SAINT THERESA OF THE CHILD JESUS

"Only" a young saint, since she died when she was just 24; the saint of simplicity and love; the saint of trusting abandonment to God's will. These are the qualities that make Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus so dear to the hearts of today's young people, as the large number of them who came to Paris attested, and as the Pope said when he announced the imminent proclamation of Theresa of Lisieux as a Doctor of the Church: «The message of St Theresa, a holy young woman so present in our times, is of particular interest to you, young people. In the school of the Gospel she indicates to you the path of Christian maturity. She calls you to an infinite generosity; she invites you to remain in the heart of the Church as disciples and ardent witnesses of Christ's charity».

John Paul II's decision surprises, however, for a very special reason: the contrast between Theresa's holiness and that of the other Doctors of the Church whom she joins. Throughout the centuries the Church has given the title of Doctor to only 32 of her children, to stress their holiness of life and orthodoxy, but above all their great theological wisdom generally confirmed by monumental works. Thirty men and only two women, until now, one of whom, the Carmelite (like St Theresa of Lisieux) Teresa of Avila, a great reformer and prolific writer. Well: before these examples, the wisdom of the young woman whom the Pope points out today as an example for young people, stands out even more: the author of only three books, written by hand on school exercise-books, at the request of her superiors, to all practical purposes not destined for publication; and yet, as soon as they were known, they immediately became real best-sellers. The summary of the spiritual experience of a soul that still attracts attention. The miracle of Saint Theresa.