The Shema is the central statement of faith to the ancient nation of Israel. It is a statement of belief like our own Nicene Creed. The Book of Deuteronomy instructs the faithful to recite the Shema when you go to bed and when you get up. Teach it to your children and bind it to your arm and head; nail it on the door post of your home. You probably have seen orthodox Jews with little black boxes tied to their head or their arms while they pray. You may have seen a little box tacked to the doorpost of a Jewish home. These traditions are the roots from where our discipline of morning and evening prayer come. What does it all mean?"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today." Dt. 6:2-6.
In reality, Thérèse Martin was a psychologically and physically frail women, hidden and protected from the stress of the world by a protective family. Her grace was to love with whatever heart and mind were given her by God. Often, she didn’t have much to offer, but she gave her all as best she could The wisdom shared by all the saints is about the wholeheartedness of love. Wholeheartedness is not “once and for all” but opening up their entire lives to the transforming grace of God daily. Thérèse learned to love despite slights, imagined or real, suffocating caregivers, and the frailty of her body and mind. The saints all struggleAll the deeds I long to accomplish for you. I would be a martyr, a doctor of the church. I should like to accomplish the most heroic deeds—the spirit of the crusader bums in me. I long to die on the battlefield in defense of the holy church. I would be a missionary. I would choose to be flayed like St. Bartholomew, plunged into boiling oil like St. John, or like St. Ignatius of Antioch I would be ground by the teeth of wild beasts into bread worthy of God. With St. Agnes and St. Cecilia I would offer my neck to the sword of the executioner, and like St. Joan of Arc, I would murmur the name of Jesus at the stake. ( Story of a Soul, St. Therese)
The Story of a Soul, by St. Therese of Lisieux (Therese Martin) is the most influential book that I have read in my life. It touched me deeply. If you want to read it, here is a link to the Amazon site. Here is another quote from her book. "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."
-St. Therese