Mass with Mother Teresa

Friday the Cathedral in Peoria was honored to host first and second class relics of Mother Teresa and celebrate a Mass with them present. 

I made it a priority to be there because of a deep love I have for Mother Teresa.  As a mother I am incredibly challenged by her service and capacity to love, especially during her long "dark night of the soul."  Her example has influenced and encouraged me in my mothering.  I am not called to pick dying lepers out of the gutter and clean their sores.  I am called to pick my crying baby out of the crib, change his nasty poopy diaper and then spend the afternoon feeding him, playing with him, teaching him, cheering for him, and keeping his sister from strangling him as she tries to carry him by the neck.  It is important to remember that what I am doing is just as noble, good and holy as what she did.

Of course, Friday morning there was so much to do (banana bread to bake, dishes to wash, a floor to sweep so my son's dinner wouldn't come off the floor as his lunch had - seriously important things, you see!) and by the time the kids and I were dressed I was ready for a nap.  I was not ready to go out in the heat, load up the kids, drive downtown and struggle through a long Mass with 2 kids all by my pregnant self. 

BUT, we went, and as we scrambled into a pew I almost started to cry.  Why?  Because I was overwhelmed by the presence of such a great woman of God.  Because I was overwhelmed by the heat, sleepiness, achiness, and my children.  I gave myself permission to sit through the whole Mass (it's too hard to hold squirmy 20+ lb babies while 8 months preggo) and I prayed for peace in my heart and mind.  I didn't really hear the readings, or the letter from the Pope, or the homily.  But I did receive the Eucharist and at the end all three of my children were blessed by and I was able to reverence a first class relic of Mother's. 

The holiness of God, permeating through the Sacred Host and the saint who loved Him so much, surrounded me.  The peace I had asked for came and it was all worth it. 

It is a beautiful thing to feel close to the men and women who are fully living life in Heaven.  It is a beautiful thing to enter into the Body of Christ and feel loved and cared for by God and His saints. 

Next time, though, I need to remember that first I must love God.  When God invites me to something I need to make sure that I am not wearing myself out beforehand, weakening my ability to love Him and be joyful at His event.  This is good to remember for Sundays.  Ooooh, Sundays.