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At the core of Thérèse’s spirituality was her awareness of Jesus’ invitation to intimacy with him in which heart speaks to heart.
Opening prayer: “I want, O my Beloved, at each beat of my heart to renew my offering to You an infinite number of times, until the shadows having disappeared I may be able to tell You of my Love in an Eternal Face to Face!” (John Clarke, trans., Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, p. 277)
About Thérèse
Thérèse developed a deep affection for all the members of her family, but especially for her father. His pet name for his youngest daughter was “my little Queen,” and Thérèse returned the affection by calling him the “King.” Often they would speak heart-to-heart. Thérèse described the scene when, at fourteen, she opened her heart to her king, requesting his permission that she might enter the Carmelite convent:
I chose Pentecost as the date for making my disclosure.…
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