"It is Trust": Pope Francis' Exhortation on Thérèse of Li...

C'est la confiance is an apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis on trusting in God's merciful love, written on the  ^150th anniversary of the birth of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face , Patroness of the Missions. Let's take a look at some of the lessons we can learn from this exhortation. At the end of this reading, we invite you to consult our guide to the Saints .

The apostolic exhortation " It is confidence" is structured in 4 chapters, making up 53 numbers. What can we learn from it? We'll find out below.

Chapter one: Jesus for others

The first chapter of this exhortation is entitled Jesus for Others. It covers numbers 7 to 13.

Among other things, we can learn that:

• Jesus was the center of life for Thérèse: in her name as a nun, she wanted him to appear, just as she wanted the mystery of the Incarnation to be remembered, hence her name 'Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus et de la Sainte Face'" (no. 7).
• Thérèse wanted to make her life an act of Love in the image of Jesus, so much so that "Jesus is my only love" was engraved in her cell. (n° 8)
• Thérèse's missionary soul is highlighted in numbers 9 to 11. No. 9 reminds us through her story that " every authentic encounter with Christ " calls for mission. (n° 9). In particular, she defined her mission as follows: " I shall desire in Heaven the same thing I desire on earth: to love Jesus and to make him loved ". Moreover, her writings show that she entered Carmel " to save souls ".  Number 9 explains why she is "Patroness of the Missions, Master of Evangelization": " She shared the Father's merciful love for the sinful child, and that of the Good Shepherd for the lost, estranged, wounded sheep " (no. 9). In no. 10, Pope Francis likes to recall Thérèse's way of " conceiving evangelization by attraction, not by pressure or proselytism".  In " The Story of a Soul ", for example, she says: " Attract me, we will run to the smell of your perfumes".
• Thérèse really wants to be one with Jesus: number 12 reminds us of one of her prayers: " Here is my prayer, I ask Jesus to draw me into the flames of His love, to unite me so closely to Him, that He may live and act in me. " (n° 12).

Second chapter: The little way of trust and love

The second chapter, entitled " The little way of trust and love", covers numbers 14 to 29. In particular, we can note:

• The Little Way, also called the Way of Spiritual Childhood, is one of Thérèse's greatest discoveries, showing that " everyone can follow it, in every state of life, at every moment of existence. " (n° 14). She describes this path in " The Story of a Soul": " I can therefore, in spite of my smallness, aspire to holiness; to grow, that's impossible, I must bear myself as I am with all my imperfections; but I want to seek the means to go to Heaven by a small, very straight, very short way, a small brand-new way " (n° 15).
• Thérèse uses the image of an elevator to describe this path, showing that we need to remain small and ask Jesus for help: " The elevator that should lift me up to Heaven is your arms, O Jesus! For this, I don't need to grow; on the contrary, I need to remain small, becoming smaller and smaller " (no. 16).
• Pope Francis reminds us that " the gentle way of love " is both " opened by Jesus to the little ones and the poor, to everyone " and is " the way to true joy " (no. 17).
• Through the life of Thérèse, the Pope also reminds us thatwe cannot rely on our own merits, but on God alone, because we are " justified gratuitously by sanctifying grace ".
• Placing our trust " outside ourselves, in the infinite mercy of a God who loves without limits and who gave everything on the Cross of Jesus Christ " is another idea to be highlighted in number 20 of this exhortation.
• In particular, Thérèse stresses the importance for every person of letting themselves be led by God " to reach the summit " (no. 21).
• Thérèse reminds us that trust must embrace our whole life, which she also calls a holy " abandonment ". Number 24 of the exhortation calls us to free ourselves from any worries or fears, reminding us via Thérèse that " If we are in the hands of a FatherIf we are in the hands of a Father who loves us without limits, this will be true in all circumstances, we will get through whatever happens and, in one way or another, his plan of love and fullness will be realized in our lives. " (n° 24).
• The name of this exhortation is also justified by Thérèse's unlimited trust in God: " A trust that must lead us to love" (no. 27).

Third chapter: I will be love

The third chapter, entitled I will be love covers numbers 30 to 45. The following ideas are particularly noteworthy:

• Charity is a personal attitude of love: with the certainty of Jesus' love for her, Thérèse " wants to correspond to Jesus' love, to return love for love " (no. 31).
• Charity is lived by Thérèse " in the simplest things of daily life".  For this, she relies in particular on the Virgin Mary, who " was the first to live the 'little way' in pure faith and humility " (no. 36).
• Charity is also described as the key to her vocation: " O Jesus, my Love... my vocation, at last I have found it, my vocation is Love" (no. 39).
• Charity reminds us of the place of servanthood that Jesus took in his life (n° 40)
• Loving Jesus and making him loved, with a concern for souls, is the idea taken up again in number 43 of this exhortation. The Saint would say, for example: " I do not intend to remain inactive in Heaven; my desire is to continue working for the Church and souls ", hence the expression " shower of roses".
• Trust is recalled in the last number of this chapter: " It is trust that leads us to Love and thus frees us from fear, it is trust that helps us to look away from ourselves, it is trust that enables us to place in God's hands what he alone can do " (no. 45)

Fourth chapter: At the heart of the Gospel

The fourth and final chapter is entitled " At the Heart of the Gospel ", and covers numbers 46 to 53.

• Here, Pope Francis reminds us of the importance of proclaiming " the beauty of God's saving love manifested in the dead and risen Jesus Christ " (no. 47).
• Charity constitutes " the center of Christian morality [...] which is the response to the unconditional love of the Trinity." (n° 48).
• Through her life, Thérèse reminds us " that it is beautiful to make a gift of life. ". In addition, she emphasizes evangelical radicalism, the path of lowliness, the importance of charity in caring for others, simplicity, trust and abandonment, and finally invites us to a " missionary outing " ( no. 52).
• Today, Thérèse remains " more alive than ever at the heart of the Church on the move" (no. 53).

With Hozana, let's put all our trust in Jesus Christ!

With Hozana, let's choose the path of trust and charity, modelled on Jesus Christ and Thérèse of Lisieux.

To this end, Hozana offers you a number of suggestions, including :

• A presentation of the prayer of the day
• Praying the Gospel every day