes the reader has a familiarity with Therese and the catholic faith that was missing for me. He also was preachy. I closed this book feeling a little sorry for Therese and still confused what the big fuss over her is all about her. I have found her autobiography and plan to read that to see if I'll get it then.
2.5 Stars
2.5 Stars
June 26, 2023
The other 3 and 4 star reviews say it better than I can. The subject matter is perfect in every sense of the word but at times the author’s bias and personal opinions overshadow the life he is writing about. Stick to St. Therese’ autobiography and her writings to know and be moved greatly by the story of a perfect soul
April 6, 2020
overall it was a good story
January 11, 2022
This book is a beautiful small little book, on a look back at the life of St. Therese, Beautiful example about Beautiful and loving saint. Great Read and interesting facts and history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews