I THIRST

The heartfelt bond between Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and Blessed Teresa of Kolkata can be traced to their common interest in assuaging the thirst of Christ on the Cross. Not only their thirst for Jesus, but Jesus' thirst for them, for us. Their profound resemblance to each other is to be found in their unålterable desire to slake the thirst of Christ, to console Him in the face of the indifference of so many people, to quench His thirst for love, to love Him in others and letting them to be loved by Him. They did so by opening up the floodgates of tenderness which had prevented the love in His heart from being welcomed as it ought. The cry of Jesus, mentioned countless times in their writings, was a determining factor in each of their lives. St Thérèse and Bl. Teresa are like two mirrors mutually reflecting the compassion of Christ. These two witnesses, making use of the "little way" of confidence and surrender, accessible to all, were chosen by God to reveal to us His thirst for love.