Saint Teresa of Avila Archives - Page 2 of 7

Saint Joseph’s Day

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, March 19, 2024 – Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Carmelites have had a long relationship with Saint Joseph. Some of it fanciful, some of it historical; I will only touch some of the historical here. The Carmelites were founded in the Holy Land, where there was a devotion to Saint Joseph, but not in Europe. So when the Carmelite came to Europe, they brought this feast day with them. We introduced this feast day to the calendar. Now any first foundation like in a new land or a new way is named after Saint Joseph. That’s why Saint Teresa of Avila named the first house of her reform ‘Saint Joseph.’ He is the protector of the Carmelite Order. And we get, I think, this also from Saint Teresa. Here is what she writes in The Book of Her Life: “I took for my advocate the glorious Saint Joseph and earnestly recommended myself to him. It is an amazing thing the great favors God has granted me through the mediations of this blessed saint – the dangers I was freed from both of body and soul. Why? Because Jesus was subject to Saint Joseph while on earth for Joseph bore the title of Jesus’ father. So being the Lord’s tutor, Joseph could give the child any command and he would do it. So in heaven we ask Joseph to give any command to Jesus and he does whatever Joseph commands.” That’s why Joseph is the protector not only of the Carmelite Order but I think of you, me, everyone, everything. Because Jesus has no choice. Joseph is his father; he has to do what Joseph asks.

Fully Full

Carmelite homily for Thursday, March 14, 2024 – Lectionary 247 (John 5:31-47)

There are a lot of complainers out there. You know the example of a half-filled glass: do you see it half empty? or half full? And the key is to see it as half full. But there are some people out there that if you gave them a full glass, not even half full – full! And they would say, “but you left your fingerprints on it.” No matter what you do or what you say, you’re wrong and they complain. I think that’s what’s going on in today’s gospel. Jesus is preaching and the people – the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees – everybody is complaining. And so he says, “John the Baptist gave testimony to me, you ignored that; Moses gave testimony to me, you ignored that.” No matter what he does or says – complaints. My own solution has been that if I didn’t ask you for a critique, I don’t want a critique. And if you give me one I’m not going to look at it. But I think Teresa of Avila, Saint Teresa, has another solution, a better solution. She writes, “For a soul surrendered into God’s hands doesn’t care whether they say good or evil about it.” Her solution is to get really close to God. Get so close, be nestled in his arms, pressed against his heart, be filled with love. And then you really don’t care what they say because she’s right. “For a soul surrendered into God’s hands doesn’t care whether they say good or evil about it.” Let’s try that solution: get really close to God.

They Think They’re the Christ!

Carmelite homily for Sunday, March 10, 2024 – Lectionary 32 (John 3:14-21) – Fourth Sunday of Lent

When I was joining the Carmelites I thought that I should learn a little bit more about the Order I’m joining. So I picked up the works of Teresa of Avila, a big name in the Carmelite Order. But soon I threw the book on the ground saying, “this woman thinks she is the Christ. I cannot believe they canonized her!” So then I went to the next big figure in the Carmelites, Saint John of the Cross. I start reading him. And I throw the book on the ground. I cannot believe that this man thinks he is the Christ. I cannot believe they canonized him. But they’re on to something. In today’s gospel, Nicodemus comes to Jesus quietly and at night, to learn from him. And we get that famous line, John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he sent us his only Son, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” We kind of think it is a Get Out of Jail card. You just play “I have faith in Jesus and I’m home free.” No, I think God has an agenda besides getting out of jail free with Jesus. God’s agenda is to turn us into Jesus. To turn us into the Christ. Teresa of Avila is right. John of the Cross is right. We have this famous quotation of Teresa of Avila – you’ve heard it before – Christ has no body now on earth but yours. I think that’s what she’s trying to convey. That’s what Jesus is trying to convey to Nicodemus. “Christ has no body now on earth but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are they eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” I think that’s the key here. That when our thoughts are like Jesus’, when our actions are like Jesus’, our compassion is like Jesus’, our love is like Jesus’, our forgiveness is like Jesus’, our actions and deeds are like Jesus’, the more they are, the more indistinguishable they are from Jesus, then we are the Christ. Christ is us on earth now today. Teresa is right. John is right. Jesus is right when talking to Nicodemus. That’s the call of life. That’s the call of the Father sending his Son. That’s the call of today’s gospel.

