Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-15-12, M, St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin & Doctor/Church

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 10-15-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

October 15, 2012

 

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

 

Reading 1 Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1

Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.

For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7

R. (see 2) Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here."

[markomalley]

Oct 15, Office of Readings – Memorial for Teresa of Avila, V & D

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 615
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1107
Common of Doctors of the Church: 1777 (verse before first reading)
Proper of Seasons: 376 (first reading)
Proper of Saints: 1483 (second reading, responsory, concluding prayer)

Christian Prayer:
Does not contain Office of Readings

Office of Readings for Monday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Happy those who feast on wisdom and savor her knowledge,
She will nourish and refresh them.
Happy those who feast on wisdom and savor her knowledge,
She will nourish and refresh them.

She feeds her people with food of angels, heaven’s bread,
Her bread is insight her drink is understanding.

Happy those who feast on wisdom and savor her knowledge,
She will nourish and refresh them.

Come eat her bread and taste wisdom’s sweetness,
Her Bread is insight her drink is understanding.

Happy those who feast on wisdom and savor her knowledge,
She will nourish and refresh them.

Your word alone, not the fruit of the earth sustains and refreshes your faithful ones,
Her Bread is insight her drink is understanding.

Happy those who feast on wisdom and savor her knowledge,
She will nourish and refresh them.

Title: Happy Those Who Feast On Wisdom; Artist:The University Of Notre Dame Folk Choir; Amazon.com
“Happy Those Who Feast On Wisdom” by The University Of Notre Dame Folk Choir is available from Amazon.com.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 How good is the God of Israel to the pure of heart!

Psalm 73
Why is it that the good have many troubles?
Blessed is the man who does not lose faith in me (Matthew 11:6).

I

How good God is to Israel,
to those who are pure of heart.
Yet my feet came close to stumbling,
my steps had almost slipped
for I was filled with envy of the proud
when I saw how the wicked prosper.

For them there are no pains;
their bodies are sound and sleek.
They have no share in men’s sorrows;
they are not stricken like others.

So they wear their pride like a necklace,
they clothe themselves with violence.
Their hearts overflow with malice,
their minds seethe with plots.

They scoff; they speak with malice;
from on high they plan oppression.
They have set their mouths in the heavens
and their tongues dictate to the earth.

So the people turn to follow them
and drink in all their words.
They say: How can God know?
Does the Most High take any notice?”
Look at them, such are the wicked,
but untroubled, they grow in wealth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. How good is the God of Israel to the pure of heart!

Ant. 2 Their laughter will turn to weeping, their merriment to grief.

II

How useless to keep my heart pure
and wash my hands in innocence,
when I was stricken all day long,
suffered punishment day after day.

Then I said: “If I should speak like that,
I should abandon the faith of your people.”

I strove to fathom this problem,
too hard for my mind to understand,
until I pierced the mysteries of God
and understood what becomes of the wicked.

How slippery the paths on which you set them;
you make them slide to destruction.
How suddenly they come to their ruin,
wiped out, destroyed by terrors.
Like a dream one wakes from, O Lord,
when you wake you dismiss them as phantoms.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Their laughter will turn to weeping, their merriment to grief.

Ant. 3 Those who depart from you will perish; my joy is to remain with you, my God.

III

And so when my heart grew embittered
and when I was cut to the quick,
I was stupid and did not understand,
no better than a beast in your sight.

Yet I was always in your presence;
you were holding me by my right hand.
You will guide me by your counsel
and so you will lead me to glory.

What else have I in heaven but you?
Apart from you I want nothing on earth.
My body and my heart faint for joy;
God is my possession for ever.

All those who abandon you shall perish;
you will destroy all those who are faithless.
To be near God is my happiness.
I have made the Lord God my refuge.
I will tell of all your works
at the gates of the city of Zion.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

It is good to be with you, Father; in you is fullness of life for your faithful people; in you all hope resides. May you lead us to everlasting happiness.

Ant. Those who depart from you will perish; my joy is to remain with you, my God.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

You will hear the word from my mouth.
– You will tell others what I have said.

READINGS

First reading
From the book of the prophet Haggai
2:11-24
Future blessings. A promise to Zerubbabel

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests for a decision: If a man carries sanctified flesh in the fold of his garment and the fold touches bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any other food, do they become sanctified? “No,” the priests answered.

Then Haggai said: If a person unclean from contact with a corpse touches any of these, do they become unclean? The priests answered, “They become unclean.” Then Haggai continued:

So is this people, and so is this nation
in my sight, says the Lord:
And so are all the works of their hands;
and what they offer there is unclean.

But now, consider from this day forward. Before there was a stone laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare?

When one went to a heap of grain for twenty measures,
it would yield but ten;
When another went to the vat to draw fifty measures,
there would be but twenty.
I struck you in all the works of your hands
with blight, searing wind, and hail,
yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.

[Consider from this day forward: from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. From the day on which the temple of the Lord was founded, consider!]

Indeed, the seed has not sprouted,
nor have the vine, the fig, the pomegranate
and the olive tree yet borne.
From this day, I will bless!

The message of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month: Tell this to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah:

I will shake the heavens and the earth;
I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms,
destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.
I will overthrow the chariots and their riders,
and the riders with their horses
shall go down by one another’s sword.
On that day, says the Lord of hosts,
I will take you, Zerubbabel,
son of Shealtiel, my servant, says the Lord,
And I will set you as a signet ring;
for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

RESPONSORY Haggai 2:6, 7, 9

I will shake the heavens and the earth,
– and the treasures of all the nations will come in.

The glory of this house will be great;
I will give peace in this place.
– And the treasures of all the nations will come in.

