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Go From Your Country and See
Fr Raniero Cantalamessa OEM Cap meditates on the call to Holiness in the light of the life of MotherTeresa of Calcutta
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It was a confirmation of Pascal's famous insight that the world recognises three levels or orders of greatness: the order of bodies, in which wealthy people, extraordinarily beautiful people or those of an imposing physical presence stand out: the order of intelligence and genius, in which artists, writers and scientists are distinguished, and the order of holiness in which, after Christ, the Virgin and the saints are outstanding (Pensees 793 Br.) One drop of holiness is worth more than an ocean of genius Almost an infinite distance separates the second order from the first, writes Pascal, but an infinitely infinite distance separates the third from the second order, the order of holiness from that of genius. "One drop of holiness," the musician Gounod said, "is worth more than an ocean of genius." This is because the glory of holiness does not end with time, but lasts eternally. The experience of the saints, whom we have before us in the facade of this chapel (the sisters') reminds us precisely of this, and accompanies us in this meditation, encouraging us to follow them. In his apostolic letter "Novo Millennio Ineunte", the Holy Father says that holiness, "is the perspective in which the whole pastoral endeavour of the Church should be situated." This holiness, he explains, is above all an objective that Christ has made possible for us with his redeeming death, and that we have received at baptism, but, he adds, "the gift is translated in turn into a "commitment" that must govern the whole of Christian life." On other occasions I have reflected on the holiness of Christ as
a free gift to be appropriated through faith brought about by what
I like to call a "coup of audacity" in the spiritual life.
This time in the wake of Mother Teresa, I would like to emphasise
the holiness of Christ as a model to "imitate" in life. Never too late to begin to be saints In Mother Teresa's life we can discover the initial act from which this daring enterprise of holiness stems - this first "stone" of the building. It is consoling to discover that this act can occur at any age in life. In other words, it is never too late to begin to be saints. St Teresa ofAvila, for example, lived quite an ordinary, even mediocre religious life, for many years before the change took place that made of her what we know today. The same happened in the life of the Teresa of our times. Mother Teresa of Calcutta who until the age of 36 years old, was a Loreto sister. Although certainly faithful to her vocation and dedicated to her work, there was nothing about her that would lead one to foresee there was something extraordinary in her. It was during a train trip from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual spiritual retreat that the event which changed her life occurred. God's mysterious voice addressed a clear invitation to her: "Leave your order, your current way of life, and put yourself at my disposition for a work that I will indicate to you." The day - 10th September 1946 - is known today by Mother Teresa's daughters as the "day of inspiration". Today, thanks to the documents that came to light during the process of beatification, we know the exact words Jesus said to her: "I want Indian religious, Missionaries of Charity, who will be my fire of love among the poorest, the sick, the dying, the children of the streets. I want you to bring me the poor... Will you refuse to do this for me?" And also: "There are convents with many religious who take care of rich and privileged people, but for my indigents there is absolutely none." At that moment, the experience of Abraham was renewed in Mother Teresa's life, to whom one day God had said, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." (Genesis 12.1) The "Go!" addressed to Abraham is different from the order given later to Lot to go from Sodom (see Genesis 19:15). Nothing indicates that Ur of the Chaldeans had a particularly corrupt environment or that Abraham could not be saved by staying where he was. In his "Roman Triptych," the poetic text published this year, the Pope reflects on Abraham's probable sentiments in the face of this divine proposal, which was no doubt, "Why must I go from here? Why must I leave Ur of the Chaldeans?" Why must I leave what I love and expose myself to new hardships and sufferings? We know that Mother Teresa asked herself the same questions. It was an interior laceration for her. She confided to Archbishop Perier: "I have been and continue to be very happy as a religious of Loreto. Why must I leave what I love and expose myself to new hardships and sufferings which will be very great?" Turning to Jesus she said, "Why can't I be a perfect Loreto sister? Why can't I be like all the others? What you ask me is too great for me... Look for a more worthy and generous soul." This is a repetition of something that is a constant theme in the
