by “Extraordinary Missionary Year” Team
BAPTISED AND SENT
Topic for November: Vocations
Saint to contemplate: St. Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)
At 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. Living a hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in His merciful love. Her last words were the story of her life: “My God, I love You!”
She described her life as a “little way of spiritual childhood.” She lived each day with an unshakable confidence in God’s love. “What matters in life,” she wrote, “is not great deeds, but great love.” Therese lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamoured with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese’s spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love.
“My mission – to make God loved – will begin after my death,” she said. “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.” Roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese’s signature. She writes, “I understood that Love embraces all vocations, that Love is all things, that it embraces all times and all places… in a word, that it is eternal! My vocation is Love.” Teresa vocation is a model of UNIVERSAL VOCATION: vocation of bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful.
Points to emulate for Christian vocations:
- Bring agape love in the family
- Renew love of God through sacraments and prayer
- More fervent zeal for God among clergy and religious
“I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.”
(St. Teresa of child Jesus)
Prayer
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus,
Please pick a rose for me
From the heavenly gardens
And send it to me
As a message of love.
O little flower of Jesus,
Ask God today to grant the favors
I now place with confidence
In your hands.
(Mention your specific requests)
St. Therese,
help me to always believe,
As you did,
In God’s great love for me,
So that I might imitate your
“Little Way” each day. Amen
* * * * *
SIBHABHATISIWE FUTSI SITFUNYIWE
Sihloko Senyanga yeLweti: Vocations
Santi lesizindla ngaye: Theresa Longcwele weMntwana Jesu (1873 – 1897)
Kwatsi nakaneminyaka lelishumi nesihlanu budzala, wangena esigodlweni senhlangano yemaCamelite endzaweni yase Lisieux, lapho anikela khona imphilo yakhe yonkhe kuNkulunkulu. Abephila imphilo lefihlekile, lemalula, yekuthandzaza, kani futsi bekanesipho lesikhulu sebudlelwane lobujulile naNkulunkulu. Kwatsi noma ehlelwa kugula nekungabata ne kwesaba wabambelela elukholweni lwakhe kuNkulunkulu. Lolukholo lwalunetimphandze elutsandvweni lwaNkulunkulu lolunesihawu. Emagama akhe ekugcina emhlabeni abechaza yonkhe imphilo yakhe: “Nkulunkulu wami, ngiyakutsandza!”
Abechaza imphilo yakhe ngekutsi “yindlela lencane ebuntfwana kamoya.” Abephila lilanga nelilanga nelitsemba lelinganyakatiseki elutsandvweni lwaNkulunkulu. Wabhala kutsi, “Lokubalulekile emphilweni akusito tento letinkhulu kepha lutsandvo lolukhulu.” Theresa waphila futsi wafundzisa umoya wekunakekela wonkhe umuntfu natotonkhe tintfo, ngebunono nangelutsandvo. Abekholwa kutsi njengemntfwana lokhangwa ngulokusembikwakhe, kanjalo natsi kumele sibenelutsandvo lwebuntfwana lolunakisisako.
“Injongo yami – yekwenta Nkulunkulu kutsi atsandvwe – itawucala emuva kwekufa kwami,” kwasho Theresa. Wachubeka watsi “Ngitawusebentisa sikhatsi sami eZulwini ngenta lokuhle emhlabeni. Ngitawudedela imvula yetimbali tema rose kutsi yehle.” Timbali tema rose tichazwe taphindze tabonakala tiluphawo lwa Therese Longcwele. Wabhala kutsi, “Ngacondzisisa kutsi lutsandvo lusingatsa onkhe emabitelo, kutsi Lutsandvo lungito tonkhe tintfo, lusingatsa tonkhe tikhatsi nato tonkhe tindzawo…kafishane, kutsi luyingunaphakadze! Lubito lwami Lutsandvo.” Lubito lwa Therese lusibonakaliso lesihle se LUBITO LWAWONKHE WONKHE: lubito lweBaBhishobhi, baPrieste, Tendzela kanye nemakholwa.
Lesingakutsatsa, sikwente, elubitweni lwetfu njengeMakhristu:
- Kuletsa lutsandvo emndenini
- Kuvusetela lutsandvo lwaNkulunkulu ngemaSakhramente nangemithandazo.
- Inshisekelo kuNkulunkulu leyengetekile kuBaphriste, Bosistela kanye neTindzela.
“Ngifuna kusebentisa sikhatsi sami eZulwini ngenta lokuhle emhlabeni.”
(Theresa Longcwele weMntwana Jesu)
Umthandazo
Theresa Lomncane weMntfwana longu Jesu,
ngicela ungikhele imbali
etingadzeni taseZulwini
uyitfumele kimi
njengemulayeto welutsandvo.
Mbali lencane yaJesu,
cela Nkulunkulu asiphe loko lesikudzingako.
Ngesibindzi lesikhulu ngibeka etandleni takho…
(shano sidzingo sakho)
Theresa Longcwele,
ngisite kutsi ngikholwe,
njengobe wakholwa wena,
elutsandvweni lolukhulu langitsandza ngalo Nkulunkulu,
kute kutsi ngitewulingisa,
“Indlela lencane” yakho,
lilanga ngelilanga.
Amen.
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