" Here I am all at last all for Jesus; in spite of my unworthiness, He has willed to take me for His little spouse. Now I must give Him proofs of my love, and I count on you, dear Sister, so help me in thanking Our Lord." [LT 121,par.2.sent.1-2]

Here St. Therese does three things: first, she acknowledge the reason for rejoicing to Sr. Marie-Joseph of the Cross; secondly, she gives a more interior reason for her rejoicing; lastly, she beseeches her sister to assist her in her religious duties to God.

In regards to the first, the does two things. First, she gives the exact location and place of her present state of soul, which she does at "Here I am at last." Secondly, she specifies the struggle she endured in coming to this place of her religious vocation; that is, Carmel. Like a person who has come to the fortress of their safety and has recounted all the rough terrain they traveled in order to enter into this fortress, so Therese first tells her Sister that she has finally arrived where all her desires had been focued since her earliest years form Alencon to Le Buisonnetts, then to Carmel; she does this specifically when she says, 'Here I am..' Furthermore, as being in one place indicates not only all the other places one cannot be, but also because of the freedom of choice involved it indicates what a person wishes to do in this place or the stages in which it takes to come to a place-as a person who charts out a long journey to a desired destination-she says, 'at last.' But in order to make clear her very motive for being in this place, as one who wishes to make clear her very pure motive in coming to this place that she has so freely and with the help of Divine grace was able to enter into she specifies the heart of her motivation and all consuming desire to be there; she does this when she says, 'for Jesus.'

Rejoicing is the very act of exulting in a joy which one find befitting one's desires. As a Carmelite religious, but as also one called by God to witness to this very intimate love of God for a soul, St. Therese gives a very clear indication of her joy. In the Carmelite tradition, following St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, faith is called the 'proximate and proportionate means to union with God.' It is proximate because it is the very essence of this union with God; it is a proportionate means to the degree that the person comes to God thru its acts. Now faith is exercised by assenting to the truth revealed thru it; that is, the First Truth which is God and comes to us thru Divine Revelation. Secondly, this Divine Revelation whcih a person assents to in faith also comes thru a personal vocation from God. Each person called into existence is also called into a unique relationship with God. This relationship come by way of reason as a preparation for faith; or as a call within the Church created by Christ Jesus himself-the Catholic Church. But this call into the Church is not for oneself but for others; that is, Jesus himself came that 'they may have life and have it more abundantly.' This, too, is the call of every person called into God, since 'God is Love;' and 'he who abides in love abides in God and God in Him.' After all, Jesus revealed that this is the way that others will know you are his disciples; tha tis, thru the new commandment of love for others: 'there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend.'

This, too, sums up the 'little way' of St. Therese. It is a 'little way,' but at the same time is is along the 'narrow way,' of Jesus; therefore, it is a way of love for others, a selfless love for the world. Here in this letter, it is as if St. Therese were looking at the height to which Jesus had raised her as one who is called to intercede for others in his love. She rejoices not in something she herself has done, but on the contrary, in the weakness and unworthiness she finds herself in still being able to rejoice in His Love and share that love with others.

When someone finally arrives at a longed for destination they not only rejoice in a safe and many times arduous journey, but also the rest that comes at after having arrived. Now this resting is what St. Therese rejoices in when she say, 'all for Jesus.' We need only think of the image of the ball that Therese refers herself to in the hands of the infant Jesus to understand that her life could have , by way of the Divine prescience and Providence, could have ended up any place at all by way of the Divine Wisdom. But she rejoices that at so young an age, after having bene surrounde by so many of her Sisters adn family she arrived at the Longed for goal of the Mountain of Carmel. This was her desire from the youngest age and now she can rejoice with full voice in this Divine predileciton Jesus had for her soul-she wants to give Him all the glory and this she does when she says, ''ALL for Jesus." She says all because this reflects perfectly her interior disposition and intention. She says all because this is the Divine Will that each soul love God with one's 'whole mind, heart, soul, and strength.' Moreover, when a person attends well to the directions that they have been given to arrive at a certain place, they also, after having arrived, not only recount there own individual freedom in choosing the route, taking counsel from others and other such preparations and discernments. After having arrived safely many times a person wants to also share their joy with others at having arrived at the place of their destination, since they feel somewhat of an obligation to these 'others' that have prepared the way for them and this St. Therese does when she says, 'Here I am;' that is, like she is saying, 'even though I have entered into this place and away from you, I am very grateful to you -even moreso, I am still united with you; having prepared me to enter into this place in the way that you did. For this I will be eternally grateful for in this I see that what I rejoice in now, Jesus, is what I also want also for you to rejoice with me in , since as He is my 'ALL,' so I want him to be your all also.'

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