Following Holy Communion the Missionaries of Charity recite the following prayer which was written by Saint John Henry Newman, “Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go. Flood my soul with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul.”
Jean-Baptiste Chautard stated, “God, in His goodness, reveals Himself, in a certain manner, through His saints, and even through fervent souls. In this way, the supernatural filters through and becomes visible to the faithful, who are thus able to apprehend something of the mystery of God.”
From our gospel we were told, “By their fruits you shall know them.” This is true when it pertains to all of the saints. Their life was lived not to give exultation to themselves, but to God. Their actions, even those unseen by the human eye, where oriented towards the Lord. Their relationship with Him transcended the right words and actions when others were looking and became an authentic relationship from which they rested their whole life.
This proclamation should not only be true for those who have gone before us into life eternal. It should also hold true for each of us. All of us are called upon to be saints. This calling is not something which is impossible, if only we are found willing to participate with God’s grace, and make this reality so.
As Jean-Baptiste Chautard stated, “The best way to get men to listen to you is to hold out to them the secret of carrying the Cross, which is the lot of every mortal, with joy. This secret lies in the Eucharist and in the hope of heaven.”
Therefore, if we are to allow our fruit to be authentic we must stay close to the Lord and remain humble of heart. In such a manner we will allow our life to not be about ourself, but about radiating that presence of God to all that we encounter. Through such a disposition of the interior life we can radiate the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
From such a disposition we allow ourself to produce good fruit for the fruit that we produce is representative of Christ who is the foundation of our life. Let us be willing to be sent forth to radiate His presence with true joy.
As Saint Faustina had prayed, “Let You divinity radiate through me, O You who dwell in my soul.”
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