GOD OF LITTLE THINGS! ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Saturday, 1^st October 2016,

Twenty Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Job 42: 1-3, 5-6, 12-17;

Ps 118: 66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130;

Lk 10: 17-24

GOD OF LITTLE THINGS!

The first reading tells us how God blessed the latter days of Job more than his earlier ones. And Job believed that God can do and give all things to human beings and no purpose of Him can be hindered by natural or evil forces. There is a threefold joy of the seventy as they returned to report their victories to Jesus in the Gospel reading: 1) the joy of service; 2) the joy of salvation and 3) the joy of sovereignty. Jesus had given them power and authority to heal, to cast out demons, and to preach the Word, and they were victorious. Each victory is important to the Lord, no matter how insignificant it may seem in our eyes. Nevertheless, the disciples should not rejoice because the spirits are subject to them, but rejoice because their names are written in heaven. Jubilation can lead to pride. The greatest miracle of all is the salvation of a lost soul. The highest joy is not found in service or even in our salvation, but in being submitted to the sovereign will of the Heavenly Father, for this is the foundation for both service and salvation.

The Church celebrates today the feast of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, described as ‘the greatest Saint of modern times’, this young virgin is also declared as co-patroness of the missions. Such is the contribution and influence of her brief life. The Church while proclaiming her as the ‘Doctor of the Church’, acknowledged her profound yet simple doctrine, the Little Way, known as Spiritual Childhood. It is based on the solid foundation of the words of Jesus, “whoever is little, let him come to me.” Thus Thérèse not only understood well this secret of humility, trustful openness to God, full confidence and utter abandonment, but rather using this ladder she climbed the mount of perfection and sanctity and closer union with God. Thérèse reminds us what the essence of the Christian message is: that God is love; He is a merciful Father, and that He gives himself gratuitously to those who are evangelically poor. Who among us cannot afford this simple way of pleasing God and advancing in sanctity?

Prayer: O Lord, lead us on the path of spiritual childhood. Amen.