Saintly Inspirations

In Mother Theresa (Formed.org) her character offers a prayer near the end of the movie after learning that her close spiritual advisor has died.

Here’s the prayer:

“If my pain and my darkness console you, do what you want with me my Lord Jesus.  If my separation from you puts others on your path and if their love brings you joy then Jesus, I readily suffer that which I am suffering.  Your will is everything I desire.  Now I know that you have never abandoned me.”

I can’t say if these were actually her words (my guess is they could be), but regardless they are truly beautiful.  They reflect an acceptance of our own suffering, offered as a sacrifice for others.  But more than that, the focus, you will notice, is on whatever brings Jesus joy.  St. Theresa was definitely about satisfying the “thirst” of Christ.

It is hard enough to be self-giving when you are feeling good and everything is going well, but to keep that heartfelt desire when you are at your lowest point is truly amazing.

Most of us, I suspect, turn somewhat inward and concern ourselves with our own struggles at times like that, but when you study the saints, it is their ability to look outside of themselves to the needs of others, that really stands out.

We can see some of that today in our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 5.  As we have been looking at for the last few days, Peter and the apostles have been harassed because of their refusal to stop teaching about Jesus.  They were accused of having “filled Jerusalem” with their teaching.

They stress, however, that they “must obey God rather than men.”

Why?  Why were they so adamant about this? 

They were on a mission, and that mission was to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins; salvation for all.  As witnesses, they understood that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God and they were ready to do anything.

You see, at the risk of death, they, like the great saints that followed them, would do anything to draw others to Christ.  And in case we are unsure about their self-sacrifice, St. Paul makes it quite clear:

“Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure.  And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:25)

Nobody, and I repeat, nobody would be willing to suffer all of this if it were not for having the grace of God and an understanding of the importance of salvation.

And interestingly, Paul was not saying this so people would think highly of him.  He was not boasting.  In fact, he understood his own weaknesses all too well and knew that God would be glorified by them.  Surely nobody would think Paul was enduring all of this because of his own strength of character.  Surely others could see the hand of God in all of this.

So for all of us—saints and sinners alike—let us be inspired by those who came before us.  In the face of personal challenges, let us draw on the grace of God and do whatever he asks us to do so that others might come to know the greatness of our God and be able to enjoy eternal life with him.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net (podcasts)