A story that impressed me comes from Mother Theresa.
Mother Theresa remembers one of the sisters, who had just graduated from the university. She came from a well-to-do family that lived outside India.
She writes: “According to our rule, the very next day after joining our society, the postulants must go to the home for the dying destitute in Calcutta. Before this sister went, I told her, ‘You saw the priest during the Mass, with what love, with what delicate care he touched the body of Christ. Make sure you do the same thing when you get to the home because Jesus is there in a distressing disguise.’
“So she went, and after three hours, she came back. That girl from the university, who had seen and understood so many things, came to my room with such a beautiful smile on her face. She said, ‘For three hours I’ve been touching the body of Christ!’
“And I said, ‘What did you do? What happened?’
“She said, ‘They brought a man from the street who had fallen into a drain and had been there for some time. He was covered with maggots and dirt and wounds. And though I found it very difficult, I cleaned him, and I knew I was touching the body of Christ!’
“She knew!”
What kindness! What compassion! What love! What delicate, yet powerful love. What would happen to you and me if we could develop the delicate, yet powerful love that is expressed in this story. How our relationships would change. What impact would that have upon our community of the faithful? Well, you know the answer to that question just as well as I do. And when you stop and think about it, isn’t this that to which Jesus is calling us? Of course it is. And, given the opportunity, he can help us produce it.