APOSTOLIC LETTER OF
HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II
DIVINI AMORIS SCIENTIA
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is
proclaimed a doctor of the Universal Church
1. THE SCIENCE OF DIVINE
LOVE, which the Father of mercies pours out through Jesus Christ
in the Holy Spirit, is a gift granted to the little and the
humble so that they may know and proclaim the secrets of the
kingdom, hidden from the learned and the wise; for this reason
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, praising the Father who
graciously willed it so (cf. Lk 10:21-22; Mt
11:25-26).
Mother Church also
rejoices in noting that throughout history the Lord has
continued to reveal himself to the little and the humble,
enabling his chosen ones, through the Spirit who "searches
everything, even the depths of God" (1 Cor 2:10), to
speak of the gifts "bestowed on us by God... in words not taught
by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual
truths in spiritual language" (1 Cor 2:12,13). In this
way the Holy Spirit guides the Church into the whole truth,
endowing her with various gifts, adorning her with his fruits,
rejuvenating her with the power of the Gospel and enabling her
to discern the signs of the times in order to respond ever more
fully to the will of God (cf. Lumen gentium, nn. 4, 12;
Gaudium et spes, n. 4).
Shining brightly among the
little ones to whom the secrets of the kingdom were revealed in
a most special way is Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy
Face, a professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, the
100th anniversary of whose entry into the heavenly homeland
occurs this year.
During her life Thérèse
discovered "new lights, hidden and mysterious meanings" (Ms
A, 83v) and received from the divine Teacher that "science
of love" which she then expressed with particular originality in
her writings (cf. Ms B, 1r). This science is the luminous
expression of her knowledge of the mystery of the kingdom and of
her personal experience of grace. It can be considered a special
charism of Gospel wisdom which Thérèse, like other saints and
teachers of faith, attained in prayer (cf. Ms C, 36r·).
2. The reception given to
the example of her life and Gospel teaching in our century was
quick, universal and constant. As if in imitation of her
precocious spiritual maturity, her holiness was recognized by
the Church in the space of a few years. In fact, on 10 June 1914
Pius X signed the decree introducing her cause of beatification;
on 14 August 1921 Benedict XV declared the heroic virtues of the
Servant of God, giving an address for the occasion on the way of
spiritual childhood; and Pius XI proclaimed her blessed on 29
April 1923. Shortly afterwards, on 17 May 1925, the same Pope
canonized her before an immense crowd in St Peter's Basilica,
highlighting the splendour of her virtues and the originality of
her doctrine. Two years later, on 14 December 1927, in response
to the petition of many missionary Bishops, he proclaimed her
patron of the missions along with St Francis Xavier.
Beginning with these acts
of recognition, the spiritual radiance of Thérèse of the Child
Jesus increased in the Church and spread throughout the world.
Many institutes of consecrated life and ecclesial movements,
especially in the young Churches, chose her as their patron and
teacher, taking their inspiration from her spiritual doctrine.
Her message, often summarized in the so-called "little way",
which is nothing other that the Gospel way of holiness for all,
was studied by theologians and experts in spirituality.
Cathedrals, basilicas, shrines and churches throughout the world
were built and dedicated to the Lord under the patronage of the
Saint of Lisieux. The Catholic Church venerates her in the
various Eastern and Western rites. Many of the faithful have
been able to experience the power of her intercession. Many of
those called to the priestly ministry or the consecrated life,
especially in the missions and the cloister, attribute the
divine grace of their vocation to her intercession and example.
3. The Pastors of the
Church, beginning with my predecessors, the Supreme Pontiffs of
this century, who held up her holiness as an example for all,
also stressed that Thérèse is a teacher of the spiritual life
with a doctrine both spiritual and profound, which she drew from
the Gospel sources under the guidance of the divine Teacher and
then imparted to her brothers and sisters in the Church with the
greatest effectiveness (cf. Ms B, 2v-3).
