Teacher Resource Lessons on Love and Disability Justice from the “Little Way” of St. Therese of Lisieux A curriculum designed for children ages 4-10 (Christian History)
Teacher Resource
Lessons on Love and Disability Justice from the “Little Way” of St. Therese of Lisieux
A curriculum designed for children ages 4-10
Lahoma Howard
St. Thérèse And Disability Justice - Background/informational
resource for Sunday school teachers - Ages 4-10
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of History of Christianity and Social Change, Professor Randi Walker, Pacific School of Religion, 4/28/2023
“These are the wild flowers whose simplicity attracts Him. When coming down in this way, God manifests His infinite grandeur. Just as the sun shines simultaneously on the tall cedars and on each little flower as though it were alone on the earth, so Our Lord is occupied particularly with each soul as though there were no others like it. And just as in nature all the seasons are arranged in such a way as to make the humblest daisy bloom on a set day, in the same way, everything works out for the good of each soul.” - St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul
Figure 1- Joan of Arc Costume - age 14
Note to Sunday School Teachers:
This resource is being provided to you to serve the following purposes:
To provide ample background information regarding the life and works of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and disability justice issues, for you to be able to answer most anticipated questions of the children in your classes.
To provide a framework for the teacher to help young children develop a positive and loving view of people with disabilities and illnesses through the example of St. Thérèse. This also supports the mission of the church to uphold the dignity of people with disabilities, and all people.
To provide background and information regarding the teaching method of Godly Play
This curriculum is also suitable for use in settings such as Sunday school for children in hospital/chaplaincy settings, not just in congregational settings.
Introduction
St. Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most beloved saints and is revered and prayed to by people of many faith traditions, not just those who are Roman Catholic. She is perhaps the second most written about woman in history, with over 900 books on her life and theology . She is only eclipsed in sheer volume of written resources by Our Lady Mary, the mother of Jesus. Thérèse has been described as having an “uneventful, short life” in which she really did little other than “be born, get sick, write, and die”. In fact, one of the stories told about her death is that when she died, one of her fellow nuns at the Carmel in Lisieux was overheard saying that “she wasn’t a very good nun”.The enduring and indelible mark that she made on Catholicism, and perhaps Christianity as a whole, is in the simplicity and accessibility of her theology. This simplicity makes her an ideal candidate for use in a Sunday School curriculum for young children. Additionally, her life was punctuated by illness and disability, and so she is a good exemplar of the love that God has for all his children, including those who are ill or have disabilities, and that what constitutes a holy and meaningful life is not necessarily dependent upon us doing great things but instead, doing small things with love is what actually makes us great. St. Thérèse asserts that everyone can be a saint and be a holy person, and that the way she found is a “short, straight path”. This can be very comforting and inspirational to anyone, but perhaps particularly comforting to children, and those with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
This resource will provide you, the Sunday school teacher with background information necessary to bring the story of St. Thérèse as it pertains to disability justice within the church to children with confidence. This resource is intended to be used alongside the 4 lesson Curriculum on St. Thérèse and Disability Justice for young children. It is organized in the following way:
a timeline with dates for reference
Biographical information on St. Thérèse ’s life as context for understanding her theology,
some information about her illness (Tuberculosis) and how it was understood during her lifetime
basic information about the Carmelite order to which St. Thérèse belonged
A discussion of disability justice issues in the church, and how to apply the example of St. Thérèse as an exemplar for both understanding and action.
Information on the “Godly Play” method of teaching for young children
A. Basic timeline of the life St. Thérèse of Lisieux
(This information has been distilled from “Thérèse of Lisieux: God's Gentle Warrior” by Thomas Nevin)
1873
January 2: Born in Alençon, France.
January 4: Baptized.
1877
August 28: Mother, Zélie, dies of breast cancer.
1882
October 2: Sister Pauline enters the Carmelite convent in Lisieux.
1883
May 13: Thérèse recovers from a serious illness after praying to the Virgin Mary.
May 8: Makes her First Communion.
June 14: Receives Confirmation.
1887
November 20: Thérèse and her father, Louis, travel to Rome to visit Pope Leo XIII.
1888
April 9: Enters the Carmelite convent in Lisieux as a postulant.
1889
January 10: Takes the Carmelite habit and becomes a novice.
September 8: Makes her profession of vows.
