Teresa of Avila Archives - Page 3 of 7

Weight-Loss Program

A homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I’ve always been a jogger, and a few years ago, quite a few years ago, I decided, let me see if I can do a marathon, get in shape for a marathon. Well, if you’re going to condition yourself for a marathon, that means, like, lose a lot of weight. I had to lose a lot of weight because I, the more weight you carry, the harder it is.

And so I had to shed quite a few pounds to get in shape. That’s my interpretation of today’s gospel, where Jesus says, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, or if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It’s not because sin is the, sinlessness is the goal. No, it’s marathon is the goal. It’s to be conditioned to do this marathon of love.

You know, love God with all your heart, soul, mind and body and love your neighbor as yourself. This is what were to be conditioned for. Life is not about remaining sinless and whammo! The door opens to heaven. No, life is about love. And whammo, love opens the door to heaven. Not sinlessness, but it gets worse because I was now watching what I was eating and I was being careful about what I ate.

I became fastidious and people, my sisters especially said, you know, Greg, you’ve become like a self-righteous diet nazi who is watching what people are eating. Because I had a watch. And that’s kind of what this is about. This is, you know, pull off that nazi stuff we do to each other criticizing or nitpicking or judging or avoiding. You know, this is the stuff we’re to be plucking out of our lives so that we can run this marathon of love.

Saint Teresa of Avila, great saint, says; “all who follow Christ, if they don’t want to get lost, must walk along the path he trod’. He was on the marathon path, and he asks us to be on the marathon path. To just love and love and love again. And fired with love within. To love and love again. That line also comes from Saint Teresa of Avila.

Your Name is Spouse

Carmelite homily for Monday, June 29, 2020, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – Lectionary 591 (Matthew 15:13-19).

Since today’s scripture passage is the same as for February 22 (the Feast of the Chair of Peter) this is a repeat of that homily.

In the Gospel for this Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Jesus asks of his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they give a bunch of answers and finally Simon says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus turns to him and says, “Your name is Peter.” He gives him a special name. But Jesus gives us a special name. Here’s what Saint Teresa of Avila has to write, “To always live in calm desire to rejoice solely in Christ, one’s spouse.” That’s the name Jesus, as we get closer and closer to him, gives us: spouse. So, yes, that’s what we celebrate on this Feast of the Chair of Peter – our espousal.

The Soil is Never Dry

Carmelite homily for Sunday, June 28, 2020 – Lectionary 97 (Matthew 10:37-42)

Today’s Gospel has quite a few harsh passages. ‘If you love your father or mother more than me you’re not worthy of me. If you love your brother or sister more than me you’re not worthy of me. Unless you take up your cross and follow you’re not worthy of me. If you seek to save your life you’ll only lose it.’ What’s going on? What I think Jesus is doing is inviting us to live a little deeper than ego. Ego is about my stuff, my power, my appetites, my wants, my control – me! And he’s trying to get us a little deeper than that. Saint Teresa of Avila, who would agree with this passage yet was very devoted to her family, writes, “If the soil is well-cultivated by trials and persecutions, criticisms and illnesses – for few there must be who reach this stage without them – and it is softened by living in great detachment from self-interest, the water soaks in so deep that one is never dry.” That is the invitation, actually, of today’s Gospel: to live so deep that we are never dry. Let us live there – try to live there – today.

Narrow Road?

Carmelite homily for Tuesday (Week 12), June 23, 2020 – Lectionary 372 (Matthew 7:12-14)

Saint Teresa of Avila writes, “I don’t see how, Lord, nor do I know how the road that leads to you is narrow.” And I agree with her! Even though Jesus says in today’s Gospel, ‘try to enter the narrow gate for the road that leads to destruction is wide.’ Actually, I think, if we try even a little bit of love or try a little bit of acknowledgement of God, God takes over; God guides; God directs. The Holy Spirit fills us with grace. And so how can that be narrow when we’ve got God empowering it, and fueling it, and guiding it? I think Teresa of Avila is right when she writes, “I don’t see how, Lord, nor do I know how the road that leads to you is narrow.”