This spiritual doctrine
has been passed on to us primarily by her autobiography which,
taken from three manuscripts she wrote in the last years of her
life and published a year after her death with the title
Histoire d'une âme (Lisieux 1898), has aroused an
extraordinary interest down to our day. This autobiography,
translated along with her other writings into about 50
languages, has made Thérèse known in every part of the world,
even outside the Catholic Church. A century after her death,
Thérèse of the Child Jesus continues to be recognized as one of
the great masters of the spiritual life in our time.
4. It is not surprising
then that the Apostolic See received many petitions to confer on
her the title of Doctor of the Universal Church.
In recent years,
especially with the happy occasion of the first centenary of her
death close at hand, these requests became more and more
numerous, including on the part of Episcopal Conferences; in
addition, study conferences were held and numerous publications
have pointed out how Thérèse of the Child Jesus possesses an
extraordinary wisdom and with her doctrine helps so many men and
women of every state in life to know and love Jesus Christ and
his Gospel.
In the light of these
facts, I decided carefully to study whether the Saint of Lisieux
had the prerequisites for being awarded the title of Doctor of
the Universal Church.
5. In this context I am
pleased to recall briefly some events in the life of Thérèse of
the Child Jesus. Born in Alençon, France, on 2 January 1873, she
is baptized two days later in the Church of Notre Dame,
receiving the name Marie-Françoise-Thérèse. Her parents are
Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin, whose heroic virtues I recently
recognized. After her mother's death on 28 August 1877, Thérèse
moves with her whole family to the town of Lisieux where,
surrounded by the affection of her father and sisters, she
receives a formation both demanding and full of tenderness.
Towards the end of 1879
she receives the sacrament of Penance for the first time. On the
day of Pentecost in 1883 she has the extraordinary grace of
being healed from a serious illness through the intercession of
Our Lady of Victories. Educated by the Benedictines of Lisieux,
she receives First Communion on 8 May 1884, after an intense
preparation crowned with an exceptional experience of the grace
of intimate union with Jesus. A few weeks later, on 14 June of
that same year, she receives the sacrament of Confirmation with
a vivid awareness of what the gift of the Holy Spirit involves
in her personal sharing in the grace of Pentecost. On Christmas
Day of 1886 she has a profound spiritual experience that she
describes as a "complete conversion". As a result, she overcomes
the emotional weakness caused by the loss of her mother and
begins "to run as a giant" on the way of perfection (cf. Ms
A, 44v45v).
Thérèse wishes to embrace
the contemplative life, like her sisters Pauline and Marie in
the Carmel of Lisieux, but is prevented from doing so by her
young age. During a pilgrimage to Italy, after visiting the Holy
House of Loreto and places in the Eternal City, at an audience
granted by the Pope to the faithful of the Diocese of Lisieux on
20 November 1887, she asks Leo XIII with filial boldness to be
able to enter Carmel at the age of 15 years.
On 9 April 1888 she enters
the Carmel of Lisieux, where she receives the habit of the
Blessed Virgin's order on 10 January of the following year and
makes her religious profession on 8 September 1890, the feast of
the Birth of the Virgin Mary. At Carmel she undertakes the way
of perfection marked out by the Mother Foundress, Teresa of
Jesus, with genuine fervour and fidelity in fulfilling the
various community tasks entrusted to her. Illumined by the Word
of God, particularly tried by the illness of her beloved father,
Louis Martin, who dies on 29 July 1894, Thérèse embarks on the
way of holiness, insisting on the centrality of love. She
discovers and imparts to the novices entrusted to her care the
little way of spiritual childhood, by which she enters more and
more deeply into the mystery of the Church and, drawn by the
love of Christ, feels growing within her the apostolic and
missionary vocation which spurs her to bring everyone with her
to meet the divine Spouse.
