Thérèse knew anxiety firsthand. From childhood, she experienced great sensitivity, feeling deeply every disappointment, fear or moment of rejection. Yet she discovered in her Carmelite journey that anxiety loses its grip when placed in the hands of a loving Father. Her “Little Way” encourages believers to live in the present moment, trusting God for the future and not exhausting themselves over what they cannot control.
She advised that when worry erupts, rather than wrestling with it endlessly, one should lift it like a small child lifts its arms to a parent. This imagery – tender, trusting, and dependent – captures her secret to find peace. Anxiety stems from the desire to control outcomes; Thérèse’s way dismantles this by focusing wholly on God’s loving providence. For her, surrender is not a resignation to fate but a confident rest in divine mercy.
Near the end of her life Thérèse promised: “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses.” For those struggling with anxiety, this image becomes a form of healing prayer: each “rose” represents a grace, a consolation, or an interior strength given at just the right time. To embrace this shower of roses is to believe that no matter how tangled our thoughts, God will send help – sometimes in the form of unexpected peace, a kind word, a providential resolution, or a divine nudge away from fear. Thérèse’s roses are God’s gentle reminders that we are not alone. Anxiety often comes from living either in the past or in the imagined future. Thérèse invites us to dwell with God in the now. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps 46:10) When one lives moment by moment with trust, even small trials are transformed into offerings of love.
Here is a prayer to St. Thérèse in times of anxiety:
Dear St. Thérèse, Little Flower of Jesus,
You who knew the weight of worry and the darkness of fear, intercede for me in my anxiety. When my thoughts spiral and my heart races with dread, help me to practice your Little Way. Teach me to do small things with great love, to anchor myself in this present moment rather than catastrophic futures that may never come.
Shower your roses upon me – graces of peace, courage, and trust. Help me to abandon myself to Divine Providence as you did, to throw my weaknesses and fears before God like flowers, trusting they will be transformed.
Give me the grace of spiritual childhood, to come before God with empty, trembling hands, acknowledging my smallness and need. In my weakness, let me find strength. In my uncertainty, let me discover trust.
Little Flower, you promised to spend your heaven doing good on earth. Send me a rose when I need it most – a sign of hope, a moment of peace, a reminder that I am never alone. Amen.