"Thérèse shows us that within our ordinary lives — going to work in our cars or on the subway, doing our taxes, getting our children ready for school, fixing meals — we can find the mysterious exchanges between ourselves and God in prayer and meditation, no matter how brief or hurried. She reveals the hidden works of love that go on daily, not in some special precious time, but in ordinary everyday time. Thérèse poses a tremendous threat because she brings hidden mystic life out into the open and says, in effect, here it is for the taking, for all of us, not just the specially gifted, but all of us, each with our own gifts.

"Thérèse acts as a perfect complement to our century's huge explosions that force power outward — into bombs, into space, across new frontiers. Thérèse shows us explosions of energy inward, into inner space, and a spirit so powerful it spills over into relationships with others, near and far. She uncovers an energy of tremendous intensity in daily life."

To Practice: Locate and celebrate few of the mysterious exchanges of life — signs of your relationship with God — that take place in the hugger-mugger of your life.