Mother Teresa once stated that her vocation was simply “the love of Jesus.” Though she was at times criticized for not doing enough to address global crises like poverty, a closer look at her work and spirituality reveals that she never understood her task as solving a problem, but only recognizing and loving Jesus as he presented himself in any circumstance. This is a tremendously different consciousness from that of most people, and far from making her unresponsive in the face of the world’s struggles, her recognition of the face of Christ in each moment propelled her immense charitable efforts and love of the poor.
It is this sort of recognition of Christ as present in every moment that we seek to cultivate through practices like the Welcoming Prayer. Mother Teresa’s work would not have been possible had she been quick to dismiss that which was uncomfortable, unusual, unsetting, or even painful at first encounter. Likewise, our own awakening to new life in Christ is hindered until we can learn to receive the love of God in each moment offered to us. Through fidelity to practices like the Welcoming Prayer, we learn how to discern God in this place, this circumstance, this person, and that enables us to bring the love of God to others around us, right here, right now.