The extraordinary in the ordinary: St. Louis Martin
In the heart of every living human is stored, deep desires for intimacy and affection. For some, God chooses to fulfill these desires through the religious life, and for others, through the union of two fleshes. Whatever the case may be, God sanctifies the individual’s vocational journey to bear fruit. Marriage for instance, is meant to be a deep revelation of God’s love for mankind. The full and total giving of self to the other, reveals the nature of God. Thus, through the powerful union of flesh, new life and fruit is born.
One such example of this vocation beautifully lived is the marriage of St Louis Martin and St Zelie Martin, the parents of St Therese of Lisieux — “The greatest Saint of modern times” as coined by Pope Pius X. In this article, we’ll be particularly focusing on the life of St Louis. His authentic masculinity, deep holiness and his great goal of becoming a Saint.
Virtue in the face of temptation
In his early years, Louis had his mind set on becoming a Augustinian monk in the Great Saint Bernard Monastery. Night and day, he dreamt of being immersed in prayer, study, contemplation and brotherhood. He believed that the personal heroism in him would be best aligned with how the monks rescued stranded travelers in the Swiss Alps. He was however, rejected from the order and subsequently headed to Paris to study watchmaking. There, like many of us, he experienced the allure of worldliness.
Upon reaching Paris, he was subject to numerous temptations: he saw multiple examples of men and women who subscribed to a dissolute life, an invitation to join a secret society and a difficulty in maintaining and growing his prayer life in the midst of the everyday pursuits of the working man. He however, pressed on in the swamp of these vices, choosing to be obedient to God in the face of temptation. Just like the biblical Joseph, when tempted by Popithar’s wife, his actions are a representation of Joseph’s words: “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9)
In this stage of my life, I find myself struggling against the forces of darkness ever more severely. Being in the military calls for a majority of my time being spent in a camp with over 100 other men from different walks of life. Many of whom, openly talk about their escapades with women, gossip, swear as a means of communication and degrade others in the sake of entertainment. As a Christian who tries to strive toward holiness, I find myself wondering: “What if I lived a life like them?” My mind begins to gravitate toward exploring a life of casual hookups and endless partying. It’s then that I hear God’s still small voice saying: “Never forget you were made for Heaven and not the world. Don’t be tempted to sacrifice your values for a little temporary comfort or pleasure. It is never, ever worth it.”
Alike St Louis, we are called to be warriors in the face of adversity. Through our failures, we know that relying on our own strength will always be futile. But only through God’s strength, can we overcome all sorts of temptation.
According to his own testimony, it took a lot of courage for him to emerge victorious. From this time on, he relied not on his own strength by on God’s strength for his courage. The young Louis redoubled his prayer and entrusted himself to be Blessed Virgin…Like gold tested in the crucible, Louis emerged purified from his time in the capital and relied on that experience for the rest of his life.
- Adapted from: The extraordinary parents of St Therese of Lisieux
Take courage! For the Lord is with you and fights for you. “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2–4)
Even after his stint in Paris, he never forgot his experience and was generous in warning others of the dangers that one could encounter whilst abroad.
He knew the temptations that life could bring and never stopped exposing them and encouraging his relatives not to fall into them.
- Adapted from: The extraordinary parents of St Therese of Lisieux
Obedience and openness to the Spirit
Upon his return back to his hometown, dismayed at seeing him without a partner, Louis’s mother, Fanny Martin sought with all her might to find Louis a suitable mate. Eventually, whilst taking lessons in lace making, she met Zelie and with her maternal instincts, saw in her an ideal daughter-in-law. Thus, beginning the process of “wife pitching” to Louis, presenting to him arguments about her devotion to God rather than her beauty.
After much resistance, Louis relented out of respect for his mother and was open to the prospect of meeting Zelie. A short while later, by chance, Zelie and Louis crossed paths on a bridge and the Holy Spirit spoke to her saying: “This is the one I have prepared for you.” In our natural capacity for many of us going through vocational discernment, we admire how much clarity was involved in this story. However, as pointed out in Helene Mongin’s “The extraordinary parents of St Therese of Lisieux” :
“Let’s not forget that Zelie, like Louis, had done all she could to find her vocation and had gone through deserts for it. She also had her heart open enough to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit this way.”
We see from the meeting of Louis and Zelie that the seasons that we go through in our life are meant for a purpose. We might not see it now, as we go through our storms and deserts. But know that the Lord is moving powerfully in our lives and using every experience of ours to set us up for the next great thing He has in store for us. We only have to be open to Him.
Respect for his spouse
Unlike many households in the 18th century, wherein women had little say over the decisions of the household and Men were regarded as the dominant gender, St Louis overthrew this notion by the love and deep respect he had for his wife. As the biblical man he was, he lived out St Paul’s teaching of love. He was patient with his wife whenever she was frustrated and anxious, often offering sound advice to her problems.
In terms of daily worries, large or small, they handled them together. Louis often reassured Zelie, who ever since her childhood had a propensity to worry. “Once again, do not torment yourself so much,” he would say. At the end of her life she wrote about her husband, “He was always my consoler and my support.”
- Adpated from: The Extraordinary Parents of St Therese of Lisieux
Louis also never exercised his authority in a domineering manner. He was always open to dialogue and discussion with his wife. Even during times when he didn’t share the same views with his wife, he let her do things her own way. It could be said that Louis followed the old french proverb, “What woman wants, God wants.”