On 9 June 1895, the feast
of the Most Holy Trinity, she offers herself as a sacrificial
victim to the merciful Love of God. On 3 April of the following
year, on the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, she
notices the first symptoms of the illness which will lead to her
death. Thérèse welcomes it as a mysterious visitation of the
divine Spouse. At the same time she undergoes a trial of faith
which will last until her death. As her health deteriorates, she
is moved to the infirmary on 8 July 1897. Her sisters and other
religious collect her sayings, while her sufferings and trials,
borne with patience, intensify to the moment of her death on the
afternoon of 30 September 1897. "I am not dying; I am entering
life", she had written to one of her spiritual brothers, Fr
Bellière (Lettres 244). Her last words, "My God, I love
you", are the seal of her life.
6. Thérèse of the Child
Jesus left us writings that deservedly qualify her as a teacher
of the spiritual life. Her principal work remains the account of
her life in three autobiographical manuscripts (Manuscrits
autobiographiques A, B, C), first published with the soon to
be famous title of Histoire d'une Âme.
In Manuscript A, written at the request of
her sister Agnes of Jesus, then Prioress of the monastery, and
given to her on 21 January 1896, Thérèse describes the stages of
her religious experience: the early years of childhood,
especially the time of her First Communion and Confirmation,
adolescence, up to her entrance into Carmel and her first
profession.
Manuscript B, written
during her retreat that same year at the request of her sister
Marie of the Sacred Heart, contains some of the most beautiful,
best known and oft-quoted passages from the Saint of Lisieux.
They reveal the Saint's full maturity as she speaks of her
vocation in the Church, the Bride of Christ and Mother of souls.
Manuscript C, composed in
June and the first days of July 1897, a few months before her
death and dedicated to the Prioress, Marie de Gonzague, who had
requested it, completes the recollections in Manuscript A on
life in Carmel. These pages reveal the author's supernatural
wisdom. Thérèse recounts some sublime experiences during this
final period of her life. She devotes moving pages to her trial
of faith: a grace of purification that immerses her in a long
and painful dark night, illuminated by her trust in the
merciful, fatherly love of God. Once again, and without
repeating herself, Thérèse makes the light of the Gospel shine
brightly. Here we find the most beautiful pages she devoted to
trusting abandonment into God's hands, to unity between love of
God and love of neighbour, to her missionary vocation in the
Church.
In these three different
manuscripts, which converge in a thematic unity and in a
progressive description of her life and spiritual way, Thérèse
has left us an original autobiography which is the story of her
soul. It shows how in her life God has offered the world a
precise message, indicating an evangelical way, the "little
way", which everyone can take, because everyone is called to
holiness.
In the 266 Lettres we
possess, addressed to family members, women religious and
missionary "brothers", Thérèse shares her wisdom, developing a
teaching that is actually a profound exercise in the spiritual
direction of souls.
Her writings also include
54 Poésies, some of which have great theological and
spiritual depth inspired by Sacred Scripture. Worthy of special
mention are Vivre d'Amour!... (Poésies 17) and
Pourquoi je t'aime, ô Marie! (Poésies 54), an
original synthesis of the Virgin Mary's journey according to the
Gospel. To this literary production should be added eight
Récréations pieuses: poetic and theatrical compositions,
conceived and performed by the Saint for her community on
certain feast days, in accordance with the tradition of Carmel.
Among those writings should be mentioned a series of 21
Prières. Nor can we forget the collection of all she said
during the last months of her life. These sayings, of which
there are several editions, known as the Novissima verba,
have also been given the title Derniers Entretiens.
7. From careful
study of the writings of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and from
the resonance they have had in the Church, salient aspects can
be noted of her "eminent doctrine", which is the fundamental
element for conferring the title of Doctor of the Church.