Second reading
From a work by Saint Teresa of Avila, virgin
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 favours, 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

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

O God,
who through your Spirit
raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show the Church the way to seek perfection,
grant that we may always be nourished
by the food of her heavenly teaching
and fired with longing for true holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

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Oct 15, Morning Prayer – Memorial for Teresa of Avila, V & D

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 618
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1111
Common of Doctors of the Church: 1782 (reading, responsory, canticle of Zechariah antiphon)
Common of Pastors: 1763 (antiphons, intercessions)
Proper of Saints: 1484 (concluding prayer)

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 937
Common of Doctors of the Church: 1435 (reading, responsory, canticle of Zechariah antiphon)
Common of Pastors: 1426 (antiphons, intercessions)
Proper of Saints: 1290 (concluding prayer)

Morning Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!

“Rise Up, O Men of God” on the album History Of The Hymnal by Steven Anderson; Text: William Pierson Merrill, 1911, alt.; Music: William H. Walter, 1894;

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Each morning, Lord, you fill us with your kindness.

Psalm 90
May we live in the radiance of God
There is no time with God: a thousand years, a single day, it is all one (2 Peter 3:8).

O Lord, you have been our refuge
from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born
or the earth or the world brought forth,
you are God, without beginning or end.

You turn men back to dust
and say: “Go back, sons of men.”
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep men away like a dream,
like grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.

So we are destroyed in your anger,
struck with terror in your fury.
Our guilt lies open before you;
our secrets in the light of your face.

All our days pass away in your anger.
Our life is over like a sigh.
Our span is seventy years
or eighty for those who are strong.

And most of these are emptiness and pain.
They pass swiftly and we are gone.
Who understands the power of your anger
and fears the strength of your fury?

Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.

In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction
for the years when we knew misfortune.

Show forth your work to your servants;
let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favor of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands,
give success to the work of our hands.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord, send your mercy and your truth to rescue us from the snares of the devil, and, happy to be known as companions of your Son, we will praise you among the peoples and proclaim you to the nations.

Ant. Each morning, Lord, you fill us with your kindness.

Ant. 2 From the farthest bounds of earth, may God be praised!

Canticle – Isaiah 42:10-16
God victor and savior
They were singing a new hymn before the throne of God (Revelation 14:3).

Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth:

Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the coastlands, and those who dwell in them.
Let the steppe and its cities cry out,
the villages where Kedar dwells;

Let the inhabitants of Sela exult,
and shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord,
and utter his praise in the coastlands.

The Lord goes forth like a hero,
like a warrior he stirs up his ardor;
he shouts out his battle cry,
against his enemies he shows his might:

I have looked away, and kept silence,
I have said nothing, holding myself in;
but now, I cry out as a woman in labor,
gasping and panting.

I will lay waste mountains and hills,
all their herbage I will dry up;
I will turn the rivers into marshes,
and the marshes I will dry up.

I will lead the blind on their journey;
by paths unknown I will guide them.
I will turn darkness into light before them,
and make crooked ways straight.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. From the farthest bounds of earth, may God be praised!

Ant. 3 You who stand in his sanctuary, praise the name of the Lord.

Psalm 135
Praise for the wonderful things God does for us
He has won you for himself… and you must proclaim what he has done for you: he has called you out of darkness into his own wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).

Praise the name of the Lord,
praise him, servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.
Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself
and Israel for his own possession.

For I know the Lord is great,
that our Lord is high above all gods.
The Lord does whatever he wills,
in heaven, on earth, in the seas.

He summons clouds from the ends of the earth;
makes lightning produce the rain;
from his treasuries he sends forth the wind.

The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
of man and beast alike.
Signs and wonders he worked
in the midst of your land, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Nations in their greatness he struck
and kings in their splendor he slew.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, the king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
He let Israel inherit their land;
on his people their land he bestowed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Where two or three gather in your name, Lord, you promised to be with them and share their fellowship. Look down upon your family gathered here in your name, and graciously pour out your blessing upon us.

Ant. You who stand in his sanctuary, praise the name of the Lord.

READING Wisdom 7:13-14

Simply I learned about Wisdom, and ungrudgingly do I share -
her riches I do not hide away;
For to men she is an unfailing treasure;
those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,
to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints.
– Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints.

With joyful praise let the Church tell forth
– the wisdom of the saints.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. Those who are learned will be as radiant as the sky in all its beauty; those who instruct the people in goodness will shine like the stars for all eternity.

Luke 1:68 – 79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Those who are learned will be as radiant as the sky in all its beauty; those who instruct the people in goodness will shine like the stars for all eternity.

INTERCESSIONS

Christ is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. Let us praise and thank him as we pray:
– Nourish your people, Lord.

Christ, you decided to show your merciful love through your holy shepherds,
let your mercy always reach us through them.
– Nourish your people, Lord.

Through your vicars you continue to perform the ministry of shepherd of souls,
direct us always through our leaders.
– Nourish your people, Lord.

Through your holy ones, the leaders of your people, you served as physician of our bodies and our spirits,
continue to fulfill your ministry of life and holiness in us.
– Nourish your people, Lord.

You taught your flock through the prudence and love of your saints,
grant us continual growth in holiness under the direction of our pastors.
– Nourish your people, Lord.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

O God,
who through your Spirit
raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show the Church the way to seek perfection,
grant that we may always be nourished
by the food of her heavenly teaching
and fired with longing for true holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

[markomalley]

Oct 15, Midday Prayer for Monday of the 28th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 659
All from the Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1154 (Midday)

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 623
All from the Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1118 (Midday)

Midday Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time using Current Psalmody

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Help us, O Lord, to learn
the truths thy word imparts:
to study that thy laws may be
inscribed upon our hearts.

Help us, O Lord, to live
the faith which we proclaim,
that all our thoughts and words and deeds
may glorify thy name.

Help us, O Lord, to teach
the beauty of thy ways,
that yearning souls may find the Christ,
and sing aloud his praise.

Words: William Watkins Reid, Jr. © 1959; Music: Sandys, Dominica, St. Ethelwald, St. Michael, Day of Praise, Falcon Street; Meter: SM
“Help us, O Lord, to learn” performed by Choir of the Abbey School Tewkesbury is available from Amazon.com.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Lord, guide my steps according to your promise.

