ʻOutburst from the heart!ʻ From St.Therese of Lisieux

I took a break from my normal reading of the great Catechetical and Theological Fathers of the Church to seek out spiritual wisdom from a great Saint and Doctor. Her words give me great hope for my own spiritual life that even when I have not the strength to be elaborate in prayer, my Father hears me! 

"Prayer is, for me, an outburst from the heart; it is a simple glance darted upwards to Heaven; it is a cry of gratitude and of love in the midst of trial as in the midst of joy! In a word, it is something exalted, supernatural, which dilates the soul and unites it to God. Sometimes when I find myself, spiritually, in dryness so great that I cannot produce a single good thought, I recite very slowly a Pater or an Ave Maria; these prayers alone console me, they suffice, they nourish my soul."

"I have not the courage to force myself to seek beautiful prayers in books; not knowing which to choose I act as children do who cannot read; I say quite simply to the good God what I want to tell Him, and He always understands me."

- Story of A Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux

image via creative commons license. Thérèse de Lisieux. sconosciuto. 1895