23rd Sun OT-C’16
“Mother Theresa – Saint”
Fr. Jeff Nicolas
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” What on earth is Jesus saying here? Well he is not advocating hate. He is using exaggeration to stress a point… that he must be the center of our lives, so much so that all our other loves are mere reflections of that love. In this way we need to take on the vision of God. We need to take on new eyes!
We are right now in the final stretch of our Jubilee Year of Mercy, begun by Pope Francis back in December on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is the official Year of Mercy Logo. It is a picture of Jesus embracing the Prodigal Son (who represents you and I).
Notice anything odd? (Assembly examines the logo for a few moments.) The image of Jesus holding the prodigal one has only three eyes… three eyes! Why? It is Pope Francis’ way of telling us that in this Year of Mercy we need to come to share God’s eye – God’s vision.
Today Pope Francis is canonizing Mother Theresa and holding her up to the world as an example of someone who came to see with God’s eye. Inspired by St. Therese of Avila and St. Therese of the Little Flower, Mother Theresa witnessed the power of doing small things with great love. The driving force of Mother Theresa’s boundless energy and compassion was her prayer. She once said to a reporter, “I don’t think that I could do this work for even one week if I didn’t have four hours of prayer every day.” And Mother Theresa shared with another reporter that she had a desire to keep the lamp – the life of Jesus within her – burning, radiating his love to others and so dispelling the darkness.”
Mother Theresa kept her inner lamp burning brightly. How can we do the same? Pope Francis shows us… by actively doing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The corporal works of mercy: (1) feed the hungry, (2) give drink to the thirsty, (3) clothe the naked, (4) visit the imprisoned, (5) shelter the homeless, (6) visit the sick, and (7) bury the dead. The tougher ones to wrap our heads around, it seems to me, are the spiritual works of mercy: (1) instruct the ignorant [learn more about your faith and share it], (2) counsel the doubtful [invite someone to join you at Mass], (3) admonish sinners [respond to negative or hurtful comments with a positive response], (4) comfort the sorrowful, (5) bear wrongs patiently [be aware of your shortcomings and less critical of others], (6) forgive all injuries [declare a grudge “over”], and (7) pray for the living and the dead.
Mother Theresa did all of these, dedicated her life to them, and through them she took on God’s eye and now basks before the Beatific Vision in Heaven.
As we now enter the final three months of the Year of Mercy, I am challenging us to intentionally focus on doing corporal and spiritual works of mercy so as to more and more take on God’s eye.
Students in the school and Gift program, faith sharing groups, clubs and committees will all be challenged to work together to complete these “passports of mercy” which I will display in our narthex for all to see. Individuals coming to Mass will have an opportunity to record their week’s work of mercy on little paper flames, which I will also display for all to see. In this way we hope to help all to be intentional in our quest to take on God’s eye.
In the end, vision is something we each acquire… it doesn’t just develop in a void, rather our vision is shaped and molded by our choices and actions. As Jesus teaches today with his striking demand to be the center of our lives, we of faith only have two choices: God’s vision or the world’s vision. Our challenge is this: for each of us, which eye will apply?
There is no limit to the lengths Jesus Christ will go to save each of us, as his passion shows.
There is no limit to the lengths God the Father will go to give each of us new life, as the resurrection of Jesus attests.
The only limit in play is the one each of us bring to the game, for remember, as Pope Francis reminded us all, the eye I apply will one day be applied back to me.
Let that be an eye of mercy, rooted in hope and a spirit of communion, which believes Jesus Christ has conquered death.
St. Theresa of Kolkata pray for us!
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