Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 1, 2011 - Saturday in the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
[Bar 4:5-12, 27-29 and Luke 10:17-24,1084]I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one know who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
These words are spoken by Jesus in reaction to the success that his disciples experienced in their missionary efforts. They have returned very excited from their preaching and healing! Their amazement at the power of Jesus' name is expressed in their excited words, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." Luke will recount similar excitement in the Acts of the Apostles after the coming of the Holy Spirit. Of course, experience would also show that not everyone is going to react positively. Jesus' words note that a person has to be open to the message to receive the revelation! The task of the missionary is to be faithful and to proclaim that message.
Today we celebrate a patron saint of missionaries and, paradoxically, that saint was a cloistered Carmelite nun, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, also known as "the Little Flower!" She never traveled outside her convent, but her writings, THE STORY OF A SOUL, have inspired countless millions of people. She lived to be only 24 years old (1873-1897)! Her approach to faith and spirituality, the "little way," remains a classic and healthy spiritual path. Indeed, those who do preach the gospel in places where it is little known must rejoice in progress measured in very small amounts and small gestures.
The power of prayer on behalf of those who preach the gospel is important. I know I rely on the prayers of my "Beloved Congregation" and especially our own cloistered Dominican nuns that I know. We can't all go physically "to the missions," but we can surely go there spiritually. The popularity of St. Therese of the Child Jesus can be an inspiration to that effort! AMEN