Matt Talbot and St. Therese - Part 2

   
Both Matt and Therese after their conversions were drawn to the Mass. Matt clung to his daily Mass and visits to the Blessed Sacrament to ward off his terrible craving for drink. Christ in the Eucharist whetted his thirst. Matt’s mind, under the guidance of his priest friends expanded.  He was reading the Bible. He was learning from spiritual books loaned to him.  He was reaching out to the poor.

Therese on looking at a picture of the precious blood flowing down to the ground without anyone hastening to gather it up was resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the Cross to receive the divine dew and pour it out on souls. She became “a fisher of souls” and Matt seems to have fallen into her net!

 Both of them turned to the Blessed Mother of God. Therese would say “She is more Mother than queen.”  Matt said. “No one knows the Good Queen She is to me”.

In 1888, 4 years after Matt Talbot’s conversion, Therese Martin entered the Carmel of Lisieux at the age of 15. This amazing teenager, under the action of the Holy Spirit made marvellous discoveries. She broke through the barrier of fear which separated the people of her time from God. She uncovered the true face of God in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the good Samaritan.

 To love, to be loved and to make Jesus loved was her programme. 

When we think of St. Therese’s little way of confidence in our Loving Abba Father, we see how Matt Talbot, all unawares, was living it. He was taking his little steps day by day but depending on His Father/Mother God. He was walking through the 12 steps of A.A discovering them one by one. He was pioneering a way forward for the thousands all over the world who would undertake the same journey from addictions to recovery. Both of them, St. Therese and Matt Talbot: “let go” and “let God.”

Matt Talbot died in Granby Lane en-route to Mass on Trinity Sunday 1925. Only for the chains of love found round his body which he wore to honour the Blessed Mother of God, no one would have taken notice of the holy old man. But as in the case of Therese Martin, the story of Matt Talbot’s life is spreading like a forest fire.

In our world of today where millions of people are held captive by their “chains of addictions,” unaware of Christ as their Saviour and Good Samaritan, might not God be calling us to invoke the help of the poor Dublin inner city man?

Venerable Matt Talbot teach us and the whole world the secret of your recovery.
St. Therese, fill us with confidence in God’s merciful love to heal and raise us up.