1894
July 29: Father, Louis, dies of natural causes.
1896
October: Begins writing her autobiography, Story of a Soul.
April: Exhibits the first signs of tuberculosis
1897
July 8: Enters the infirmary with tuberculosis.
September 30: Dies at the age of 24.
1898
September 30: Story of a Soul is published.
1923
April 29: Beatified by Pope Pius XI.
1925
May 17: Canonized by Pope Pius XI.
1997
October 19: Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II.
Life Before the Convent
Thérèse was Born in Alençon, France on January 2, 1873, and was baptized Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin. She was weak and sickly when she was born, and it was uncertain if she would survive. She was the 9th child of Zelie and Louis Martin, and the 5th surviving child. Four of her siblings had either died at birth or in early childhood. This was not uncommon during the time period, as it really is only recently that the majority of children survived early childhood, and it was not uncommon in large families for there to have been a number of child deaths. When she was born, her mother Zelie was unable to breast feed her because she had developed a breast tumor prior to becoming pregnant with Thérèse, and she did not produce sufficient milk. The infant Thérèse was sent to the countryside to the care of a professional wet-nurse for about 14 months, where she began to thrive, and learned to walk and talk. Children may not understand why Thérèse was sent to stay with a wet-nurse or what that means, and so it would be helpful to explain to them that they did not have access to baby formulas and good nutritional information during that period of history, but they did know that babies needed human mother’s milk to thrive.
Thérèse and her 4 older sisters, Marie, Leonie, Celine, and Pauline were raised in a very devout Catholic home in the late 19th century. This was a period of time in which Catholicism was particularly dominant in their region of France. Thomas Nevin, in his book “St. Thérèse, God’s Gentle Warrior”, says of post-revolution Brittany:
“And the torments to which the Church was subjected during the Revolution’s reactionary phase paradoxically strengthened it: many priests, having refused or having recanted on the oath of allegiance, continued the sacramental life of parishes by a kind of underground, and some provinces,notably the Vendee and Chateaubriand’s Brittany, remained staunch in their adherence to the Church throughout the Jacobin period, the Directory, and the Consulate.”
This was the post-revolutionary France into which Thérèse ’s father Louis Martin was born, and it was formative of his faith. There are numerous social reasons that many people of this time were proponents of the Catholic, and religious life in general, one being that the scourge of syphilis was incredibly prevalent in society. The only real way then to cope with the epidemic was abstaining from sex with infected individuals, syphilis was a problem not just for the people who contracted it, but for their families, and was also just one of the numerous causes of childhood mortality and morbidity in this era. The Church not just promoted the kind of faithful, monogamous family life that Zelie and Martin practiced, but uplifted it as a Holy endeavor. Indeed, the relationship between Zelie Martin and her husband Louis was in part engineered by Louis’s mother in her perceived endeavor to save her son from the scurrilous kind of life that was to be had by young men in Paris of the day. Zelie and Louis Martin provided the fertile ground in which the seeds of Thérèse ’s budding theology could take root and grow. She knew Zelie to be a devout woman, who had once attempted to enter a convent, but was turned away, and who then became a lacemaker in her employ, and the marriage between Zelie and Louis was as advantageous to her as it was to them. Zelie continued to work as a lacemaker, and was so successful in fact that Louis, who was a watchmaker and jeweler was able to close his business and just help her with the lace making business, which she continued until her death in 1877, when Thérèse was just 4 years old. Of her parents Thérèse is quoted as saying “Le bon Dieu m’a donne un père et une mère plus dignes du Ciel que de la terre” [“God gave me parents more worthy of heaven than of earth”] .
The Death of Zelie Martin
The death of Zelie had a profound impact on Thérèse, she was so young and already a very sensitive child, prone to bouts of illness. It is suspected that Thérèse may have suffered from asthma, and that this predisposed her to other lung infections, which in the time period were no small matter. The death of her mother further amplified Thérèse ’s propensity towards sensitivity to slights and she would often cry, and then “cry for having cried”. Some authors (and particularly those who are not fans of the Catholic church or religion in general) have made statements regarding the upbringing of Thérèse, saying that Louis and the older sisters were “overly indulgent” and that she was “spoiled” however…she was a young girl who was sickly, and who had lost her mother. If we take a kinder look at her behavior, it is hardly surprising that she was frequently distressed, and her family members did their best to help her as she grew up. Upon the death of her mother, she gravitated towards her older sister Pauline, and declared that she would be her mother from then on, and this charge Pauline took with seriousness . Thérèse referred to the years following her mother’s death as her “martyrdom” and though she rarely spoke of it, it was obvious that she had been deeply and negatively affected by Zelie’s death.
