“If a little flower could speak, it seems to me that it would tell us quite simply all that God has done for it, without hiding any of its gifts. It would not, under the pretext of humility, say that it was not pretty, or that it had not a sweet scent, that the sun had withered its petals, or the storm bruised its stem, if it knew that such were not the case.” (Thérèse of the Child Jesus).
This loving word complements St. Jerome’s earlier statement very well. Just as it is true that we should recognize our imperfection and strive for God’s perfection, so too is it important to recognize and acknowledge the beauty of the gifts God has bestowed upon us.