Bible. Moses said: " I am not eloquent" (Exodus 10) and
Jeremiah: "I am only a youth" (Jeremiah 1:6) But God knows
how to distinguish when the objections of those he calls, stem from
a resistance of the will, or when they stem, instead, from fear of
being deceived or of not being up to the mission. In the latter he
is not offended by requests for explanations. He was not surprised
by Mary's question "How shall this be?" while he reprimanded
Zechariah and left him dumb for the same question (Luke 1:18). Mary's
question did not stem from doubt, but from the legitimate desire to
know what she should do to accomplish what God was asking of her. In the end, Mother Teresa, like Mary, said her full "fiat" to God, her "yes". She said it with the deeds we know and she said it with joy. The Greek word translated into Latin as "fiat" is "genoito". This is in the optative mood, not the concessive as "fiat" is. Thus it does not express simple assent or resignation to something occurring as if to say, "If it cannot be done any other way, I agree ("fiat voluntas tua!") " On the contrary, it expresses desire, impatience, joy to have something occur. This is why is called the optative mood. "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9.7), a word that Mother Teresa never tired of stressing to her daughters but above all that she herself showed all her life with her smile. All Christian holiness is founded on the response to a call The first stone on which Mother Teresa's and all Christian holiness, is founded is the response to a call, and obedience to a divine inspiration, which is discerned and recognised as such. Simone Weil, who was not a saint, but absolutely admired holiness, spoke of the "consent that the soul gives in these moments to God, as something imperceptible, amid all the carnal inclinations, like a miniscule seed of the pomegranate, which nevertheless decides its destiny for ever." All the great holy undertakings in the Bible and in the history of
the Church are founded on a "yes" said to God at the moment
he reveals his will personally to someone. From Abraham's faith-obedience.
Scripture tells us, the whole subsequent history of the Chosen People
depends. "By your descendants shall all the nations of the earth
bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." (Genesis
22:18); likewise God willed to have the beginning of the new and eternal
covenant depend on Mary's obedience. I can imagine the amazement and wonder of Mother Teresa at the end of her life when she recalled that train trip. What God had been able to do with her little and long-suffering "yes!" What an amazing plan he already had had in mind that she had been unaware of! I cannot but think of her soul at the end of her life singing an amazed and overwhelmed "Magnify my soul. Lord... because the Almighty has done great things in me." At the beginning of this year the Missionaries of Charity gave me the honour of preaching the Spiritual Exercises in preparation for the General Chapter held in Calcutta - in reality, they were the ones who preached the Exercises to me with their extraordinary seriousness, poverty and incessant prayer. It seemed to me from the first moment that, from heaven. Mother Teresa was seeing to it, that the first chapter held after her death should be the occasion of a moving choral Magnificat to God from her daughters for all that He had done in her life and continues to do in theirs. I mentioned this to those present, and after the Chapter had closed. Sister Nirmala, the Mother General, confided that the General Chapter had been above all, precisely this. In the life of each one of us, as in Mother Teresa's life, there has been a call; otherwise we would not be here. Our "yes" was also perhaps a "yes" in the dark, without knowing where it would lead us. Years later, we should not be afraid to acknowledge what God has been able to build on that little "Yes" despite our resistances and infidelities, and we too should intone a moving and grateful "Magnify my soul" to the Lord.
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The
beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta last October highlighted
the fact there is only one authentic greatness in the world: holiness.
This truth was evident when I looked at the multitude that filled
every comer of St Peter's Square and the Via della Conciliazione at
the moment that Mother Teresa's (now Blessed) image was unveiled and
the choir began singing Alleluia. What other person in the world has
been so honoured? Such a large crowd had gathered spontaneously out
of admiration and love for a person, without being ordered to do so,
as so often happens in totalitarian regimes.