St. Teresa Of Calcutta: Mercy In Action

This Sunday (Sept. 18) is Catechetical Sunday. This is a day to acknowledge and appreciate all those who commit themselves to being catechists in our parishes.   Catechists can be found in many places  … in children’s parish faith formation programs, in Catholic schools,  in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults process, in Bible studies, youth ministry , in our families and homes.

Bishop Charles C. Thompson, the primary catechist in our diocese, depends on the pastor of each parish to assure that every person has the opportunity at every stage of life to continually encounter God as a baptized Catholic.  In turn, each of us is called to support the pastor and our community in this effort of lifelong faith formation.

Recently, we celebrated Blessed Mother Teresa becoming Saint Teresa of Calcutta.  In reflecting on her life, it is evident she was a model of what it means to be a catechist.

• A catechist recognizes the call to ministry.  

• A catechist is a person of prayer.  

• A catechist is a disciple.  

Mother Teresa was a person of intense prayer who followed her call to be a disciple.  She was a witness and a teacher.  Her life inspires all of us to do the same.

The call within the call

St. Teresa of Calcutta listened to her life.  When she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto she was responding to a call to service, a life of prayer and commitment to the Gospel.  She became a teacher and principal in a Catholic school for girls.  

During this time her mother reminded her of the primary reason she left home to pursue this call.  It was to serve the poor.  As she struggled with the obvious poverty outside the walls of the school she heard God’s call in a very real way.  She heard God call her to “go out” to the poor, to live among them and to be Christ for them.  She identified this as a “call within a call.”

In Baptism we are immersed in the very life of God.  This Sacrament drenches us in life in a community of faith.  Our response to Baptism is a primary call to live a new life in Jesus Christ.   All of us also have a “call within a call” as Mother Teresa did.  We respond in faith to the Spirit of God in our lives and the daily dying and risings we experience.  Catechists respond to this “call within a call” as parents, grandparents, friends, ordinary people witnessing in an extraordinary way to the challenging message of Jesus Christ.

“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” –St. Teresa of Calcutta

A person of prayer

St. Teresa of Calcutta models to us the importance of faithfulness and perseverance in prayer.  A relationship with God requires the same as a relationship with another person.  Prayer takes time, listening and honest communication.  While Mother Teresa heard God loud and clear in the depths of her heart to move out and live with the poor, there were times when she did not experience this presence as profoundly. As in any relationship as we become closer to a person the communication can take the form of silence.  Sometimes this feels as if the person is absent even when they are not.

Catechists are called to be people of prayer.  There will be times in the midst of life’s struggles, craziness and mind boggling time constraints that this will be difficult.  

The theme of Catechetical Sunday this year is “Prayer: The Faith Prayed.”  In essence the goal of all catechesis is communion with Jesus Christ.The way to achieve this communion is to know Jesus Christ.  We do this in prayer.  The Catholic Church offers us a rich heritage of prayer providing this avenue to God.  Liturgy, Scripture, the Communion of Saints, Lectio Divina, contemplative prayer, silence, music and service are, to name just a few, accessible to all.

“My secret is simple.  I pray.” –St. Teresa of Calcutta

A disciple

St. Teresa kept Jesus before her even in the darkest moments.  She responded in faith to a call to serve the poor in the poorest of conditions.  She was intentional in her response to the Gospel to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and bury the dead.  She was not immune to criticism.  She was firm in her conviction of service to the poor.

When Mother Teresa heard and read the words of the Gospel she heard the message in the midst of a suffering people. We are called to do the same. Jesus’ teachings challenge us to respond with our lives and hearts. Discipleship requires careful listening, faithful prayer and authentic living.  This Year of Mercy has reminded us over and over that like, St. Teresa of Calcutta, we must be Mercy in Action.

This year 10 parishes were awarded small grants to sow the seed of mercy through service to others.  You will find these stories shared on page 8 as a part of our diocesan Catechetical Sunday reflection.   

Learning about Jesus is not enough.  We must become Jesus for others. We are called to be Mercy in Action.

Thank you, St. Teresa of Calcutta, for your extraordinary witness as catechist, person of prayer and disciple.  We pray in thanksgiving for all Catechists who faithfully proclaim the living Word of God.

“Faith in action is love—and love in action is service.” – St. Teresa of Calcutta