Seventy Times Seven

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, March 5, 2024 – Lectionary 238 (Matthew 18:21-35).

In today’s Gospel Simon asks a really good question, “How many times do I have to forgive my brother? As many as seven?” And Jesus answers, “Seventy times seven.” What’s going on here; first off, when the woman is anointing Jesus’ feet and the Pharisee says, “Uh, if he knew what kind of woman this is he wouldn’t let this happen.” And so Jesus lets the Pharisee have it, but then he closes with, “Besides, she is forgiven much for she loves much.” I think there’s a tie, there’s an intrinsic tie between love and forgiveness. So when Simon is asking this question about his brother, and his brother happens to be Andrew by the way, is there love lost there, is there love missing? As Saint Teresa of Avila says, “If we fail in love of our neighbor, we are lost…beg our Lord to give us this perfect love of neighbor.” That’s really what’s at stake here, not forgiveness but love of neighbor.

Our Father – Backwards

Carmelite Homily for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, February 20, 2024 – Lectionary 225 (Matthew 6:7-15).

A few years ago my spiritual director gave me a task: to say the “Our Father” backwards. Not word by word backwards, that would be pointless, but phrase by phrase backwards, so that the meaning of those phrases can take on new life. Because we can whip through the “Our Father” in seven seconds, and none of those phrases have any meaning at that speed. Today in the Gospel Jesus gives us the “Our Father” – Matthew’s Gospel. And there is such value in here. For example, Saint Teresa of Avila, in her book, The Way of Perfection, says that just in those two words. She says, “In two words, Our Father, you fill our hands completely.” And she riffs for chapters on just those two words, Our Father. Tying it to the Prodigal Son; tying it be being brothers and sisters, tying it to that the son is always forgiven, tying it to if that’s our father what other titles or what other nobility do we need? She goes on and on in those two words. So that’s my task for you today: try to say the “Our Father” phrase by phrase backwards. Let me try it. Amen. Lead my not into evil. Deliver from temptation. As I forgive those who trespass against me, forgive me my trespasses. Give me my daily bread. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done. Or – thy will be done, thy kingdom come. We’re doing this backwards. Our Father in heaven. Our Father. Amen.

Or Everything is Doomed

Carmelite homily for Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Lectionary 219 (Matthew 6:1-6,16-18)

Humility doesn’t mean being smarmy and allow people to walk all over you or to treat you like a doormat. No! Humility means not being controlled by your ego. That’s what we see in today’s Gospel. When you pray, don’t pray in front of everybody so everyone says, ‘look how holy she is.’ Or when you give gifts or donations don’t blow a trumpet or call attention to it so everyone says, ‘look how, how generous he is.’ Or when you’re fasting don’t look all beaten up so everyone can say, ‘look how god-focused she is.’ No, that’s all ego. The idea is to not let ego control this, but to let love control this, God control this, the other control this, your heart control this. This is the call for Ash Wednesday. Saint Teresa of Avila writes, “If there is no progress in humility, everything is going to be doomed.” Let’s make that the focus for this Lent – progress in humility. Which means simply, don’t be controlled by your ego, be controlled by love.

