Under the Torrent of His Love: Therese of Lisieux, a Spiritual Genius [Paperback]

Marie-Eugene De L'Efant-Jesus (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Alba House (January 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0818907207
• ISBN-13: 978-0818907203
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Torrent" and "Genius"--the latter experiencing the former., October 29, 2010

By 

Book Glutton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Torrent of His Love: Therese of Lisieux, a Spiritual Genius (Paperback)

The title speaks of the "Spiritual Genius" of St. Thérèse. Most people would immediately associate this with the development of what is called her "Doctrine of Spiritual Childhood," or what has been come to know as her "Little Way" which most people interpret as one of great simplicity. The title also describes God's love in terms of a "torrent," a word used primarily by young people downloading their music.

In living her Little Way, St. Thérèse therefore seems to have lived as a Carmelite in such sharp contrast with the Carmelite that most people would relate the most harsh or difficult, St. John of the Cross. It is in this book, however, that the well-known Carmelite scholar Father Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus shows me for the first time, that there is a significant connection between the two saints. This took me by surprise. I am sure that many other people are not aware of this either. However, he tells us:

"The young Carmelite [Thérèse] was captivated by the powerful thought of St. John of the Cross, his rigorous and loving logic, the sublime descriptions which expressed what she was feeling. She was enthralled with the harmonious music of his words and the audacious poetry of his symbols, which left in her soul the ineffable effects of the divine contact. She fed on these pages and let herself be carried away in recollection towards the regions where the contacts were renewed. St. John of the Cross' texts were so easily and profoundly impressed upon her memory that they poured forth later on in her conversations with the novices each time she wanted to instruct them, to support an affirmation, or to stir up love.

"The fundamental principles of the doctrine of St. John of the Cross became those of the teaching of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. True, St. Thérèse assimilated them and expressed them in her personal style, but the fact remains that the doctrine of spiritual childhood found the powerful framework, of its structure only in light of the teaching of the Doctor of Carmel. Apart from the Gospel, no work stamped her soul and her spirituality more profoundly than the treatises of St. John of the Cross."

This gave me a deeper appreciation of both saints, as I'm sure it can for you. It made me look at and read St. Thérèse's doctrine in a whole new way. Far from an idle mind, it took a genius to take in and digest the thoughts of another one. As is said, "It takes one to know one!" So, here's a way to read St. John of the Cross in a brand new way: reengineered or filtered through the mind and heart of St. Thérèse, but the same torrent of love experienced by St. John.