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I Believe in Love

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This spiritual classic has long been beloved by Catholics for its wondrous distillation of the teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux into a reader-friendly set of meditations. It's perfect as a personal retreat when you have only a few moments to spare each day - and for spiritual reading anytime and anywhere.

Fr. Jean C. J. d'Elbée, a French priest deeply imbued with St. Thérèse's spirit, brings you St. Thérèse's teachings on God's love and the confidence in Him that it should inspire in your soul; humility, peace, and fraternal charity; the apostolate; the Cross; and what it means truly to abandon yourself to Divine Providence.

I Believe in Love has helped countless souls embark on the way to the Father. It will help you focus on Him throughout each day, rest in Him amid your troubles, and live joyfully with Him at every moment!

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
Profile Image for booklady.
2,739 reviews177 followers
May 31, 2020
This is the book you want when you are down, doubting God's love for you or needing to be reassured in anyway whatsoever. I cannot say enough about this book. It is BEAUTIFUL!

The author, Fr Jean C J D'Elbee, has written a masterpiece in spirituality based on the writings of Theresian spirituality. The title, I admit, sounds sappy. This book is anything but. Try the chapter on the Cross if you want some substance in your spiritual life:
Then there is the cross of having carried the cross badly. There is a very practical point here. How many times someone has told me, “I had made a resolution to be generous in suffering. Then a trial came. I balked, even rebelled. How many merits I lost!” Thus we add to our original cross that of having carried it badly. It is here that we return to the words of little Thérèse: “We would like to suffer generously. We would like never to fall-what an illusion!” See what a lack of logic this is: to moan about having moaned and then to go on moaning! No! Say to Jesus, “Now I accept the cross You have sent me, which I at first rejected, and I accept not having accepted it right away.” That is the great resource of humble confidence pushed to its extreme. You can always, in the present moment, throw yourself into the arms of Jesus, which are always open to receive you. It is the present moment which is so important. In that moment you can take leave of all the past by giving it to Him, in order to bury yourself at the bottom of His Heart. How many people in the world drag their crosses like a millstone! A beautiful apostolate to carry out among the people around you would be to teach them the price of the Cross, and joy in the Cross. Souls understand that—they understand all that is divine truth, since they are made, created, and modeled by God to understand it. But we must learn to show them this with great tact and compassion as well as conviction.
Now that I have finished it, I want to begin it again, because it has given me new eyes, eyes to see Him more clearly, or maybe I mean HIS Eyes, the eyes of HIS Heart. I do not see always this way, but when I remember things I have read and learned here, it is like He has given me Sight ... that Sight He gave the Blind Man in Sacred Scripture. But as I am still my poor self, it does not last. I forget and lose His Eyes again.

If I had the money, I would buy everyone a copy of this book, but not to sit on a shelf, to be read and prayed.

NOTE: For Carmelites, Sophia Press carries an I Believe in Love with Study Guide Set by Fr. Jean C. J. D'Elbee, Rita Ford and a Leader’s Edition Study Guide for I Believe in Love by Rita Ford. Maybe next year! Remember booklady, finish reading the books you already are reading and then, God Willing and you live long enough you might get to read this too! 😊
Profile Image for Mark.
68 reviews6 followers
February 5, 2010
What an encouraging book! This was another one of those cases where God seems to bring me to exactly the book I need at exactly the time I need it.
Profile Image for Audrey.
334 reviews93 followers
July 30, 2015
Excellent book that I cannot recommend highly enough. Emphasizing complete confidence in the mercy of God and total abandonment to divine providence in daily life, this book is truly a life-changing read. One of the elements that made it most resonate with me was the gentle presentation, conveying the beauty of these truths in a way that is as hope-filled and approachable as it is challenging and inspiring. I read this over two months, just a few pages at a time, because it is so rich and impactful. It is one of those books that I think I need to read on a continuous loop.
Profile Image for Emily Strom.
243 reviews6 followers
May 29, 2023
It was clear from the start that this book would be a five star, and the goal of this review is simple: to get everyone to read this book. Shout out to Lauren Nash for raving about this book freshman year...I'm sorry it took me this long to actually read it!