Psalm 119:129-136
XVII (Pe)
A meditation on God’s law
The whole law is summed up in love (Romans 13:10).

Your will is wonderful indeed;
therefore I obey it.
The unfolding of your word gives light
and teaches the simple.

I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Turn and show me your mercy;
show justice to your friends.

Let my steps be guided by your promise;
let no evil rule me.
Redeem me from man’s oppression
and I will keep your precepts.

Let your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Tears stream from my eyes
because your law is disobeyed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

You are just, Lord God, and righteous are your judgments. Deliver those who cry to you in their affliction; give them peace and calm to reflect on your commands.

Ant. Lord, guide my steps according to your promise.

Ant. 2 There is but one lawgiver and judge; who are you to judge your neighbor?

Psalm 82
Denunciation of evil judges
Do not attempt to judge another now; the Lord’s coming will reveal all (1 Corinthians 4:5).

God stands in the divine assembly.
In the midst of the gods he gives judgment.

“How long will you judge unjustly
and favor the cause of the wicked?
Do justice for the weak and the orphan,
defend the afflicted and the needy.
Rescue the weak and the poor;
set them free from the hand of the wicked.

Unperceiving, they grope in the darkness
and the order of the world is shaken.
I have said to you: ‘You are gods,
and all of you, sons of the Most High.’
And yet, you shall die like men,
you shall fall like any of the princes.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for you rule all the nations.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

You are always true to your word, Father. Look down from heaven and put an end to our foolishness. Save us from groundless fears and help us to please you with undivided heart.

Ant. There is but one lawgiver and judge; who are you to judge your neighbor?

Ant. 3 I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me.

Psalm 120
Longing for peace
Be patient in suffering; persevere in prayer (Romans 12:12).

To the Lord in the hour of my distress
I call and he answers me.
“O Lord, save my soul from lying lips,
from the tongue of the deceitful.”

What shall he pay you in return,
O treacherous tongue?
The warrior’s arrows sharpened
and coals, red-hot, blazing.

Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech,
dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Long enough have I been dwelling
with those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak,
they are for fighting.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

You declared peacemakers happy, Lord Jesus, since they will be called sons of God. Give us that peace which the world cannot give so that your Church may be freed from the schemes of arrogant men, and, devoted to works of peace, go forward joyfully to meet you, the King of Peace.

Ant. I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me.

READING Wisdom 15:1, 3

You, our God, are good and true,
slow to anger, and governing all with mercy.
To know you well is complete justice,
and to know your might is the root of immortality.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

Lord our God, you are tender and compassionate.
– You are patient, most merciful, and true to your word.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Father,
yours is the harvest
and yours is the vineyard:
you assign the task
and pay a wage that is just.
Help us to meet this day’s responsibilities,
and let nothing separate us from your love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

[markomalley]

Oct 15, Evening Prayer – Memorial for Teresa of Avila, V & D

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 632
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1123
Proper of Saints: 1484 (concluding prayer)
Common of Doctors of the Church: 1784 (reading, responsory, gospel canticle antiphon)
Common of Pastors: 1769 (antiphons, psalms, canticle, intercessions)

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 942
Proper of Saints: 1290 (concluding prayer)
Common of Doctors of the Church: 1436 (reading, responsory, gospel canticle antiphon)
Common of Pastors: 1430 (antiphons, psalms, canticle, intercessions)

Evening Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
thou Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
thou in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
and win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

“For all the Saints” by Wells Cathedral Choir ; Text: William W. How, 1823-1897; Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958; Composers: Barnard, Ken Naylor, Noel Tredinnick, Barry Ferguson, Gustav Holst, et al.; Performer: Rupert Gough and the Wells Cathedral Choir

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.

Psalm 136
Easter Hymn
We praise God by recalling his marvelous deeds (Cassiodorus).

I

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods
for his love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love endures for ever;

who alone has wrought marvelous works,
for his love endures for ever;
whose wisdom it was made the skies,
for his love endures for ever;
who fixed the earth firmly on the seas,
for his love endures for ever.

It was he who made the great lights,
for his love endures for ever;
the sun to rule in the day,
for his love endures for ever;
the moon and the stars in the night,
for his love endures for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.

Ant. 2 Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty.

II

The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
for his love endures for ever.
He brought Israel out from their midst,
for his love endures for ever;
arm outstretched, with power in his hand,
for his love endures for ever.

He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love endures for ever;
he made Israel pass through the midst,
for his love endures for ever;
he flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea,
for his love endures for ever.

Through the desert his people he led,
for his love endures for ever.
Nations in their greatness he struck,
for his love endures for ever.
Kings in their splendor he slew,
for his love endures for ever.

Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love endures for ever;
and Og, the king of Bashan,
for his love endures for ever.

He let Israel inherit their land,
for his love endures for ever.
On his servant their land he bestowed,
for his love endures for ever.
He remembered us in our distress,
for his love endures for ever.

And he snatched us away from our foes,
for his love endures for ever.
He gives food to all living things,
for his love endures for ever.
To the God of heaven give thanks,
for his love endures for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Almighty God, remember our lowliness and have mercy. Once you gave our fathers a foreign land to inherit. Free us today from sin and give us a share in your inheritance.

Ant. Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty.

Ant. 3 God planned in the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ.

Canticle – Ephesians 1:3-10
God our Savior

Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight.

He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out
in Christ, in the fulness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. God planned in the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ.

READING James 3:17-18

Wisdom from above is first of all innocent. It is also peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and the kindly deeds that are its fruits, impartial and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

In the midst of the Church he spoke with eloquence.
– In the midst of the Church he spoke with eloquence.

The Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
– He spoke with eloquence.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
–In the midst of the Church he spoke with eloquence.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. O blessed doctor, St. Teresa of Avila, light of holy Church and lover of God’s law, pray to the Son of God for us.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. O blessed doctor, St. Teresa of Avila, light of holy Church and lover of God’s law, pray to the Son of God for us.

