A second look at St. Thérèse of Lisieux

I hope others are as grateful to Angelus as I am for the rich article on St. Thérèse in the Nov. 3 issue.

My interest in her had never been lively because her cult, to which I was first exposed in parochial school, seemed so sentimental to me. Later I tried to read “The Story of a Soul” but didn't get far; my cynical self just couldn't resonate with such childlike trust, which struck me as wishful thinking.

But now that I’ve read Father Cameron’s article, I am stunned by how painful St. Thérèse’s brief life was. I now see that her spirituality was anything but sentimental. The “Little Way” makes great sense to me as a wonderfully economical way to respond to suffering, overcome cynicism, and resist the temptation to nihilism.

Well done!

— Michael Liccione, Ph.D., Steubenville, Ohio