Seek Yourself in Me, and Me in Yourself

Carmelite homily for Thursday (Easter V), May 28, 2020 – Lectionary 300 (John 17:20-26)

In one of her poems, Saint Teresa of Avila writes, “Soul, you must seek yourself in Me, and in yourself seek Me.” That to find God is a dynamic of seeking yourself in God and seeking God in yourself. That it’s this kind of cycle or spiral of deep introspection into the things of God and into yourself. And the deeper you move into yourself, the closer you are to God; and the closer you are to God, the closer you are to yourself. I think that’s what Jesus is praying for in today’s Gospel when he prays for the Apostles and he says, ‘Father, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’ Yes, that prayer is for the Apostles, but that prayer is also for us. Let us seek him in ourselves and seek ourselves in him.

Lavishly Rich

Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Easter VI), May 20, 2020 – Lectionary 293 (John 16:12-15)

In today’s Gospel Jesus says that , ‘the Spirit of Truth will take what is Jesus’ and give that to us.’ Giving us that richness, that greatness, to trust the Spirit to give us what Jesus has. This is why, I think, Saint Teresa of Avila can say, “How can we share our gifts lavishly if we do not understand that we are rich?” That’s the call of the Gospel. The Spirit will take is Jesus’ and give to us. But why? So we can give to others, to share lavishly, because we are rich.

Go Bear Much Fruit

Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Easter V), May 13, 2020 – Lectionary 287 (John 15:1-8)

In today’s Gospel Jesus uses the well-known image of ‘I am the vine; you are the branches; remain on the vine and you will bear great fruit.’ To remain on the vine means to do what the vine does, what Jesus does, which is: forgive seventy times seven, return a blessing for a curse, love your enemies, turn the other cheek, the Golden Rule. This bears a great harvest, a great fruit. Teresa of Avila says, “Let us not cease to believe that even in this life God gives the hundredfold.” I think that’s what Jesus promises in today’s Gospel.

Maybe Start in Silence

Carmelite homily for Monday, March 30, 2020 – Lectionary 251 (John 8:1-11)

In her work, The Way of Perfection, Teresa of Avila talks about perfection. And she’s condemning how the sisters can be looking at each other and then reporting to the prioress all the faults. Here’s what she has to say about that behavior, “Let us understand, my daughters, that true perfection consists in love of God and love of neighbor. All that is in the Rule and Constitutions serve for nothing else than to be a means towards keeping these commandments with ever greater perfection. So let each one look to herself only. And as to the breaches and faults of the sisters, keep silence. For perfection consists of love of God and love of neighbor; whereas, perfectionism comes from the devil.” And today we have all these people bringing this woman caught in adultery to Jesus. All pointing fingers at her. And Jesus, though he’s writing on the ground, is actually pointing fingers at them, telling them, ‘be silent.’ And when he looks up, they’re gone. It’s silent. Maybe we should’ve started there.

Step It Down

Carmelite homily for Monday, March 23, 2020 – Lectionary 244 (John 4:43-54)

In today’s Gospel we have a royal official coming to Jesus because his son is ill and asking for healing. This would take quite the step down for a royal official to go to Jesus who the Gospels describe as a carpenter, a laborer, kind of blue-collar. It’s quite the step down. Teresa of Avila writes, “One act of humility is worth more than all the knowledge of the world.” I think that’s the example of today’s Gospel and the call to us. How many times we don’t want to do something because we don’t want to give them the satisfaction? Or they’re supposed to apologize first! Or I’m the aggrieved party! No humility there. I think the call of today’s Gospel is humility. “One act of humility is worth far more than all the knowledge of the world.”

New Foundations

Carmelite homily for Thursday, March 19, 2020 – Lectionary 543 (Matthew 1:16-24)

When the Carmelites came to Europe from the Holy Land in the 1200s they brought with them a devotion – to Saint Joseph. Not very common in Europe at the time. And every new foundation, and in a new place or a new way, is dedicated to Saint Joseph. That’s why Saint Teresa of Avila dedicates her first monastery, reformed monastery, to Saint Joseph. And when the Carmelites came to the United States, their first parish is named Saint Joseph. We staff it to this day. On this Solemnity of Saint Joseph, let’s dedicate this day – this first day; every day is a first day – to Saint Joseph. Modeling our lives, our trust, our faith, our love, on his.