INTERCESSIONS

Jesus Christ is worthy of all praise, for he was appointed high priest among men and their representative before God. We honor him and in our weakness we pray:
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

You marvelously illuminated your Church through distinguished leaders and holy men and women,
let Christians rejoice always in such splendor.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

You forgave the sins of your people when their holy leaders like Moses sought your compassion,
through their intercession continue to purify and sanctify your holy people.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

In the midst of their brothers and sisters you anointed your holy ones and filled them with the Holy Spirit,
fill all the leaders of your people with the same Spirit.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

You yourself are the only visible possession of our holy pastors,
let none of them, won at the price of your blood, remain far from you.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

The shepherds of your Church keep your flock from being snatched out of your hand. Through them you give your flock eternal life,
save those who have died, those for whom you gave up your life.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

O God,
who through your Spirit
raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show the Church the way to seek perfection,
grant that we may always be nourished
by the food of her heavenly teaching
and fired with longing for true holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

[markomalley]

Oct 15, Night Prayer for Monday of the 28th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours:
Vol I, page 1175
Vol II, Page 1632
Vol III, Page 1275
Vol IV, Page 1239

Christian Prayer:
Page 1041

General instruction:
Please pray with us actively, especially by joining with us in saying antiphons and responses, most of which are indicated in this highlight.

Consider an examination of your own conscience before beginning to best make use of our time together in prayer.

Night Prayer for Monday

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of conscience:
We are called to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men, in our hearts and in our minds, in our actions and inactions. To do so, it is vital that we examine our conscience daily and to ask for God’s mercy as we fall short and to ask for His strength to do better.

Lord Jesus,
you came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father:
Lord, have mercy.
– Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
you heal the wounds of sin and division:
Christ, have mercy.
– Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
you intercede for us with your Father:
Lord, have mercy.
– Lord, have mercy.

HYMN

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

“The Day Thou Gavest” by The Choir of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral; Words: John Ellerton, 1870; Music: Clement Scholefield, 1874
“The Day Thou Gavest” by The Choir of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is available from Amazon.com

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.

Psalm 86
Poor man’s prayer in trouble
Blessed be God who comforts us in all our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.

In the day of distress I will call
and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
nor work to compare with yours.

All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvelous deeds,
you who alone are God.

Show me, Lord, your way
so that I may walk in your truth.
Guide my heart to fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart
and glorify your name for ever;
for your love to me has been great:
you have saved me from the depths of the grave.

The proud have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
to you they pay no heed.

But you, God of mercy and compassion,
slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth,
turn and take pity on me.

O give your strength to your servant
and save your handmaid’s son.
Show me the sign of your favor
that my foes may see to their shame
that you console me and give me your help.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.

READING 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

God has destined us for acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, that all of us, whether awake or asleep, together might live with him.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
– I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

CANTICLE OF SIMEON

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Concluding Prayer

Lord,
give our bodies restful sleep
and let the work we have done today
bear fruit in eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

BLESSING

May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death.
– Amen.

Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[Salvation]

Saint Theresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Saint Theresa of Jesus
Saint Teresa of Avila
Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Memorial
October 15th

Biography | Readings

 

Biography

Saint Teresa of Avila (Saint Theresa of Jesus)
Born in Avila, Spain March 28, 1515; died in Alba de Tormes, October 4 [15], 1582
Foundress of the Discalced Carmelites, 1560-62.
Canonized by Gregory XV, 1622; declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970.

One of the most charismatic of the Church's counter-reformation saints, Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada was born the daughter of a saintly and literate father, Don Alonso, and a pious mother. At fifteen, after her mother's death and the marriage of her oldest sister, Teresa was sent to be educated with Augustinian nuns, but after an illness she returned to live with her father and other relatives. An uncle acquainted her with the Letters of Saint Jerome, which led her to pursue religious life. At the age of 20 Teresa joined the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation at Avila.

During the sixteenth century the early austerity and religious enthusiasm that had characterized religious orders when they were founded, had been lost, and "worldliness" of all kinds, and even moral corruption was widespread. (The Protestant Reformation began in 1519 in Germany, at first as a reaction to the pervasive corruption and lack of governance by Church authorities.)

Teresa's convent at Avila was no exception. Although she had been devout at first, she lost this fervor and embraced the lax life of her convent. After the death of her father, and several serious illnesses, however, she was led to reform herself through intense prayer, and began to have religious experiences which she, and the priests she consulted, thought were delusions.

Two Jesuit confessors, however, believed Teresa's experiences were genuine graces, and advised her to lay a firm spiritual foundation through private prayer and the profound practice of virtue. During this time, she had even more intense and extraordinary experiences of "heavenly communications" -- including "mystical marriage", or the "espousal" of her soul to the person of Christ -- and even bodily manifestations of her spiritual elevation.

Her confessors ordered her to write her experiences of the spiritual necessity for prayer, the practice of contemplative prayer, and its fruits. She wrote the Way of Perfection and Foundations for her nuns, and The Interior Castle, as a guide for all. It was principally for these writings that she was declared a Doctor of the Church four centuries later. Her writings are intensely personal spiritual autobiographies, based on her own experiences and insights, and are remarkably clearly written. They remain spiritual classics -- along with Saint Augustine's Confessions.

Inspired by a niece, who was also a Carmelite at Avila, she decided to undertake the establishment of a reformed convent that would be restored to the austerity and devotion of earlier times. This effort met strong opposition from several quarters. In 1562, Teresa received approval for a new foundation, the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Primitive Rule of Saint Joseph, at Avila, which she began with with her niece and three other nuns. Several years later, while she was establishing a new convent in Toledo, she met John Yepes (later John of the Cross), and soon after made new foundations for men that were eventually placed under his care. Difficulties and opposition to the newly established reformed Discalced Carmelite foundations persisted. ("Discalced", literally "shoeless", refers to the austerity of the new foundations. The nuns and friars wore sandals instead of shoes).