There is certainly overlap between this book and Story of the Soul (another amazing spiritual classic), but I really appreciated how the priest writing this book lingered longer on certain passages from the Bible and from the writings of St. Therese, really emphasizing the magnitude of them. Fr. d'Elbee's approach in this book was incredibly inspirational, making me want to try as hard as I can to love God more, fully trusting in him and in his love for me. And in his focus on achieving holiness through St. Therese's "Little Way," he made it so clear how holiness is attainable for all, as long as we don't let ourselves become disheartened by our failures. Those failures are meant to remind us how much we need to depend on God, because it is so easy to forget that and to try to become holy all by ourselves. At so many different points in this book there were insights that truly transformed how I view God and my faith and relationship to him. It is easy to know "God loves you" but to not really understand what that means, and this book helped me understand that phrase on a much deeper level.

All in all, this book was:
- very inspirational and profound
- very approachable
- full of great quotes from the Bible, St. Therese, and many other excellent spiritual writers
- transformative

"Why are you here? Why were you born into a Christian family? Why were you baptized? Why have you learned to know Jesus, to love Him since your earliest childhood? Because He has chosen you and preferred you from all eternity, to heap these graces upon you."
"Because God loves you, He wants to see how far you will push your confidence."
"God's greatest pleasure is to pardon us." (St. John Vianney)
"Ask in your prayers to see the beauty of the souls which surround you."
"Jesus, when we ask Him with confidence, repairs not only the evil we have done in ourselves, but also the evil we have done around us."

Profile Image for Adam.
8 reviews2 followers
December 26, 2011
A friend loaned Fr. d'Elbee's treasure of a book to me as an introduction to the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux. This book presents ten retreat conferences based loosely on the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux, and to a lesser extent, of St. John Vianney, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and St. Francis de Sales. Depending on your reading pace, each chapter / conference can be read in about 30 minutes to an hour with some care and reflection. I'd recommend reading one chapter at a time and in a single sitting, and then allowing a reasonable break to let the teachings and insights of the conference seek in. Even with this approach, the book is readable in the space of a weekend without rushing too drastically. Fr. d'Elbee's work is perfect for self-directed retreats, or could be taken with you on a weekend retreat, though if you are attending a preached retreat, this book and your other retreat conferences might be a bit much to absorb in one weekend.

The conferences are more in the character of meditations than scholarly discourses, but they hit a deep vein of truth and are well written. Though this is a book to be read with the heart, the conferences have enough intellectual heft to satisfy those who take a more intellectual approach to faith and spiritual study.
48 reviews
February 20, 2012
Ahhh I finally finished this book! I've been reading it for a year now. It is SOOO good. I could reread it continuously and be enlightened every time. It took me a long time because it wasn't the kind of book that I wanted to read cover to cover and then move on from...I've been digesting it slowly. There is so much wisdom in it, I know I'll just have to keep rereading it to really let the lessons sink in.
Profile Image for Kelly Guilbeau.
57 reviews
October 1, 2022
Wonderful. Beautiful. Love hearing reflections on St. Thérèse. I even accidentally finished on her feast day!
Profile Image for ANNA fayard.
113 reviews3 followers
October 5, 2023
beautiful beyond beautiful. will also be joining in the recommending this to everyone club with utmost enthusiasm.

moments that stuck out and I still can’t get over and highlight just how beautiful everything is and how Jesus truly, seriously, absolutely wants ABUNDANT LOVE for all of us and wow !!! —

“Why does Jesus say ‘I thirst’? What does it mean? …remember this—‘I thirst’ is something much deeper than just Jesus saying ‘I love you.’ Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you—you can’t begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who He wants you to be for Him” (thinking about this, hopefully forever)

“If you only knew how Jesus hungers for you, how He burns with desire to come into your heart, how impatient He is to come down to you, bridging all distance between you and Him! The day you miss a Communion is a great disappointment for Him. So go to Him; respond to His desire” (the Mass as the center of day)

“Let me tell you something strange: even the most beautiful souls, who burn to be in the Heart of Jesus, do not want to believe that confidence is the key which will open the door for them, because the door is a wound made by love. They look for other ways, as if this way were too beautiful to be reliable” (outpouring of beauty — there’s so much of it)

“…when you ask yourself, ‘What shall I do? How shall I do it?’ Listen to Him saying to you, ‘Let me do it.’ And then answer Him, ‘O Jesus, I thank you for all things.’ And it will be the most beautiful dialogue of love between a soul and the all-powerful and all-loving God!” (this is so beautiful)

“With one look toward Him, say to Him, ‘Jesus, one tear from Your eyes, one drop of Your Blood on my soul, and everything will be purified and my soul will be in peace.”

