Reflexivity in Love A Self-Reflexive Portrait of the Little Flower of Jesus

This book focuses particularly on the self-reflexive elements of the divine and human transformation in the Christian life, which we find in St. Therese, especially her ability to wonder and question herself about the mysteries of God as they relate to her spiritual life and growth. It studies Therese's spirit of critical listening and profound spiritual reflection on the things of her experience and explores her self-reflective and interrogative self-understanding of her call to sanctity of life. The author also discusses how the Saint appropriated God's Word and God's grace hidden in the events of her life. The book shows how, through self-reflexivity and meditation on God's Word, she discovered her vocation as love in the heart of the Church, following which she desired to sing of the mercies of the Lord with her whole life by loving God and neighbor in ordinary things in an extraordinary way and by leading a legion of souls through this Little Way of love, which has a general or universal application to all who desire to attain perfection by a straight and short route. While it is recognized that God's grace works in individuals according to their personal vocations, the author believes that spiritual self-reflexivity helps the faithful to integrate meaningfully, like St. Therese, the general principles of the spiritual life and the example of the Saints into each individual's spiritual life in the events of daily life, irrespective of their individual vocations. And this is why the Little Way, as a spiritual path, can be lived by all who commit themselves to following the example found in St. Therese's simple, humble, and confident way of spiritual childhood--and of loving God and neighbor in the ordinary life and events of every day with reflexivity in love as the key.