It is no coincidence that Mother Teresa
was canonized on the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle C, given
its Gospel reading (Luke 14:25-33) and who she is, in particular, her practice
of “misericordia et caritas” to “anawim”.
The Gospel reading is about what
it takes to follow Christ as his disciple.
Remembering how Mother Teresa
lived her life for Christ and in Christ through her works of “misericordia et caritas” in slums of the
rejected and untouchable, the Gospel reading reflect her and her vocation.
St. “Mother” Teresa of Calcutta has been
known for her ministerium ex misericordia
for the poor. To this, St. John Paul
II called Mother Teresa “an icon of the
Good Samaritan , as she went
everywhere to serve Christ in the
poorest of the poor, during his homily
on October 19, 2003. Indeed, St. Teresa
of Calcutta was very much like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35), and the way
she served Christ in the poorest of the poor reflects Jesus’ words on opera misericordiae in Matthew 25:
35-36. In fact, here ministerium ex misericordia for the
poorest of the poor was St. “Mother” Teresa’s way of following Christ as his
disciple.
Her ministerium
ex misericordia, reflects Mother Teresa’s caritas. It is also her ministerium
ex caritas pro pauperis, reflecting Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan.
Her mercy (eleos, misericordia) is
rooted in her love (carias, agape),
which is the core of our Christian identity (i.e. John 13:35). Caritas – agape is also the root of compassion
(splagchnon, misertus). Mother
Teresa’s ministry of mercy for the poor
, as the character of her discipleship reflects Jesus’ new command (mandatum novum) to love one another as
Jesus has loved us (John 13:34) and to love our neighbors as the Good Samaritan
did to a stranger (Luke 10:30-37), echoed in what Jesus describes as caring for
the least among us (Matthew 25:35-36, 45).
The Gospel reading is about what it
costs to follow Christ as his disciples, to live a life in Christ to do his
will for each of us. It requires us to
carry our cross (Luke 14:27) echoing Luke 9:23. In other words, without
carrying our own cross daily (Luke 9:23), we really cannot function as
Christian. Baptism itself is only a
necessary condition but not a sufficient condition to live a life as a
Christian. What makes us Christian is to
carry our cross every day and do what Jesus meant by his words in Luke
14:25-33, along with his words in Matthew 25:35-36 (works of corporal mercy,
Luke 10:27-37 (the parable of the Good Samaritan), and John 12:34-35 (Mandatum Novum). After all, our
Christian identity is agape that we practice (I.e. John 13:35).
Mother Teresa has been canonized as
Saint for her practice of all of these Christian principles taught by Jesus. Her canonization, indeed, symbolizes our
hopeful goal to become saints as we also do the works of mercy with our agape, as she had done. For this, St. “Mother Teresa” has said, “We can all do small things, with great love,
and together we can do something wonderful”. In fact, this is what is to
characterize the Church, the assembly of the faithful as la Ecclesia de misericordia et caritas, as reflected in Pope
Francis’ eccesiological vision. St.
“Mother” Teresa of Calcutta is exemplary in demonstrating how we, as the
Church, are to serve Christ in the poorest among the poor, as his disciples.
The sacrifices she made for her
ministerium ex caritas pro pauperis are the cost that she has borne for her
discipleship, namely, the cross she carried as a disciple of Christ.
The bottom line of the costs of the discipleship, addressed in the Gospel
story for the 23rd Sunday on Cycle C, (Luke 14:25-33), expounding
the latter portion of the Gospel narrative for the 12th Sunday on
Cycle C (Luke 9:22-24), is what is required of us to love, as Christ has taught
not only through his mandatum novum
in John 13:34 but as he himself culminated through his Passion onto the Cross.
Namely, it is the costs of “agape” in
the New Testament Greek and “caritas”
in Ecclesiastical Latin. For this
reason, Jesus asks us to carry our own cross to practice the kind of love he
himself offered. Given this meaning of agape
for the costs of the discipleship addressed in the Gospel reading for the 23rd
Sunday, the way Mother Teresa demonstrated her discipleship through her
ministry of agape, stemming from her
mercy and compassion, for more than 50 years, in abject poverty, makes it
fitting to canonize her on this Sunday.
All the sacrifices that Mother Teresa made for her ministry of agape toward the anawim (pauperis de Deus), whom she cared for, are the costs that
she paid to be a disciple of Christ.
So, what really are the costs of the discipleship – the costs of caritas – agape, which St. “Mother”
Teresa of Calcutta has paid for her ministerium
ex misericordia pro pauperis, in the
23rd Sunday Gospel reading (Luke 14:25-33)? In order to relate
Mother Teresa’s costs of her discipleship in the Gospel context, let us examine
the narrative of Luke 14:25-33.
The Gospel reading comes with three parts: I) vv. 25-27, II). vv. 28-32,
III). V. 33. In this structure, Part I
(vv. 25-27) is echoed by Part III (v.33).
