by Fr Mark Furtado OCD
October 1, the Church celebrates the feast of St Therese of the Child Jesus. We hear of St Francis Xavier the patron of missionaries all over the world. One who is fervent in preaching the word of God. At the same time we have another patroness of missionaries, St Thérèse of Child Jesus, a cloistered Carmelite nun, who lived within a wall enclosed and yet the church recognises here as a missionary. What could be the reason?
St Thérèse in her short life of 24 years, and 9 years as a Carmelite nun, achieved the heights of mysticism. Her doctrine in the church is called as The Little Way. Pleasing God in all that we do, even a small little work with great love, could be meritorious for the salvation of a person. She says in her book ‘The Story of a Soul’, “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” (the Autobiography of St Thérèse of Lisieux) The same spirit moved her to desire to work as a missionary for the Kingdom of God. The Little Way of Thérèse is also a pattern for much wider ambitions. In 1927 Thérèse was declared the patroness of missions.
During her lifetime she corresponded faithfully with two missionary priests, and countless missionaries have looked to her for inspiration since then.
St Teresa of Kolkata taking the name of St Thérèse used her Little Way as the spiritual basis for her congregation. St Teresa of Kolkata, in my opinion, also fulfilled the immense desire of St Thérèse of Lisieux to evangelise the world in need. This great desire is expressed by our little saint in these words: “In spite of my littleness, I would like to enlighten souls as did the Prophets and the Doctors. I have the vocation of the Apostles. I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach your Name and to plant your glorious cross on infidel soil. But one mission alone would not be sufficient for me, I would want to preach the Gospel on all the five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years only, but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages.” (The Story of a Soul: the Autobiography of St Thérèse of Lisieux)
Jesus stating the parable of the talents says; “For everyone who has will be given more and he will have in abundance,” (Mt 25:29).
St Thérèse of Lisieux had this great desire to work as a missionary and it was fulfilled in abundance, therefore we can very well call her missionary within the walls. Let her inspire us too by her little way.
(The author is a member of the Karnataka-Goa Province of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and a regional Vocation Promoter of the Carmelites, based at the Carmelite Monastery, Margao-Goa)
