Saturday 5 September 2026
1 Corinthians 4:6-15. The Lord is near to all who call him – Ps 144(145):17-21. Luke 6:1-5.
People before rituals
Today is the feast of St Teresa of Calcutta, a woman who asked the whole world a big question about God. She did this by asking us about the poor. In the 1980s, I attended Mass in inner Melbourne. One day, I turned around at the sign of peace and there was Mother Teresa with some of her sisters, who lived nearby. She was so small and unassuming. God’s grace does not come to us in limousines. It is more likely to arrive in a simple person with a huge heart.
Today’s readings are perfect for her feast. Jesus says that people come before rituals. Feeding the hungry comes before the most solemn observance. St Paul reminds us that we are called to be ‘fools for Christ’. We don’t have to be learned or powerful. We don’t have to be influencers. ‘We are treated as the offal of the world.’ It is not easy to grow into that kind of faith. But the Lord is always drawing us beyond our own self-importance.
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