Teresa of Calcutta

I have loved Jesus in the night:
Teresa of Calcutta
A Secret revealed by Paul Murray,OP
Darton, Longman & Todd

This is more than a book about a saint. It is a treasure in a whole field of literature around Mother Teresa. Paul Murray writes as a poet and a mystic and from beginning to end, this is a work that scintillates and shines in the darkness. Fr. Paul brings us into the heart of the Saint and reveals something of the inner secret of her being.

Three characters came across to me as I eagerly read through these pages: I was introduced to the light that shone in the night for Mother Teresa herself. The references to John of the Cross were a welcome ray of light in the darkness that for so many, surrounds this Spanish saint. Thirdly, the person of the author himself seems to speak as he writes in intimate personal tones, weaving a mystic magic into the heart of the reader. He certainly did that for me.

Page 92 tells of the Desert Father whose fingers became like lamps of fire and said if you will, you can become all flame. I could only rejoice that the fingers that typed out the words of this beautiful book are indeed lamps of fire and I believe that many of its readers may become all flame.

A credit to the publishers who have presented a delightful production, the kind of thing one would want to give as a Birthday or Christmas present. Looking at the photos of Fr. Paul communing, (not just speaking) with Mother Teresa, I felt like one who had slipped in secretly on sacred moments.

Stand in your Presence

At Mass say: We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. The presence of God in our lives is what enlightens our darkness and keeps us from fainting on the way. We are called to be totally present to the One who is the

Ps: 5:5 "The arrogant cannot stand in your presence." There is a time for standing in readiness to serve, as there is a time for resting and being refreshed. Come aside and rest awhile. This is what takes place during our meditation when we wait upon the Lord. Meditation prepares us to take our stand. We wait with expectation with patient an hope-filled expectation. For what?

Isaiah 40:31 Shows both the resting and the serving in one magnificent statement: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Strength is for action, to enable us to serve. Meditation is meant to overflow in service to God and to others.

Mount up like eagles
An eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks It will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm, it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us ... and all of us will experience them ... we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God.

The storms do not have to overcome us, we can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. This heaven-inspired soaring is what gives us the strength to stand in the Divine Presence and serve the King of Heaven.

They shall run and not be weary : Walking is too slow sometimes, to reach the prize, There is a need to pay the price and RUN towards it. The secret of coming into the presence of God or any human being, is being ourselves totally present, with all our attention and all our faith in the other. Lack of faith in God's power and God’s love for us, sets up a new god. For if there be anything which usurps the power of God, something that is more potent than God, then that something must be god!