mr. and mrs. martin

We have been in one way or the other touched by the life of St. Therese and her Little Way. She showed us the simpler way to heaven. She made it possible for us who are little to become holy, to live in God’s presence even in the ordinariness of our lives, opening for us the possibility of becoming saints. Looking at life, including God, with the eyes of a child, she opened up a lot of possibilities not a few theologians before her and even now have deciphered as expertly as she did. We have come to understand a lot of things through her from the why and how of sainthood, to the what and where of heaven, to the simple yet profound exposition of the workings of grace that opened a new vista for ecumenical dialogue among Christian denominations. Simplistically speaking, Therese made Christianity simpler, and in most cases, if heaven is indeed our only true goal, her little way is the only thing that we need. For her contributions to the church and specifically to us ordinary Christians, she is called the greatest saint of modern times and one of its most learned.


But let me propose something for our reflection this morning. Let me propose a theory which pestered me last night and made me awake past midnight. My theory is this: Therese was not the original author of her so called Autobiography. It was something she copied from another, something which was not originally hers, something which in today’s standards would have probably violated copyright laws. Here is another theory: in that so called autobiography Therese was not talking about God. Instead she was talking about her relationship with her mother. And she was not really writing about Jesus either. She was writing about her father.
My dear sisters and brothers let me introduce you to the originator of the Little Way – Mr. and Mrs. Martin, father and mother of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Mr. and Mrs. Martin had the original idea probably not articulated as loquaciously by their daughter but lived silently in the ordinariness of family life and in the faithfulness of a father and mother, a husband and wife doing diligently their Christian duty.
Let me cite some few examples:
First, the so called “littleness” in the spiritual childhood, the consciousness of being nothing yet loved; the consciousness of nothing but weakness, sinfulness and human frailty yet cherished and dear to God.
Therese was the ninth child. Three died one after the other. When Celine the eighth child who almost died, survived, Helene the older sister to Celine died instead. It was amidst these tragic deaths, four deaths, that Therese was born. Three months after her birth her mother would write, “I have no hope of saving her.” It was to be another tragic event, but the little girl survived. Because of this they lavished her with all their affections and Therese would later on refer to this kind of attention when she said that “they devoured her with kisses.”
In this situation of constant need and utter helplessness Therese discovered the power of her weakness. She discovered that there is power in her weakness! Just think of all those wonderful sayings of St. Therese which you have probably memorized after years of exposure here in Carmel, think of them for a while, then repeat the phrase “there is power in her weakness.” Could you see the link? That experience taught Therese to recognize her powerlessness and to love her nothingness which will eventually lead her to God and his Merciful Love. This is the very foundation of the little way – its very foundation. Authored by whom? Mr. and Mrs. Martin.
Second, the so called “abandonment” in the spiritual childhood, total self-surrender, the handing over of one’s whole person, to do all things to please him even if entails sacrifices of the most difficult kind, that decision to adore and bow humbly to the providential plan of God in all things and even to refuse to contest the rights of God and his holy will – to abandon oneself in God’s loving hand.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin met after a long search for the religious life. Mrs. Martin wanted to become a nun but because of her health she was refused admission. Mr. Martin wanted to become a religious. But he was told to study Latin which he did not pass. One day Mr. and Mrs. Martin met on a bridge. Mrs. Martin heard an inner voice telling her to marry Mr. Martin. She did. But both of them after having been married to each other for ten months agreed that it would be a chaste marriage, meaning no sex. (And to think that some could not even wait for marriage for this, nowadays.) They adopted a child instead. Then, 10 months later, their spiritual director told them to have their own children. They immediately obeyed and had nine children. I had been spiritual director too, you know. If my directees were as obedient as Mr. and Mrs. Martin I would have been a proud formator by now of so many student priests, and I would add that I would have been also a proud uncle of so many nephews and nieces. Unluckily I was not given such obedient directees.
As I have said, of the nine children, four died one after the other, and two barely survived. It was a tragedy few could have survived but their faith made them strong. Struck with illness and with the death of her beloved sister Mrs. Martin said, ‘I have little reason to rejoice at time moving forward, but I am like the children who do not worry about the morrow; I always hope for happiness!’
Sounds familiar? If I did not tell you where I got this quote you would have concluded that this is St. Therese’s own words. Boundless trust, the divine lift that comes the moment she calls out in her weakness.
Third extra note, St. Therese is made patron of the missions. Even this is not original. Her dream to do the apostolate even to faraway lands of Africa, and Asia and even her willingness to die a martyr in the Holy Land came from her parents. The favorite charity by the way of Mr. and Mrs. Martin to which they contributed greatly was the Propaganda Fidei – the Roman Congregation in charge of collecting and distributing funds for the missions.
There are many similarities and the more I read them the more St. Therese becomes less original. No, I am not stealing the limelight from her. I am just looking at her from another point of view – from the point of view of someone who wanted to know deeply the reason for her growth in holiness, that her greatness was the accumulative virtue of Mr. and Mrs. Martin.
In 2006 I was privileged to join for free the pilgrimage for the canonization of Mother Marie Eugenie of the Assumption. We came to her home and there I realized that she had a difficult childhood with two separations early in life. Her mother and father separated. She went with her mother and her only brother went with his father. It was not a happy childhood in the sense of having a model father and mother. This is something quiet rare when a child could rise above the human frailties of its family to become a saint. It rarely happens – with St. Francis of Assisi perhaps, and St. Thomas Aquinas probably.
But holiness is always the work of grace and nurture. It seldom makes sudden leaps but is allowed to grow up by grace on holy soil. That holy soil is the family. It starts at home. The holiness of children, barring a miracle, starts with the holiness of husband and wife.
In the days to come you will read and come to know more about Mr. and Mrs. Martin. I can only provide you with a glimpse and the bias perhaps to view St. Therese, her autobiography and her little way as originally that of her parents, the holy soil from which the little flower grew. For this Mr. and Mrs. Martin will be called from this day forward the Blessed Louis Martin and the Blessed Zelie Martin.