A paper by Sister Paula Moroney OCDM given at the Symposium
to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Saint Teresa of
Avila at the Carmelite Centre in Middle Park in May 2015
WISDOM –
“Send her forth from the holy heavens,
and from the throne of your glory send her,
that she may be with me and toil,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to
you;
for she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions
and guard me with her glory.” ( Wis.9: 9-11)
St
Teresa was gifted with remarkable wisdom which illuminated her life and vision;
it moulded a discerning heart on fire with love and is passed on to us in her
writings still precious and vibrant today. It is a gift she earned by her
constant fidelity, not without struggles, in prayer and it led her to loving intimacy
of friendship with God. It is the harmony of knowledge and understanding
acquired in life adding a deeper dimension to her thought.
At
once noble and ennobling, “The wisdom that comes from above is marked chiefly
by its purity, but also by its peacefulness…” (Jas 3:17-18)
In Teresa we recognize a transparent
purity of light and truth with the peacefulness of trustful confidence and
hope. Throughout her writings we find wisdom gathered from the prayer of life;
she listened to the voice of God in her heart then took counsel. For all her
gifts, extraordinary as they are, Teresa becomes more human, warmhearted, for
she had discovered a wonderful friendship with God which so enriched her life
that she longed to share it. Now she could live on a mystical plane and see
things as God saw them; she conversed constantly with her Beloved in prayer and
she wanted to show others that this way was possible for everyone. The peace of
mind it brought showed all things in their true value. She was at once
practical and idealistic, feminine and strong, living simply and poorly while
appreciative of beauty and quality; she was immersed in the business of this
world and aware of the needs of others while her heart was always open in
prayer. She found wisdom in the byways
of life to walk the common way divinely.
Teresa
was thus enabled to accomplish a work in the Church which still flourishes
after 500 years and her teaching on prayer continues to transform ordinary
lives. When she stepped beyond the
bounds of convention to travel and set up her monasteries she gave herself
unreservedly. The books she wrote on the spiritual life and the letters that flowed
constantly to her communities reflect a heart aflame with love. She
communicated with people of all ranks of society from the King to merchants, comfortable
with them all. Teresa’s attractive personality and skills, her glowing, ardent spirit,
her high aspirations and matching courage, her ready generosity to others, shine
through her writings in words of wisdom and wit full of insight and intuition. Today
we treasure these classics of spirituality as guides to prayer and sublime
union with God.
What
she received freely Teresa passed on magnanimously, while she laboured at daily
tasks. Fortunately for us hundreds of her letters have survived so that we have
intimate communications with family, Sisters and friends as well as complex
business dealings.
Teresa
lives for us in her books. She engages in conversation with us as she writes
and sometimes it is difficult to keep up. The Book of her Life was begun at the
request of her confessors and she describes with detail and accuracy her
spiritual experiences showing genuine self-knowledge and humility. Already she had entered into deep prayer and
she pondered God’s ways which caught her unawares at times but made her desires
burn more intensely.
After 1562 when
she made the first foundation at St Joseph’s in Avila where a little group
could live according to the spirit of the original Rule of Carmel dedicated to
prayer and contemplation, she was asked to write something more teaching her
nuns about prayer. The book we know as the Way of Perfection shows Teresa’s perceptive
knowledge of human nature and community life and leads to a wonderful treatise
on prayer and its benefits as she guides her readers through the Our Father.
The first half
of the book deals with our preparation to receive God’s grace. Because “prayer
is the most important aspect of the Rule,”(WP 4, 2) she insists on
the practice of virtue refined to a high degree and that “determined determination”
to persevere in it. She focuses on three essentials of love for one another,
detachment and humility. Mutual
fraternal love is no passing emotion. In her mature wisdom Teresa perceives
that there is a lesser love that can distract us from our goal. She goes to
considerable length to show that pure love is without self-interest, does not
seek gratification, does not lower itself to win approval and has no
pride. La Madre knew the hidden
suffering brought about by class distinction and exclusion and she wanted her
houses to be communities where all were loved and held dear, all were equally
favoured. (WP 4,4 )
This is where Christ is found, this is the love wisely sought in the
pure of heart.
Then
began the adventures of her Foundations scattered across Spain. By 1573 she found herself in the university
city of Salamanca with her companions looking for a suitable house when she was
urged by her Jesuit confessor to continue the account of her work. She did so
reluctantly for time was precious and her health was wretched, but since it was
for the glory of God she made a beginning and how grateful we are for her
faith, because her writings extended across the years with her labours.
Later, in 1577, after many more travels and
foundations, when challenges were at their height, she undertook the writing
which sums up her spiritual teaching, the Interior Castle. Centered on the image of a castle of many
dwelling places or a multi-faceted, lucid diamond, the book describes the singular
beauty of the soul so richly endowed. The reader is invited to discover these
riches within, where God reveals treasures in the course of the inner life of
prayer. His Divine Majesty has led Teresa through these lights and fires to
know his intimate presence.
