Saint Teresa of Avila 15 Oct Let us always be mindful of Christ’s love

Breviary

"It is love alone that gives worth to all things."
- St. Teresa of Avila

Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
SECOND READING

From a work by Saint Teresa of Avila, virgin
(Opusc. De libro vitae, cap 22, 6-7. 14)         
Let us always be mindful of Christ’s love

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight.

Many, many times I have perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we wish his Sovereign Majesty to reveal to us great and hidden mysteries. A person should desire no other path, even if he is at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it seems that no other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, because the name of Jesus was fixed and embedded in his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they took no other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Siena. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.

Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favors, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love him. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort.

RESPONSORY
Psalm 73:27, 28; 1 Corinthians 6:17
Those who turn their backs on you will perish.
– What joy to be near my God,
to place all my trust in the Lord.

Whoever is united to the Lord
becomes one spirit with him.
– What joy to be near my God,
to place all my trust in the Lord.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up Saint Teresa of Avila
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

SAINT TERESA OF AVILA*  15 Oct.

Prayer and Charity

U. 2, 1Jn: 14-24; 4: 19-21

OUR LORD asks but two things of us: love for him and for our neighbour; these are what we must strive to obtain. If we practise both these virtues perfectly we shall be doing his will and so shall be united to him. But t as I said, we are very far from obeying and serving our great Master 60 perfectly in these two matters: May His Majesty give us grace to merit union with him; it is in our power to gain it if we will.   

I think the most certain sign that we keep these two commandments is that we have a genuine love for others. We cannot know whether we love Gad, although there may be strong reasons for thinking so, but there can be no doubt; as to whether we love our neighbour or no. Be sure that in proportion as you. advance in fraternal charity, you are increasing in your love of God, for His Majesty bears so tender an affection for us, that I cannot doubt he will repay our love for others by augmenting, in a thousand different ways? that which we bear for him , We should watch most carefully over ourselves in this matter, for if we are perfect on this point we have done all., I believe human nature is so evil that we could not feel a perfect charity for our neighbour unless it were rooted in the love of God.

In this most important matter, we should be most vigilant in 1ittle things, and take no notice of the great works we plan during prayer, which 'We imagine that we would perform for other people 1 even, perhaps, for the saving of a single soul. If our actions after wards belie these grand schemes, there is no reason to imagine that we should do anything of the sort'.

If you knew the importance of this virtue, your on1t care would be to gain it. When I see people very anxious to know what sort of prayer they practise, covering their faces and afraid to move or think, lest they should lose any slight tenderness and devotion they feel, I know how litt1e they understand how to attain union with God, since they think it consists in such things in these. No, no; expects WORKS from us! If you see a sick sister whom you can relieve, never fear losing your devotion; passionate her; if she is in pain , feel for it as if it were your own and, when there is need, fast so that she may eat not so much for her sake as because you know your Lord asks it of you.

*The Interior Castle trans. by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. London: Thomas Baker 1912, p.118ff. 'Lectures Chretiennes pour notre temps': C 1970, Abbaye d’Orval, Belgium.