Day 64 of 80

At the Table of the Holy Family

Counsels·Manuscript C·The Little Way
Context
Thérèse turned every meal into a prayer by imagining she was at the Holy Family's table. Bad food became an offering to the Child Jesus. It is playful, childlike, and deeply characteristic — making the smallest daily discomfort into an act of love.

"I imagine myself at Nazareth, in the house of the Holy Family. If, for instance, I am served with salad, cold fish, wine, or anything pungent in taste, I offer it to St. Joseph. To our Blessed Lady I offer hot foods and ripe fruit, and to the Infant Jesus our feast-day fare, especially rice and preserves. Lastly, when I am served a wretched dinner I say cheerfully: 'To-day, my little one, it is all for you!'"

Thus in many pretty ways she hid her mortifications.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux — Story of a Soul, Counsels (Manuscript C). Taylor translation, 1912 (public domain).
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