St. Benedict and St. Therese: The Little Rule & The Little Way

Fewer saints could be more different than Therese of Lisieux and Benedict of Nursia. One was a teenage girl in nineteenth-century France; the other the sixth-century founder of Western monasticism. Beneict lived to a ripe old age and ws honoured by popes and monarchs; Therese died young in the obscurity of her provincial convent. Despite their differences, the lives and writings of Benedict and Therese complement one another beautifully. As the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is made manifest in the New, so Therese's 'little way' is hidden in the 'little Rule' of Benedict. Likewise the old monk's wisdom is made explicit in teh young girl's teaching. Benedict's influence on Therese began at her Benedictine school, and she marked her devotion to Benedict by wearing his medal on a chain around her neck. Benedict is like a grandfather in the family of faith, while Therese is a little child. He represents the wisdom of age; she stands for the wisdom of innocence. With sharp o