The Cost & Mystery Of Spirituality

One of the more eye-opening things I learned about St. Mother Teresa came when I read portions of her secret diaries, which were published not long ago.  

I was shocked to discover that for almost 50 years of her life, she lived without a sense of God's presence, and struggled with her faith in ways that were hard to imagine for someone who was widely thought to be one of the most faithful and fervent Christians on the planet. 

Yet, despite her struggles, Mother Theresa was able to write beautifully about what it meant to be God's instrument, and to follow in the Way of Christ. She wrote: 

“A sacrifice to the real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your weakness.” 

These powerful words remind us that seeking God's purposes for our lives involves sacrifice—an offering of ourselves that may require pain and vulnerability. But within that sacrifice lies the profound mystery of the spiritual life: the more we give, the more we receive, not in our strength, but through the boundless love of God.

Believing in the power of the spiritual life means embracing the truth that it often costs us something deeply personal. It may mean surrendering our pride, our comfort, our plans, or even our fears. 

True faith calls us to empty ourselves—to let go of control—and trust that God’s love will fill what we have relinquished. Mother Teresa points out that this process isn’t always easy; it may hurt, it may feel like loss or weakness. 

And sometimes, we may even experience the loss of God as we surrender.  

However, it is within this emptying that God’s divine purpose is fulfilled, transforming our sacrifice into something greater than we could ever have imagined.

To believe in the spiritual life is to trust that, even amid our fragility and shortcomings, God's grace is enough. When we surrender our own strength, we open ourselves to divine power working through us, accomplishing “great things” beyond our understanding.

The spiritual journey is enveloped in mystery. We don’t always see where it will lead, nor do we fully understand how God works in our lives. Yet, that’s part of the beauty—faith invites us into a trusting surrender, embracing the humility that admits we are not in control but in the safest place of all, in God's loving hands.

I encourage you today to embrace this mystery. Let go of the need to understand everything and instead, focus on giving yourself fully to God. As you do, trust that God will use your sacrifices, however painful or empty they may seem, as vessels for God's divine purpose. 

Remember, the more we surrender, the more room we make for God's love to work in and through us.

Hold fast to the truth that God’s love is greater than your weakness. It is this love that transforms sacrifice into eternal fruit. 

So, step into the mystery with faith, surrender freely, and allow God's love to fill your heart more completely than ever before. In doing so, you will discover that the deepest joys and greatest purposes lie beyond our own understanding, rooted in God's divine grace.

May it be so, and may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.