Love those in your own family

“There is a terrible hunger for love.

We all experience that in our lives – the pain, the loneliness.

We must have the courage to recognize it.

The poor you may have right in your own family.

Find them.

Love them. “

~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

This is what I treasured about Mother Teresa, she brought Charity back home, she said that lack of love was the worst form of poverty. Many missionaries, the world over, can miss this valuable point. It’s all good & well to evangelize those people over there,  whilst missing the obvious. Failing to evangelize our own homes, our own family, our own friends… Why is this ?

It takes more courage to be vulnerable with those who KNOW us ?   We are called to be more.  We need to step up to the plate & allow ourselves to be seen, vulnerably seen. That those who know us may call us to greatness, too.  It needs to be a two way street. The relationship is mutually beneficial. Those who give a gift, are themselves given a gift just by their gift being received. There is more joy in giving than in receiving.  As we call others to know God, we ourselves must accept the natural challenge : to KNOW GOD more & more.  Nobody has life “buttoned-up”, we’re all givers & receivers, unless we are stagnating. Mother Teresa accepted our love & admiration, which lead us to love her & Jesus more! … & naturally, the Poorest of the Poor.

Let’s ask Jesus to show us who may need more love from us today & everyday, not forgetting those closest to us.  Let us risk evangelizing ourselves… & those we know, our friends, our family. Let us courageously follow Jesus in this area of Loving with our whole selves. Giving it our best shot, that at the end of the day, when our life here gives way to life in eternity, we may look back with no regrets. Then we will hear those blessed words, “Well done, good & faithful servant! Enter into your Masters happiness.”

God bless you.