Patrick Ahern (1919–2011)

I got this book after the bishop who wrote it preached a great homily at the seminary where I was teaching. It is a good read, particularly for devotees of Therese of Lisieux and for seminarians.

I never liked Saint Therese, until I read this book. Any notion that I had that her spirituality was wishywashy was totally smashed. A study of her correspondence with a struggling seminarian, it really is a crash course in the Little Way. She was dying, and she knew she had to get him to understand the love of Jesus, to trust Him, and she does so really well.

As sentimental as the spirituality of the late 19th century, so too is this book. However, this book reveals a deeper truth about the young Carmelite would become a saint. Therese is a woman in love with God. Don't let the simplicity of the story blind you to the deeper truth of this book.

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX