Therese of Lisieux

She called herself the Little Flower. The world calls her "the greatest saint of modern times." And when her relics toured the globe, the crowds that came out to meet her made up what was called the greatest mass movement in history.

Why does St. Therese of Lisieux draw such love? Perhaps because she is the friendliest of the saints - a young Carmelite who died at twenty-four, who never left her cloister, and who somehow speaks to your heart as though she's been living beside you throughout your life. Her genius shines in Story of a Soul, and in the many letters, poems, and prayers she left behind.

Now, drawing on his popular EWTN series, Fr. Charles P. Connor brings her timeless message to you in a compelling way. He sets the stage with the fascinating world into which Therese was born and then guides you from her cradle to her Christmas conversion, to her hard-won vocation and life in Carmel, and on through to her final suffering.

Along the way, he shows you the Therese you may not know: the girl tormented by scruples, the daughter who watched her beloved father decline after she entered the convent, the sister who kept loving when consolation vanished. In addition, he gathers the testimonies of her intercession - for priests, for the sick, for the persecuted, for missions, and for souls still searching for God. In this moving volume you'll discover:

• The three key aspects of the Little Doctor's spiritual doctrine - and how to make them your own
• How to develop tenacious faith, even amid life's greatest trials and tests
• Three practical steps for approaching God confidently in your littleness and imperfection
• How to escape the pessimism that quietly breeds discouragement and anxiety
• What Therese did when prayer went dry and the darkness would not lift
• Why the Little Flower is called "the Saint of the Eucharist" - and what her total love looks like in practice
• Her Marian Testament, and how she lived her devotion to Our Lady
• Her love for the priesthood and her spiritual motherhood to missionaries a world away
• Why she was declared a Doctor of the Church - one of only thirty-eight, and one of just four women

Suffering by itself, Therese taught, is meaningless. But united to Christ, every trial you carry becomes a doorway to joy and peace, and a bond with Him you could not have forged any other way. Let her teach you to trust audaciously in Our Lord's promises. Let her show you that your weaknesses and failings are not obstacles to holiness at all, but the surest means of running straight into His merciful arms.