“The
One Who Is Righteous by Faith” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)
For in (the Gospel) is revealed the
righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is
righteous by faith will live.” (Romans 1:17)
The heavens proclaim the glory
of God. (Psalm 19:2a)
“Oh, you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled
with plunder and evil.” (Luke 11:39)
Piety
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things are passing
God never changes
Patience obtains all things
She who possesses God lacks nothing
God alone suffices
St. Teresa of Avila
Study
The New American Bible notes on
Habakkuk 2:4, which Jesus quotes in today’s first reading, put it this way:
“the faithful survive the impending doom because they trust in God’s justice
and wait patiently for God to carry it out.”
Trusting in God’s justice? That’s
not always easy for us, but it seems like a cakewalk compared with that second part—the
waiting patiently.
Think about it. How many times in
the past 24 hours have you looked at your watch or phone, tapped your foot, or
sighed at the aggravation of delay? Maybe it’s about missing a traffic or walk
light. Maybe it’s a child attempting to tie her shoes or selecting his clothes
for the day. For me, triggers for impatience include waiting for elevators,
waiting for files to upload, and waiting for that dratted ATM to take my
deposit. I mean, they can all take, like, 30
seconds or a minute!
I take comfort in the fact that
Teresa of Avila was, ahem, a less than patient woman as well, regardless of her
famous prayer. She famously said that until she had a mystical encounter that
opened the doors of prayer to her, she was more anxious that the hour of prayer
at her convent would end than she was to remain. Teresa, you see, had things to
do, just like us. She was young, pretty, vivacious, and witty, and convent life
then wasn’t as we think of it today. The residents were known to wear jewelry and
focus on their looks. Some of the sisters entertained friends and donors in the
convent parlor, and Teresa’s charm was enticing to many.
I suspect Teresa struggled with
patience until the last day of her life. But that cross became easier for her
to bear as she grew in trust of the Lord. Being hauled up before the Spanish
Inquisition would have caused most of us to have feelings of impending doom.
Teresa trusted—and was cleared. Going back into that convent with the enticing
parlor, this time as a reformist who was on a mission to take the Carmelites
back to their simple roots would have caused most of us to have feelings of
impending doom. Teresa trusted—and went in.
This Doctor of the Church is an
inspiration to many for her writings on prayer. Few people are so gifted in
that way. But we can all emulate the woman who spent many years, even some in
the convent, focused on earthly things—then grew in trust and patience as she
grew closer to the Lord.
Action
Say Teresa of
Avila’s prayer out loud, emphasizing one word from each line. Let nothing disturb you.[i]
[i] Image
credit: François Gérard [Public domain]
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