Basically, Part I tells that what it means to carry our cross as disciples
of Christ, building upon what Jesus said in Luke 9:23-24, our need of
self-denial and detachment from our own life. In Luke 14:26-27, Jesus further challenges us
on our need of detachment. However, the way these verses are translated into
English makes it difficult to understand what Jesus meant by the word, “hate”
in v. 26. The New American Bible translation says:
If any
one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever
does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke
14:26-27).
Had Jesus really advocated us to “hate”
our parents, siblings, children, and ourselves? If so, Christianity would be a
religion of hatred among each other. It
would also be a violation of the filial respect in Exodus 20:12. Such a question on Jesus’ intention to use
the word, “hate” in v. 26, actually
stems from the translation of the original Greek verb of “miseo” into English as “to hate”.
What Jesus was asking in the Original Greek text in Luke 14:26 is to “miseo”, and any Greek dictionary
explains that the verb “miseo” also
means to “love less”, relative to one’s primary love object. In other words,
what the Greek verb, “miseo”, used in
the original text of the Gospel, reminds us that we cannot love Christ on the
equal level to our practice of love for each other. This is particularly true in our observance of
this commandment, “love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”(Deuteronomy
6:5). Therefore, Deuteronomy 6:5 demands
higher level of love than Leviticus 19:18, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
Jesus
expects candidates for the discipleship to demonstrate their highest love,
namely caritas – agape, toward him,
bearing the spirit of Deuteronomy 6:5.
For this reason, he wants us to “miseo”
anyone else on earth, such as our parents, siblings, children, neighbors, and
even ourselves. However, this does not mean that we need to “hate” them and
ourselves. We need to love one another, as Christ has taught in John 13:34-35
and as commanded in Leviticus 19:18. It
is also helpful to remind ourselves that Jesus was expecting Peter to tell him
that he loves him with the level of agape,
though Peter only showed that he was ready to love Jesus with the level of philos (John 21:15-17). Perhaps, being
somewhat disappointed, Jesus had to remind Peter that he wants his agape, by stating, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were
younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you
grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and
bring you where you do not wish to go” (John 21:18) to indicate Peter’s ultimate
self-sacrifice in martyrdom (John 21:19).
By consulting the original Greek word, “miseo”, and its meaning in the context, now we can understand
Jesus’ intent for Luke 14:26. In Part II (vv. 28-32), Jesus offered two
parables to remind that to “miseo”
anyone on earth to practice agape for
Christ, demands very careful discernment, just as a builder has to go through
careful preparation in constructing a tower, just as a king has to make sound
strategy before engaging in a battle. Namely, Part II is to remind us that our
decision to become disciples of Christ by practicing miseo for our agape
toward Christ, as our way of carrying our cross, requires very serious discernment.
Then, Part III, tells that we need to detach ourselves every earthly things,
echoing our need to miseo. Otherwise,
we cannot genuinely demonstrate our agape
for Christ. Therefore, the costs of the discipleship is whatever we need to
bear in order to love Christ with the level of agape. It is basically the costs of our efforts for detachment, as
well as practicing “miseo”.
Basically, the Gospel teaches us that we need to practice
detachment as the costs of the discipleship. In a way, Jesus’ teaching on
renouncing (Luke 14:33) and “miseo”
(Luke 12:26) mutually correspond to remind us of detachment as one of the costs
of the discipleship. In order to follow
Christ as his disciple, we must overcome our attachment to earthly objects,
including our parents, siblings, friends, and even ourselves. However, this
teaching of Jesus on detachment as one of the costs of the discipleship is not
to be confused with “hating” these. This
teaching of detachment as an important cost of our discipleship is to love Christ
with agape – caritas, in the spirit
of Deuteronomy 6:5. In a way, this teaching of detachment echoes the Buddhist
teaching of “pabbajja” or “pravrajya”, which requires candidates of
bhikkhu (monk) and bhikkhuri
(nun) to leave their family and all other earthly attachments. In fact,
Gautama (Shakamuni) himself did this when he left his royal palace, where he
was a prince, leaving his status, wealth, and wife, behind, to seek a path of
true liberation, which he later incorporated into his teaching on the Four
Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path (Ariyo
Atthangiko Maggo).
On her discernment and vocation journey, Mother Teresa also
did “pabbajja”, when she left her
family in Macedonia, at age 18, determined to serve the
Lord on missionary. Her practice of “pabbajja”
to be a nun reflects the spirit of Jesus’ teaching on “miseo” to her family for the sake of totally devoted love for
Christ (Luke 14:26) and on detachment or renunciation of all earthly objects
(Luke 14:33). The thoughtfulness,
mindfulness, and carefulness, in her discernment, leading up to her decision to
“miseo” and “pabbajja” certainly reflect what Jesus meant in Luke 14:28-32.