First of all, we find a
special charism of wisdom. This young Carmelite, without any
particular theological training, but illumined by the light of
the Gospel, feels she is being taught by the divine Teacher who,
as she says, is "the Doctor of Doctors" (Ms A, 83v), and
from him she receives "divine teachings" (Ms B, 1r). She
feels that the words of Scripture are fulfilled in her: "Whoever
is a little one, let him come to me.... For to him that is
little, mercy shall be shown" (Ms B, 1v; cf. Prv 9:4; Wis
6:6) and she knows she is being instructed in the science of
love, hidden from the wise and prudent, which the divine Teacher
deigned to reveal to her, as to babes (Ms A, 49r; cf. Lk
10:21-22).
Pius XI, who considered
Thérèse of Lisieux the "Star of his pontificate", did not
hesitate to assert in his homily on the day of her canonization,
17 May 1925: "The Spirit of truth opened and made known to her
what he usually hides from the wise and prudent and reveals to
little ones; thus she enjoyed such knowledge of the things above
- as Our immediate Predecessor attests - that she shows everyone
else the sure way of salvation" (AAS 17 [1925], p. 213).
Her teaching not only
conforms to Scripture and the Catholic faith, but excels
("eminet") for the depth and wise synthesis it achieved.
Her doctrine is at once a confession of the Church's faith, an
experience of the Christian mystery and a way to holiness.
Thérèse offers a mature synthesis of Christian spirituality: she
combines theology and the spiritual life; she expresses herself
with strength and authority, with a great ability to persuade
and communicate, as is shown by the reception and dissemination
of her message among the People of God.
Thérèse's teaching
expresses with coherence and harmonious unity the dogmas of the
Christian faith as a doctrine of truth and an experience of
life. In this regard it should not be forgotten that the
understanding of the deposit of faith transmitted by the
Apostles, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, makes progress
in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit: "There is growth
in insight into the realities and words that are passed on...
through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder
these things in their hearts (cf. Lk 2:19 and 51). It comes from
the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience.
And it comes from the preaching of those who have received,
along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure
charism of truth" (Dei Verbum, n. 8).
In the writings of Thérèse
of Lisieux we do not find perhaps, as in other Doctors, a
scholarly presentation of the things of God, but we can discern
an enlightened witness of faith which, while accepting with
trusting love God's merciful condescension and salvation in
Christ, reveals the mystery and holiness of the Church.
Thus we can rightly
recognize in the Saint of Lisieux the charism of a Doctor of the
Church, because of the gift of the Holy Spirit she received for
living and expressing her experience of faith, and because of
her particular understanding of the mystery of Christ. In her
are found the gifts of the new law, that is, the grace of the
Holy Spirit, who manifests himself in living faith working
through charity (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theol.,
I-II, q. 106, art. 1; q. 108, art. 1).
We can apply to Thérèse of
Lisieux what my Predecessor Paul VI said of another young Saint
and Doctor of the Church, Catherine of Siena: "What strikes us
most about the Saint is her infused wisdom, that is to say, her
lucid, profound and inebriating absorption of the divine truths
and mysteries of faith.... That assimilation was certainly
favoured by the most singular natural gifts, but it was also
evidently something prodigious, due to a charism of wisdom from
the Holy Spirit" (AAS 62 [1970], p. 675).
8. With her distinctive
doctrine and unmistakable style, Thérèse appears as an
authentic teacher of faith and the Christian life. In her
writings, as in the sayings of the Holy Fathers, is found that
life-giving presence of Catholic tradition whose riches, as the
Second Vatican Council again says, "are poured out in the
practice and life of the Church, in her belief and prayer" (Dei
Verbum, n. 8).
If considered in its
literary genre, corresponding to her education and culture, and
if evaluated according to the particular circumstances of her
era, the doctrine of Thérèse of Lisieux appears in providential
harmony with the Church's most authentic tradition, both for its
confession of the Catholic faith and for its promotion of the
most genuine spiritual life, presented to all the faithful in a
living, accessible language.