Finally, in 1580, the separation of the Discalced Carmelites from the other Carmelites was recognized by the Holy See -- when Teresa was sixty-five years old, and in poor health. Teresa made seventeen foundations of the Discalced Carmelites, her last at Burgos in July, 1582. Instead of returning to Avila from Burgos, she set out for Alba de Tormes. It was a difficult trip and she was ill. Three days after reaching Alba, she died -- on October 4, 1582, and was buried there. The next day the Gregorian reform of the calendar was effected, which resulted in dropping ten days. Thus her feast is fixed on October 15.

 St. Theresa’s most popularly known writing is a brief poem is known as her “Bookmark”, because it was found in her prayer book after her death in 1582. It has been variously translated into English, and has been very widely circulated.

Original Spanish:

Nada te turbe,
nada te espante;
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda.
La pacientia todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene nada la falta:
solo Dios basta.

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

Readings

Collect:
O God, who through your Spirit
raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show the Church the way to seek perfection,
grant that we may always be nourished
by the food of her heavenly teaching
and fired with longing for true holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Romans 8:22-27
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Gospel Reading: John 15:1-8
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

---

St. Teresa's Bread
Pan De Santa Teresa

This dish, which makes a tasty breakfast or branch, is a first cousin to French toast, but with a flavor and texture all its own.

 

2 cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 good piece of lemon peel
12 slices Italian/French bread (a little stale) 1/2-3/4 inch thick
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
Cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling on the toast
Olive oil for frying

Combine the milk with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon peel. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes, until the milk has become well flavored. Place the bread in a large flat dish or pan, and strain the milk over it.

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl with a pinch of salt. With a spatula, lay the slices of bread in the egg, turning them to coat both sides. Beat additional eggs and salt together if necessary to finish coating bread slices. Fry the bread in the olive oil until it is browned and crusty on both sides.

Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Yield: 4-6 servings

from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz, originally published by Harper & Row in 1995, now available in paperback from Ignatius Press.

---

Voices Young Writers Award, Eastertide 2005
St. Teresa of Avila - A Paragon of Faith & Virtue - Alex Macey

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Pope Benedict XVI - GENERAL AUDIENCE
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Saint Teresa of Avila
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our catechesis today deals with Saint Teresa of Avila, the great sixteenth-century Carmelite reformer proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI. Teresa entered the Carmel in Avila at the age of twenty. Maturing in the spiritual life, she embraced the ideal of a renewal of her Order and with the support of Saint John of the Cross she founded a chain of reformed Carmels throughout Spain. Her highly influential writings, which include the Autobiography, The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, reveal her profound christocentric spirituality and her breadth of human experience. Teresa considered the evangelical and human virtues the basis of an authentic Christian life. She identified deeply with Christ in his humanity and stressed the importance of contemplation of his Passion and of his real presence in the Eucharist. She presents prayer as an intimate friendship with Christ leading to an ever greater union of love with the Blessed Trinity. In her life and in her death Teresa embodied an unconditional love for the Church. May the example and prayers of Saint Teresa of Avila inspire us to greater fidelity to prayer and, through prayer, to greater love for the Lord and his Church, and more perfect charity towards our brothers and sisters.

© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

[Salvation]

Victim of Love: Feast of the Transverberation of St. Teresa (of Jesus/Avila) [Catholic Caucus]
St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle
St. Teresa of Avila on Prayer
St. Teresa de Avila's Devotion to St. Joseph (Catholic Caucus)
WHO IS ST. TERESA OF JESUS?
Film explores spiritual life and sexuality of 'sassy' Saint Teresa
Spanish bishop slams new film on St. Teresa of Avila
Avila University to Be Dedicated to Study of Mysticism
Saint Teresa of Avila[Doctor of the Church]
St. Teresa of Avila

[Salvation]

 

The Bookmark of St. Teresa of Jesus:

[Salvation]

Information: St. Teresa of Avila

Feast Day:	October 15
Born:	28 March 1515, Ávila, Old Castile, Spain
Died:	October 15, 1582, Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Spain
Canonized:	12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV
Major Shrine:	Shrine of St. Teresa of Ávila, Ávila, Spain
Patron of:	bodily ills; headaches; lacemakers; laceworkers; loss of parents; people in need of grace; people in religious orders; people ridiculed for their piety; sick people; sickness; Spain

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Teresa of Avila

 
Feast Day: October 15
Born:1515 :: Died:1582

Teresa was born in Avila in Spain. As a little girl in her parents' rich home, Teresa and her brother Rodrigo loved to read the lives of the saints and martyrs. They felt that the martyrs got to heaven an easy way.

The two children set out secretly to go to the land of the Moors. As they walked along, they prayed that they might die for Christ. But they had not gotten far when they met an uncle. He took them back to their worried mother at once.

Next the children decided to be hermits in their garden. This didn't work out either. They could not get enough stones together to build their huts.

St. Teresa herself wrote down these amusing stories of her childhood. But when she grew to be a teenager, however, she changed. Teresa read so many novels and foolish romances that she lost much of her love for prayer.

She began to think more of dressing up to look pretty. But after she recovered from a bad illness, Teresa read a book about the great St. Jerome.

Then and there, she made up her mind to become a bride of Christ. As a nun, Teresa often found it hard to pray. Besides that, she had poor health and also wasted time every day in long, foolish conversations.

But one day, in front of a picture of Jesus, Teresa felt great sorrow that she did not love God more. She started then to live for Jesus alone, no matter what sacrifice had to be made.

In return for her love, the Lord gave St. Teresa the privilege of hearing him talk to her. She also began to see visions and Jesuit and Dominican priests came to see if this was true. They were convinced and declared that the visions were holy and true.

She learned to pray in a marvelous way, too. St. Teresa of Avila is famous for having opened new Carmelite convents. These convents were filled with sisters who wanted to live holy lives.

They made many sacrifices for Jesus with Teresa herself giving them the example. She prayed with great love and worked hard at her duties in the convent.

St. Teresa was a great leader and true lover of Jesus and his Church. She died in 1582.

