“Perfection consists
in doing His will,
in being what He wills us to be.”
Words of St. Therese
Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wildflowers.
And so it is with the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to the lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.
Our Prayer for Emotional Healing
Jesus, Master, we need Your healing touch. There are areas of our emotions which are hurt, hollow and hardened, frozen in fear and denial, guilt and shame. They go to the heart of who we are. We fear some feelings as too deep and strong; we don’t transform our passion into constructive conviction; we live in grey hues rather than the technicolor of full human life. At times we distrust our feelings as unstable and deny their ability to reveal our true selves; we don’t let pain, energy and anger transform us, so we transmit them to others in destructive ways; we become exiles from ourselves.
Jesus, heal our troubled souls, so that we can be truly honest and transparent, embracing the garden place where You have planted us, and blossoming as the flower You have created us to be. Free us to see and be the big picture of your heavenly plan and beautiful garden, within and beyond us. We ask You this, through the intercession of St. Therese, who teaches us confidence and trust in Your love.