St. Teresa of Avila/St. Therese of Lisieux

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the earth, yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now" St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

I was made aware of this prayer at Brian's graduation when his boss read this prayer. It is a wonderful reminder of our responsibilities here on earth. I do not read enough about the Saints but it is such a good practice to get into because you realize how human many of them are and what an inspiration to us as sinners to strive to do more and be a brighter light of Christ's love. May God give us the courage to be Saints to those we encounter every day.

One Saint that can give us the courage to do the "little things" every day is St. Therese of Lisieux. She wanted to so badly to become a saint and struggled because her Saintly actions were so little. But to God, those little deeds are a necessary part of building his Kingdom here on Earth. Below is a quote from St. Therese who died in 1897 and was canonized in 1925. We could all learn something from her writings!

Saint Therese of Lisieux

"I have always wanted to become a saint. Unfortunately when I have compared myself with the saints, I have always found that there is the same difference between the saints and me as there is between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and a humble grain of sand trodden underfoot by passers-by. Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults. But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new."

As a mother I often wonder how I am building up Christ's Kingdom? Changing diapers, doing dishes, wiping bottoms and noses, cleaning house, the little things I do for my husband that I wonder if he even notices, none of these duties feel very Saintly. In fact, they often feel cumbersome and so menial and unimportant. Especially being married to a Physician who is "saving lives" I may not see it now (as Toddlers can be quite self-centered), but I hope that in the years to come my hard work is exhibited in my boys, in their actions, their attitudes, how they treat others. While I will never contribute something great in size to the Kingdom of Heaven, I pray that my small actions are representative of Christ's love here on Earth! This is something I will struggle with for the rest of my life, because acting Saintly is not easy!