I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

I received this book as a gift, and after reading it decided to recommend it for a prayer group I have joined. Everyone liked it so much that after we finished, they joked about studying it over and over, just starting at the beginning chapter and going through it again. There is so much to glean from it! This is a book to be savored. There are so many gems in it that it just does not make sense to rush through it. I like it even better than "Story of a Soul" because it expands on what St. Therese wrote there and makes it even more accessible (as if that were necessary!). I find it very encouraging in my spiritual life because it makes everything simple. I have had so many moments of epiphany while reading this. While I initially did not care for St. Therese's spirituality because it seemed too easy (I am much more of an intellectual type), I think it is exactly what I need. Perfect abandonment and trust in God. That is all. While there is a chapter at the end on Mary and the saints, I think that the majority of the book would be great for Protestants, too. It focuses much less on doctrine and much more on spirituality in general. I continue to read it, sometimes a sentence at a time, and actually in preference to the Imitation of Christ. Here are some quotes from the second chapter: "...abandonment rightly understood is the greatest of all renunciations" (for those who are concerned about making sufficient sacrifice in their lives) Regarding the good thief that was crucified next to Jesus: "A thief who stole Heaven!" "...your confidence will be in proportion to your humility, because it is to the extent that we realize our need of Jesus that we have recourse to Him, and we sense this need to the extent that we justly realize our unworthiness." accompanied by "...recognizing that you merit nothing, but expecting everything from a completely gratuitous and infinite mercy." "You doubted either my omnipotence or my love." (this has been especially good for me when I am overwhelmed by how sinful I am). I could go on and on. I so highly recommend this book that I, too, have considered giving away copies to others so they can read the wisdom it contains. Father d'Elbee must surely be a saint. I wish I knew more about the author because of his incredible insights.

As someone who has been reading Catholic books for years, this is one of the most transformative books I have ever read. I go back through the passages I’ve underlined and highlighted again and again, finding inspiration anew each time. Reading the pages of this book gives me a sense of awe, self-compassion, and hope in God’s love for me.

Bought for my niece, as a confirmation gift on her chosen saint. Read it before passing on & wish I had a copy for myself. Wonderful story of the importance of seeing how loved we are - as young women - by the Lord. If all young women could see & understand this - they could change the world! Trust the Little Flower & her wisdom.

An excellent retreat on the spirituality of St. Therese in which one learns to grow in the interior life by obeying the Commandments joyfully through confidence, trust, abandonment, and gratitude for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There are a number of places in the book where Fr. d'Elbee tells you what he wants you to take from this retreat: "[T]his retreat is above all a retreat on the interior life" (160) "Oh, how I would love it if ... at the end of this retreat you were able to cry out with the psalmist, 'Lord, you have opened my heart, and I run in the way of your commandments (Ps 118:32).'" (24) "Confidence, confidence without limits, full, filial, total, all-inclusive ... It is confidence which works all miracles. ... [T]hat is what I want you to take away from this retreat." (51) (Also see page 80) "Here is a good resolution to take from this retreat: 'I promise You, Jesus, to worry about nothing consciously, voluntarily, deliberately. As soon as I notice myself worrying, I shall listen to your gentle voice saying to me, "Let me do it. Am I not here with you, in you?" and I shall say unconditionally 'O Jesus, I thank You for everything,' for You always expect that of me." (97, 98) (See also pages 111, 112) Along these lines there's also this quote: "[T]he great sin of which our Lord complained more than any other to St. Margaret Mary was ingratitude, lack of love. The great reparation, therefore, is love - confident love, since the most cruel ingratitude is distrust." (234) Some other favorite quotes include: "From the moment when I am in the will of God, everything is fine." (98) "Then there is the cross of having carried the cross badly. ... 'On the whole, we go from failure to failure in life.' ... When we are sad at having been unfaithful, He (Jesus) consoles us for having caused Him pain. That is how far His merciful tenderness goes. ... 'How good it is to know that Jesus, if we are united to Him, transforms all these failures into victories!'" (209, 212, 226) "Suffering is a goldmine to exploit for saving souls" (203) "We thwart His plans by imposing our own views, our little plans to which we hold so tightly. And, quite often, why do we do it? Through fear of a cross, fear of humiliation, thirst for enjoyment, earthly ambition, and, above all, lack of confidence." (90) (There are a number of quotes on the value of humiliations - 99, 121, 123, 129, 184, 195, 204, 209) "Our sins, grains of sand beside the great mountain of the mercies of God." -The Cure d' Ars (St. John Vianney) (57) "[The] 'spiritual center' .. of the People of God .. is the Tabernacle. ... [B]e Eucharistic souls!" (241) "[E]ternity in glory: to contemplate and to love the .. Lord ... (in) the ocean of love." (268) "[L]ove the Mass ardently." (226)

