St. Therese Uses Arithmetic to Teach Us an Important Lesson in Theology
We cannot go wrong by taking the advice of a Doctor of the Church. The one I have in mind is St. Thérèse of Lisieux. A strong and convincing argument for receiving a doctorate is the immense influence she has had on the approach to contemporary holiness. Perhaps more than anyone else, she taught that holiness is for everyone and that it is to be lived in the ups and downs of everyday life.
Pope John Paul II, in a pilgrimage to Lisieux, expressed his deep respect for the saint. In a homily delivered on June 2, 1980, he told his audience that “The ‘little way’ is the way of ‘holy childhood’. In this way, there is something unique, the genius of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. At the same time there is the confirmation and renewal of the most fundamental and most universal truth. What truth of the Gospel message is, in fact, more fundamental and more universal than this one: God is our Father and we are His children.”
The ‘little way,’ is most appropriate for us human beings who were created from nothing. So close are we to the zero point that humility seems to be the first demeanor with which we should begin our repertoire of virtues. And yet. Because we were created by an infinite power, with can also live with hope that God will not abandon us.
Once, when on her sickbed, she overheard some remarks made by young novices outside her window. One of the novices said, “I really wonder sometimes what our mother prioress will find to say about Sister Thérèse when she dies…she has certainly never done anything worth speaking of.” Sister Thérèse was happy to overhear this. The idea was precious to her “that no one may think of me, that I may be forgotten and trodden on foot as a grain of salt.”
She solved the paradox of how what is everything can penetrate what is nothing without destroying it by resorting to a solution of arithmetical simplicity. “Zero, by itself has no value,” she wrote, but put it alongside one it becomes potent, always provided it is put in the proper side, after and not before . . . ”. We may use the number 1 to symbolize the deity and 0 to stand for a human being. No matter how many zeroes we place to the left of 1m we do not increase it. However, even one zero place after the 1 increases its value. We may be like zeroes, but place to the right of God, we find our proper place and can live a life of dignity, value, and importance.
This image comports with something she said elsewhere: “It is just this—to find myself at my death with empty hands—that gives me joy, for having nothing I shall receive everything from God.” An electrical cord is useless unless it is plugged into a power source. Only then does it become useful.
