Daily Gospel Reflection for September 28, 2026

Discover how St. Thérèse of Lisieux exemplifies living a humble faith through small acts of love, encouraging us to embrace our littleness for God.

Today's Gospel: Luke 9:46-50

The idea of being the least is difficult for me. Our society values the greatest in all things. How do we go against the grain and become like a child or the least for God?

Thankfully, we are given the example of a great saint who lived an example of how to be small and childlike to be great in the eyes of God. St. Thérèse of Lisieux felt small and insignificant and lived her little way of faith as a path to holiness.

St. Thérèse was meek and humble, and yet she practiced the virtues daily and surrendered herself to God’s divine love and mercy. In her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, she gave us a roadmap of her little way to heaven. 

We don’t need to do big things for Jesus; we just need to live our littleness by doing ordinary tasks with great love, patience, and trust in Him. While alive, she was not honored as a great, holy woman among her religious sisters, living a quiet, cloistered life in northern France.

Her little way of faith is often explained as a path to holiness through doing little things with extraordinary love, focused on simplicity, trust in God, and through performing small acts of kindness with a cheerful spirit.

In her short life, she faced many traumas and struggles, which led her to develop complete trust in God. She knew she couldn’t overcome life’s challenges on her own. Only by surrendering herself to God’s divine love and mercy would she live out her call to holiness. 

We are called to be holy, no matter how small. We continue practicing the virtues, praying, attending Mass, and receiving the sacraments even though we may fall short, always surrendering ourselves to trust in God’s divine love and mercy.

Ponder:

Do you strive to be the greatest as society dictates? Or do you allow yourself to be least, like a child, for God?

Pray:

Lord, thank You for the gift of the example of St. Therese of Lisieux. Please help me to live her example of the little way to heaven each day. 

Pray Together:

Help each other implement the little way in your life. Begin by being kind and courteous to everyone, but especially to those around you whom you dislike or might irritate you, and doing chores or tasks with a smile and without complaint.  

Copyright 2026 Lisa Henley Jones