In this Sunday's Gospel, we see a young man so open and eager and enthusiastic as he approaches Jesus, asking Jesus what he needs to do to inherit eternal life in God's kingdom. But, by the conclusion of the Gospel, this young man's joy and enthusiasm are gone as he walks away in sadness.
What we see in the secular world can challenge us and confront us in the context of the values of our faith. We can feel dejected and defeated, giving in the the reality of the world, or, conversely, we can try to change the world around us with the values of our faith. This Gospel pointed me to the saint we celebrate tomorrow, October 15: St Teresa of Avila. Teresa is a Doctor of the Church, a mystic, and a founder of 17 Carmelite convents in Spain. She lived in the 16th century in the era of the Protestant Reformation and the Spanish Inquisition, not an easy time for the Catholic faithful, but especially not an easy time for a Church reformer and mystic who lived out her faith in a very creative way. In fact, Teresa was questioned and brought under suspicion by the governmental and religious authorities of the day. Yet, this was also the golden era of Spanish Catholicism, as her contemporaries included Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Cross, and John of Avila. Teresa was known for her quick wit, her sense of humor, and her gift of drawing people to her. During her life, the Carmelite order, of which she was a member, had gotten far away from its humble monastic roots and had gotten very wealthy and ostentatious. Teresa started a reform movement called the Discalced Carmelites, the Barefoot Carmelites, that tried to get back to the order's roots in the humble hermits that gathered around Mount Carmel in the Holy Land in the 12th century. One quote I like from Teresa of Avila is the following: “Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one Glory, which is eternal. If you (remember) this, there will be many things about which you will care nothing.”
One of the highlights of my travels was a trip to Avila after I completed the Camino de Santiago in 2003, and again in 2015. I visited the house where she grew up, the church where she went to mass, and the walls of the city that she passed through each day. I felt the presence of St Teresa so strongly on that trip; I also feel her presence with me so strongly in my priesthood. I cannot express in words the love and devotion and admiration I have for Teresa of Avila, for the gifts she has brought to our Catholic faith. Teresa followed God’s law in a very spiritual, creative, and lively way; she still speaks to so many in our world today and has drawn many souls to our Church. In fact, there has been several movements throughout history to make St Teresa the patron saint of Spain instead of St James – this show what a significant figure she is.
Starting on the feast day of Teresa of Avila, I will be accompanying some members of our parish community on a pilgrimage to the countries of Portugal, Spain, and France. Avila is one of the cities on itinerary. Our prayers will be with all of you as we travel in pilgrimage to some of the great Catholic sites of Europe.
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