Teresa of Jesus - Doctor and Mystic

Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) was an outstanding faith leader, described as intelligent, hard-headed, charming, and deeply spiritual.  She had a deep wisdom and spiritual sense, but was very down to earth and practical.  Teresa lived in a very difficult time of the Church.  Her great love of Christ and the Church, allowed her the courage to work for transformation and discipleship within her own community, and essentially all religious.

Her years of reforming her convent, and those that she established were marked by aggression and turmoil.  Throughout this struggle Teresa maintained a sense of mission and charity.  She did not allow the hostility of her detractors to sway her from doing what was right and good.  Teresa's prayer life and deep relationship with God are described in autobiography, and in her books, The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle.  A contemporary of St John of the Cross St Teresa brought renewal and vision into the Carmelites of that time.

Truly St Teresa is a model of holiness for us.  Too often we think about holiness that is only obtainable by monks, nuns, and religious.  St Teresa's practical charisma, and "homey" approach to the various issues which she encountered.  The Vatican II call to holiness within the Church does not ask us to be contemplatives, but men and women engaged in the Church, identifying with the Body of Christ.  We do not have to kneel for several hours to gain holiness.

Pope Francis is in the news a lot these days speaking about a variety of issues afflicting peoples.  His challenge, and the challenge of the Church, is to go beyond the basics of Church life, that our response might be a living witness to the faith we profess.  To be sure mystics like St Teresa shows us that there is a greater level to our being, a deeper reality in our relationship with God.    When we begin to own that part of us, we can have the courage to take responsibility for our faith.

From the collect of today, we pray that "her inspired teaching awaken in us a longing for true holiness."