Today the Church celebrates the feast of my favorite saint, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Virgin and Doctor of the Church.

There is something almost paradoxical about calling Thérèse a “Doctor.” She never attended a university. She never pursued an academic degree. She entered religious life at the age of fifteen and died before her twenty-fifth birthday. She did not write theological treatises or engage in systematic academic study.

And yet, in 1997, Pope St. John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church—an extraordinary recognition that places her teaching before the entire Christian community as a lasting source of wisdom.

Knowing what a doctorate ordinarily entails, we should naturally ask: Why Thérèse? What did this young Carmelite teach the Church that was so important that she should be called a Doctor?

Let St. John Paul II explains: “when the Magisterium proclaims someone a doctor of the Church, it intends to point out to all the faithful… that the doctrine professed and proclaimed by that person is a reference point, not only because it conforms to revealed truth, but also because it sheds new light on the mysteries of the faith, a deeper understanding of Christ’s mystery” (jpii, homily on Oct 19, 1997, par. 3). 

So what new light did Thérèse shed? She taught us that the greatness of our actions is ultimately measured by the amount we perform them. She discovered that holiness is not primarily about doing extraordinary things. It is about doing ordinary things with extraordinary love. A hidden sacrifice. A small act of patience. A chore nobody notices. A smile when we would rather complain. A moment of generosity when no one will ever know. The action itself may appear insignificant. But love changes it.

This is the heart of what Thérèse called her “little way.” She understood that God does not measure our lives according to the world’s standards of greatness. What matters is not simply what we do, but how much love we put into what we do.

St. Paul had already proclaimed this truth with extraordinary clarity: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong.” Even extraordinary faith, knowledge, generosity, and sacrifice are nothing without love.

Thérèse did not invent this teaching. The Church had always possessed it. But she embodied it, penetrated it, and made it accessible in a radically new way. She showed what it looks like when this truth becomes the organizing principle of an entire life. That’s the contribution she brought to the revealed truth. And that is precisely what makes her a Doctor.

Here’s a story of how Therese lived that teaching. There was a particular sister who irritated Thérèse deeply. The sister had habits and mannerisms that Thérèse found difficult to bear, and even the sound of her movements could become an annoyance. Nothing about the situation was heroic. There was no great theological battle, no dramatic sacrifice, no visible act of martyrdom.

Thérèse decided to love her. She deliberately treated this sister with kindness. She smiled at her. She tried to be helpful. She made an effort to be pleasant even when she did not feel affection. The remarkable thing is that the other sister apparently never realized how much effort this required of Thérèse. She even assumed that Thérèse had a particular affection for her. Those types of actions were never seen before. That’s what she brought new to the revealed truth. 

 I find Thérèse to be a doctor for every age. Many of the Church’s Doctors are associated with particular theological controversies, intellectual questions, or developments in doctrine. Their contributions remain indispensable, and their teachings form part of the Church’s immense intellectual and spiritual inheritance. But the world, philosophies, technologies, political systems come and go. The questions we ask change. One thing does not change: love. That’s why Thérèse’s teaching has an unusual universality and relevance at all time.  When we come to face before God, the question that will remain: did you love? 

That’s her teaching will never become obsolete. That’s why she might be the most important doctor of the church. 

God is madly in love with you!