July 14, 2021

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Mt 11: 25-27 

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Let God look upon you like a child

Growing up tends to complicate our relationship with God.  Listen to the prayers of any child and it’s hard not to be envious.  There’s no way God loves me like that anymore, we might think.  The devil rejoices in this type of self-doubt.  As shame builds, so too does a sense of our unworthiness of God’s love.

Today the Church celebrates the short life of St. Kateri Tekawitha, a Native-American Catholic convert, who worked alongside Jesuit missionaries.  She, along with the saints in heaven, reminds us that all are called to lives of holiness.  Doing so acknowledges the goodness of our nature. As Ignatian spirituality would put it, seeing ourselves the way God sees us.

Fortunately, God’s love does not fade with age or infraction.  So if you’re wondering what’s changed between you and God, perhaps the answer resides in how lovable you’ve allowed yourself to be.  If you’ve denied yourself the opportunity, let God look upon you as a child again.  

—Matt Nickson is the Director of Pastoral Ministry at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has worked for 16 years.  He is an alum of De Smet Jesuit High School (2001)  in St. Louis and Rockhurst University (2005) in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Prayer

O Saint Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks,
Your love for Jesus,
so strong, so steadfast,
pray that we may become like you.

Your short and painful life
showed us your strength and humility.
Pray that we may become
forever humble like you.

Like the bright and shining stars at night,
we pray that your light
may forever shine down upon us,
giving light, hope, peacefulness
and serenity in our darkest moments. 

Fill our hearts, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
with your same love for Jesus
and pray that we may have the strength and courage
to become one like you in Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Saint Kateri Prayer by Harold Caldwell