24th October, 2010 Thirtieth Sunday of the Year - C. Mission Sunday

 

24th October, 2010      Thirtieth Sunday of the Year - C. Mission Sunday

 

(please take up the ordinary first collection at thi point, and the special, annual Mission appeal will be taken up at the offertory time).

 

Saint Therese de Lisieux is the Patron saint of the missions. 

I think that is really beautiful…  because St Therese, was a carmelite nun and once she entered the order never travel out of it…….   And yet she is the patron of missionaries….  It’s a reminder that its not about how far one travels but one’s attitude and encouragement of the mission of Christ which is to go out to all the world and proclaim and live the message of Jesus gospel… in the places one lives and works…. 

This weekend we think of those missinaries who have gone out to the ends of the earth…  Therese would have dearly loved to do that, but health and her vows prevented this.  But she prayed for them, wrote letters of encouragement and wisdom and so was a supporter of the missions and therefore a missionary..

 

Whenever we take an outward looking view of our role in the community…  seeing our role as being leaven in the dough of society.. the we are missionaries….  And the prayerful and financial support of the missions is very important and special too..

 

Rather fittingly too, today’s gospel is about…  true inner humility.. and not judging others…..

Thérèse's 'little way' was not just about doing little acts of kindness – that somehow little acts are better than big acts of love. It turns out that actually Thérèse's thinking did not focus on what one did but why and how. She also was too well aware, as St paul writes, that it is possible to do great acts of bravery or charity or sacrifice but for a wrong motive. Thérèse knew that a person can do a kindness to someone not out of love but of pride or superiority. The action is still good but it does not foster love within the person nor strengthen unity between God and ourselves. Also, a person can do something that appears selfish or hurtful but their inner intention and object was not that at all but was done out of love or well-meaning. Thérèse gives an example of a time her superior asked her and another nun who would like to go and open the door to let in the person delivering the Christmas tree. Thérèse believed that her fellow nun would have loved to do it so she acted slower to untie her apron and put her hand up. The superior, mistaking the motivation pointed out Thérèse in front of everyone and said 'ah, thérèse didn't want to go so she acted slower. No glory for you then!" everyone assumed she had acted selfishly but her inner motivation was not. She also determined never to try to justify or explain herself fo she felt it would be her pride that would be trying to prove that she did not act selfishly. Also thérèse would not have even shared this example to anyone even in her writing but she was ordered to write down her life and thought as an act of absolute obedience under her mother superior's direct request.

So thérèse showed that she had a suspicion and caution when it came to judging merely external acts. They can be ambiguous. Thérèse also had developed a disinterst in both receivinv either compliments Or condemnation from others. Her previous experience had taught her that the judgements of others as to her inner heart or anyone elses were unreliable. There is a little example that Thérèse cites which I love because this particular one happens to me too . One day she was walking along and a nun said to her, my my, aren't you getting chubby. My gooness you are putting on weight. Then thérèse walked down the corridor a little further and another nun said to her "my goodness child, you are so thin. Dear me you are wasting away. You are like a skeleton.  You will never be healthy if you don't get fatter." (i am adapting and extrapolating the incident to make the distinction clearer in my mind).  Incidents like these underlined to thérèse that she ought not rely on others opinions and judgements on her to get a sense of self worth, that really comes from her being as we all are a loved child of God and not by our own merits or virtues or what other people think of our hearts or motives. Thérèse also believed strongly in the scripture passage 'judge not and you shall not be judged.'

 

 

 

 

 

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REFERENCES:

 

<![if !supportLists]>·          <![endif]>FR. PAUL W. KELLY

 

 

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Fr. Paul W. Kelly

Parish Priest

Saint Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough.

 

269 Adelaide Street

Maryborough Queensland

Australia. 4650

 

Office:  (07) 4121 3701

Fax: (07) 4121 2829

 

Fr Paul's Mobile Phone:  041 778 6456

Please visit our website: www.marycatholic.com

 

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