In my notes, these famous words from Saint Therese of Lisieux summarize the January One Body in Christ Youth Weekend outcome. The whole purpose of life is to find out how God can live in you and through you in the way that He planned from the beginning, from the time before you were even a twinkle in your earthy father’s eyes. God is love (1 John 4) and we all are made in the image of God. We praise God to be more like Him. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). This is how we are to inherit eternal life.
Each of us is an instrument and only God can play that instrument the most beautiful way, as Fr. Gianni taught us. Or with St Irenaeus we can trustfully believe that the glory of God is the human person fully alive. By all means we should fight against the modern atheist idea that God would be in competition with humanity and praising God would somehow decrease the freedom of humanity.
Each of us is an instrument and only God can play that instrument the most beautiful way, as Fr. Gianni taught us. Or with St Irenaeus we can trustfully believe that the glory of God is the human person fully alive. By all means we should fight against the modern atheist idea that God would be in competition with humanity and praising God would somehow decrease the freedom of humanity.
| The beauty of Christian anthropology goes far beyond my comprehension. However, one practical thing that I have learned from St Therese of Lisieux is that in the end of the days, we will be judged according to love. It helps me to not get carried away by doing, by the compulsion “to urge to do great things” and to stop writing up my spiritual CV in my head based on prideful accomplishment. No, no, no… every day we have infinite opportunities to love in small things – done with great love for God. I pray that God would open my eyes to these opportunities and give me the courage to follow up the promptings. |  St Therese of Lisieux |
Jesus saw Peter and Andrew in their boats and called them to leave all they have and follow him. They followed immediately. This is the icon of all of our vocations, as Fr. Gianni presented. I pray that God would grant me similar clarity of vision, similar freedom from the world to do what is right, to do what is the most loving thing. Love is to will the good of the other and to give yourself to the other. Fussy feelings, yes, sometimes that too, but secondarily. God created the world and it was good, even very good. Similar way, we are to enjoy the beauty and goodness that God has created for us, for the wellbeing of our bodies, souls and spirits. However, as we learn from the Sermon on the Mount: blessed are you if those comforts of the world are not preventing you from doing the will of God. Theory is easy, I struggle everyday with the practical part.
Copy of Giotto's Navicella. Photo: Wikimedia
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon the people bringing the Kingdom of God within us. Our vocation and joy is to contribute to that reality, to build up heaven on earth with Jesus. In the baptism God gives us the divine life, and the sacraments help us to be ever more assimilated into Christ, His Body – the Church. The Holy Spirit came with gifts (Isaiah 11) to help us to realize our vocations to the full. Most of us are called to marriage, to live in the most intimate and profound union possible with another human being. This is also the reflection of God’s passionate love for us – the Church. We human’s can co-create new life with God! The second step is the call to religious life, to live as Jesus did: poor, celibate and in total obedience to the Heavenly Father alone. The third calling is to priesthood. To sanctifying the world by serving the Church and ministering to it –bringing the divine life for the others in sacraments and teaching. It is a great gift from God and I am sure that the people in the diaspora (most of Finland) have learned to appreciate this gift in a particular way, at least I have.
To sum things up, I find it a good spiritual habit to remind myself every morning of the four underlined sentences in this article and I urge to remember them all day every day to my best capability. Some days are better, some are worse and then there are the worst days... However, it helps me to go about my day, whatever it may include, confidently trusting that God will accomplish His plans through me, some times regardless of me! I am where I am so that Christ can be there! How beautiful, I feel honored for been given such an important task. As a curiosity, I delight in the fact that “habit” is also the word for the cloth that a religious person uses. Similar way, we need to cloth our inner selves with good habits.
To sum things up, I find it a good spiritual habit to remind myself every morning of the four underlined sentences in this article and I urge to remember them all day every day to my best capability. Some days are better, some are worse and then there are the worst days... However, it helps me to go about my day, whatever it may include, confidently trusting that God will accomplish His plans through me, some times regardless of me! I am where I am so that Christ can be there! How beautiful, I feel honored for been given such an important task. As a curiosity, I delight in the fact that “habit” is also the word for the cloth that a religious person uses. Similar way, we need to cloth our inner selves with good habits.
About the author
 | Tea was born as a non-practising Lutheran in Raisio. 2009 she moved to Canada seeking the truth in science, but stumbled onto God. He remained her second choice over skiing and orienteering for Sunday activities for years, but finally in 2015 Tea quit her job in Germany, and went off for an adventure with Lord Jesus, found Mother Mary on the way, and has never since looked back. 2016 she was confirmed Catholic at the Madonna House Apostolate in Ontario. Later God convinced her to stay in Finland after spending some months at Stella Maris and finding there a new spiritual home; physically she currently resides in Helsinki. |
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