She has made the Gospel
shine appealingly in our time; she had the mission of making the
Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, known and loved; she helped
to heal souls of the rigours and fears of Jansenism, which
tended to stress God's justice rather than his divine mercy. In
God's mercy she contemplated and adored all the divine
perfections, because "even his justice (and perhaps even more so
than the other perfections) seems to me clothed in love" (Ms
A, 83v·). Thus she became a living icon of that God who,
according to the Church's prayer, "shows his almighty power in
his mercy and forgiveness" (cf. Roman Missal, Opening
prayer, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time).
Even though Thérèse does
not have a true and proper doctrinal corpus, nevertheless a
particular radiance of doctrine shines forth from her
writings which, as if by a charism of the Holy Spirit, grasp the
very heart of the message of Revelation in a fresh and original
vision, presenting a teaching of eminent quality.
The core of her message is
actually the mystery itself of God-Love, of the Triune God,
infinitely perfect in himself. If genuine Christian spiritual
experience should conform to the revealed truths in which God
communicates himself and the mystery of his will (cf. Dei
Verbum, n. 2), it must be said that Thérèse experienced
divine revelation, going so far as to contemplate the
fundamental truths of our faith united in the mystery of
Trinitarian life. At the summit, as the source and goal, is the
merciful love of the three Divine Persons, as she expresses it,
especially in her Act of Oblation to Merciful Love. At
the root, on the subject's part, is the experience of being the
Father's adoptive children in Jesus; this is the most authentic
meaning of spiritual childhood, that is, the experience of
divine filiation, under the movement of the Holy Spirit. At the
root again, and standing before us, is our neighbour, others,
for whose salvation we must collaborate with and in Jesus, with
the same merciful love as his.
Through spiritual
childhood one experiences that everything comes from God,
returns to him and abides in him, for the salvation of all, in a
mystery of merciful love. Such is the doctrinal message taught
and lived by this Saint.
As it was for the Church's
Saints in every age, so also for her, in her spiritual
experience Christ is the centre and fullness of Revelation.
Thérèse knew Jesus, loved him and made him loved with the
passion of a bride. She penetrated the mysteries of his infancy,
the words of his Gospel, the passion of the suffering Servant
engraved on his holy Face, in the splendour of his glorious
life, in his Eucharistic presence. She sang of all the
expressions of Christ's divine charity, as they are presented in
the Gospel (cf. PN 24, Jésus, mon Bien-Aimé,
rappelle-toi!).
Thérèse received
particular light on the reality of Christ's Mystical Body, on
the variety of its charisms, gifts of the Holy Spirit, on the
eminent power of love, which in a way is the very heart of the
Church, where she found her vocation as a contemplative and
missionary (cf. Ms B, 2r·-3v·).
Lastly, among the most
original chapters of her spiritual doctrine we must recall
Thérèse's wise delving into the mystery and journey of the
Virgin Mary, achieving results very close to the doctrine of the
Second Vatican Council in chapter eight of the Constitution
Lumen gentium and to what I myself taught in the Encyclical
Letter Redemptoris Mater of 25 March 1987.
9. The primary source of
her spiritual experience and her teaching is the Word of God in
the Old and New Testaments. She herself admits it, particularly
stressing her passionate love for the Gospel (cf. Ms A,
83v). Her writings contain over 1,000 biblical quotations: more
than 400 from the Old Testament and over 600 from the New.
Despite her inadequate
training and lack of resources for studying and interpreting the
sacred books, Thérèse immersed herself in meditation on the Word
of God with exceptional faith and spontaneity. Under the
influence of the Holy Spirit she attained a profound knowledged
of Revelation for herself and for others. By her loving
concentration on Scripture - she even wanted to learn Hebrew and
Greek to understand better the spirit and letter of the sacred
books - she showed the importance of the biblical sources in the
spiritual life, she emphasized the originality and freshness of
the Gospel, she cultivated with moderation the spiritual
exegesis of the Word of God in both the Old and New Testaments.
