1 October 2013
Memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church
Holy Mother Church gives missionaries two chief patrons or mediators of grace: St. Francis Xavier and St. Therese of Lisieux. The first is perhaps more understandable from a natural perspective: he baptized till his arm throbbed with pain. Yet the Christian missionary is no mere legate of some earthly cause: he is a mediator of divine grace. Since grace is a spiritual reality, anyone who helps bring this grace to others is a missionary. Thus the cloistered nun is herself a missionary.
It is in this spirit that the Church has talked about an “apostolate of prayer” – a missionary activity that consists of praying for divine grace to be showered down upon some person or situation. No matter where we are or what we are doing, we can be actively engaged in the mission of the Church. With the help of St. Therese, let us pray constantly to God for the needs of the Church and the world.