St. Teresa taught that we must have a great trust in God's care for us. She wrote that a person who has God, will need nothing; God alone is enough

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Monday, October 15

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin and Doctor of the Church. After her death, her body remained incorrupt. Her heart showed signs of transverberation, or piercing on a miraculous level, and can still be seen today.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: October 15, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who through your Spirit raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus to show the Church the way to seek perfection, grant that we may always be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching and fired with longing for true holiness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Gazpacho
• Gazpacho
• Gazpacho
• Paella II
• St. Teresa's Candied Egg Yolks
• True Spanish Omelet

ACTIVITIES

• Namedays
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: October
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: October
• What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

• Bookmark of St. Teresa of Avila
• Litany of Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Glory of Spain

LIBRARY

• Demons According to St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross | Fr. Antonio Moreno O.P.
• Saint Teresa of Avila | Pope Benedict XVI
• St. Teresa's Teaching on the Grades of Prayer | Jordan Aumann, O.P.

Ordinary Time: October 15th

Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, virgin and doctor

Old Calendar: St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin

St. Teresa (1515-1582) was born in Avila and died in Alba, Spain. When only a child of seven, she ran away from home in the hope of being martyred by the Moors; in this way, she said she could come to see God. At the age of eighteen she joined the Carmelite Order and chose Christ as her heavenly Spouse. With the help of St. John of the Cross she reformed most of the Carmelite convents and founded new ones. She reached the highest degree of prayer and through prayer obtained such knowledge of divine things that in 1970 Pope Paul VI named her the first woman Doctor of the Church.

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St. Teresa of Jesus
St. Teresa of Jesus, honored by the Church as the "seraphic virgin," virgo seraphica, and reformer of the Carmelite Order, ranks first among women for wisdom and learning. She is called doctrix mystica, doctor of mystical theology; in a report to Pope Paul V the Roman Rota declared: "Teresa has been given to the Church by God as a teacher of the spiritual life. The mysteries of the inner mystical life which the holy Fathers propounded unsystematically and without orderly sequence, she has presented with unparalleled clarity." Her writings are still the classic works on mysticism, and from her all later teachers have drawn, e.g., Francis de Sales, Alphonsus Liguori. Characteristic of her mysticism is the subjective-individualistic approach; there is little integration with the liturgy and social piety, and thus she reflects the spirit of the sixteenth and following centuries.

Teresa was born at Avila, Spain, in the year 1515. At the age of seven she set out for Africa to die for Christ, but was brought back by her uncle. When she lost her mother at twelve, she implored Mary for her maternal protection. In 1533 she entered the Carmelite Order; for eighteen years she suffered physical pain and spiritual dryness. Under divine inspiration and with the approval of Pope Pius IV, she began the work of reforming the Carmelite Order. In spite of heavy opposition and constant difficulties, she founded thirty-two reformed convents.

Truly wonderful were the exterior and interior manifestations of her mystical union with God, especially during the last decade of her life. These graces reached a climax when her heart was transfixed (transverberatio cordis), an event that is commemorated in the Carmelite Order by a special feast on August 27. She practiced great devotion to the foster-father of Jesus, whose cult was greatly furthered throughout the Church through her efforts. When dying she often repeated the words: "Lord, I am a daughter of the Church!" Her holy body rests upon the high altar of the Carmelite church in Alba, Spain; her heart with its mysterious wound is reserved in a precious reliquary on the Epistle side of the altar.

St. Teresa composed the following well-known lines:

Let nothing affright thee,
Nothing dismay thee.
All is passing,
God ever remains.
Patience obtains all.
Whoever possesses God
Cannot lack anything
God alone suffices.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Patron: sickness; against headaches; against heart disease; lacemakers; loss of parents; opposition of Church authorities; those in need of grace; religious; those ridiculed for their piety; Spain; those named Teresa, Theresa, Teresita, Terry, Tessa, Teresina, and Tracy.

Symbols: nun in habit of a Discalced Carmelite; Carmelite nun with her heart pierced by an arrow held by an angel; Carmelite nun holding a pierced heart, book and crucifix; Carmelite nun with book and quill; Carmelite nun receiving a message from a dove; roses and lilies; inflamed heart; IHS on a heart; flaming arrows; dove; book and pen; crown of thorns; heart transfixed with flaming arrows; scapulary; crucifix and lily.

Things to Do:

• Read St. Teresa's bookmark. Perhaps as an art project write and decorate it, to keep it nearby as a reminder, or place in your own prayer book.

• Bake a special Spanish recipe, such as Paella, or Gazpacho or learn more about the variety of tapas. Also try your hand at some of the recipes bearing Teresa's own name, such as St. Teresa's Egg Yolks or Yemas or St. Teresa's Bread.

• Find out more about the Discalced Carmelites, and the hard sacrifices they follow in their Rule.

• Read the Autobiography of St. Teresa. See how human her writing is. Her other books Interior Castle and Way of Perfection are more difficult and lofty to read, but are spiritual classics. The books may also be downloaded online: The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, Interior Castle and Way of Perfection.

[Salvation]

Doctors of the Catholic Church

Saint Teresa is the Doctor of Prayer. Her writings on this subject are unsurpassed. One of her favorite prayers for many years was the Our Father Prayer and through it she was raised to the heights of contemplation despite numerous distractions, traveling, and diversified duties in her reform efforts with the Order of Mount Carmel called the Discalced Carmelites. However, despite major disappointments, setbacks, and discouragements, nothing prevented her from staying focused in doing God's holy will in all manners. She was mainly responsible for the renewal, reform, and the expansion of the Carmelites throughout Spain for many years despite poor health and a host of spiritual challenges. Her patience in organizing, continual prayer, and goodwill helped her acheive major expansions and the rebuilding of the Order at a time when laxity and a easy lifestyle permeated into the contemplative life for religious living.

Complacency and lack of disciple prevailed and Teresa felt a call by the Lord for more dedicated and consecrated efforts to live out one's religious vows with prayer and sacrifice and for the building up of the holiness of the church and individual sanctity.