School
Thérèse began school at the age of 8 at the Benedictine Abbey in 1881 and remained a student there until 1885. She had been homeschooled by her older sisters Marie and Pauline until that point, and began school in the 4th class, which was above her age level. She was bright, and for the most part did very well in school. She struggled to make friends, and really had no close friends, other than her sisters for most of her life (cite). She was frequently the subject of bullying and teasing, about which she never complained to her family. These hard experiences at school did have a negative effect upon her health, and she began to experience more illness, punctuated by severe, prolonged headaches (cite). Less than a year after she started school, Pauline decided to leave the family and enter the cloistered Carmelite convent in Lisieux. This was devastating to the young Thérèse, and the equivalent of losing her second mother (cite). Thérèse responded to the news by being inconsolable and shedding many tears, which took Pauline by surprise, and led her to have a conversation with Thérèse about Carmel, and what her life would be like as a cloistered nun. This conversation was essential, and it was during this, that Thérèse came to understand where her calling was. She said of the convent that it was “the desert where God wanted me to go also to hide myself. I felt this with so much force that there wasn’t the least doubt in my heart; it was not the dream of a child led astray but the certitude of a divine call; I wanted to go to Carmel not for Pauline’s sake but for Jesus alone.” . Thérèse had always been a devout and dutiful catholic child, and it was this conversation where the seeds of her spirituality and theology began to grow.
Thérèse continued school but soon after Pauline left for the convent, she had a frightening bout of illness. Thérèse had begun to have very bad headaches that were nearly constant after Pauline left for the convent, but since she was able to keep up with her schoolwork no one really worried too much about it. In those days, children were often sick, and there was not much that they could do to help with many illnesses. The day arrived for Pauline (now Sister Agnes of Jesus) to take her professional vows, and the entire family, including Thérèse went to the Carmel to attend. Thérèse was stricken ill the next day, and was confined to her bed, passing in and out of consciousness, and having convulsions and hallucinations. The family was unsure if Thérèse would live or die at this point and did what every good catholic family did - they prayed, the nuns in the convent prayed for her, and her father also sent money to one of the churches in Paris for a Novena to be prayed for Thérèse to get well. Ultimately, Thérèse attributes her healing from this illness to the Blessed Mother. During the worst of her illness, she became paranoid and started yelling at her sister Marie and accused her of trying to kill her. At this Marie turned to the statue of Mary that was in the room, and prayed most fervently, begging the Holy Mother for intercession on behalf of little Thérèse, begging for a miracle cure to occur. All three sisters who were still in the home knelt before the statue and prayed together. Of this event Thérèse recounted the following:
Finding no help on earth … [I] also turned toward the Mother of Heaven, and prayed with all her heart that she take pity on [me]. All of a sudden, the Blessed Virgin appeared beautiful to me, so beautiful that never had I seen anything so attractive; her face was suffused with an ineffable benevolence and tenderness, but penetrated to the very depths of my soul was the “ravishing smile of the Blessed Virgin.” At that instant, all my pain disappeared, and two large tears glistened on my eyelashes, and flowed down my cheeks silently, but they were tears of unmixed joy.
After this, her illness dissipated instantly, however she did have a long recovery, as she had been bedridden for some time, and was still very prone to exertion and stress relapses. There is professional disagreement over what the cause of this illness might have been, some saying it was simply hysteria (older opinions), more modern opinions consider that she may have suffered from a nervous breakdown, caused by all the stress and trauma of her life to that date. Thérèse herself considered the illness to have been of supernatural causes stating, “The sickness which overtook me certainly came from the demon; infuriated by [Pauline’s] entrance into Carmel, he wanted to take revenge on me for the wrong our family was to do to him in the future.”.
