Luke, Theresa, and Me

Feast of Saint Luke

Biographical Information about St. Luke

Readings for Wednesday

Reading 1 2 Tm 4:10-17b

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel Lk 10:1-9

Reflection:

We have to tell you, this morning as I reviewed the readings; the story of Paul, sounding so human, complaining that his friends had deserted him (except Luke) and asking for things to be sent to him, my heart sank. You see I have for the past two days felt spiritually dry.

Yesterday I banked out in the middle or writhing my post on St. Ignatius of Antioch. I actually started that post, got distracted because the EWTN source I was using as the link for biographical information had the wrong (1962) feast date, and thought I would finish it at my office. Wouldn’t you know, I sent myself the wrong file (I sent my completed post on St. Ignatius of Loyola). Scripture was not speaking to my heart.

Today, as I read the reading from 2nd Timothy I did not feel that spark. I moved on to Luke’s story of the 72 which we heard just two weeks ago on Thursday. Having just recently reflected on this story, I wondered, what could I say that I had not already said? It happens sometimes. When you hear a homily at Mass that does not seem to have much fire or substance, it happens. We are all vessels that the Lord uses in different ways but we have one thing in common, if we are going to pour out the Lord on others as St. Luke did, the seventy two did, as we are called to do, we need to be filled up ourselves.

I got up and went to the “Library” and there was a booklet in there, probably something my wife picked up, titled “Do I Really Want God” by Peter Herbeck. If it had been a bigger book or had a smaller font, I probably would have looked at it and thought, “More apologetic stuff”. (My wife is always looking for things she can use on her friends who have fallen away from Church or to help herself who as a cradle Catholic was never taught the faith in an adult way.) But the book was thin and the type big enough to read without straining so I started to read it.

Herbeck started talking about the Sisters of Charity, St. Theresa’s order, and how over each of their chapels they had a two word scripture quote; “I Thirst.” He started to explain that simple quote and I stated a mental debate with him, as some academically oriented folks are likely to do, over possible meanings; What did Jesus thirst for? What did the sisters and brothers thirst for?

Then Peter got to the story about a conference he attended in Germany on faith in the family and how the forty speakers, himself included, for a number of days went on with complex presentations and dry papers about various aspects of family issues.

He talked about how, on the final day, Theresa of Calcutta came to speak to them and how her mere presence caused them to emote, so powerful was her presence. He told about how simple her words were yet how they cut through all pretext and got right to the simple truth about the Lord and his mission for us.

I didn’t finish that short booklet. Instead I realized that there was indeed something to give today. It is a question, a question that I will struggle to answer and one that I give to you who may read this post today. How do I measure my efforts on the part of the Lord against the likes of St. Luke, who with Paul took the message to the know world? How do I measure myself against the simple gift of St. Theresa of Calcutta? Take heart, we still have time.

Pax