Letter to a Priest

Dear Co-worker of Christ, Father,

You have said ‘yes’ to Jesus and He has taken you at your word.

The Word of God became Jesus, the poor one.  And so there is this terrible emptiness you experience.  God cannot fill what is full – He can fill only emptiness – deep poverty – and your ‘yes’ is the beginning of being or becoming empty.  It is not how much we really have to give – but how empty we are – so that we can receive fully in our life and let Him live His life in us. 

In you today He wants to relive His complete submission to His Father – allow Him to do so.  It does not matter what you feel but what He feels in you. Take away your eyes from yourself and rejoice that you have nothing – that you are nothing – that you can do nothing.  Give Jesus a big smile each time your nothingness frightens you.  This is the poverty of Jesus.  You and I must let Him live in us and through us in the world. 

Cling to Our Lady for she, too, before she could become full of grace – full of Jesus – had to go through that darkness.  ‘How could this be done?’ But the moment she said ‘yes’ she had need to go in haste and give Jesus to John and his family. 

Keep giving Jesus to your people not by words but by your example, by your being in love with Jesus – by radiating His holiness and spreading His fragrance of love everywhere you go.  Just keep the joy of Jesus as your strength. You belong to Him. Tell Him – I am yours – and if you cut me to pieces every single piece will be only all yours.  Let Jesus be the victim and the priest in you.

Pray for me as I do for you.

Yours in Jesus,

Mother Teresa

This article is found on page 20 of the printed edition.