Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Thérèse: A Treasured Love Story

Description

This is not so much the story of a soul, but the story of a love, the treasured love the Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen had for his dear St. Therese of Lisieux, his “Little Flower”.

Because of this intimacy and the unfathomable admiration he had for her, what lies between these pages is nothing short of remarkable, not to mention utterly captivating. Readers will find themselves moved in various ways, many of them unexpected. They will cry penitential tears, quake with happy laughter, shake their heads in disbelief, and experience an unquenchable yearning to imitate and experience the sort of closeness that both Sheen and Therese had with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The archbishop helps us realize just why St. Therese really is the “greatest saint of modern times,” and is among the greatest theologians the Church has ever produced. Using her example, he also explains the power of intercessory prayer, the necessity of virtue, how to put our suffering to good use, how to fight Satan's influence, and how to grow in our relationship with God and our love for one another.

In short, by reading this book, you will learn how to be a saint from a saint. Dive into this story of a love and see for yourself how it will develop the story of a soul…your own.

Abp. Sheen has a simple, St. Thérèse-like way of explaining things, e.g.:

And so Christ seems to bar the way. Here we want the release of flesh, more alcohol, drugs, or a broken marriage, whatever it is. And our Lord stands there in the way. And where is Satan? Ah, he’s our defender. Our defender. He says, “Haven’t you heard about the Vatican Council? All this has been changed. Why, you’re behind the times! You mean you’re still a virgin? You haven’t tasted LSD? Haven’t you begun to live?”

And he is really the only modern author I have seen promote virginity, relating it to power à la St. Ambrose:

The point is that as we spend our energy, we get it back. The Little Flower took goodness, virginity, sweetness, innocence, and wasted it all unseen, but now it comes back a hundred-thousand fold. If the wheat is kept in the barn, it’s wasted. It’s when we save ourselves that we begin to lose power. This, then, is how the Incarnation is continued, and may you all be flexible, supple, obedient instruments of the Good Lord. Very often during the day, pray to Him to use you.