Thus she discovered hidden treasures, appropriating words and
episodes, sometimes with supernatural boldness, as when, in
reading the texts of St Paul (cf. 1 Cor 12-13), she realized her
vocation to love (cf. Ms B, 3r-3v). Enlightened by the
revealed Word, Thérèse wrote brilliant pages on the unity
between love of God and love of neighbour (cf. Ms C,
11v-19r); and she identified with Jesus' prayer at the Last
Supper as the expression of her intercession for the salvation
of all (cf. Ms C, 34r-35r).
Her doctrine, as was said,
conforms to the Church's teaching. From childhood she was taught
by her family to participate in prayer and liturgical worship.
In preparation for her first Confession, first Communion and the
sacrament of Confirmation, she gave evidence of an extraordinary
love for the truths of the faith, and she learned the
Catechism almost word for word (cf. Ms A, 37r-37v).
At the end of her life she wrote the Apostles' Creed in her own
blood, as an expression of her unreserved attachment to the
profession of faith.
In addition to the words
of Scripture and the Church's doctrine, Thérèse was nourished as
a youth by the teaching of the Imitation of Christ,
which, as she herself acknowledges, she knew almost by heart
(cf. Ms A, 47r). Decisive for fulfilling her Carmelite
vocation were the spiritual texts of the Mother Foundress,
Teresa of Jesus, especially those explaining the contemplative
and ecclesial meaning of the charism of the Teresian Carmel (cf.
Ms C, 33v). But in a very special way, Thérèse was
nourished on the mystical doctrine of St John of the Cross, who
was her true spiritual master (cf. Ms A, 83r). It should
cause no surprise, then, if she who had been an outstanding
pupil in the school of these two Saints, later declared Doctors
of the Church, should later become a master of the spiritual
life.
10. The spiritual
doctrine of Thérèse of Lisieux has helped extend the kingdom of
God. By her example of holiness, of perfect fidelity to
Mother Church, of full communion with the See of Peter, as well
as by the special graces obtained by her for many missionary
brothers and sisters, she has rendered a particular service to
the renewed proclamation and experience of Christ's Gospel and
to the extension of the Catholic faith in every nation on earth.
There is no need to dwell
at length on the universality of Thérèse's doctrine and on
the broad reception of her message during the century since
her death: it has been well documented in the studies made in
view of conferring on her the title of Doctor of the Church.
A particularly important
fact in this regard is that the Church's Magisterium has not
only recognized Thérèse's holiness, but has also highlighted the
wisdom of her doctrine. Pius X had already said that she was
"the greatest saint of modern times". On joyfully receiving the
first Italian edition of the Story of a Soul, he extolled
the fruits that had resulted from Thérèse's spirituality.
Benedict XV, on the occasion of proclaiming the Servant of God's
heroic virtues, explained the way of spiritual childhood and
praised the knowledge of divine realities which God granted to
Thérèse in order to teach others the ways of salvation (cf.
AAS 13 [1921], pp. 449-452). On the occasion of both her
beatification and canonization, Pius XI wished to expound and
recommend the Saint's doctrine, underscoring her special divine
enlightenment (Discorsi di Pio XI, vol. I, Turin 1959, p.