Loves Me More

Carmelite Homily for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, February 8, 2024 – Lectionary 332 (Mark 7:24-30)

There was a young man; life on the streets; no job. A few parishioners decided to help him. They found him a low-income apartment. They found him a job. And he ruined it all. He didn’t show up for work; and he had people living with him and the landlord threw him out. And he said, “Everyone is right; they said that I would never amount to anything.” I said, “And you’re telling me that everybody is making you into this? What does God have to say? And what do you have to say?” I think that’s what is going on in today’s gospel. The Syrophoenician woman comes to Jesus and asks for healing for her daughter and he says, “I do not give food intended for the children to the dogs.” I think that he’s trying to check out what she has bought into. Because everybody called Syrophoenicians ‘dogs.’ They weren’t worth it. And she’s a woman besides, in a male-dominated culture. But he’s treating her like an equal. He’s trying to lift her up. Find out what she’s bought into – what fallacies or what stupidities she’s bought into. He is treating not that way, but like an equal. I think Saint Teresa of Avila says this nicely when she says, “O love, that loves me more than I can love myself, or even understand.” I think that’s what’s going on with this Syrophoenician woman – great love! And that’s what’s going on with Teresa of Avila – great love! And that’s what’s going on with us – great love! So no matter what we think about ourselves, Jesus loves us greatly. Let us respond to that.

Journeying Too

Carmelite Homily for Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, February 1, 2024 – Lectionary 326 (Mark 6:7-13)

In today’s Gospel the disciples are being sent out two by two to do the work of Jesus – to teach, and to heal, and to exorcise as part of the Good News. This is the external mission. They are not aware and we’re not often aware that there is an internal component, almost like a parallel agenda. That this work will change them, deepen them, wizen them, mature them, make them more and more (and make us more and more) like Christ. Saint Teresa of Avila I think knows this when she says, “The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.” Everything is God’s agenda; yes, to do the external work; but, yes, to do the internal change. This is the work of Jesus; this is the work of God. “The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.”

Crazy Busy

Carmelite Homily for Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2024 – Lectionary 324 (Mark 5:21-43)

One time I was talking with a vocation prospect on the phone who wanted to meet with me so I gave him my schedule. He says, “you’re not busy; you’re crazy busy.” We’ve heard that phrase before – crazy busy. In today’s Gospel Jesus is crazy busy. He’s going to preach to the disciples, the official comes, “can heal my daughter who is home sick,” he goes to follow him, but the woman is very sick says, “if I but touch his cloak I’ll be cured,” he wants to know who did that, the official’s servants come, “your daughter has died,” he goes anyway, there’s this cacophony of ailing, he says, “but she is sleeping,” and they all laugh at him – crazy busy. We can be crazy busy. Jesus stays focused. He’s wearing the Tsit-Tsit, that’s a tassel that reminds a Jewish man to pray and that’s what the woman who is trying to touch – his center of prayer. And then he does heal the daughter. He remains people-centered and God-centered. That’s the call of today’s Gospel. Saint Teresa of Avila says, “What a pity it was to have left you, my Lord, under the pretext of serving you.” Ahh, that could be us. What a pity it is when we have left our families, left our loved ones, under the pretext of work. ‘Dear Abby’ says, “I never met anyone on their death bed who said, ‘I should’ve spent more time at the office.’” Let us remember to be centered on loved ones, centered on prayer, centered on God. So we never say, “What a pity it was to have left you, my Lord, under the pretext of serving you.”

Receiving the Hundredfold

Carmelite Homily for Thursday of 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, January 26 2024 – Lectionary 321

In today’s Gospel we have these parables that I call “Gradualism.” That grain growing slowly, and no one knows how it happens, and harvest comes, and no one knows. It is all gradual. And these are all parables of the spiritual life. Saint Teresa of Avila says “Never cease to believe that even in this life God grants the hundredfold.” But we want the hundredfold now. But I think it is a gradualism, of maturing, and growing, and being inspired, and being ever more wise, ever more loving, ever more like Jesus. That is the call of today’s Gospel of these parables. Yes, the hundredfold, but it is a hundredfold slowly, not a hundredfold in a snap.