There are numerous stories from Thérèse ’s childhood and adolescence that inform her budding theology, these can be found in the Godly Play scripts that are part of the curriculum that accompanies this resource. Included are four important stories that inform each of the lessons:
The story of Thérèse ’s last Christmas Day before entering Carmel
The story of Thérèse meeting the Pope and being given permission to enter Carmel
The story of her first years in the convent where she developed her “little way”
The story of her death and beatification
Indeed, there are so many other important stories and accounts that St. Thérèse included in her autobiography that short of writing a biography of my own, I must limit what is included in this resource, however, it is advisable for the Sunday school teacher to read or listen to the audiobook of her autobiography, which is available in multiple formats, including multiple readings for free on YouTube.
A Young Carmelite Nun
It was at this point in her life that St. Thérèse truly began to live into her calling as a cloistered Carmelite nun and began to seriously prepare herself for her coming vocation. To achieve this, she had to convince family members, and church authorities that she should be allowed to enter despite being very young. She first asked for permission when she was only 14 and was told that she was too young to enter, but she was persistent and finally gained entry at age 15. Thérèse had long suspected that she would have a short life, and that this made her all the more insistent that she be allowed to enter at her young age. She spent her time in the convent as a novice and was intent on making herself as small and insignificant in the eyes of the other Nuns as possible. She put effort into doing small tasks with love, and especially for those of her colleagues that she found disagreeable. She worked in the laundry and the kitchen, cooked, and cleaned for the other nuns, and only started writing her autobiography when she became ill with tuberculosis at age of 23, at the behest of the Mother Superior, and she died little more than a year later. This experience of suffering with illness her whole life, and the ways that it kept her small and humble was at the heart of her theology. In fact, as she lay dying, Thérèse overheard the other nuns in the convent discussing her obituary and expressing concern that they did not know what they would say because she was so very “unremarkable”. Thérèse took comfort in this and felt that she had succeeded at her endeavor. And in this is her brilliance and her holiness…Polakavic states:
“But in the framework of that life she became a great saint. Therein lies the genius of her message: [Thérèse] teaches us to become holy in the framework of our lives, however ordinary they may seem to be.”2 She well understood that “God is in the center of every person’s present moment; therefore, no human being is ordinary.”
And this is also the thing that makes Thérèse a great exemplar for how we should view and treat people with disabilities. Thérèse lived a completely unremarkable, yet completely remarkable life, and is now one of the most beloved western Saints in all of history. Her story is even more enthralling because it is one that is much more temporally relevant and understandable to modern people. We can see photographs of her, we can visit the house she lived in, see where she slept, prayed, where she attended church. In fact, her sister Marie lived into her 90s and was able to recount a great number of stories and confirm things that Thérèse had written in her autobiography. She is an approachable familiar kind of figure in the sense that she is not unlike many young women from her time period that were portrayed in popular literature that are still read and beloved today. Over time, all of her sisters (some before as in Marie and Pauline) and some after (Celine and Leonie) entered convent life, and in the 1980s, her parents were both canonized by Pope Benedict in 2008. In her “little way” Therese paved the way for everyone to be included in a life of Holiness, and this has been recognized and extended to include her family members.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, also known as consumption or phthisis, was a major public health problem in 19th century France. It was the leading cause of death for people under 40 years old, and it is estimated that one in seven people died from the disease. Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The bacteria can infect any part of the body, but it most commonly affects the lungs .
There were a number of factors that contributed to the high rates of tuberculosis in 19th century France. One factor was the rapid growth of cities, which led to overcrowding and poor sanitation. Another factor was the poor diet of many people, which made them more susceptible to infection. Finally, the lack of knowledge about the disease and its transmission also contributed to its spread. They did not have a good knowledge of germ theory at this point, and there were no antibiotics with which to treat people who were sick.
In his book "The Making of a Social Disease: Tuberculosis in Nineteenth Century France," David Barnes argues that tuberculosis was a major factor in the development of Thérèse's spirituality. Barnes argues that Thérèse's experience of illness and death led her to a deeper understanding of the importance of love and compassion. Barnes also argues that Thérèse's spirituality was shaped by the social and cultural context of her time. In the 19th century, tuberculosis was a highly stigmatized disease. People with tuberculosis were often isolated from their communities and forced to live in sanatoriums. Thérèse's own experience of being stigmatized for her illness may have contributed to her compassion for others who were suffering. There are numerous passages in her autobiography where she details at length the suffering from her disease, and how she felt that it brought her closer to Jesus, through sharing in his suffering. There has been some criticism of Thérèse and her discussions of suffering as redemptive, and the stereotypical portrayal of female suffering that was prevalent at the time.
