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At the age of 24, Saint Therese lay on her deathbed holding a crucifix.
Five of her final words were: “My God, I love you!”
That simple gesture of clinging to a crucifix, telling Jesus she loved him, is key to understanding her spirituality.
Therese believed that no action was extraordinary in itself; what mattered was the love behind it.
Thus, the simple gesture of telling Jesus she loved him with all her heart was more pleasing to God than a someone writing a check to charity out of obligation.
It’s not what we do, but why we do it that matters.
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Mother Teresa later adopted this same spirituality.
She spent her life clothing and feeding the poor; caring for the sick and the dying; and washing the wounds of beggars.
Ordinary actions done with extraordinary love, because she saw Christ behind every person she met.
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We’re invited to embrace that same spirituality of doing ordinary gestures with extraordinary love.
Engage someone in conversation. Take an extra minute to listen. Pray for those you encounter. Be the first to smile. Forgive those who wrong you.
Ordinary actions that, when done with great love, become important in the eyes of God.
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Image credits: (1) Catholic News Agency (2) Papal Artifacts, WordPress