“The ‘Little Way’ of St. Therese is a way of consecrating our most mundane and ordinary tasks to God, whether it is washing clothes or opening a door for another or saving a starfish”
Saving Starfish
One night a violent storm blew in from the sea and stranded thousands of starfish high on the beach that was below a certain coastal town. In the morning the people walked along the beach as was their custom, but they took no notice of the carpet of starfish and carelessly tread them into the sand.
But one young boy came along the beach, walking more carefully around the stranded starfish. Every now and then he bent down, picked up a starfish and tossed it back into the safety of the ocean. A man sat nearby and watched the boy for sometime. Finally the man decided the boy needed a lesson in common sense and walked up to him and said, “I have been watching what you are doing, son. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day? Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?”
The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean. Then he looked at he man and said, “It makes a difference to that one.”
What does it mean to belong to Christ? For St. Therese of Lisieux it meant that every task she was given was an opportunity to serve God, no matter how small or insignificant it seemed.
Heroes and The Little Way
St. Therese felt that people lived too much in fear of God’s judgment and not enough in recognition of God’s love. She knew that God shows his love for us through mercy and forgiveness. She also knew she could not be perfect in serving the Lord. So she approached God as a child approaches a parent, with open arms and complete trust.
The word hero has been over used to the point that it has lost its meaning. Today we commonly apply the word to anyone who survives a tremendous hardship. It may be an athlete who has overcome many obstacles to become the best in their field. Or it may be an infant who survives an illness or a congenital defect.
Like so much of our society, the word “hero”has come to focus on the individual and their achievements or successes. It says nothing about service to a cause greater than oneself.
But historically the word has a different meaning.
The word “hero” is derived from the Greek “hērōs” meaning protector or defender. Joseph Campbell in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” defines a hero as one who sacrifices for another.
In a classical sense, a hero is one who sacrifices something of themselves for the benefit of another person or even a community.
Vincenzo Pecci was ordained a priest in 1837. In 1853 he was created a cardinal by Pope Pius IX. In 1878, at the age of 65, the cardinal entered the papal conclave with the aid of a cane. The cardinals had gathered to elect a new pope after the death of Pius.
As the voting narrowed the field, Cardinal Pecci must have surely become more and more nervous as he saw his name prominent in the voting. After three ballots, Vincenzo Pecci was elected the new Bishop of Rome.
He was escorted into a small room off the Sistine chapel. The room has bare walls and floors, a small couch, a desk, and a kneeler for prayer in an even smaller alcove. It is said that upon entering the room, Cardinal Pecci began to weep. “Surely,” he thought, “I am much to old to take on this burden, I shall surely die.”
But the man who first signed his name, “Leo IX” in that small room, was transformed by the papacy. He served 25 years and died at the age of 93.
In “The Room of Tears” the newly elected pope accepts the fact that his life is no longer his own. As a priest and a cardinal he still had some measure of autonomy but as pope that is no longer the case. In this small room he sacrifices his former life, even giving up his name. For the rest of his life he will never be alone, he will never be able to do what he wants to do, his life is completely and totally given up to the mercy of every single Catholic until he draws his last breath.
Sometimes we are called to sacrifice our lives, either physically or spiritually, and sometimes we are called to sacrifice in much smaller ways. But every sacrifice, when done for the sake of another, is a heroic act.
The “Little Way” of St. Therese is a way of consecrating our most mundane and ordinary tasks to God, whether it is washing clothes or opening a door for another or saving a starfish on the beach. It means making small interior sacrifices that only God can see. It sounds simple, but requires a commitment to serving God by serving all the people we meet in our everyday lives with equal love.
Every action of ours, great and small, will be taken into account. If all we do is offer a cup of water, in Christ’s name, to one who thirsts, it will be remembered, and we will not lose our reward.
Let us live our lives confident of God’s love for us by showing our love for Him and our neighbor in everything we do. Each day is an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life if we choose to live as a people who belong to Christ.
Let us all become heroes.
Pax Vobiscum
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time