A recent discovery by Kevin Ahern, who is the director of the Dorothy Day Center at Manhattan College, has revealed some beautiful instructions St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) suggested to her friend, Servant of God Dorothy Day (1897-1980).
In the pages of one of Day’s Bibles, a note was found from the Albanian Catholic nun. The precious note, which is quite the revelation for the center that promotes social Catholicism — a cause so close to Day’s heart — shared some inspiring thoughts on prayer, love, and service. The handwritten part of the note said:
Dear Dorothy,
My love, prayer, and sacrifice is close to you.
If you go to Jesus first, tell him I love him.
If I go, I will tell him you love him.
God bless you,
M Teresa
It is wonderful to see how St. Teresa’s thoughts reveal the close friendship between the two women, and how Jesus — unsurprisingly — was very much at the heart of their lives.
The note was shared by Fr. James Martin, SJ on his Facebook page:
A lesson in friendship
The short and powerful note is inspiring in that it can lead us to question how we invite God into our own friendships. We might offer prayers for our friends, or ask God to bless them, but how often do we talk to our friends about our future eternal life and our hopes for it?
There is not only a degree of hope about the note, but also a feeling of excitement, just as friends have for each other when something wonderful happens here on earth.
As it happened, St. Teresa outlived her friend by nearly two decades, but being the dutiful, devout Catholic that she was, Dorothy no doubt passed on St. Teresa’s love for Jesus the minute she met Him.
