Customer Reviews

The Passion of Therese of Lisieux: The Story of the Final Months in the Life of This Modern Saint

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book provides a clinical report of the last agonizing months of Therese of Lisieux's life. The research is meticulous and the medical details are easy to understand. It is a complement to the Saint's writings because the reader can trace in this book her physical trials which help to understand her spiritual trials as well which were plaguing her at the time. My only criticism is that the second part of the book is a bit redundant to the first.

Most books gloss over the last months of St. Therese, possibly because up until the last 40 years TB was so common that nobody really needed to hear an in depth discussion of it. After reading this book you will be deeply moved. St. Therese went through a long dark night of the soul and body and although physically crushed she spiritually soared above it. I would definitely say that this book belongs in your collection of works on the Little Flower.

Rich in detail of Therese's last months; a powerful framework for Last Conversations.

For Saint Therese lovers- this book offers a new perspective on her last sufferings. The author uses a method of illuminating her words with the real physical progression of the tuberculosis that took her life. This approach makes each statement of Therese come alive with new a insight into the sanctity of her soul, and it increases in the reader a desire to imitate her in her love and trust of God.

Excellent read !! There are many books about Therese. This one stands out because it presents her profound spirituality in light of the progression of her extensive illness of Tuberculosis. There is much to learn about both the effects of illness on the spiritual life and the almost ideal response to illness of one seriously seeking God.

I belong to a group of women called the Daughters of St. Therese. This book is one of the required reading and it is definitely well worth taking time to do so.

This is an excellent read about St. Therese's last year or so on earth, and how her soul developed as her body crumbled.

My only complaint with this book is that the author's interpretation of St. Therese is clearly colored by some of the post-Vatican II errors in Catholicism in general and about Therese in particular. This is particularly true when it comes to St. Therese's desire to save souls, something the author writes was "in the language of her day". He diminishes or discounts, often chalking it up to errors in the Catholicism "of her day" (his unfortunate tendency to almost apologize for Therese when quoting language or traits about her that are not popular by modern standards is the most annoying part of this book) her strong evangelistic fervor- not only bringing souls to God because He loves us so, but also to save them from Hell. St. Therese's letters, her poems, her autobiography, and indeed her whole life's message show that she firmly believed in this constant teaching of the Church- Christ died on the Cross to save our souls. This lack of belief in the necessity of evangelism for the purpose of salvation shows too when he discusses St. Therese, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospels.

He also says in his comments that most Catholics in that day were "counting their works" and storing up their merit. While it is true that Jansenism was still affecting Catholic faith and practice, St. Therese speaks glowingly in both her letters and her autobiography about her family's teaching her to make small sacrifices by the use of, among other things, the sacrifice beads and her book for her First Communion. She says in her letters that this training was part of the ground of her vocation. This being the case, I don't think it's correct to say that she was "freed" from this climate, as the author says, just because St. Therese no longer needed those aids. She was also no longer a child! He seems to have placed some of the Protestant views on the Catholic faith into this book.

These errors are why I cannot give the book four or five stars, because the fervor of St. Therese to save souls and her views on sacrifice and redemptive suffering are too essential to her message to feel that any book about her is accurate when those views are weakened or diminished. Despite this, it is definately a must-read for any lover of the saint and will enhance your understanding of and love for St. Therese.

I have not read the book yet, but am looking forward to it very much.