I
was quite upset when I realized that I would not be in my parish in Tupelo on
October 15 to celebrate mass on the feast day of St Teresa of Avila, one of my
favorite saints. In fact, I wear a medal
of St Teresa of Avila around my neck, showing the devotion I have to her. (In fact, I probably wear my St Teresa of
Avila more than my St James medal, and everyone knows how devoted I am to him.) When I think of St Teresa of Avila, I think
of not only the Doctor of the Church, the mystic, the theologian, the Church
reformer, the founder of many Carmelite convents, but I also think of a
wonderful, joyful lady who would be a delight to have as a dinner
companion. She was one of the first
women named as a Doctor of the Church (along with St Catherine of Sienna). And the Spanish have such an esteemed view of
her, that many times throughout history they have debated whether or not they
should her as that country’s patron saint instead of St James.
I
love the saints for what we can learn from them. And while Teresa withstood persecution from
the Spanish Inquisition in the years after the Protestant Reformation and the
withdrawal of the Moors from the Iberian peninsula, while she was able to
withstand the jealousies and backlash from her fellow Carmelites against the
reforms she proposed, she was able to meld a sophisticated mystical
spirituality with an earthy realism and sense of humor. Thank you, St Teresa of Avila, for your
witness of faith that speaks out to us through the centuries. We need you now to help us navigate the
treacherous political climate that we have today, with the arguments about
Obamacare, the debt ceiling, and the shutdown of the national government. You would captivate them all with your
charms, your faith, and your whit.
Let nothing trouble you,
let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing;
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who possesses God lacks nothing:
God alone suffices.
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