Day Thirty
Fr. Gaitley gives us three words today: Recognize, Trust, Try.
St. Thérèse’s “Little Way” of Merciful Love is to, first of all, recognize our littleness, our brokenness, our helplessness. We are, after all, beggars at the throne of grace. I can’t even tie my shoes in the morning without God’s help. I’m just like a little child; heck, I am a little child! It’s quite hard for a CEO or “influencer” in corporate America to admit that he or she is, in the end, incompetent.
But we must know our need if we are ever going to trust another person. And no one can give and receive love without trust. We have to be able to risk if we are to love, and that is why “safe sex” is so contrary to love. The biological and psychological facts are, that exposing your most fragile body parts and emotions to another person can never be “safe.” We want to think that we are in control, and never at the mercy of another person, but that is simply not possible. We must, in fact, trust others, from the uber driver who picks me up to my children who often let me down.
It’s hard to trust, and it’s hard to recognize that we are needy, but we must try, if we are ever to have real love in our lives. The first place to try is in our relationship with God: we must go to Mass and confession frequently, we must dedicate time every day to prayer, we must try to forgive those who hurt us, and we must smile at people who annoy us. We must get back up when we fall into sin, as best we can. And if we try to recognize and to trust, God will be with us.
Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Help me to recognize my need for You, to trust your providence, and to try my best to return Your love.