"...the child of His love!" - Sr. Lucia's book

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The last post I wrote on Sister Lucia’s book, "Calls" From the Message of Fatima was a second excerpt from Chapter 8, The Call to Prayer. Sister spoke of Jesus’ teaching us the “Our Father” (in Luke 11) and also spoke of Jesus’ Prayer to His Father (in John 17). Today, continuing to read this chapter and Sister’s thoughts especially on John 17, I was blessed by her words:

We see that, in His prayer, Jesus Christ also asked on our behalf: “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who through their word will come to believe in Me.” And we have the happiness of being among those who through the word of the Apostles which was transmitted to us by their successors, believe in the Lord, which is what Christ also asked the Father on our behalf. I feel so happy when I think that I was present to Him when He addressed this prayer to the Father; that He was thinking about me and presented me to the Father as the child of His love!

He thought of me; He thought of you. He thought of the countless multitude of his brothers and sisters…

This chapter is one I’ll need to quote from again later, because prayer is so very important to fulfill our vocation to love. We cannot love someone we do not know and so we need to grow in our prayer – prayer is our relationship with God Who is love and He has revealed Himself fully in Jesus. We need to remain in His Word If we are to love truly.

 

[petra22]

Very touching. Just today I was thinking how much I miss my mother who died four years ago. I was thinking and saying to Jesus" I wish I knew YOUR face the way I know my mother’s face… I wish to love you that much, the gleam in your eye, the smile"…and I thanked him for all the people he put in my life that taught me to love him. and then I thought maybe in a way those people are the person or face of Jesus… he sent them here to me…just thinking…

 

[MariaChristi]

Very touching. Just today I was thinking how much I miss my mother who died four years ago. I was thinking and saying to Jesus" I wish I knew YOUR face the way I know my mother’s face… I wish to love you that much, the gleam in your eye, the smile"…and I thanked him for all the people he put in my life that taught me to love him. and then I thought maybe in a way those people are the person or face of Jesus… he sent them here to me…just thinking…

Dear Petra,

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Yes, I believe it is God’s intention for us to see Jesus in those we meet. St. Teresa of Calcutta was given that grace for she said that in the poor she saw Jesus in His “distressing disguise”.

Often we forget we were all created by God in His Image and Likeness. All of us, each in a unique way, are called by baptism to carry Jesus, as Mary did, to others. One of my favorite quotes from Pope St. John XXIII is: “The Legion of Mary presents the true face of the Catholic Church.” Because the Legion strives to be like Mary in bringing Jesus to others, this Pope and Saint was able to see that they were becoming more and more like Mary, Who is the icon of the Church.

Yes, let us continue to pray for the grace to “see with the eyes of faith” each person in new ways. No matter at what stage their relationship with Christ may be, let us look at the reality of their souls as created by God. St. Teresa of Calcutta, like Mary, was able to serve every person in some way, even if only by her smile, to help them find Jesus. I’m reminded also of something St. John of the Cross wrote: “Where you do not find love, put love in and you will draw love out.”

Not only is God sending people into your life that you may see by faith, Jesus in them, but He is also sending you to others that they may find Jesus’ Face in your own face. Please let us pray for one another and for the Church that we may ever be faithful to the graces He gives us for ourselves and for all those in most need of His Mercy.