Thursday, October 13, 2022

St. Teresa of Avila

The Rev. Anne Williamson

Gospel Reflection for the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Mark 1:35-39

In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus prayed, and then he moved his feet! How easy it is to forge ahead with good intent, but without the preparation of prayer to give us strength and guidance for the task ahead. At least, that is my experience. And yet I know that when my actions are preceded by prayer, I move through the actions more calmly, with greater clarity and with the sense that whatever challenges I am facing, I am not facing them alone. This is such a blessing at any time, but especially in tumultuous times.

St. Teresa of Avila lived in 16th century Spain, in tumultuous times. Her mystical spirituality and desire for reforming the Carmelite order brought her to the attention of the Spanish Inquisition, and she was imprisoned for a time. In the Episcopal Church’s ‘Holy Women, Holy Men’ anthology she is described as ‘a practical organizer, a writer of native genius, a warm devoted friend, and, above all, a lover of and the beloved of God.’ St. Teresa of Avila was someone who knew scarcity but lived a life of abundance and gratitude. Her writings are extensive but I first came to know of her by a visual experience of one of her most beloved prayers:

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you.

All things pass away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

Those who have God lack nothing:

God alone suffices.

The picture is of the altar at St. Edmund, King and Martyr Church, Lombard Street, in the City of London under which are displayed fragments of the 1917 bomb which damaged the church, with the words of St. Teresa’s prayer engraved in front of the fragments. I was at St. Edmund’s weekly for my spiritual direction course and the sight of the altar, and St. Teresa’s prayer, was a welcome reminder of God’s presence even in the most tumultuous of times. I pray her prayer will bring you solace today.