October 1
Memorial of Saint Thérèse
of the Child
Jesus
Virgin and Doctor
of the Church
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| My photo enhanced with Google AI. |
Today’s Gospel: Luke 10:1-12
(The Mission of the Seventy-Two)
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of
him in pairs to every town and place, he intended to visit. He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the
harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am
sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives
there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in
the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer
deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever
town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick
in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town
you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The
dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you; it will be more
tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.
Reflection:
Job has every
reason to shout: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” He even says he will see God with his own flesh. Job could only dream of that, but a girl in Nazareth lived it. Mary said yes, and that Yes, brought Jesus to us. Then, with Jesus
beneath her heart, she hurried over the hills to Elizabeth, and a baby leaped
for joy before a single word was spoken. That was the first mission trip in
history, and Mary led it!
Now watch what
Jesus does. He sends seventy-two ordinary people ahead of Him, with no bag and
no money to weigh them down. Instead, what do they carry? A greeting, “Peace to
this house,” and the news that the Kingdom of God is near. That’s Mary’s way: she brings Jesus to us, and with Him He brings the peace, and let joy do the rest.
It’s why little Thérèse, who never left her cloister, is the patron of the
missions. She learned that evangelizing is just love traveling no matter what
your location is. She was even promised to spend her heaven with a shower of
roses, and I can’t think of a better month to be showered with them than in
October, the month of the Rosary!
And notice whose
banner we march under. Scripture calls Mary “terrible as an army set in battle array,”
but her standard isn’t a sword. It’s a smile. Remember Thérèse, sick as a
child, and Our Lady of the Smile leaning down to heal her? That’s how Mary
wins: she smiles, hearts melt, and Jesus walks in. So, march out today Beneath
the Standard of Mary. Bring peace, your smile, and remember
to bring your Rosary.
Who in your life
is waiting, without even knowing it, for someone to bring Jesus to their door?
What would happen if you went to them today Beneath the Standard of Mary, with
a smile, a kind word, and a Rosary to share? Ask Our Lady to go ahead of you
and see whose heart awaits you.
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely
shared.
