Tuesday, October 1, 2019 – St. Therese of the Child Jesus Zach 8:20-23; Lk 9:51-56 _______________________________________________________________________________
[They would not welcome Jesus because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.] When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them. Lk 9:54
Today, on the anniversary of St. Therese of the Child Jesus”, Pope Francis said, “it is good for us to think about the spirit of humility, tenderness and goodness. We all desire to share in the Lord’s spirit of meekness. Where is the strength that brings us to this spirit? It is truly in love, in charity, in the awareness that we are in the hands of the Father.
Pope Francis recalled the strength of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and her importance to the present day: “The Church has made this Saint — who was humble, small, confident in God, and meek — the Patroness of the missions. The power of the Gospel is right there, because the Gospel reaches its highest point in the humiliation of Jesus... the strength of the Gospel is humility; the humility of a child who is guided by the love and tenderness of the Father”. (Morning meditation on Tuesday, October 1, 2013)
Without being discouraged I continued my reading, and this phrase comforted me: “Earnestly desire the more perfect gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31). And the Apostle explains how all gifts, even the most perfect, are nothing without Love... that charity is the excellent way that leads surely to God. At last I had found rest.... Considering the mystical Body of the Church, I had not recognized myself in any of the members described by St. Paul, or rather, I wanted to recognize myself in all... Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that if the Church has a body composed of different members, the noblest and most necessary of all the members would not be lacking to her. I understood that the Church has a heart, and that this heart burns with Love. I understood that Love alone makes its members act, that if this Love were to be extinguished, the Apostles would no longer preach the Gospel, the Martyrs would refuse to shed their blood... I understood that Love embraces all vocations, that Love is all things, that it embraces all times and all places... in a word, that it is eternal!
How well do you realize your place in the Church and your call to love? Do you feel like a member of the mysterious body of Christ?
"In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be Love!.... Thus I shall be all things: thus my dream shall be realized!!!" Thérèse of Lisieux