Tonight, in talking with Our Lady, she impressed upon me something truly important, something humbling, and yet something immensely difficult – especially for those of us who, like myself, are often so full of themselves that it can be blinding:
What Sts. Therese and Paul say about diversity in unity and unity in diversity, of recognizing that the Church operates with many different parts, all hinges on one crucial point: You must accept that you may never aspire to the holiness which others will aspire to; however, you can take solace because God will love you all the more.
St. Therese’s words may ring pleasant in our ears, for she truly had a way with words, but the challenge – a challenge which will require much mortification on our part – is recognize that, yes, we may very well not be the rose of God, that we are much more likely to only be His tiniest wildflower. True, while God will love us because He finds all of His flowers beautiful, the tiniest wildflower must be able to look at the lovely roses without envy, to take solace and comfort and even humble pride in being God’s wildflower and nothing more than a wildflower. This is the call to humble-heartedness which Our Lord speaks of in the Beatitudes.
So, the next time you hear St. Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians, asking them to take heart in only being the leg, arm, or eye of the Church, recognize that what’s at heart in St. Paul’s admonition is that the leg, arm, or eye is much more likely to feel insignificant when it sees the great pragmatism of the other parts; this is the temptation of comparison. When we compare ourselves, we become envious with others and we devalue ourselves. When the wildflower desires so strongly to be something other than a wildflower, it will forget to turn towards the sunlight its given and will eventually wilt and die and crumble.
May Our Lady continue to guide you all!