Truly, if I were on an island and could only bring 2 books, it'd be the Bible and this one. This is one anointed book and a perfect primer for prayer and the Christian life. Because the text was originally given in a retreat format, the book works best when the reader permits himself to take breaks, to rest, and to take in and contemplate what he has read. It's not that the work is difficult to understand, but it provides a much needed spiritual healing for those who suffer from ingrained self-hatred or distrust in the goodness of God. This book will challenge these erroneous thoughts with a gentleness and wisdom that must be the Holy Spirit. It will loosen the most stubborn heart and allow the soul to understand who God really is and to be able to have radical confidence in His unconditional love. No small feat. I have read the "Autobiography of a Soul," the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, but I honestly found this work, based on her life and writings, to be a better - yes, I said it, better - explanation of her "little way" theology, which is nothing less than the Gospel itself. As a Catholic priest and spiritual director, I would recommend this book unreservedly to all who long to be free of despair and self-loathing and wish to have the faith to "move mountains." The book itself is easy to read yet always brilliant. It's never condescending or trite and is filled with engaging examples from Sacred Scripture, St. Therese's works, and life itself. The priest author synthesizes everything beautifully. There is plenty of white space between the lines of text and in the margins to write down notes and insights. This is invaluable because it's a book you'll definitely want to interact with; it stimulates that level of prayer and conversation with God. The book's binding, layout and appearance are comely, simple and adequate.

I was raised Catholic and never truly came into a relationship with Jesus until several years ago when I had my "conversion". My spiritual life was always very light and smooth and I had never encountered any struggles or difficulties in my prayer life until late last year. Out of nowhere, I went from a very calm, sure, and steady soul to an incredibly anxious, restless, and sensitive soul. Looking back, I can see that the change in my interior life was not only beautiful but absolutely from Jesus as He brought me closer to Himself. I struggled heavily in my interior life for several months until I stumbled on this book. Prior to finding "I Believe in Love", Little Thérèse had been very present in my life. I read "Story of a Soul" just before beginning this book. The Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux may not be for everybody, but I am very confident it is the perfect teaching for those of us who struggle with feelings of not being loved, having to earn salvation and love based on our performance and actions, not being perfect enough for Jesus, and/or intense scrupulosity/anxiety. This book absolutely changed my life! It has brought me so much closer (closer than words could ever say) to our Jesus than I have ever been in my life. The book focuses on having boundless, reckless, and (by the world's standards) foolish confidence in Jesus and particularly abandoning ourselves to Him and His love. It especially emphasizes the beauty of being little and weak, because when we are humble in this way, Jesus dwells even more richly within us. It is the perfect read for those who, like myself, prefer to be more heart than head, to love instead of to think. I cannot recommend this book enough, ESPECIALLY if you are struggling with scrupulosity, anxiey, and/or not believing that Jesus loves you no matter what you have or have not done. Please get this book! St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us!

