Exterior corporal works of mercy , such as feeding the poor, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, and so on are less manifestly enlivened by love for Christ than the spiritual works of mercy , such as counselling the doubtful, teaching the ignorant, correcting those in error, and so on---- acts that more directly stem from faith. Thus, St Teresa of Calcutta insisted that the merciful charity of her religious order was to be well-ordered by the light of faith. The Missionaries of Charity truly exercise charity, she said. They are more than social workers; they bring the love of Christ to the world and see the face of Christ in those they serve.
The greatness of the saints was not in their miracles. It was in their souls , which achieved a heroism appropriate for their condition, time and place.
It bears repeating that the most heroic heroism is heroism of the soul. The battleground of the soul, a person can find true heroism by conquering the warring hordes of evil within himself, overcoming sin, vice, and even the demons who try to overpower his strength and make him their eternal slave. Each person is a microcosm, a little universe, and a person who conquers himself conquers a world: " he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."( Proverb 16:32)
沒有留言:
張貼留言