Today is the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. She has always been one of my favorites for some rather shallow reasons… because I have a niece named Kateri and because I just love pronouncing that rather strange sounding Native American name: Tekakwitha! Even though my niece’s middle name is not Tekakwitha, I always call her Kateri Tekakwitha anyway, just so I can feel it roll off my tongue.
In all seriousness, Kateri is an amazing saint. Can you imagine growing up among a rather violent tribe, among pagans, losing your parents, losing most of your vision, being left with unsightly scars on your face and still going on to love and serve God? I mean, how did she even understand the Black Robes who came to evangelize? How did she learn the language? How did she comprehend the goodness of our God so deeply that she fled from her native people in order to practice her faith more freely?
Her faith was truly a gift to her, and her example is truly a gift to us. God’s love overcomes all barriers and all obstacles. God calls us and seeks us out, no matter what our circumstances may look like.
Today’s Gospel seems to describe Kateri’s situation perfectly: “Jesus said to his Apostles: ‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.’”
It goes on to say: “Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.”
Nothing about this sounds very pleasant to me. It doesn’t sound comfortable or easy, but then again, Jesus never promised it would be. May St. Kateri’s example motivate us to do whatever is necessary to grow closer to Jesus. Whether you be sent to hostiles or handed over to the justice system, whether your own family members persecute you or hate you or you be forced to move away… if you endure to the end, you will be saved.
And in the end, that is all that we truly seek, to be saved by our loving God and spend eternity in His arms.
Hoy es la fiesta de Santa Kateri Tekakwitha. Ella siempre ha sido una de mis favoritas por unas razones bastante superficiales… porque tengo una sobrina llamada Kateri y porque me encanta pronunciar ese nombre nativo americano que suena bastante extraño: ¡Tekakwitha! Aunque el segundo nombre de mi sobrina no es Tekakwitha, siempre la llamo Kateri Tekakwitha de todos modos, solo para sentirlo salir de mi lengua.
Hablando en serio, Kateri es una santa asombrosa. ¿Te imaginas crecer entre una tribu bastante violenta, entre paganos, perder a tus padres, perder la mayor parte de tu visión, quedarte con cicatrices antiestéticas en la cara y seguir amando y sirviendo a Dios? O sea, ¿cómo pudo entender a los sacerdotes que vinieron a evangelizar? ¿Cómo aprendió el idioma? ¿Cómo comprendió tan profundamente la bondad de nuestro Dios que huyó de su pueblo natal para practicar más libremente su fe?
Su fe fue verdaderamente un regalo para ella, y su ejemplo es realmente un regalo para nosotros. El amor de Dios supera todas las barreras y todos los obstáculos. Dios nos llama y nos busca, sin importar cuáles sean nuestras circunstancias.
El Evangelio de hoy parece describir perfectamente la situación de Kateri: “En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus apóstoles: ‘Yo los envío como ovejas entre lobos. Sean, pues, precavidos como las serpientes y sencillos como las palomas. Cuídense de la gente, porque los llevarán a los tribunales, los azotarán en las sinagogas, los llevarán ante gobernadores y reyes por mi causa; así darán testimonio de mí ante ellos y ante los paganos.”
Sigue diciendo: “El hermano entregará a su hermano a la muerte, y el padre a su hijo; los hijos se levantarán contra sus padres y los matarán; todos los odiarán a ustedes por mi causa, pero el que persevere hasta el fin, se salvará. Cuando los persigan en una ciudad, huyan a otra.”
Ninguna parte de esto me suena agradable. No suena cómodo ni fácil, pero, de nuevo, Jesús nunca prometió que lo sería. Que el ejemplo de Santa Kateri nos motive a hacer lo que sea necesario para acercarnos más a Jesús. Ya sea que te envíen a hostiles o te entreguen al sistema de justicia, ya sea que tus propios familiares te persigan o te odien o te obliguen a marcharte… si perseveras hasta el final, te salvarás.
Y al final, eso es todo lo que verdaderamente buscamos, ser salvados por nuestro amoroso Dios y pasar la eternidad en Sus brazos.
Feature Image Credit: MJ Tangonan, unsplash.com/photos/zv2tXjbDqg8
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at for Christian Healthcare Centers, is a guest blogger on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net, runs her own blog at https://togetherandalways.wordpress.com and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for over 20 years.
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