Not without reason did the church proclaimed Sts Teresa and St Catherine of Siena the first women Doctors of the Church in 1970. Teresa was a wise and practical woman who was extraordinarily kind and charitable, and greatly gifted in the explanations of the highest degrees of prayer and union with God, and love of neighbor.

Teresa assures us that those who practice prayer faithfully will receive all they ask beyond their greatest expectations and hope. God used her to rebuild and expand many convents and monasteries as she radiated smiles, humor, and goodwill amidst heavy crosses and conflicts. She wrote: "Anyone who has not begun to pray,(regularly and daily ) I beg, for the love of the Lord, not to miss so great a blessing. There is no place here (in the convent) for fear, but only desire."

This extraordinary Hispanic woman was beset with numerous challenges both within the church and in her own religious order. Despite the insurmountable hardships she faced, her obedience to authority, faithfulness to prayer, and docility to the Holy Spirit to carry out her call and mission, never wavered despite great controversies and sufferings. Her trust in God and Jesus Christ, her Beloved, was what she treasured and what she held onto with her whole being. She confessed that "...I know from experience-namely that no one who has begun this practice (of daily prayer) however many sins he may commit, should never forsake it."

St Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582. Doctor of Prayer, Feast Oct 15th.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1

Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

“For freedom Christ set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)

Slavery is a painful topic to think about. There is nothing worse than imagining ourselves or our loved ones being owned by another per­son. From ancient times even to the present day, there have been people who have no qualms about holding others enslaved—and it always leads to pain and suffering.

Today’s first reading tells us that slavery can be spiritual as well as physical. We can be enslaved to sin or even to the lies of the devil. But the great news is that Jesus is more than able to set us free. Each and every one of us can know full libera­tion in Christ!

But if Jesus really has set us free, why does he still expect us to follow so many rules? And why do his clos­est friends tend to call themselves his servants? Isn’t freedom about being able to do what we think is best for us and not having to follow someone else?

Here’s where we need to make an important distinction. Yes, our Father does want us to obey his commands, but only because he knows what is best for us. He gives us his laws so that we can flourish and become more and more like his Son. Sin, on the other hand, does not have our best interests in mind—and neither does the devil. All they want is to darken the image of God in us so that we are no lon­ger able to reach our full potential in Christ.

What’s more, God asks us to choose to obey him; the devil wants to take away our free will and treat us more like his puppets than his partners. Our God is not a slave driver. He is a loving Father who delights in showering us with his love and grace every day. Yes, he expects us to obey him, but he is exceedingly generous in helping us every step of the way—and in filling us with joy as we follow him!

Jesus really did come to set us free—free to know his love and receive his grace. Let’s step into that freedom by choosing the path of grace-filled obedience!

“Jesus, help me to believe in your love for me. Come, Lord, and empower me to remain faithful to you.”

Psalm 113:1-7; Luke 11:29-32

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

SAINT TERESA OF AVILA  [1515-1582]

FEAST: 15 OCTOBER 

“I had a serious fault, which led me into great trouble. It was that if I began to realize that a person liked me, and I took to him myself, I would grow so fond of him that my memory would feel compelled to revert to him and I would always be thinking of him, without intentionally giving any offense to God…. This was such a harmful thing that it was ruining my soul. But when once I had seen the great beauty of the Lord (in a vision) I saw no one who by comparison with Him seemed acceptable to me on whom my thoughts wished to dwell…. And, unless for my sins the Lord allows this memory to fade, I consider it impossible for me to be so deeply absorbed in anything that I do not regain my freedom when I turn once more in thought, even for a moment, to this Lord.” (From the writings of St. Teresa of Avila) 

ALONG with St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila is the other of two holy women proclaimed as doctors of the Church. The writings of this famous Carmelite nun are among the most seminal, in spite of the fact that she was not a highly educated woman, being taught more by the Holy Spirit than by the academy.

Teresa was the third daughter of a large upper class Spanish family. She had spurts of piety but was also rather wild. She was sent away to a convent school after the death of her mother, most likely because it was thought that her flirtatious tendencies could get her in trouble. In fact, this vivacious, charming, young woman was not at all inclined to religious life, but thought it to be at least better than being a wife and mother. The duties related to these latter vocations  seemed burdensome to her, after watching the miseries of her own mother.

Once in the Carmelite convent, Teresa began a long double life. On the one hand, she was attracted to chatting with the guests in the parlor, and on the other, the Lord Himself was leading her into deep, contemplative prayer. Twenty years of visions, locutions, and raptures were necessary before she was willing to break with her desire for constant human fellowship and seek greater seclusion. At one point she was thought to be dying. They had already sealed her eyes with wax when she suddenly recovered. Asked what it was like to die, she replied with the famous words: “Death is ecstasy.”

Most of the convents and monasteries of her time suffered from worldliness, for many monastics joined them not because they were led so in prayer but because they didn’t wish to live within their families or start their own. With the help of St. John of the Cross, Teresa was led through supernatural visions and locutions to found a large number of more contemplatively-oriented, reformed Carmelite convents and monasteries. This entailed all sorts of vexatious journeys and business transactions, all of which she accomplished by means of constant direction from the Lord Himself, who appeared to her often. In the course of her life, she did not become a reclusive hermit but was able to minister to many nuns, priests, and lay people because they were attracted first by her lively personality.

We know best of the character of St. Teresa from her writings, especially her own autobiography, The Interior Castle, and The Way of Perfection. Her spiritual counsel is most helpful because of the utter naturalness and humor of her style, the open acknowledgment of her own difficulties, and the wisdom, not overladen with scholarship, which seemed to be spoken in her heart by the Holy Spirit.

Teresa died in 1582 after one of the longest and most fruitful lives in the history of spirituality. Because of the terrible headaches from which she suffered, Teresa is considered the patroness of sufferers from headaches.

For your life. Many women, like St. Teresa before her definitive conversion, enjoy chattering, gossiping, and being too much involved in the business of others. We admire women who seem more recollected and serious, but many of us easily find ourselves addicted to the emotional satisfactions of idle talk. The story of St. Teresa can make us realize that spending good parts of the day in silence and prayer will not destroy our natural vivaciousness, but only channel it so that our interest in others will be purified in the love of Christ.

