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While participating in my college’s version of the Spiritual exercises, I was asked if I really understood that God loves me. I told my spiritual director: “of course I know that God loves me.” Then she asked me sure, but do you really feel it? Do you really see God the same way you see someone who loves you, someone who you love? In the latest apostolic exhortation, C’est la Confiance, Pope Francis turns to the lessons of St. Therese of Lisieux, who believed that Jesus was her “one love,” a personal interpretation of the statement in the New Testament “God is love.”
I’ve always loved St. Therese for her embodiment of simplicity and for her desire to be immersed in the life of Christ. Not without their flaws, her writings speak of her vision of love, a true culture of agape, selfless, and sacrificial. She recalls Mary Magdalene’s love for Jesus and believed that Mary sought him out not only because he was sent to forgive the world, but because he could love the world even when it felt impossible. For Therese, true love means to “give everything. To give oneself” even when there’s nothing left to give. Francis writes that St. Therese’s lessons teach us: “In an age that casts aside so many of our brothers and sisters, she teaches us the beauty of concern and responsibility for one another.” (Pope Francis, C’est la Confiance, 2023)
These words from Francis immediately made me think of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. I will never know what it is like to live in a war-torn country. I will never know what it’s like to experience apartheid. How do I support someone experiencing this kind of pain? How do I stand in solidarity when my empathy is not enough? How do I love?
In the past few weeks, I have been overwhelmed by this ongoing violence in the Middle East and the subsequent saturation of social media. In my life, I’ve been saddened by how the Church consistently overlooks women. I’ve been anxious about the stressors of my own life. It’s just not that easy to be human. I am, however, inspired by Therese, who saw Jesus both in the Eucharist and the world. Who sought to allow Jesus to dwell within her and within others. As we embark on the journey of becoming a synodal Church, Therese’s example is invaluable asking us to see people as people and love them, even when it feels impossible.
When I was on the Spiritual Exercises, I discerned God’s love for me, but forgot to ask “who does God love? Who does God want me to love?” My prayer for the world and for the continued success of the Synod is to pray into these questions through the intercession of St. Therese. Who are we called to love? And how might we embody love on earth?
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