One of the previous Amazon reviewers of this book wrote the following (the review in question is to be found in the series of reviews for the other edition of the book, by St. Bede's Publications from 1983): "And I may add that for the anxious or depressed- this book is a sure remedy." That is absolutely correct, for the following reason: Anxiety and depression are actually maladies of the heart with SPIRITUAL origins, not "diseases" of the emotions, or "chemical imbalances," as secular psychology and psychiatry would falsely have one believe. These impoverished worldly outlooks cannot diagnose the origins of these maladies accurately, nor can they offer a cure. Quite the contrary, they pose serious obstacles to realizing the only true cure, which consists in the complete abandonment of oneself to the love of Christ, as revealed on the Cross. Since the cause of these maladies is ultimately spiritual in nature, so too must be the cure, and I BELIEVE IN LOVE is a very good articulation of what this cure involves. The cure essentially consists in the unreserved abandonment of oneself, and of all one's earthly hopes, to God. It is important here to be clear as to what this means: It is NOT the case that one is called to suppress these eartly hopes unnaturally, or to live under the false pretense that these eartly hopes do not really exist. Rather, the book insists that one make them all conditional - EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, including both the deepest longings of the heart for earthly goods, as well as the most basic physical needs of earthly life. One must be fully willing to make the realization of ALL of them entirey subject to the Loving Providence of God. This attitude goes hand in hand with a view of suffering and death that is bereft of fear, and that regards both merely as the passageway to eternal happiness in the presence of God. This notion, while profoundly true, is something very radical and alien in today's cultural milieu, which is fundamentally oriented towards avoiding the subject of death entirely, and towards encouraging people to distract themselves from their suffering through the indulgence in and consumption of needless and empty material frivolities. In view of these considerations, those who aspire to embrace the outlook articulated in this book must be aware that it takes a great deal of courage to do so. There are many elements of what the book counsels that would be met with antagonism and hostility by the false paradigms of secular psychology and psychiatry, and would be seen by them as "masochistic," "psycho-pathological," and the like. Since this type of erroneous thinking pervades our culture to the point of being almost as ubiquitous as the air we breathe, even in many ostensibly Christian settings, these types of false accusations against the true Christian Way that is articulated in this book must be aggressively resisted. As I say, carrying this out takes a considerable amount of courage, especially when one is in a weakened condition due to the very types of anxiety and depression that secular psychology and psychiatry falsely claim to diagnose accurately.

Regardless of how many books on St. Therese you have read, this is THE ONE that can change your own life. Your relationship with God and with yourself and all those in your life. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 100 stars! After reading this before the Blessed Sacrament, (i took a long time- about 6 months - only praying before Him and then reading a bit, letting Him minister the truth i needed to hear), I re-read it cover to cover several times. Now I can pick it up anywhere (playing roulette with the book!) and something pierces or soothes me, as my need presents itself. Along with this work, I highly recommend Marc Foley's works: The Love that Keeps Us Sane and The Context of Holiness. Wonderful, continuous reads as well. p.s. for those who would like to know, I really had a hard time reading Story of a Soul until I read these books. Only after discovering Therese from her personality and time in history, was I able to read her own words and come to know her for herself. So if you have never "liked" Story of a Soul, read these.

This is a book that requires a lot of quiet reading and meditating on - I am nowhere near finishing it - but from what I have read and meditated on so far it is a beautiful book which I would recommend to anyone wishing to do a personal retreat.

I recommand this book. You can use it if you want to have a retreat by yourself. Very deep and very helpful if you want to journey with God.

Uplifting! Helps with my daily mental prayer especially now during advent 🙏🏻❤️

It is an excellent Spiritual read and also fuels one's Prayer in Meditation.

No more 'performing' for God. This book teaches you how to completely RELAX in the knowledge that you can be both a sinner in need of His saving, and also, completely and totally and unconditionally loved beyond human reason. Everyone needs a copy of this book. 6 out of 5 star rating; so beautiful, so sanctifying, and so deeply healing. What a treasure.