One thing beautiful about Children is how they trust their parents. I was once in a boat and the ride became very turbulent. The waves were high, the winds were strong and water was getting into the boat. The two children in front of us began to cry. What their parents did was to simply embrace them. After a few moments, they stopped crying. After a few more moments, they were asleep. The waves were still high, the winds were still strong and water was getting into the boat, but as far as the children were concerned they knew that their parents will never abandon them.

Last Sunday, we celebrated the memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. At the age of 14, she had a conversion that transformed her life. All her energy was turned towards love – “Doing the ordinary with extraordinary love.” At the age of 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux. She was not spared from the crosses of life. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. She also had dark nights of doubt and fear. 

The Gospel talks about being Childlike in faith and three quotations of St. Therese that we can use in our everyday life:

1. “When one loves, one does not calculate,” We live in a world wherein we all calculate: I have done this for you, hence this is what is due me. However when there is love in what we are doing, we do not anymore calculate the many other things we do. Why? There is joy in what we are doing. This joy, money cannot buy.

2. “Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.” The world applauds the huge, the extravagant, and the marvelous. In the eyes of God, it is about doing things with love. In fact, for us to celebrate the Mass every day is an accumulation of many acts of kindness and generosity which is not noticed by most but by God alone. 

3. “A soul in a state of grace has nothing to fear of demons who are cowards.” With everything that is happening in the world today, one should realize that the devil is working in overdrive. Yet, the challenge is to hold on to God, to prayer, to the Mass, to fasting, to doing good deeds. There is nothing to fear. 

Whenever we celebrate Mass we realize that there are many things we can learn from Children:

• To express one’s self fully
• To love unconditionally
• To forgive
• To always speak the truth
• To be fearless

St. Therese of the Child Jesus reminds us to love. It does make a whole lot of difference in life.