Day 21
Let us stand with her at the foot of the Cross
Today’s reflection draws us deeper into the spirituality of Mother Teresa and her radical love for Jesus. Fr. Gaitley invites us to look at the call to “be the one” — the one who consoles the Heart of Jesus, who responds to His thirst for love, and who stands beside Him in the midst of a world that so often turns away.
Mother Teresa spoke of 12 duties for those who consecrate themselves to Mary and seek to live this call. At the heart of these duties is one core desire: to console the Heart of Jesus. That’s what Mary did at Calvary — she stood beside her Son in His agony. And that’s what she invites us to do now: to be present, faithful, and loving in the face of His suffering in the world today.
These duties include trusting Mary completely, loving her tenderly, imitating her virtues, and allowing her to teach us how to respond to Jesus’ cry of “I thirst.” Mary’s heart fully understands that cry — and she can help us hear it too. Through her, we learn how to love Jesus with greater generosity, especially in moments of dryness, suffering, or sacrifice.
To be consecrated to Mary is to let her shape us into another presence of love beside the Cross — a living consolation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today, ask her: “Help me be the one who consoles Him.”