The concept of the consumptive heroine is a literary trope that emerged in the 19th century. These heroines were typically young, beautiful, and intelligent women who were also dying of tuberculosis. They were often portrayed as being more sensitive and passionate than other women, and their illness was seen as a sign of their heightened emotional and artistic sensibilities. This ideal suffering woman was a popular figure in literature, art, and music during the 19th century. She appeared in works by authors such as Gustave Flaubert, Guy de Maupassant, and Charles Dickens, and was also a popular subject for painters such as Edgar Degas and Edvard Munch.
The consumptive heroine was often seen as a symbol of the Romantic ideal of beauty and death. She was also seen as a representation of the social and political changes that were taking place in Europe during the 19th century. The rise of industrialization and urbanization was leading to a decline in traditional values, and the consumptive heroine was seen as a symbol of the lost innocence of a bygone era. This concept of the consumptive heroine has continued to be explored in literature, art, and film in the 20th and 21st centuries, and serves as a reminder of the power of art to transform even the most tragic of subjects into something beautiful and enduring.
Barnes argues that the consumptive heroine was a product of the social and cultural anxieties of the time. Tuberculosis was a highly contagious disease that was particularly deadly for young women. As a result, it was seen as a threat to the future of the nation. The consumptive heroine, on the other hand, was a figure of beauty and innocence who was often depicted as dying a noble and sacrificial death. She offered a way for people to cope with the fear and uncertainty surrounding tuberculosis. It is not an uncommon reaction for people to attempt make sense of suffering in this way, and during this time period, tuberculosis was such an ongoing threat, and claimed so many lives, that this was a much-needed means of giving value to the lives of those who suffered from the disease, and whose lives were often defined and circumscribed by it.
In the late 19th century, there were a number of advances in the treatment of tuberculosis. In 1882, Robert Koch discovered the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, which led to the development of new diagnostic tests and treatments. In 1921, the first effective vaccine against tuberculosis was developed. These advances led to a decline in the rates of tuberculosis in France, and by the mid-20th century, the disease was no longer a major public health problem. Today however, tuberculosis is still a major health problem in many parts of the world (particularly in developing nations), and it is estimated that one in four people worldwide is infected with the bacteria. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working to reduce the burden of tuberculosis by providing treatment and prevention services.
The Carmelite Order
The Carmelite Order is a Catholic religious order that was founded in the 12th century. The order's Rule of Life is a set of guidelines that govern the lives of Carmelite friars, nuns, and lay associates. The Rule is based on the biblical accounts of the Prophet Elijah, the writings of the early Carmelites, and the traditions of the order. The Rule of Life (Charism) emphasizes the importance of prayer, contemplation, and service to others. Carmelites are called to live a life of simplicity and poverty, and to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Rule also provides guidance on how to live in community, how to deal with conflict, and how to grow in holiness.
The Carmelite Rule of Life is a living document that has been adapted over the centuries to meet the needs of the times. However, the core values of the Rule have remained the same: to live a life of prayer, contemplation, and service to others.
Here are some of the key points of the Carmelite Rule of Life:
Prayer and contemplation: Carmelites are called to a life of prayer and contemplation. They are to pray regularly, both individually and communally. They are also to spend time in silent contemplation, listening to the voice of God.
Service to others: Carmelites are called to serve others in the spirit of Christ. They are to be mindful of the needs of those around them, and to be willing to help those in need.
Simplicity and poverty: Carmelites are called to live a life of simplicity and poverty. They are to own only what they need, and to be content with what they have.
Community: Carmelites are called to live in community with one another. They are to support and encourage one another, and to pray for one another.
Guidance of the Holy Spirit: Carmelites are called to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They are to listen to the voice of the Spirit, and to follow the Spirit's leading.
The Carmelite Rule of Life is a challenging but rewarding way of life. It is a way of life that is centered on God, and that is committed to service to others.
Cloistered Carmelite nuns live a life of prayer, contemplation, and service. They are enclosed in their convent, which is a place of peace and quiet where they can focus on their relationship with God. Their day begins at 5:00 AM with prayer, and they continue to pray throughout the day, including at 6:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 8:00 PM. They also attend Mass daily. In between their prayers, the nuns work in the convent, such as cooking, cleaning, and gardening. They also spend time reading, writing, and studying. The nuns are allowed to leave the convent for medical reasons, but they otherwise live a life of seclusion. They do this in order to focus on their spiritual lives and to avoid the distractions of the outside world.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of a typical day in the life of a cloistered Carmelite nun:
5:00 AM: Rise and prepare for prayer.