“‘In finem dilexit’: He loved them unto the end.’ He loves us to the extreme limits of love” (ref. John 13:1)

The Eucharist!!! “He remained in order not to leave us alone. When a person loves, he desires the presence of the beloved”

“Say like St. Margaret Mary, ‘Jesus, you know that I am ready to walk barefoot on a path of flames in order not to miss a single Communion.’ … Jesus said to her, for you alone I would have instituted the Sacrament of my love” (this is so beautiful that it made me cry and I never want to stop thinking about how much ABUNDANT LOVE Jesus wants for all of us oh my goodness)



Profile Image for Leon Jose.
3 reviews
July 20, 2013
A great and powerful book. It was recommended to me by my best friend Dcn. McNulty. Thank you Lord for St. Therese
Profile Image for Sara.
24 reviews
April 5, 2024
I've been sitting on this review for a while but I really can't do this book justice with one. It's the most important spiritual book I've read (He Leadeth Me is a close second for spiritual must-reads). I have pages of quotes from it (basically the whole book ha). Also finishing it around Christmas and when I was doing a consecration to Jesus through Mary was just beautiful and so good. I will be reading this again & again & again. & again.

"Confidence, confidence without limits, full, filial, total, all-inclusive: that is what I want you to take away from this retreat. It is this confidence which works all miracles."

"You must believe in mercy to the point of believing that you are a joy for Jesus… Can people love one another without knowing that they are a joy for each other?"

"What is the center and source of the life of the Church? The Host in the tabernacle, the little, silent Host, the praying Host, the loving Host..."

"…pay the ransom by your Masses and your Communions, adding to the Blood of Jesus in the chalice the blood of your souls, which is your tears"
Love this image-- tears as the blood of our souls, adding to the Blood of Jesus--> blood and water which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus! Fountain of mercy!

Profile Image for Alexandra.
38 reviews
July 25, 2024
"Love is not sensible piety... Holiness is a disposition of the soul, of the heart, and, above all, of the will, toward God; the senses may play a role, but that is not necessary."

"Love is the uniting of our will to the will of God. It is abandoning ourselves totally into His hands, as a habitual disposition, even if we feel nothing."

"...it is in abandonment that our greatest desires find their perfect fulfillment."

"...the love of Jesus is accomplished, perfected, and consummated in the love of neighbor."

"Do not be afraid to pronounce and to repeat often the name of Jesus. It is not a matter of indifference whether you always say, 'the Lord,' 'Christ', or 'Jesus'. There is a very special grace attached to the name of Jesus... Remember that it is His Father who gave Him this name and who revealed it to Mary by the angel Gabriel."

"Sanctify yourself with the duties of your state in life, your daily life with all its thorns. Accept all the duties, all the responsibility, with a smile on your lips, a willing smile - a smile that is willed. The most beautiful smiles are those which shine through tears, that we give in spite of ourselves."

"Do everything in your power to see that souls confided to your care have a Eucharistic life as complete and as total as possible."

"Mary... will teach you to know Jesus."

"And finally, you must believe in Love."
Profile Image for Katrina Schlueter .
31 reviews2 followers
August 12, 2025
♾️ ⭐️

This is easily one of the most profound pieces of spiritual literature I’ve read (might be number 1 - it would be second only to the Marian consecration I do annually, Totus Tuus by Fr. Brian McMaster). I took my time working through it and I definitely needed to because there are so many beautiful, deep truths in this book.

Fr. Jean does a fantastic job in his compilation of quotes, sources, and anecdotes. He writes with conviction and eloquence, helping the reader to understand grand realities.

Cannot recommend this read enough. Cried my way all the way through; this was such a balm to my soul.

Never forget how much Jesus loves you! 🩵
Profile Image for Mary Porter.
169 reviews4 followers
April 8, 2025
“There is nothing that I affirm with more assurance to a soul than the fact that Jesus loves each of us to the point of the foolishness of the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection.”

This book took me forever to read through, but I think it’s meant to be read slowly and pondered. It’s worth it to read thru to the very end. One of my favorite chapters was the one on abandonment to Jesus.
Profile Image for Hope.
14 reviews
September 27, 2025
The sweetness of this book will always hold a special place in my heart :’) if you need a reminder of God’s deep, personal, and merciful love for us, here it is.