91) and describing her as a teacher of life (cf. AAS 17
[1925], pp. 211-214). When the Basilica of Lisieux was
consecrated in 1954, Pius XII said, among other things, that
Thérèse penetrated to the very heart of the Gospel with her
doctrine (cf. AAS 46 [1954], pp. 404-408). Cardinal
Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, visited Lisieux
several times, especially when he was Nuncio in Paris. On
various occasions during his pontificate he showed his devotion
to the Saint and explained the relationship between the doctrine
of the Saint of Avila and her daughter, Thérèse of Lisieux (Discorsi,
Messaggi, Colloqui, vol. II [1959-1960], pp. 771-772). Many
times during the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, the
Fathers recalled her example and doctrine. On the centenary of
her birth, Paul VI addressed a Letter on 2 January 1973 to the
Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, in which he extolled Thérèse's
example in the search for God, offered her as a teacher of
prayer and theological virtue of hope, and a model of communion
with the Church, calling the attention of teachers, educators,
pastors and theologians themselves to the study of her doctrine
(cf. AAS 65 [1973], pp. 12-15). I myself on various
occasions have had the joy of recalling the person and doctrine
of the Saint, especially during my unforgettable visit to
Lisieux on 2 June 1980, when I wished to remind everyone: "One
can say with conviction about Thérèse of Lisieux that the Spirit
of God allowed her heart to reveal directly to the people of our
time the fundamental mystery, the reality of the
Gospel.... Her 'little way' is the way of 'holy childhood'.
There is something unique in this way, the genius of St Thérèse
of Lisieux. At the same time there is the confirmation and
renewal of the most basic and most universal
truth. What truth of the Gospel message is really more basic and
more universal than this: God is our Father and we are his
children?" (Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, vol. III/1
[1980], p. 1659).
These simple references to
an uninterrupted series of testimonies from the Popes of this
century on the holiness and doctrine of St Thérèse of the Child
Jesus and to the universal dissemination of her message clearly
express to what extent the Church, in her pastors and her
faithful, has accepted the spiritual doctrine of this young
Saint.
A sign of the ecclesial
reception of the Saint's teaching is the appeal to her
doctrine in many documents of the Church's ordinary Magisterium,
especially when speaking of the contemplative and missionary
vocation, of trust in the just and merciful God, of Christian
joy and of the call to holiness. Evidence of this fact is the
presence of her doctrine in the recent Catechism of the
Catholic Church (nn. 127, 826, 956, 1011, 2011, 2558). She
who so loved to learn the truths of the faith in the catechism
deserved to be included among the authoritative witnesses of
Catholic doctrine.
Thérèse possesses an
exceptional universality. Her person, the Gospel message of
the "little way" of trust and spiritual childhood have received
and continue to receive a remarkable welcome, which has
transcended every border.
The influence of her
message extends first of all to men and women whose holiness and
heroic virtues the Church herself has recognized, to the
Church's pastors, to experts in theology and spirituality, to
priests and seminarians, to men and women religious, to
ecclesial movements and new communities, to men and women of
every condition and every continent. To everyone Thérèse gives
her personal confirmation that the Christian mystery, whose
witness and apostle she became by making herself in prayer "the
apostle of the apostles", as she boldly calls herself (Ms A,
56r·), must be taken literally, with the greatest possible
realism, because it has a value for every time and place. The
power of her message lies in its concrete explanation of how all
Jesus' promises are fulfilled in the believer who knows how
confidently to welcome in his own life the saving presence of
the Redeemer.
11. All these reasons are
clear evidence of how timely is the Saint of Lisieux's
doctrine and of the particular impact her message has had
on the men and women of our century. Moreover, some
circumstances contribute to making her designation as a Teacher
for the Church of our time even more significant.
First of all, Thérèse is a
woman, who in approaching the Gospel knew how to grasp
its hidden wealth with that practicality and deep resonance of
life and wisdom which belong to the feminine genius. Because of
her universality she stands out among the multitude of holy
women who are resplendent for their Gospel wisdom.
Thérèse is also a
contemplative. In the hiddenness of her Carmel she lived the
great adventure of Christian experience to the point of knowing
the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ's love (cf. Eph
3:18-19). God did not want his secrets to remain hidden, but
enabled Thérèse to proclaim the secrets of the King (cf. Ms
C, 2v·). By her life Thérèse offers a witness and
theological illustration of the beauty of the contemplative life
as the total dedication to Christ, Spouse of the Church, and as
an affirmation of God's primacy over all things. Hers is a
hidden life which possesses a mysterious fruitfulness for
spreading the Gospel and fills the Church and the world with the
sweet odour of Christ (cf. LT 169, 2v).
