Catholic Classics

Are there people in your life that you struggle to get along with or even be around? St. Thérèse admits in her writings to there being sisters within the convent that she struggled to show charity towards. She uses these examples to reflect on Christ’s love acting within her. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

A common temptation is the temptation to doubt. St. Thérèse was faced with this temptation in a significant way and she explains it within her writings. She also shares insight on fraternal charity. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph ponder some of the triggers that may have contributed to St. Thérèse’s trial of faith. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

Are relationships ever easy? In her third manuscript, St. Thérèse focuses on her life in Carmel. She shares about the new prioress and how she gets along with the other sisters in the convent. St. Thérèse also begins to describe her trial of faith. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph use St. Thérèse’s writings to draw the distinction between the virtue of humility and the virtue of magnanimity. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

What is my vocation? This is a question St. Thérèse pondered even after entering Carmel. As she continues to convey her Little Way, St. Thérèse contemplates the vocation of love. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph discuss how the vocation of love is for all and that this vocation does not require a felt love, but is, instead, an act of the will. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

What is the Little Way? Today’s reading brings us to the second manuscript of Story of a Soul. This manuscript is also known as the charter for the Little Way. Within her writings, St. Thérèse expresses to her sister Marie some of what God has revealed to her as well as her intense desire to love. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph also discuss the dream that St. Thérèse has of Ven. Anne of Jesus. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

For some, doubtful thinking can be very distressing. As St. St. Thérèse continues to experience dryness in her spiritual life, she is also plagued with doubts, including doubts about Heaven. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph encourage us that even in times of struggle, we can persevere with faith and hope just like St. Thérèse. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

St. Thérèse recounts a trying time within Carmel during which almost the entire monastery was overcome with influenza. During this trial, St. Thérèse experienced death very closely as a number of nuns who fell ill did pass away. St. Thérèse recounts the tasks that fell to her as she was one of the few that was not bedridden. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph discuss St. Thérèse’s challenge with dryness in prayer and what each of us can do when we experience a similar dryness. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

Change almost always brings challenges with it. This is true for St. Thérèse as she begins her life in Carmel. She expresses some of the challenges she faced in this drastically different way of life. However, she also shares how she sought growth in virtue through all of it. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph explain the typical stages of religious formation. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

The day has finally come! Today’s episode brings us to a pivotal moment in St. Thérèse’s life: her entrance into Carmel. St. Thérèse describes her final moments with her family and the emotions she felt as she bid them farewell. She also describes what her reception was like at Carmel. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph reflect on these moments as well as their own experiences of entering religious life. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

Even a young person can offer great wisdom. In these pages, we walk with St. Thérèse through the aftermath of her encounter with Pope Leo XIII. She reveals her patience with the will of God and her refusal to be discouraged. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph discuss how there is never a good reason to delay a pursuit of holiness. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

Seeing the city of Rome through the eyes of a saint is a delight. St. Thérèse provides the details of her visit to Rome and some of the sites she visited. She writes of the most significant part of her time in Rome: meeting Pope Leo XII. She describes the visit itself but also her feelings through the whole process. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph reflects on how St. Thérèse must have been tempted towards discouragement, but instead abandons herself to God’s will. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

The world holds so much beauty and wonder. In today’s reading, we go with St. Thérèse as she begins her pilgrimage to Rome. She outlines what it is like for her to be out in the world and seeing some of nature’s beauties for the first time. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph explain the significance of what St. Thérèse shares in these pages, especially, praying for priests, Our Lady of Victory, and the impact of nature’s beauty. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

The growth of an individual can happen very gradually, and therefore, be unnoticeable. In the case of St. Thérèse, her growth is quite tangible. It is clear in her writing that she is making conscious efforts to overcome her timidity. This is clear in her visit to the bishop as she requests his special permission for entrance into Carmel. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph discuss St. Thérèse’s experience of meeting the bishop and ponder how she must have felt after his denial. They point out how St. Thérèse is continuing to show great tenacity in her pursuit of Carmel. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

Revealing our greatest desires can be a very vulnerable experience. St. Thérèse describes the circumstances of sharing her desire for Carmel to both her father and uncle. As she faces the initial denial of her uncle and the rector of Carmel, we begin to see the perseverance St. Thérèse possessed when it came to her vocation, and ultimately, her path towards holiness. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph explain why St. Thérèse needed her uncle’s permission to enter Carmel. They also describe the factors of granting permission for an individual to enter a religious community. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.

Many of us are able to look back on our lives and point to significant moments of change or growth. St. Thérèse is no different. In today’s readings, St. Thérèse reflects on one of the more significant moments in her life: her Christmas conversion. She outlines what happened exactly and how it impacted her. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph discuss the changes that St. Thérèse strove to make due to her conversion. They also reflect on the reality that we cannot accomplish holiness ourselves and we must let God in. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.