Upon her departure from her family, to which she was once
attached, by practicing to “miseo”,
as taught by Jesus in Luke 14:26, Mother Teresa entered into a life of “pabbajja” for an Irish Catholic
congregation, the Sisters of Loreto, upon leaving Macedonia for Ireland in
1928. In 1929, she moved from Ireland to India, reached in Calcutta, to start
her novitiate life. In 1931, Mother Teresa, as a novitiate, took her first vow
and adopted the name, “Teresa”. In fact,
her name is Anjeze (Agnes) . Teresa is actually her vocational name that she
choose to adopt with her first vow. When
she took the name, “Teresa” to characterize the way she serves Christ, she
originally wanted the name “Therese”, after St. Therese of Lisieux, as she is a
patron Saint of missionaries. However, another sister in her congregation
already took that name. For this reason, she changed “Therese” into the Spanish
version, “Teresa”, to characterize her desire to serve Christ as a missionary.
With her vocational name, Teresa, Mother Teresa, then “Sister
Teresa”, began teaching at St. Mary’s School for Girls in Calcutta. Then, in
1937, she took her final profession of vows. Mother Teresa regards her final
profession of vows as becoming the “spouse of Jesus” for “eternity”, while she
continued to teach at St. Mary’s School for Girls.
Of course, the vocational journey of Mother Teresa continued
on beyond her final profession of vows and even attaining the principal
position of the school for girls, as she continue to discern. It was during the
train ride, from Calcutta to Darjeeling, on her way to her retreat, Mother
Teresa received what she regards as “her call within a call” from Jesus, who
was begging her to come with her, saying, “Come
be my light. I cannot go alone”, revealing his pain to her. Receiving and recognizing this call from
Jesus became a pivotal moment on her continuing discernment path. In this personal call from him to her, Jesus was
intimate enough to reveal his suffering with the suffering of the poor,
reflecting Jesus’ statement in Matthew 25:35-45, identifying himself with the
suffering poor. During this revelational
and personal call to Mother Teresa, Jesus also requested her to establish a new
religious community solely devoted for caring for the poor, the Missionary of
Charity. At this life-changing moment on the train, Jesus invited Mother Teresa
to bear his suffering, which is of the poor. It was on September 10, 1946, and
this invitation was Jesus’ personal invitation to carry a greater cross for
him.
It took nearly 18 years for Mother Teresa to hear her call
to serve the poor, upon practicing “miseo”
and “pabbajja“. When she did her “miseo” and “pabbajja”,
leaving her family in Macedonia, she vaguely thought that her call was to be a
missionary nun. However, as her discernment continued to unfold, Jesus called
her to a greater challenge – to carry a heavier cross than ever. Of course, at that time, Mother Teresa was
not held back by anything, as she has renounced all her earthly
possessions. This path of St. “Mother”
Teresa sure well-reflects the three-part Gospel narrative for the 23rd
Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle C, Luke 14:25-33, the Gospel reading for the
day of her canonization. Her initial
response to a call, more of her deep heart’s desire to become a disciple of
Christ as a missionary nun, reflects the first part of the Gospel reading: Luke
14:25-27. These 18 years of her discernment until Jesus called her for a
greater cross is reflected on the second part: Luke 14:28-32, as all of her
prayers, reflections, studies, and pastoral ministries, during these years
prepared her to receive and take up this call from Jesus. Not to mention, she
would not have been able to move forward with this invitation of Jesus,
establishing the Missionary of Charity and move further deeper into the
suffering among the poor, the poorest of the poor, had she still had an
attachment. Thus, her detachment reflects the third part: Luke 14:33.
Mother Teresa could have said things like, “Lord, I am
sorry, I am not strong enough to carry such a heavy cross”, or “I am not worthy
for such a greater task”. Rather, she
simply accepted Jesus’ call, because she already denied herself, as self-denial
(not to be confused with no self-esteem) is an absolutely necessary condition
to carry our daily cross as a cost of the discipleship, as said in Luke 9:23. Self-denial
in the Gospel context is humility, the abilities to restrain our ego’s selfish
demands. This is also a sign of psychospiritual maturity.
Once she said, “Yes”, to this call from Jesus to embark on
more intense missionary ministry for the poorest of the poor, knowing his
suffering, which is the suffering of the poorest, Mother Teresa also began to
bear the greater costs of her discipleship than ever. The costs were not only on an external and
physical dimension but, perhaps, more on an internal and spiritual dimension.
Though embracing greater inconvenience and economic hardship to care the
poorest – the suffering Christ in the poorest – constitutes the cost of her
discipleship, Mother Teresa embraced “dark nights of the soul”, as she began to
experience greater spiritual pains. Her “dark
nights of the soul” was not known until recently, as she only confided this
inner suffering of hers to a few. There
were countless moments when she struggles with spiritual dryness, feeling as if
God had forsaken her, and feeling as if she would lose her faith. Does it mean
that her faith had become weaker? It is
hard to say, for those who are outside of her soul. Rather, what we can say for
sure is that such “dark nights of the soul” is a great cost of the discipleship
that we must bear. It is also what many other great Saints have experienced,
including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila,
and St. John of the Cross. It is a
necessary cost to grow as a better disciple and sure condition for the
sainthood. Now St. Teresa of Calcutta, Mother
Teresa, gives us a powerful witness that
her unwavering agape-caritas for
Christ enabled her to bear all of the costs of her discipleship, as these costs
were to give redemption of the souls to the poorest of the poor.
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