Joy in Suffering (mini) Book Club — Day 2: St. Therese's Attitude Toward Suffering

We continue our 9-day book club, reading the book Joy in Suffering.

📖 Day 2: St. Therese's Favorite Crosses

If you don’t already have the book, you can find the readings online for free here:

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Joy_in_Suffering/Second_Day

What was your favorite quote or takeaway from today’s reading? Share in the comments below!

My favorite quotes from today:

"Everything," she wrote, "has such value in the religious life…. Pick up a pin from a motive of love, and you may save a soul."

Little crosses are always within easy reach...

"It is such a joy," she cried out, "to think that for each little pain borne with joy we shall love God more through eternity. If we only realized what we gain through self-denial in all things!"

"There are trifles," she said, "which please our Lord more than the conquest of the world, a smile or a kindly word, for instance, when I feel inclined to say nothing..."

"...the writing of pious books, the composing of the sublimest poetry, all that does not equal the smallest act of self-denial."

Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the LOVE with which we do them,"

"...I wished to offer to Jesus, a hidden flower, which keeps its perfume only for heaven."

"The more the suffering is and the less it appears before men, the more it is to Thy honor and glory."

The most important duty of every person is to fulfil faithfully the obligations of his or her state of life, and this usually involves much unsought suffering.

"Each one ought to behave as if the perfection of the entire Order depended on her personal conduct."

Chapter Summary

Day 2 makes the heroic ideals of Day 1 practical and accessible. This is the "Little Way" of suffering.

• Meditation 2.1 teaches us to find sanctity in "little crosses"—the daily, unavoidable "trifles" which have immense value when borne with love.  

  
  

• Meditation 2.2 calls us to embrace "hidden crosses," bearing our pain with a smile, "known only to Jesus". This purifies our motive, multiplies our merit, and avoids the "cowardice" of seeking pity.   

  
  

• Meditation 2.3 grounds our sanctity in our "vocational crosses." The "mine of gold" is not in some far-off martyrdom, but in the faithful, fulfillment of the "obligations of his or her state of life". 

Reflection Questions & Action Items

2.1 Little Crosses

Reflection Questions

1. Day 1 spoke of "martyrdom," which seems distant. Day 2 speaks of "trifles," which are here, now. What are the recurring "little crosses" in my daily life (e.g., messes left behind by others, interruptions throughout the day, chores I dislike)?

2. Do I see these "trifles" as annoyances to be avoided, or as opportunities for sanctity "within easy reach"?

3. Thérèse valued interior self-denial (silence, not defending oneself) more than physical penance. Which is harder for me? To bear physical cold, or to "keep silence perfectly"  when I am falsely accused?   

   
   

Action Items

1. Choose one "little cross" that you know you will encounter today (a specific person, a difficult task, a recurring irritation).

2. Resolve, that in that instance, to "refuse Him nothing". Bear it silently and joyfully (with a smile) as an "act of pure love" for Jesus.   

2.2 Hidden Crosses

Reflection Questions

1. When I am suffering, how strong is my "desire that people should know"? Do I seek pity, or do I "vent" to others?

2. How does the "culture of complaint" (venting, sharing all our grievances) conflict with Thérèse's "predilection for hidden crosses"? What "merit" might I be losing?

3. What would it feel like to endure a significant "ache or pain" and tell no one but Jesus? To conceal it "beneath a smile"? Does this feel heroic or unnatural to me? Why?

Action Items

1. The very next time you feel a "little cross" (a headache, a frustration, an insult), make the heroic and conscious choice to tell no one.

2. Go to Jesus "in the dark" and offer it to Him alone. Then, add the sacrifice of not being pitied to your offering, increasing its value.

2.3 Vocational Crosses

Reflection Questions

1. What is my "state of life" (e.g., spouse, parent, single person, employee, student)? What are the "obligations" of this state that I find most difficult and am most tempted to seek a "dispensation" from?

2. We often dream of holiness by escaping our duties ("If only I had more time to pray," "If only I had a different job"). How does Thérèse's example teach that holiness is found inside our duties, not outside them?

3. What if I applied her principle today: "as if the perfection of the entire Church depended on my personal conduct"? How would I approach my work, my family, or my chores differently?

Action Items

1. Identify one duty of your "state of life" that you most dislike or avoid (e.g., paying bills, correcting homework, laundry, etc).

2. Today, perform that one duty with the heroic fidelity of St. Thérèse, "as long as I can stand on my feet," offering the "unsought suffering" as a "vocational cross."