Today on Facebook I wrote:
"Next October is
the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. I recommend St. Thérèse of Lisieux as
the Doctor of the Church most likely to help Catholics and Protestants find
common ground in our discussions of trust, mercy, confidence, and divine
providence. All who read her will find that Catholics are not about
works-righteousness."
And when I say "all will
find" I mean all. Catholics themselves fall very easily into
the assumption that we are trying to earn Heaven.
For a follow up on how St. Thérèse (and Margaret Mary and
Faustina) are important for bridging the gap between Catholic and
Protestant, listen to this homily from Divine Mercy 2016. (Yeah, I lifted
a lot of the timeline from Fr. Michael Gaitley's talks on Divine
Mercy, but we have all wondered about how Thérèse managed
to square the circle of free will and confident surrender.)
