St. Thérèse’s Little Way to Humility – Jan 21 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jan 21, 2026, exploring St. Thérèse of Lisieux's teachings on humility as spiritual littleness, emphasizing dependence on God and using weaknesses to attract divine mercy.

Father delves into St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus's profound insights on humility, portraying it as synonymous with spiritual littleness, inspired by Proverbs 9:4: “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me.” He explains that humble souls attribute all goodness to God, echoing John 15:5, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” St. Thérèse teaches that divine love lowers itself, so our humility attracts God's grace, as in James 4:6: “God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.” Father stresses embracing our flaws and miseries not as discouragements but as paths to mercy, noting that insights into our incapacity benefit us more than mere faith. He quotes St. Thérèse: remaining a little child means acknowledging nothingness and awaiting everything from the Lord. Like little children who fall yet love their parents, our weaknesses reveal dependence on God, fostering peace. Echoing St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10—“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”—Father encourages glorying in infirmities for Christ's power to rest upon us. Humility is active: accept humiliations, yield preferences, welcome corrections, serve others, and think well of them. As St. Anthony of the Desert said, humility passes the devil's traps. Father warns that any spirituality not deepening humility must be replaced, invoking Our Lady's grace for humble hearts.

Proverbs 9:4 - Invitation to the little ones - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/9?4
John 15:5 - Without Me nothing possible - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/15?5
James 4:6 - Grace to the humble - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/james/4?6
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - Power in weakness perfected - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/12?9
Catechism of the Catholic Church - Humility as foundational virtue - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a0.htm#2540
Catechism of the Catholic Church - Dependence on God's grace - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm#ii
Catechism of the Catholic Church - Mercy through human weakness - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c2a5.htm#1501
St. Thérèse of Lisieux - Little Way spirituality - https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-therese-of-lisieux/

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Agnes - Mem - http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=106
Readings: Wednesday 2nd Week of Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/012126.cfm
1st: 1sa 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
Resp: psa 144:1, 2, 9-10
Gsp: mar 3:1-6

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1017&r=1573

Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZRR6cdhk_pA