“I feel that my mission is now to begin,” she said a few days before her death, “my mission to make others love the good God _as I love Him_, to give my _little way_ to souls....” “What is this ‘little way’ that you want to teach to souls?” “_It is the path of spiritual childhood, it is the way of trust and of entire self-surrender._ I want to make known to them the simple means that have so perfectly succeeded for me, to tell them that there is but one only thing to do here below: _to cast down before Jesus the flowers of little sacrifices, to win Him by caresses!_ That is how I have won Him, and that is why I shall be so well received.” HIST. D’UNE AME, CH. XII If I am misguiding you by my _little way_ of Love, she said to a novice, do not fear that I shall let you follow it very long. I shall appear to you, and tell you to take another path; but if I do not return, believe in the truth of my words: _never can we have too much confidence in the good God, so mighty and so merciful! As much as we hope for shall we obtain from Him!_... HIST. D’UNE AME, CH. XII A novice said to her on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: “If you were to die to-morrow after Holy Communion, it seems to me that so beautiful a death would console me in the midst of my grief.” And Thérèse replied with animation: “Die after Holy Communion! On a grand Feast day! No, it will not be so: little souls could not copy that. In my little way there are only quite ordinary things; all that I do, little souls must be able to do also.” HIST. D’UNE AME, CH. XII FOOTNOTES: [79] _Cf._ Matt., xix, 14. [80] _Cf._ Prov., 1, 4. [81] _Cf._ Matt., xx, 23. [82] _Cf._ Ps., lxvii, 29. [83] _Cf._ John, xiv, 2. [Illustration] PRAYER As I grew older I loved the good God more and more, and very frequently did I offer Him my heart, using the words my mother had taught me. I strove in all my actions to please Jesus and was most watchful never to offend Him. HIST. D’UNE AME, CH. II My whole strength lies in prayer and sacrifice, these are my invincible arms; they can move hearts far better than words, I know it by experience. HIST. D’UNE AME, CH. X Great is the power of prayer--a queen, as one might say, having free access always to the King, and able to obtain whatever she asks. In order to be heard, it is not necessary to read from a book a beautiful form of prayer adapted to the circumstances; if it were so, how greatly to be pitied should I be! HIST. D’UNE AME, CH. X I have not the courage to force myself to seek beautiful prayers in books; not knowing which to choose I act as children do who cannot read; I say quite simply to the good God what I want to tell Him, and He always understands me.