Probably the most I’ve ever bookmarked a book. Saving some of my favorite gems here as reminders 🌿
- “Without love, everything is painful, everything is tiring, everything is burdensome. The Cross, taken up hesitantly, is crushing; taken smilingly, by free will, and with love, it will carry you much more than you carry
It. Love makes time eternal by giving a divine value to everything.”
- “Do everything as if it all depended on you, and leave the result to the Divine Master, on whom everything really depends.”
- “It is said that the Devil makes the gravity of the sin appear to be less during the temptation and greater after the fall.”
- “The one who is truly childlike is not surprised that he stumbles. He falls and picks himself up again without wearying, each time more determined to attain his goal.”
- “It is not He who grows weary of us; it is we who grow weary of looking at our ugliness.”
- “The Devil fishes in troubled waters. Whoever lets himself be troubled does not see clearly anymore… but the depths of our souls must remain tranquil as the depths of the ocean, even during the greatest storms.”
- “Forgive a thousand times, as Jesus forgives you a hundred thousand times.”
- “What is a love that does not prove itself? I told you that love is a choice. What merit is there in choosing Jesus if we only have to follow Him on a path of roses? How would we know whether it was He or the roses on the pathway which we were following?”
- “He foresaw everything in Gethsemane, and He accepted it all, that He might descend into a single soul who loves Him. "For you alone I would have instituted the Sacrament of my love."”
- “Love to recite the Rosary, meditating on its mysteries.
Little Thérèse said that each Hail Mary goes up toward Heaven like incense whose smoking spirals are all alike, although it is always new incense which burns. Love always says the same things, yet never repeats itself.”
Profile Image for Vanessa Johnson.
42 reviews15 followers
August 7, 2023
"The highest and most complete proof of love is to surrender ourselves completely, giving all our confidence to Him whom we love. Be with Jesus as a friend with his friend, very loving and beloved. Take your weaknesses and faults to Him, as you take your acts of generosity. The acts of generosity are for the Judge who is so good; the weaknesses and faults are for the Savior. And everything is for the Friend."

"Do you not know after all who I am, and do you not know after all with what tenderness my Heart watches over you continually?"

"In the manner of the centurion, you must also say 'I am not worthy to receive you: I merit nothing; I am an abyss of weakness and cowardice; I make resolutions and do not keep them; I fall over and over again. But Jesus, say only one word, and my soul shall be healed."

This book is a treasure of riches!
8 reviews
June 26, 2008
The most life changing book ever read. Spirtual books, especially those which journey through a personal retreat, are often times too scary to pick up merely because they are feared uncomprehendable. This book is anything but. it is extremely easy to read, very inspirational, and an amazing and lovely take on the teachings of one of the most beautiful saints.
i recommend this book to anyone looking or searching for meaning or purpose. in a few short weeks of reading this i can honestly say i felt a change in my whole person.
Profile Image for The Hofs.
217 reviews
June 21, 2009
My favorite all time spiritual book. It transformed St.Therese from a sweet saint for young girls to a power house of strength and courage. I was expecting at the time that I read it first and it so inspired me that I included Therese in the baby's name.
Profile Image for Anne.
592 reviews
September 11, 2011
This is one of my favorite spiritual reads. It's beautiful. Be warned that it will take you a long time to finish since you can sit for a long time with every single sentence.
Profile Image for Paul Burdett.
2 reviews11 followers
April 26, 2012
This is an awesome book, it distills down her Little Way in such a humble digestible manner, loved it...
Profile Image for Mandy.
7 reviews
October 29, 2012
There is so much to learn from St. Therese! I loved the reflections that the author wrote based on the life of this beloved saint. This is on my top ten favorite books list :)
Profile Image for Erin Harkins.
23 reviews10 followers
March 12, 2021
I want to read this book over and over again for the rest of my life. What a beautiful account of the Love that lives within each of us.
Profile Image for Emily Najvar.
6 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2023
I cannot recommend this book enough!!! Words can’t describe it
Profile Image for Olivia.
13 reviews
June 26, 2025
Literally so good. I can’t recommend enough!! Every time I read it, I’m reminded of who God is and who I am, and that His love is everything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews

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