Pope Francis continued his catechesis series on saints who exemplified apostolic enthusiasm when he described St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the missions, on Wednesday during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter's Square.

He started his address by inviting the congregation to follow St. Therese's "Little Way" by showing tremendous love in even the tiniest of deeds, as the Lord did.

The cherished saint was born on January 2, 1873, 150 years ago, and the Pope announced his intention to dedicate an Apostolic Letter to her on that occasion.

The Pope stated that even though she is the patroness of missions, she has never been sent on a mission, challenging the idea of what it means to be a missionary.

Life of St. Therese
The Pope recalled that Therese, a Carmelite nun, described herself as "a small grain of sand," and that she lived her life following the manner of littleness and frailty. She was in bad health and passed away at the young age of 24. He claimed that despite her poor exterior, "her heart was vibrant and missionary."

She writes in her diary that she wanted to be a missionary, and the Holy Father drew attention to the fact that she intended to fulfill this dream for the remainder of her life, possibly even until the end of the world.

Her daily resolution, according to the Pope, was to make Jesus loved and to intercede for others.

She had expressed her desire to save souls in a letter, writing, "I want to save souls and forget myself for them: I want to save them even after my death."

The Pope observed that she followed Jesus the Good Shepherd's example by being especially zealous for people who were far away and sinners.

He described how she acted as a "spiritual sister" to several missionaries, escorting them from her convent through letters, prayers, and constant sacrifices. He recalled how she intervened in the missions while remaining invisible, much like a hidden engine that provides a vehicle with the propulsion it needs to move forward.

He regretted that her fellow nuns frequently did not understand her.

He noted that she received "more thorns than roses" from them, yet she quietly and gently accepted everything, including these criticisms and misunderstandings, along with her illness. And she did it happily for the Church's needs, so that, as she put it, "roses may fall on everyone, especially the most distant."

Who is a Missionary
The Pope emphasized how powerful this intercession motivated by charity is.

Pope Francis made it clear that missionaries are not just individuals who make long journeys, pick up new languages, perform good deeds, and are skilled at proclamation.

He defined a missionary as someone who uses their daily actions to spread God's love wherever they are. Missionaries are individuals who exert every effort in hopes that Jesus will pass by as a result of their testimony, prayers, and intercession.

The Pope cautioned that this apostolic passion never functions via coercion or proselytism but rather through attraction.

Become Christians Through Love And Not By Force
According to him, people become Christians because they have been touched by love, not because they are forced to.

The Church needs hearts like Therese's, specifically ones that inspire others to love and lead people closer to God, the Pope noted, especially in light of the abundance of resources and institutions available.

He cautioned against losing sight of this crucial element.

Pope Francis concluded by urging followers to pray to St. Therese for the ability to get over selfishness and the zeal to intercede so that people may know and love Jesus.