Turning to the Mystics with James Finley Dialogue 1: The Little Flower
Mar 30, 2026
A conversational dive into Thérèse of Lisieux's radical simplicity and the meaning of being a “little flower.” They explore how God's presence shows up in the smallest things, nature as a first scripture, and how ordinary moments can open into contemplative awareness. Reflections touch on love revealing the sacred in daily life and the rhythms of light, loss, and surrender.
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The Little Way Means Littleness Contains The Infinite
- St. Thérèse's 'little way' teaches that God's infinite presence fills both the greatest souls and the smallest, so littleness still incarnates the infinite divine love.
- James Finley illustrates this with the image that the same infinite presence appears as both a mountain and a grain of sand, changing the meaning of being 'little'.
Surrendering Frailty Reveals God's Love Fully
- Thérèse realized that a simple soul who 'resists grace in nothing' can reveal God's love as perfectly as a great saint by accepting frailty and handing it over to God.
- Finley emphasizes that resistance often comes from weakness, not willful sin, and humility opens that weakness to divine love.
Slow Down Into Ordinary Contemplation
- Do practice slowing down into contemplative pauses to access the 'first Bible' of creation and interior depths where God is present in ordinary things.
- Finley recommends cultivating habitual stabilization in the divinity of ordinariness by tasting those delicate moments repeatedly.