5:30 AM: Morning prayer (Lauds).
6:00 AM: Breakfast.
7:00 AM: Work or study.
12:00 PM: Midday prayer (Terce).
12:30 PM: Lunch.
1:30 PM: Work or study.
2:00 PM: Afternoon prayer (Sext).
3:00 PM: Work or study.
6:00 PM: Vespers.
7:00 PM: Supper.
8:00 PM: Compline.
8:30 PM: Retire to bed.
The nuns' day is structured around prayer, which is the central focus of their lives. They pray together several times a day, and they also spend time in private prayer. Their prayer life is a way for them to connect with God and to grow in their relationship with Him. In addition to prayer, the nuns also work and study. They work in the convent, such as cooking, cleaning, and gardening. They also spend time reading, writing, and studying. Their work and study help them to grow in their knowledge and understanding of the world. The nuns live a life of seclusion, which means that they do not interact with the outside world. This is what it means to be “cloistered”. They do this in order to focus on their spiritual lives and to avoid the distractions of the outside world. Their seclusion allows them to live a life of peace and quiet, which is essential for their spiritual growth. This pattern of life in the convent is much the same today as it was in Thérèse ’s time. The biggest difference is that now, they have telephones and internet with which they can interact with the outside world and stay in touch with others in their order. One of the major industries that Carmelites take part in is the production of the Host for communion for the larger Catholic community.
Disability issues in the Church and St. Thérèse ’s “Little Way” as a tool for justice
Many people think that because we have rules about access in almost all public spaces, that this by nature should just carry over to church spaces, but this is simply not the case. Churches as of 2023 are still exempt from almost all parts of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and if they have fewer than 15 employees, they are exempt from basically all aspects of the ADA. They can discriminate against pastoral candidates with disabilities based upon their disability and suffer no repercussions. Even beyond that, there are other issues and problems related to disability that are evident in our building design, in our liturgical rituals, and in our preaching and teaching that do not reflect a love or acceptance of people with disabilities in a truly compassionate way.
Thérèse ’s “Little Way” is built upon a foundation of her own experience of being small, being young, and being ill. She felt that these things did not keep her from holiness, and rather talked about this as being the “straight path” to holiness and to God. She considered that it was not the achievement of great things that made someone holy and good, and loved by God, but that small things that were done with love were the way to being holy. This perhaps is the key to how beloved St. Thérèse has become among people all over the world, and from many faith traditions. Her concept of “Spiritual Childhood” as the way of holiness is accessible in the truest sense of the word. “Sanctity,” she proclaimed, “is an interior disposition which makes us humble and little in God’s arms, conscious of our weakness and trusting even to audacity in the goodness of our Father.” Using her example, people of all ages who have chronic illnesses, or disabilities of all kinds can come to understand that these things to not serve to separate them from God, or prevent them from being Holy people, and in fact, that the real way to holiness is something that is accessible. This is counter to the messages that are so often sent to people through inaccessible liturgical rituals (standing, speaking, hearing), sermons that preach about sin and illness, sermons that preach about the fractured or broken nature of people with illnesses or disabilities, sermons that preach about “wholeness” in the sense that the sick will be made whole. Additionally, the way that people on a regular basis interact with people of various kinds of disabilities offering to pray for them when they may not even know them…it can be disheartening at the very least. As Amy Kenny puts so perfectly in her book “My Body is Not a Prayer Request”
“The woman next to me is crying. Not a few glistening tears elegantly streaming down her cheeks, but the type of sobbing that leaves you panting for shallow breaths. The man across the aisle is jumping up and down as if he’s about to go a few rounds in a boxing ring despite his ripped skinny jeans. No one dares to make eye contact with me, but everyone in the congregation glances my way, making sure I hear the promises the lyrics hold for me. We are at the part of the song that exclaims there’ll be “no lame” in heaven because in Jesus’s presence we’ll finally be “healed and whole.” Nondisabled folks couldn’t be happier. It’s a sea of buffalo plaid arms raised high in the air as the scattered beams of moving lights trace paths through the floating haze. Never mind that I don’t feel broken or incomplete. Everyone else is too wrapped up in my erasure to notice”.