Lastly, Thérèse of Lisieux
is a young person. She reached the maturity of holiness
in the prime of youth (cf. Ms C, 4r). As such, she
appears as a Teacher of evangelical life, particularly effective
in illumining the paths of young people, who must be the leaders
and witnesses of the Gospel to the new generations.
Thérèse of the Child Jesus
is not only the youngest Doctor of the Church, but is also the
closest to us in time, as if to emphasize the continuity with
which the Spirit of the Lord sends his messengers to the Church,
men and women as teachers and witnesses to the faith. In fact,
whatever changes can be noted in the course of history and
despite the repercussions they usually have on the life and
thought of individuals in every age, we must never lose sight of
the continuity which links the Doctors of the Church to each
other: in every historical context they remain witnesses to the
unchanging Gospel and, with the light and strength that come
from the Holy Spirit, they become its messengers, returning to
proclaim it in its purity to their contemporaries. Thérèse is a
Teacher for our time, which thirsts for living and essential
words, for heroic and credible acts of witness. For this reason
she is also loved and accepted by brothers and sisters of other
Christian communities and even by non-Christians.
12. This year, when the
centenary of the glorious death of Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face is being celebrated, as we prepare to
celebrate the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, after receiving a
great number of authoritative petitions, especially from many
Episcopal Conferences throughout the world, and after accepting
the official petition, or Supplex Libellus, addressed to
me on 8 March 1997 by the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, as well
as from the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites of the
Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and from the Postulator
General of the same order, I decided to entrust the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints, which has competence in this matter,
with the special study of the cause for conferring the title of
Doctor on this Saint, "after hearing the opinion of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the eminent
doctrine" (Apost. Const. Pastor Bonus, n. 73).
After the necessary
documentation had been collected, the two above-mentioned
Congregations addressed the question in the meetings of their
respective consultors: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith on 5 May 1997, with regard to the "eminent doctrine", and
the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 29 May of the same
year, to examine the special "Positio". On the following 17
June, the Cardinals and Bishops who are members of these
Congregations, following a procedure approved by me for this
occasion, met in a plenary interdicasterial session and
discussed the cause, giving a unanimously favourable opinion on
granting the title of Doctor of the Universal Church to St
Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. I was personally
informed of this opinion by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and by the
Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,
Archbishop Alberto Bovone, titular Archbishop of Caesarea in
Numidia.
In view of this, on 24
August last, during the Angelus prayer in the presence of
hundreds of Bishops and before a vast throng of young people
from around the world, gathered in Paris for the 12th World
Youth Day, I wanted personally to announce my intention to
proclaim Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face a Doctor
of the Universal Church during the celebration of World Mission
Sunday in Rome.
Today, 19 October 1997, in
St Peter's Square, filled with faithful from every part of the
world, and in the presence of a great many Cardinals,
Archbishops and Bishops, during the solemn Eucharistic
celebration I proclaimed Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy
Face a Doctor of the Universal Church in these words:
Fulfilling the wishes of many Brothers in the Episcopate and of
a great number of the faithful throughout the world, after
consulting the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and hearing
the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
regarding her eminent doctrine, with certain knowledge and after
lengthy reflection, with the fullness of Our apostolic authority
We declare Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face,
virgin, to be a Doctor of the Universal Church. In the name of
the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This having been duly
enacted, We decree that this Apostolic Letter is to be
religiously preserved and to have full effect both now and in
the future; furthermore, it is thus to be judged and defined as
right, and whatever to the contrary may be attempted by anyone,
on whatever authority, knowingly or unknowingly, is null and
void.
Given in Rome, at St
Peter's, under the Fisherman's ring, the 19th day of the month
of October in the year of the Lord 1997, the 20th of the
Pontificate.
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