More and more let us insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the kingdom of God, the rest will be given. St. Teresea of Kolkata

As Mother Teresa’s fame about her work with the poor in Kolkata grew, she often received visitors who wished to contribute funds to support her work. In many cases, Mother would emphasize the importance of a foundation based on “love, kindness, understanding, and peace”. In other words, funds will follow naturally when people and societies are grounded in these often-illusive virtues. Note her use of the word “insist”!

Of course, there remains a kind of tension between an act of love (such as funding a project) and doing so with a truly unselfish love. If I am in a hurry or preoccupied I can easily drop a few coins into a beggar’s cup without even making eye contact. I sometimes wonder if I’m giving because of love or doing so to make myself feel less guilty about my good fortune and/or to support my ego’s need to be seen as a generous person, even if it’s only to myself. (Consider how many buildings show the name of the person who has contributed to its construction).

As with so much of life, it gets down to priorities. I remember an introductory meeting with a spiritual director who saw through my rather transparent efforts to give the impression that I had a consistent spiritual practice. He was surprisingly blunt: “Maybe it’s just not a priority for you”. Ouch.  Like my spiritual director, St. Teresa is “insisting” on making love a priority. How can we know? The extent to which “love, kindness, understanding, and peace” is integral  to one’s life may be a good place to start.

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There is only one thing to do here below: to love Jesus… Let us seize with jealous care every last opportunity of self-sacrifice, let us refuse Him nothing—He does so want our love. St. Therese of Lisieux

I find the opening words of this quote rather interesting: the Saint begins by referring to “doing” and then leaps over into “love”. Therese then continues by affirming that loving and doing are of one piece and that test of love is a spirit of self sacrifice. But why the three references to Jesus?

For Therese the answer lies in the life and teachings of whom she considers the Christ. Through his life and teachings, Jesus of Nazareth revealed that the essence of that Great Mystery some call  God is love. Jesus, as Christ, is at the same time a Son of Man and Son of God, a :particular” expression  of how love is at the heart of creation. So, it is no wonder that Jesus tells his disciples that whatever is done to even the “least” (i.e. the poorest in every sense of the word) has an impact on the wholeness of things.

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Do not spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety, and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: lift up your spirit and love God. St. Padre Pio

The Saint’s choice of the word, “energies” is worthy of note. Just as there is a positive energetic aspect of love, “worry, anxiety, and anguish”, generate negative energy fields which tend away from love..

However, when we look at how life unfolds, it often seems that our window of choice is much reduced. There are worries that are easily dismissed through some deep breaths and/or a repeating a mantra. There are also worries that are resistant to our efforts: the difference between anxiety about a lost earing and anguish about the outcome of an important and risky surgery.

It has been my experience that the act of “trying” to experience God’s presence and action in difficult times can open one to God’s grace and loving care. It may be a bit like the child who has just scraped her/his knee holding up her/his arms to be “lifted up” by a caregiver. The scraped knee is not suddenly healed, but the child has been comforted by loving arms. The image of “mustard seed of faith (trust) comes to mind (Matt 17-20) as well as Jesus’ reminder to “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7)

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A good heart, as well as a soul inflamed with charity, can do nothing but good and holy works. St. Angela Merici

We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love. St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata

These two Saints remind us  that  love is revealed through loving works, including the many ordinary ones. Just think of the countless acts of love carried out by loving parents as they do what they can to ensure that their child’s needs are met. Similarly, St. Angela reminds us that our loving deeds have their source in our interior world: heart and soul. Her fiery image of the heart being “inflamed” is important; just as a fire cannot start itself, so our hearts cannot be “inflamed with charity/love” without their being ignited: by an acceptance of God’s ever present offer of love.

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At last, I have found my calling! My calling is love! St. Therese of Lisieux

Let us love, since that is what our hearts were made for. St. Therese of Lisieux

I find that the word vocation is less often used these days. It has been replaced by others, such as profession or career. Ste. Therese uses the word “calling”; which is what the word vocation is derived from.

“Calling” is sometimes used in reference to a deep interest or passion, including a certain kind of work or lifestyle. However, ‘passion’ implies a source within,  while “calling” evokes a kind of transcendence, i.e., one cannot call oneself!

It seems to me that what the Saint is expressing is a dedication of the wholeness of one’s life. Most people live in service of more than one interest(s)  or passion(s): the farmer who takes every opportunity to play the tuba, the teacher who is dedicated to breeding a certain kind of dog, or the lawyer who is passionate about sailing. `

Notwithstanding the value of varied interests, Therese reminds us that our fundamental raison d’etre (what we are “made for”) is to love. Everything we do, including our jobs, roles in communities, leisure activities, etc. is to be folded into this one vocation/calling of love. It’s a very high bar, and it challenges us to put our different functions and activities under the light of  a basic question: H ow do they support the giving and receiving of love?  

Some may scoff and dismiss such reflection because of a presumed impracticality. (“Sounds nice, but come on, get real”) Unfortunately, love is typically compartmentalized and/or relegated to the cute and mushy side of things (Consider the “love” tropes on many Valentine’s Day cards or the plot lines of rom coms). To be authentic—consistently choosing love— challenges us to direct an honest inward gaze. It’s not about finding even more reasons to beat oneself up, but to become more open to the ever-available movements of grace in which we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). In trust that we are “made for” love, we can gradually surrender to the Divine potter’s wheel (Isaiah 64:7) and become more and more of who (not ‘what’) we truly are.