I want to start out by talking about a saint who feast day was yesterday, April 12. She is a one of the patron saints of the youth and a very popular saint in South America. Yesterday actually was this 100th anniversary of her death, as she died of typhus in 1920. Teresa of the Andes is form the country of Chile, the first saint canonized from that very devout Catholic country. At her canonization in 1993, Pope John Paul II spoke about her joyful youthful enthusiasm and the great example of faith she gives to the youth of our modern era. She wrote in a letter: "A soul united to Jesus and identified with him can do everything. It seems to me that this can be reached only by prayer.” She also wrote: “I am God’s. He created me and is my beginning and my end.” More than 100,000 pilgrims visit her shrine each year.
It is wonderful to recognize those great examples of faith in our community of saints as we celebrate the Octave of Easter this week. We hear a great testimony of faith from St Peter in our first reading. During the passion of the Lord, we heard how Peter was fearful, denying the Lord three times and not being strong and confident in his faith. Now, we hear a very confident Peter, who professes his faith and who is about to proclaim to all God’s plan of salvation.
We all profess the faith in the way God calls us and in the midst of our reality. St Teresa of the Andes taught the faith to children and youth as a catechist while she was still a youth herself. Peter was called to preach the Good News of Christ to the people of ancient Mediterranean world when they were still unsure about Jesus and his identity. As we journey through this holy season of Easter, may all of us feel God calling out to us today, to be evangelizers and messengers of Christ’s Good News.
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