Prayer:Jesus, help me to simplify my life
Stored: Jesus, help me to simplify my life
| Jesus, help me to simplify my life | |
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| Author | Unknown |
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| Language | English |
| Approval | None |
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| Added on | 2026-08-13 |
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), known as the "Little Flower," is one of the most beloved saints of the modern era and a Doctor of the Church. Her spirituality was characterized by radical simplicity — a childlike trust in God that she called the "Little Way." Rather than seeking great penances or extraordinary mystical experiences, Thérèse proposed a path of love and abandonment to divine providence available to every soul, no matter how ordinary. This prayer reflects the essence of her teaching and her personal longing to be transformed entirely into the love of Christ.
Throughout her short life, Thérèse kept meticulous spiritual notes and composed prayers that were later compiled and published alongside her autobiography, Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une âme). Her writings reveal a soul deeply committed to stripping away all that was unnecessary, clinging only to Jesus and His merciful love. This prayer — rooted in her authentic spiritual voice — captures that same impulse to simplify, surrender, and trust without reserve.
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St. John Paul II in 1997 on the centenary of her death, Thérèse continues to attract millions of devotees worldwide. Her message of the Little Way resonates across cultures and states of life precisely because it calls each person not to greatness in the world's eyes, but to greatness in love before God alone.
The Prayer
Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be, and becoming that person.
Help me to cast aside everything that does not lead me to you, and to embrace everything that leads me closer to you.
Teach me your little way of trust and surrender, that I may walk with confidence in the path of your love.
Amen.
History and Background
St. Thérèse entered the Carmelite monastery of Lisieux in Normandy, France, at the age of fifteen, having obtained special permission from Pope Leo XIII himself during a pilgrimage to Rome. Within the cloister, she developed her celebrated "Little Way" — a spiritual path centered on performing the smallest actions with great love and on surrendering entirely to the merciful will of God. She did not regard herself as capable of grand heroic deeds; instead, she offered her weakness itself as a gift to God, trusting that He could accomplish all that He willed through a willing and humble soul.
This prayer draws its language and theology directly from Thérèse's writings, most notably from Story of a Soul, her spiritual autobiography written under obedience to her prioress. In that work, she repeatedly returns to the theme of simplicity: the soul that tries to please God through complicated systems of self-improvement often loses sight of the one thing necessary — love. Thérèse counseled her novices to let go of spiritual ambition and to become like little children who trust their Father completely.
The phrase "your little way of trust and surrender" is a direct allusion to the theological core of Thérèse's spirituality. Her Little Way has been called by theologians a synthesis of the Gospel in its purest form: love God, trust in His mercy, and offer every moment — however small — back to Him. Pope Pius X called Thérèse "the greatest saint of modern times," and Pope Benedict XVI wrote extensively on her theology of love as a profound contribution to the Church's spiritual treasury.
How to Pray / Devotional Use
This prayer is particularly suited to moments of personal examination and daily surrender. It may be prayed:
- In the morning, as an act of intention before the day's activities, offering the day to God and asking Him to guide each decision and action toward His will.
- In times of complexity or confusion, when life feels cluttered with competing demands, anxieties, or attachments that draw the soul away from God.
- As part of a novena to St. Thérèse, especially in the nine days leading up to her feast day on October 1, asking for her intercession to grow in simplicity of heart.
- During Lectio Divina or Carmelite prayer, where the practitioner meditates slowly on each line, pausing to allow the Lord to speak to the soul about what must be released and what must be embraced.
- Before Confession, as a preparatory prayer, asking Jesus to reveal the attachments and distractions that have drawn the soul away from Him.
Those drawn to the spirituality of Thérèse are encouraged to read Story of a Soul alongside this prayer, using her own words to deepen their understanding of what it means to walk the Little Way with simplicity, joy, and complete abandonment to love.