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Wednesday, October 1, 2003

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St. Therese of the Child Jesus


Nehemiah 2:1-8
Psalm 137
Luke 9:57-62

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the zenith of human life

"Someone said to Him, 'I will be Your follower wherever You go.' " —Luke 9:57

To be disciples of Jesus, that is, Christians, we must give Jesus our whole lives. We must not expect anything in return, for Jesus and His disciples do not have anywhere to lay their heads (see Lk 9:58). We must not only give Jesus everything, but we must do it without delay (see Lk 9:59ff). We should not put it off, wait till tomorrow, or do something else first. Moreover, disciples of Jesus totally commit themselves to Him forever. There should be no turning back (Lk 9:62).

If we understand what it means to be Christian, we quickly realize that such total love is humanly impossible. However, "nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37). He gives us the grace to love Him as He wants to be loved, and His grace is always sufficient (2 Cor 12:9). Thus, "it is owing to His favor that salvation is yours through faith. This is not your own doing; it is God's gift" (Eph 2:8).

Therefore, accept Jesus on His terms. His grace is available to us at this moment. By grace, repent of anything you are putting ahead of being Jesus' disciple. If you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord, renew your Baptism and share your faith in Jesus with others as soon as possible. A tell-tale sign of being Jesus' disciple is that you are trying to "make disciples of all the nations" (Mt 28:19).

To be a disciple of Jesus is the zenith of human life. It is the privilege of privileges. Rejoice forever that God has chosen you to be His disciple.

Prayer:  Father, give me a disciple's heart. St. Therese, pray for me to love Jesus much more deeply.

Promise:  "The king granted my requests, for the favoring hand of my God was upon me." —Neh 2:8

Praise:  St. Therese learned committing one's life to the Lord means giving Him everything moment by moment. She mastered the practice of offering countless little acts of love daily to Jesus.

Rescript:  

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.


Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Giles H. Pater, April 24, 2003


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 28, 2003