God First
After the Martins were married, Louis always kept God in the center of his heart, family and daily activities. Louis’s spirituality can be defined by three principles: the sovereignty of God, confidence in his providence, and abandonment to his will.
The sovereignty of God
In his life, Louis’s ultimate goal was Sainthood. He once told his daughters: “Yes, I have a goal, and it is to love God with all my heart.” St Louis knew that God and only God alone was worthy of worship, and the ruler over all things. Thus taking all measures to pursue a life of holiness with all his heart. He used all the means available to reach it, especially with the sacraments, prayer and active participation in parish life.
The Eucharist was at the center of his life and the first priority of his day. Both him and his wife were the first to arrive at morning mass at 5.30am. Not because of wanting to put up an image of piety toward their community, but solely because of their great hunger for God. Participation in the Mass was not so much an obligation as much as it was a privilege and joy in their Christian life. It was a vital necessity, a refreshment, a feast and a strength in their times of difficulty, worry and fatigue.
Louis also chose to revolve his day around prayer and not vice versa. He knew that prayer and the worship of his king was the paramount priority in his life. It was mass in the mornings, benediction and grace at each meal, family prayers in the evening and one last period spent with the Lord at the end of the day after tucking his kids to bed. We can infer that although structured prayer played an important role in his life, prayer from the heart, void from flowery words was the method Louis chose to adopt. He allowed for himself to be in sweet union with Jesus, to become one with him and his heart. As St John Vianney once said, “Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.”
“I had only look at him to know how the Saints pray”
- Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux
Confidence in God’s providence
“The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascetics and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church
Louis firmly believed that everything in his life was a product of God’s grace. He knew that God, far from being a detached, angry and distant party, was a God who watched over him and his family with love. Together with his wife, he acknowledged that it was God’s hand in the great graces of their lives: Their success in work and family. Whenever a serious decision proved to be providentially judicious, they thanked God, knowing that He had been inspiring and guiding them. God was too close to not be interested in them.
However, following his successes, he knew full well of the allure of idolatry that worldly success could bring. Thus, in the spirit of asceticism, to be more perfectly in union with Christ, he chose simple, discreet but firm asceticism as a means of detachment.
He restricted himself from smoking, drinking between meals, and moving closer to the fire unless necessary. In his travels, he always chose third class and ate poor quality bread that was generally meant for the poor. These simple sacrifices, although are not the ends in themselves, provided St Louis with a detachment from material things.
Abandonment to His will
With his love for God growing deeper by the day, Louis progressively put his entire life into his hand and chose to be guided by the spirit. Louis surrendered everything he had to God. To surrender one’s will in today’s context is largely undesirable. It becomes associated with the loss of control and freedom. However, Louis’s example teaches us that the greatest liberty is not in the blind exertion of our own egotistical will and desires but in submitting (as paradoxical as it seems) to the will of the Father who loves us and cares for us deeply. We are then, set free from the slavery that sin contains. We are set free to love fully.
Louis and his wife surrendered so well that in the face of great suffering, they uttered in union, Mary’s Fiat. In the space of three years, Louis would bury four of his children. The first death he had to face was that of his little boy, Joseph. Joseph had been the joy of his parents. Being the firstborn son, Louis had great hopes for his child to become a priest. However, despite the warm affection showered on this child, he died five months after birth. Subsequently, he lost his second son and two of his daughters. In the face of great sorrow, Louis, instead of curling up in isolation, stepped forward in courage to be the pillar of support to his wife and his family. Providing the comfort, strength and assurance they needed to tide through the rough waves. He always directed them to God and assured them that God was with them through their sorrows and had a glorious plan for them.
One then tends to wonder, how could he bear all the grief without any bitterness or resentment? The answer lies in his deep faith. In his humility, he knew that they were not the masters of life and death. He recognized that children are not something owed to parents, but instead, a gift given by God. Through trials, God allowed Louis to grow in humility. Yes, the Lord did “take” these children home to Him, but Louis too, offered them to Him with a heroic submission.
To live by love does not mean to Fix one’s tent on earth at the top of Tabor. It means climbing Calvary with Jesus. It means considering the cross a treasure.
- St Therese of Liseux
It was with this same freedom that Louis willingly offered his four remaining daughters to God, when they discerned their callings to be Carmelite sisters. He exclaimed: “Only God can demand such a sacrifice, but he is helping me powerfully so that in the midst of my tears my heart is overflowing with joy.”
The extraordinary, ordinary Saint
Many of us still entertain the notion that we have to join the religious life or do extraordinary things in order to attain holiness and sainthood. St Louis however, proves us otherwise. By his example, God shows us that holiness is not attained by great feats of faith, but by living simple, quiet lives wholeheartedly with and for God. St Louis proves that Sainthood can be attained by our little yes’s to God, just like Mary’s fiat in the annunciation and that it’s more important to live a life of faith than to preach one.
In summary, he teaches us to:
- Put God first above all
- To put the needs of others before self
- To love even when it’s the hardest
Perhaps if we follow his way, which is very much like St Therese’s “little way”, centered on small acts of faith, we might just well be great Saints.
In growing up I see your soul
Full of God and love.
This blessed example inspires me,
And I want to follow you.
I want to become on earth
Your joy, your consolation.
I want to imitate you, little Father,
You who are so tender, so sweet, so good.
- St Therese of Lisieux
Totus Tuus, J.M.J