She then asks us to ponder what it will be like in Heaven, where Jesus will be the only wounded disabled person?
Thérèse ’s theology cuts through all this straight to the heart of the matter, where it is her very littleness, her very insignificance in the eyes of the world, and her peers, that is the pathway for her to being Holy. Because she is able to connect her own suffering, with that of Christ, and with that of all people, it becomes the very thing that delivers her into her Sainthood. Suffering, illness, and disability are actually the norm in the world, not able-bodied-ness, and it is important to remember that everyone, eventually will suffer from some level of illness or disability, but that this does not mean that they are not worthy, or complete, or whole, or holy.
One very important way that this lesson can be used with small children to promote this idea of inclusion is to ensure that the lessons are delivered in an accessible way – a variety of teaching methods are incorporated, the lesson is taught in a way that is easily accessed and viewed by children with all types of ability statuses. It is especially important to make sure that you teach this lesson in a space that has room and is viewable by children in wheelchairs, (use a table rather than doing these lessons on the floor for instance). The way that we deliver lessons and rituals in churches is often defined by our architecture and design, if your church chancel and altar space are not accessible to wheelchairs for instance, they telegraph a very clear message to members about who is considered “worthy” to be in that space.
Teaching method - Godly Play
Godly Play is a method of religious education for children ages 3-12. It is based on the belief that children have an innate sense of the presence of God, and that they learn best through story, wonder, and play. Godly Play uses a variety of materials, including miniatures, pictures, and objects, to tell the stories of the Bible and other religious traditions. The teacher guides the children through the stories, asking questions and inviting them to share their own thoughts and feelings. Godly Play is a non-judgmental and inclusive environment where children can explore their faith in a safe and supportive space.
Key elements of Godly Play:
Stories: Godly Play uses a variety of stories from the Bible and other religious traditions. These stories are told in a simple and straightforward way, and they are designed to engage children's imaginations and stimulate their thinking.
Wonder: Godly Play encourages children to wonder about the world around them and about the nature of God. The teacher asks questions that help children to think deeply about the stories, and they are encouraged to share their own thoughts and feelings.
Play: Godly Play is not just about learning facts. It is also about exploring faith through play. The teacher provides children with a variety of materials, including miniatures, pictures, and objects, that they can use to create their own stories and to explore their own understanding of God.
Non-judgmental environment: Godly Play is a non-judgmental and inclusive environment where children can explore their faith in a safe and supportive space. The teacher does not impose their own beliefs on the children, and they are encouraged to ask questions and to share their own thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged.
Godly Play is a valuable tool for helping children to grow in their faith. It is a non-judgmental and inclusive environment where children can explore their faith in a safe and supportive space. Godly Play is based on the belief that children have an innate sense of the presence of God, and that they learn best through story, wonder, and play.
For more information please go to https://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/get-started
Bibliography:
Foundation, The Godly Play. “Godly Play.” Accessed January 5, 2023. https://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/.
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Nevin, Thomas R. Thérèse of Lisieux: God’s Gentle Warrior. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006. https://academic.oup.com/book/36073.
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Lisieux, Therese of. The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux. Edited by Thomas Taylor and Scott Smith Jr. Holy Water Books, 1912.
Gheon, Henri. The Truth About Therese: An Unflinching Look at Lisieux, the Little Flower, and the Little Way. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2011.
Polakovic, Terry. Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2021.
Jamart, Francois. Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux. Edited by Walter Van De Putt. Picklle Partners Publishing, 1961.
Amy Kenny. My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church. Grand Rapids, Michigian: Brazos Press, 2022.
World Health Organization. “Tuberculosis Fact Sheet.” Last modified 2022. Accessed February 5, 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis.
Network, ADA National. “Religious Entities Under the Americans with Disabilties Act.” Last modified 2022. Accessed February 5, 2023. https://adata.org/factsheet/religious-entities-under-americans-disabilities-act#:~:text=Are religious entities covered by,secular in nature%2C are exempt.
Robo, Etienne. “ST TERESA OF LISIEUX : AND HER ’ TRULY EXCESSIVE SENSITIVENESS.” Life of the Spirit 10, no. 114 (1955): 248–254. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43704750.
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