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, You sent Saint Teresa of Avila to be a witness in the Church to the way of perfection. Sustain us by her spiritual doctrine, and kindle in us the longing for true holiness. Amen.

Note: The text is taken from Ronda De Sola Chervin, Treasury of Women Saints, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines: St. Pauls, 1994, pages 200-202. 

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for October 15, 2012:

(Reader’s Tip) Find a task or chore that is your spouse’s least favorite thing to do (taking out the trash, doing the dishes) and do it for them as often as you can.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

The Queen, the Ninevites and Me

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church

Father Daniel Ray, LC

Luke 11: 29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.

Petition: Lord, help me to recognize the signs of your presence in my life.

1. Three Days in the Fish: When Jonah is swallowed by the whale he dies, and when he is spit out onto the shore, he comes to life again. This is the only sign that Christ promises to his listeners who seek a sign. Christ will be seen by them as truly dead, swallowed by the tomb of the earth. Then, after three days, he will come to life again in the Resurrection. As Jonah preached conversion to the Ninevites after coming back from the dead, so Christ would bring conversion and peace to some of the very ones who abandoned him or cried out for his crucifixion. Even in rebuking the “evil generation”, Christ promises them a sign that will bring hope to any of them who—like the Ninevites—later repent. If later in life they realize their evilness, Christ himself will be there to guide them back to friendship with his Father.

2. Even the Queen Came: Christ is reminding his unbelieving listeners that the Queen of Sheba traveled from afar to hear Solomon’s wisdom. The distance from the Kingdom of Sheba in southern Arabia to Jerusalem would have taken weeks to traverse. It would have been an exhausting and expensive journey, especially considering the entourage that would have accompanied the Queen. She recognized the gift of God in him and relished the pearls of divine wisdom that he shared with her. We need to reflect on how often we avail ourselves of all that God offers us that is not a journey of weeks away, but is just a few miles away: Christ in the Eucharist. Closer still, the Bible on the shelf is filled with Christ’s message of love. All this is within easy reach and is much more than anything Solomon could share with us.

3. Greater than Jonah: The whale was greater than Jonah. It swallowed him whole. Yet that violent death and subsequent resurrection was the key moment in Jonah’s life and mission. It was necessary not only for Jonah’s own salvation (he had been running from God), but it also was necessary for the salvation of the whole city of Nineveh. Christ makes this reference to Jonah as a forewarning to his listeners: He is greater than Jonah. He is greater than the death that would swallow him. This should inspire our faith and confidence in Christ. There is nothing greater than he. There is no greater prophet; no greater event can consume him. All things are under his dominion except one: our free will. That he doesn’t force; that he doesn’t conquer. He leaves it perfectly intact, so that we might respond freely to his call to ongoing conversion, just like the citizens of Nineveh.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, the sign of love that you give is your willingness to die a cruel and humiliating death. Yet that is not everything: You give me your Word in the Gospel. You give me your Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Help me to appreciate these great gifts and to make the most of every opportunity to receive them.

Resolution: At some point today I will offer a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking Christ for the blessings received over the past few days.

[Salvation]

On Demanding Signs

by Food For Thought on October 15, 2012

 

Jesus gave a rather stern warning to his generation when they demanded a sign from him. It was characteristic of the Jews that to demand “signs” from God’s messengers to authenticate their claims. When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims, he says in so many words that he is God’s sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven. The Ninevites recognized God’s warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of Sheba recognized God’s wisdom in Solomon. Unfortunately, the religious leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes.

Even now, the Lord Jesus is asking us to believe in him because through the gift of his Holy Spirit, He offers us freedom from sin and wisdom for our lives. Do we thirst for Godly wisdom? The single-hearted Christian desires only one thing — that which is good and ordered according to God’s wise plan. Let us ask the Lord to renew our mind and to increase our thirst for true wisdom.

Let us allow St. Teresa of Avila to teach us that it is Jesus himself that matters, and not his gifts and consolations. This personal relationship with Jesus is nurtured only in faithful prayer and sincere reception of the Eucharist. She said: “Prayer is nothing else but a loving conversation with God who we know loves us. Prayer does not mean thinking much, but loving much. The prayer of union, or union of the will, is the seizure of the will by loving Wisdom. The soul thereafter bears the impress of a divine seal, which although not indelible is nevertheless permanent, and it produces a state of self-abandonment, and suppleness.” Let us ask the Lord Jesus to grant us holy wisdom.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Monday, October 15, 2012 >>

St. Teresa of Jesus

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31—5:1
View Readings

Psalm 113:1-7

Luke 11:29-32

RE-BORN FREE

"It was for liberty that Christ freed us." —Galatians 5:1

 

In our secular humanistic culture, many people associate freedom with doing what they want instead of what they ought. They connect freedom with lack of commitment, restrictions, or inhibitions in such mistaken expressions as "free time," "free trade," or "free love."

However, true freedom is not something we concoct but something we inherit. Freedom depends on our birth. In the culture present at the time of St. Paul, slavery was a major component of the economic and social system. It was obvious that people were either "born free" or born enslaved. Paul stated: "We are not children of a slave girl but of a mother who is free" (Gal 4:31).

Because of original sin and our fallen human nature, no one is born free. That is why to be free we must be born again from above through Baptism (Jn 3:3, 5). True freedom is based on living our baptismal promises, being confirmed in our baptismal identity, and overcoming temptations to sin and slavery by drawing on our baptismal graces. Therefore, "make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19).

 

Prayer: Father, may I use holy water to renew my Baptism deeply and daily.

Promise: "At the preaching of Jonah they reformed, but you have a greater than Jonah here." —Lk 11:32

Praise: St. Teresa loved Jesus deeply. Near the end of her life, she exclaimed, "Oh, my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for You is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love You if we understand its value."

[Salvation]

 

 

Save the Children! 

 

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