Gospel in Art: Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor

Illustration of the solemn Canonisation of Thérèse, on 17th May 1925 at St Peter's Basilica

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 1 October 2026
Matthew 18:1-5

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.'

Reflection on the gouache on paper

Our illustration takes us to Saint Peter's Basilica on 17 May 1925, the extraordinary day on which Pope Pius XI formally declared Thérèse of Lisieux a saint. The scale of the occasion is striking. Thérèse had spent her religious life hidden behind the walls of a Carmelite convent, unknown to almost everyone beyond her small community; yet less than thirty years after her death, some 50,000 faithful gathered in Rome for her canonisation, alongside 23 cardinals and 250 bishops. High above them, Saint Peter's seems almost ablaze with countless chandeliers and lamps, filling the vast basilica with light. Through the nave comes the great procession bearing an image of the new saint, raised high for everyone to see. The contrast could hardly be more beautiful: the young Carmelite who had deliberately chosen littleness, obscurity and hidden acts of love was now being carried in triumph through the most prominent church in Christendom.

There is something almost prophetic in that sea of lights. Thérèse never sought to shine before the world; she simply tried to love God faithfully in the smallest things. Yet that hidden flame became a light for millions. She had famously written that after her death she wished to "spend my heaven doing good on earth," and the scene in Saint Peter's seems already to show that promise unfolding. The enormous celebration was not really a contradiction of her "Little Way", but maybe its vindication: God had taken a life that appeared small and hidden and revealed just how far the light of a single soul, loving greatly in little things, can travel. The small and the magnificent going hand in hand.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux ( 1873-1897) was born on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France. She entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux at the young age of 15, after receiving special permission from the Pope. Despite her brief life, she developed a simple yet profound spirituality, often called the "Little Way," which emphasises doing small, everyday tasks with great love and devotion to God. Her faith journey was marked by deep trust in God's mercy and a desire to serve him humbly in hidden, ordinary moments. Thérèse struggled with illness, particularly tuberculosis, and died at the age of 24 on 30 September 1897, after enduring intense physical suffering with remarkable grace.

Thérèse's autobiography, Story of a Soul, written at the request of her superiors, became widely influential after her death. It revealed her intimate relationship with God and her deep insights into love, sacrifice, and trust. Canonised in 1925 by Pope Pius XI (our illustration), she was later declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997, one of only four women to receive this title.

Saint Thérèse, pray for us.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-18-1-5-2026-2/