Regret

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” (Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta).

Holy Mother of God (Svitozar Nenyuk)

I love Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

She was such an extraordinary woman.  Perhaps I love her because we learned so much about her work while I was just a school girl?  After all, she was really an example of a living Saint.  She was interviewed and photographed and people from all over the world, and of all faiths and religions, admired her.  She was invited to speak to world leaders and did not hesitate to speak the truth.  If she was afraid of the ramifications of speaking or living her faith, she certainly did not show it.  Instead, she continued to speak for the poor and the underprivileged. 

Famously, a reporter, who was interviewing the Saint watched her clean a particularly dirty man affected by leprosy, and watched as the Saint ignored all the smell and disease and spoke to the man gently and with compassion.  The reporter said, “I would not do that for a million dollars.”  The Saint replied, “Neither would I.”

And what a daunting task that the Saint set for herself in answering the call of Christ.  She was already a woman who was older.  She was arguably past the prime of her life.  Everything that she was to do from that moment onwards was going to be harder.  And yet, she was able to answer God and do as He asked…

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

And that beginning is what prevents regret.  They say that the most terrible thing to see in a person who is dying, is the suffering of regret.  We hear all sorts of things that people regret have happened to them.  And we hear all sorts of things that people do when they have terrible regrets.  What is most difficult to understand is how to prevent regret in the first place.  So many times, we regret things because we do not know how to push forward.  And yet, even so, the Saints give us direction…  “Let us begin.”

“Oftentimes, we don't recognize the many gifts that God pours out to us in our daily lives. What we do recognize are daily annoyances, burdens, difficulties, and inconveniences. These win our attention. These get us complaining. These get us in a bad mood and sap our energy. Wouldn't it be a tragedy if, after we started receiving even more gifts and graces through our consecration [to Mary], we didn't change this negative attitude? Yes, it would be...St. Mother Teresa lived in some of the poorest environments on earth. She had to put up with burning heat, bad breath, stuffy rooms, nagging fatigue, endless responsibilities, bland food, hard beds, body odor, cold water bathing, and an agonizingly deep spiritual aridity. Yet, despite all this, she radiated joy. She smiled. She marveled at the good things God did in her life and in the lives of others, and she pondered the countless loving details arranged by Our Lady. Seeing and recognizing all this, she didn't complain.” (Michael E. Gaitley, “33 Days of Morning Glory”, at page 77).

And I have been thinking about that feeling of regret today.  Because in the words of a Saint, “…We have only today. Let us begin.”

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.