October 1, 2020

I remember the story of a boy who wanted to have a contrite atonement

for the sins that he committed. One day he went to an old priest and
confess his sins sincerely. He wanted to have inner-peace, but sad to say,
the old priest scolded him and blamed him for his lack of faith. Instead of
acquiring that peace in his heart, all the more that his conscience became
clouded with fear and guilt. Days had past, still the feeling of remorse
lingers in his heart and so he decided to have confession to another priest.
And this time, he had it with a caring priest who told him, “It is never too
late to start all over again. Do the things you love the most, even in your
small actions but if it is executed with passionate love, then it will bring
great results in your life.”

Today we are celebrating the Feast of our Patroness Saint, St. Therese of the
Child Jesus. In which she has these famous words in her book, “I will spend
my Heaven doing good on Earth!” For more than a century, Saint Thérèse,
also known as “The Little Flower,” has captivated countless minds and
hearts. Her simple and pure heart burned with a deep love for our Lord, and
that love overflowed into the lives of many. And we cannot deny that even
priests throughout the world were captivated with her simple life yet great
mission for the faith. She daily inspired those who knew her, and she
continues to inspire those who read her story. Her autobiography captures
the beauty and profundity of her love in the most tender and affectionate
way. Her story reveals how devoted she was to Jesus and how she longed to
be with Him forever in Heaven, even from the earliest moments of her
childhood.
In this, St. Therese proposed the idea that in order for us to attain salvation,
we who are mere human and sinners have great difficulties in our effort and
our way to reach the Lord and His salvation. Instead, rather than boasting
and fighting our way to become greater and mightier, as what the Apostles
had done, she proposed that instead we should become smaller and little,
and our Lord and loving Father will raise us up to Himself, just like a father
who raises up his children.
And so my dear brothers and sisters, what are the learnings we can get
today? First, like what priest told the boy, it is never too late to start all over
again. Our Lord is compassionate and loving that He is always waiting for us
turn our back towards Him again. Secondly, St. Therese being the little
flower, showed us that even in our small act of piety when done with
extraordinary love creates an extraordinary outcome. And lastly, we are all
called to that same mission, even in our little way of reaching out to others
is already a great help for the mission of God which is LOVE. AMEN