After hearing more about Theresa of Lisieux, I feel more compelled to compare her to the saint confirmed under, Saint Faustina Kowalska. Considering both women were gifted the ability to have prolific dreams and wrote extensively, Little Flower is by far different from her. Firstly, Saint Faustina grew up in Poland and managed to predict WW1 in a dream. Not to mention, most of what she is known for is more her visions, rather than her actions. Little Flower is regarded as the saint of actions and love, and yet Faustina is regarded as the patron saint of Divine Mercy. Her pleadings with the Lord managed to save hundreds at the start of WW1, thus making her a channel of trust. What’s more, Faustina’s accounts and writing are that of an older woman, which compared to Theresa, sounds more esteemed in age and experience. Not to discredit the Little Flower though, as she too wrote maturely. The one thing I will say that compares these women, however, is the fact that they both had an innocent way of speaking to God. I make this comparison because, in a particular passage, Faustina recounts a small miracle that always manages to stick with me. Faustina was physically ill for more than half her life, and when she was assigned to help the cooks, she could not physically drain the potatoes, resulting in her being mocked by fellow nuns. She prayed to the Lord for strength, and the next time she did it, an aroma of roses wafted around the room. When Faustina opened the lid, she claimed that the small potatoes were formed like a bundle of roses. She, like Theresa, showed great humility when faced with bullies, which makes her rely on the Lord all the more powerful. Both women deserve to be claimed saints.
Comments