St. Thérèse did not grow in holiness apart from the human condition. Like all of us, she was emotionally scarred by the fragileness of life. She was deeply wounded by the death of her mother at the age of four, bedridden as the result of a neurotic episode when she was ten, struggled with debilitating scruples most of her life, and suffered an agonizing dark night of faith.

St. Thérèse was no plaster statue saint. Her life was a real life. As it unfolds before us on the pages of Story of a Soul, we see a pilgrim soul who made her way home to God through many raging storms and dark nights. The specific nature of Thérèse's trials may differ from our own, but psychological and emotional suffering are our common lot. For example, we may not have know the pain of our mother dying when we were four, but most of us have know the pain of the loss of a loved one. The sufferings that we share with Thérèse are universal - physical pain, anxiety, anger, sadness, depression, loneliness, doubts of faith, to name a few. These sufferings make doing the will of God difficult, but they are the context of our choices. They are the context of holiness.

About the Author

Marc Foley, OCD, is a Discalced Carmelite priest and member of the Washington Province (U.S.A.) of Discalced Carmelite friars. He is a longtime member and former chair of the Institute of Carmelite Studies. Currently he serves as publisher of ICS Publications and as director of formation at the Carmelite House of Studies located in Washington, D.C. A spiritual director and popular retreat master, Father Marc is the author of ten books, six of them with ICS Publications, on St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

The Dark Night

Psychological Experience and Spiritual Reality

Marc Foley, OCD
 

Reading St. John of the Cross’s Dark Night can be daunting; living the dark experience of purification it describes can be much more so. The description of the dark nights... SEE FULL DESCRIPTION

The Ascent of Mount Carmel: Reflections

Marc Foley, OCD
 

Readers of The Ascent of Mount Carmel: Reflections will thank Father Marc Foley for making John’s thought accessible and refreshingly contemporary. The author shares with contemporary... SEE FULL DESCRIPTION

The Ascent to Joy

Selected Writings of John of the Cross

Marc Foley, OCD
 

In this concise introduction to and anthology of the works of the great Carmelite mystic, Father Foley leads the reader step-by-step into the very heart of John’s spiritual way... SEE FULL DESCRIPTION

The Book of Her Foundations: A Study Guide

Marc Foley, OCD
 

The Book of Her Foundations is the least read, the least quoted, the least known of St. Teresa's works. Why this is so is probably because people do not think it is a spiritual book. But as you read on, you find that... SEE FULL DESCRIPTION

Story of a Soul: Study Edition

Marc Foley, OCD
 

This study edition is designed to assist contemporary readers to apply the spiritual insights of Story of a Soul to their lives. It provides introductions, reflections... SEE FULL DESCRIPTION

The Love That Keeps Us Sane

Living the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Marc Foley, OCD
 

This volume offers a portrayal of St. Thérèse as a real person who experienced and dealt with all the vicissitudes and trials of the human condition. What distinguished her, however... SEE FULL DESCRIPTION