Memorial of Saint Teresa of
Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
By
Beth DeCristofaro
Did not the maker of the outside also make
the inside? But as to what is within,
give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:41)
and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:41)
Piety
“Sustain
me, O Lord, as you have promised, that I may live, and disappoint me not in my
hope.” (Suscipe of St. Benedict)
Study
St.
Theresa, articulate and inspired holy woman that she was had difficulty praying
through much of her life. According to
catholic.org, she even used the excuse of being ill to avoid praying.[i] It soothes me somewhat to learn that our
greatest saints had difficulties like I do.
Taking time to pray is difficult enough but then sitting in stillness
with God can be downright problematic as my active, distracted brain is as far
away as my imagination takes it. These
past days I have felt for and suspect that I have been like Jonah who both
ignored God’s voice and then resisted God’s mercy.
In
this I can hear Jesus’ voice to me: give
alms to what is within. “Spend” my
distractions, give away my flights of fancy, offer up my daydreams of myself in
order to be cleaned and sustained by God’s grace. Theresa relinquished herself completely to
God and we have benefited by her insights and teachings among which is about
prayer. Theresa said: "Prayer is an act of love, words are not needed.
Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to
love."
Action
Is my
prayer more than the right words, the right postures such as the leaders of the
temple practiced? I want to give up to
the Lord those things which intrude before my face during prayer, engage my
will to love and let God grace me that I may live. Do my actions follow from my prayer? It is in the fruits of our communion with God
that God is known.
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