Saint Thérèse commented that if God found a soul weaker than hers, he would have to throw even more graces on it, because he is a Father and he is Love.

Little Marcel Văn CSsR was interestingly, almost amusingly and beautifully, aware that, in terms of many things, he was weaker than his sister Thérèse. Thérèse and Văn were sister and brother in spirit, and they talked to each other often. But Văn was pretty sure that, in a lot of things, he was the weaker one.

Yet, even knowing this and knowing what his “older sister” said about weakness and God’s overflowing love for the little ones, Little Văn sometimes got a bit lost and forgetful. He needed Jesus to, in actions and interior words, remind him of the truth of Love.

Little Văn and Little Jesus discusses, many times, weakness. Văn sat down and talked familiarly with Jesus and, at his spiritual director’s request, wrote down these Conversations. Both the heavenly divine friend and the little boy in Christ both know that the little boy is weak.

Marcel says,

I am so weak that it is impossible for me to endure even a sorrowful sigh. However, the stronger your blows are, the more the intensity of your Love grows… (522)

And Jesus says,

Little brother, if I did not show you my Love as I do, perhaps you would not dare to cast a glance at me, so small and weak and timorous is your soul. (494)

There are no illusions. Văn is weak.

But this conversation is not just a complaint in prayer. It’s a lesson. It’s a dialogue. It’s full of truths and intuitions of faith. Some of these intuitions and locutions go like this:

the greater is your weakness, the more love supports you (234)

Jesus speaks to give confidence:

It’s a consequence of your weakness; but this weakness is entirely in me, little brother, don’t worry about it, do you understand? (420)

Jesus wants us not to be downtrodden by our weaknesses; Jesus wants a peaceful heart:

Remain peaceful, since the weaker you are, the more you are love by me, and yet, my Love is always, always greater than your weakness. (417)

Your weaknesses, not being sins, can in no way sadden me… So, remain peaceful. (385)

Confidence is beautiful and worth so much more than strength, says Jesus:

Your weaknesses, Marcel, far from reducing my value of you, only make it increase further, since they are, for you, grounds for much greater confidence in me, which makes our union firmer still… (386)

All of these thoughts can be put together. They can be meditated on. They can be theologized about. There is a lot to see and a lot to say, though it can all be simplified, because what Marcel says is full of the Gospel truth. For example, Gilles Berceville OP comments:

It is the weak… who have need of a particular help from God, of a special manifestation of his love. This special manifestation of the weakness of man (or woman) gives a greater glory to God. That Van then must be happy to be weak!

And we, too.