Text and Pictures taken from the Lisieux website.
May 30, 1889
J.M.J.T.
Thursday, May 30, 1889
Jesus +
My dear little Sister,
You did well to write me, and I understand everything … everything, everything, everything!…
You haven’t committed the shadow of any evil; I know what these kinds of temptations are so well that I can assure you of this without any fear, and, besides, Jesus tells me this in the depths of my heart…. We must despise all these temptations and pay no attention whatsoever to them.
Should I tell you something that has given me much sorrow?. . .
It is that my little Marie has given up her Communions… on the feast of the Ascension and on the last day of Mary’s month!. .. Oh! what sorrow this has caused Jesus!. . .
The devil has to be very clever to mislead a soul in this way!… But don’t you know, my dear, that this is the only goal of his desires? The evil one knows well that he can’t make a soul that wants to belong totally to Jesus commit a sin, so he tries to make the soul believe it has. It is already much for him to put disturbance in this soul, but to satisfy his rage something else is needed; he wants to deprive Jesus of a loved tabernacle, and, not being able to enter this sanctuary, he wants, at least, that it remain empty and without any Master!. . . Alas, what will become of this poor heart?. . . When the devil has succeeded in drawing the soul away from Holy Communion, he has won everything …. And Jesus weeps!. ..
Oh, my darling, think, then, that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle expressly for you, for you alone-, He is burning with the desire to enter your heart … so don’t listen to the devil, mock him, and go without any fear to receive Jesus in peace and love!. . .
However, I hear you saying to me: “Thérèse is saying this because she doesn’t know . . . she doesn’t know I really do it on purpose … it pleases me . . . and so I cannot receive Communion
since I believe I would commit a sacrilege, etc., etc. ” Yes, your poor little Thérèse does know; I tell you that she understands it all, and she assures you that you can go without any fear to receive your only true Friend …. She, too, has passed through the martyrdom of scruples, but Jesus has given her the grace to receive Communion just the same, even when she believed that she had committed great sins …. And so I assure you that she knew this was the sole means of ridding herself of the devil, for when he sees that he is losing his time, he leaves you in peace!. . .
No, it is impossible that a heart “which rests only at the sight of the Tabernacle” offend Jesus to the point of not being able to receive Him; what offends Him and what wounds His Heart is the lack of confidence!. . .
Little sister, before I received your letter, I had a presentiment of your anxiety; my heart was united to your heart. Last night, in my dreams, I tried to console you, but, alas! I was unable to succeed!. . . I am not going to be any more fortunate today unless Jesus and the Blessed Virgin come to my help; I hope my desire will be fulfilled and that on the last day of her month, the Blessed Virgin will heal my dear little sister. But for this you must pray, pray very much. If you could only place a candle at Notre-Dame- des-Victoires … I have so much confidence in her?. . .
Your heart is made to love Jesus, to love Him passionately; pray so that the beautiful years of your life may not pass by in chimerical fears.
We have only the short moments of our life to love Jesus, and the devil knows this well, and so he tries to consume our life in useless works ….
Dear little sister, receive Communion often, very often. . . . That is the only remedy if you want to be healed, and Jesus hasn’t placed this attraction in your soul for nothing. (I believe that He would be pleased if you could receive the two Communions you missed, for, then, the devil’s victory would be less great since he would not have succeeded in separating Jesus from your heart.) Have no fear of loving the Blessed Virgin too much, you will never love her enough, and Jesus will be pleased since the Blessed Virgin is His Mother.
Adieu, little sister; pardon my scribbling which I can’t even read over since I don’t have the time. Kiss all my dear ones for me.
Thérèse of the Child Jesus
nov.carm.ind.
The School of Mary 