This is the wisdom she desired to share so
that others could also discover the joy of a love which fills a whole life and
colours all relationships. This all-embracing love draws us into the fullness
of God, the mystery of the hidden depths within, where we find grace and peace,
those most precious gifts bestowed by God’s Spirit. The mystery of the Divine
Indwelling means that God, the Trinity, is always to be found in the human
heart. Faith leads us through darkness to the light of understanding, to
seeking and to finding…”For love you were fashioned”. (from her poem) That
is why Teresa urges us to prayer, to loving companionship with Christ who walks
with us through life then to share that love around us as we journey.
The Interior Castle gives a synthesis of growth
in the spiritual life, to its culmination in joyous love of Christ her Lord. It
is a welcoming hearth where one lives in the presence of the Divine Majesty,
where God makes His home with us and where we will always know His company. The
Spanish word Teresa chooses, ‘Moradas’
suggests, not remote grandeur, but a place of familiar homeliness. We think of
the 14th Chapter of St John’s Gospel where we read: “If anyone loves
me they will keep my word and my Father will love them and we will come and
make our home with them.” (Jn 14: 23)
We are invited to follow
Teresa through the numberless rooms and discover for ourselves the beauty of divine
life within us which does not take away our freedom but captivates the soul with
fresh encounters. “To know the love of
Christ that is above all knowledge.’’ (Eph 3: 19 )
Her
journey shows a way to the highest mystical states of union, spiritual
betrothal and marriage which Teresa received humbly, forgetful of self. She
seems quite unselfconscious as she describes the movement of grace flowing
gently and sweetly without her deserving, to satisfy her desires. She believes “it
a slight lack of humility to think that our wretched services can win so great
a reward.” (IC IV, 2,8) She wants to go further and tell more of this
sublime calling but hardly dares express herself except to say that love is
complete in giving itself and serving.
No
matter how impossible the task there is an answer in prayer, Teresa’s source of
strength. Imagine what it must have been like with Mother Teresa during that
turmoil of 1577. If we feel overwhelmed by our burdens, look at Teresa’s
circumstances. She was in Toledo, having been denounced, scrutinized by the
Inquisition, called a “restless gadabout”, ordered to remain in one place while
the Order was in confusion on the brink of collapse. She began writing this
finest masterpiece as an act of obedience. It was the feast of the Trinity in
June and she wrote in great haste but was only up to the fifth dwelling places
when recalled to St Joseph’s in Avila to clear allegations made against Gracian.
To her dismay the nuns at the Incarnation attempted to elect her Prioress amid
great strife and disagreement, even excommunication for those who voted for
her. Only in October back at St Joseph’s was she free to take up the manuscript
again and she stole time to write at furious pace, often after Communion and
late into the night, so that it was completed by the end of November.
Perhaps
she shared thoughts with John of the Cross; certainly she always liked to
consult learned and spiritual masters and he was her “Little Seneca”. A shrewd
judge of character she appreciated holiness and intelligence in others. The
first time she met him she recognized his potential, his courage and sincerity
and saw in this small, slight, newly-ordained friar the high ideals which she
needed for a foundation in the spirit of the primitive rule. She was not
disappointed and he was the one she chose as spiritual director for her nuns.
There are remarkable similarities in their understanding
of these profound mysteries. He writes in his commentary on the Spiritual
Canticle, of the Soul, the most beautiful of creatures, where God chooses to
abide, and of the infinite value of this pure love in the life of the Church. (Ct 1,7 & 29,2) She
tells us of the capabilities of the human spirit to enter deep within and there
discover priceless treasures with glimpses of eternity. Both understand that a
profound transformation takes place as the weakness of our humanity is touched
by the Divine.
A few days after
she completed her work he disappeared, arrested in the night, causing her great
distress and concern. Then on Christmas eve she fell down a dark staircase and
broke her left arm. Her only comment: “The devil might have done worse with
me!”
How
do we know this? There is no hint of it in the greater writings but we have her
Letters which naturally are personal and private because they are written for
particular individuals and not intended for publication. These valued letters
preserved by her friends enable us to meet her in day-to-day life with its ups
and downs, its hopes and disappointments, and we see how she reacted, we learn
how she handled difficult problems, how she achieved impossible dreams. She even wrote to King
Philip 11 in her anxiety for John of the Cross and later concerning Padre
Gracian’s reputation. She also wrote to her brother Lorenzo suggesting
that “the Lord would desire your health
rather than your penance,” when he became overzealous. (L 1,185.6) Often
she sent letters to the charming but impulsive Gracian, hoping for consoling
support; frequently to Maria de San Jose, the clever new Prioress of Seville
where there were problems with repaying the large sum of money owed to Lorenzo.
These letters full of motherly advice to many different people are usually on a
light and friendly note and show another aspect of her rich personality. Hers
was the wisdom of everyday common sense and compassion.
An avid reader herself she reproduced her
world in technicolour. There is plenty of humour but much sadness too as we
encounter the people she trusted yet who still let her down and left her
lonely. She relished the dainties sent to her from Seville and asked for more
of that perfumed Orange-flower water - if only Maria would repay the large debt
she owed Lorenzo on purchasing the house. Teresa must often have reflected on
those words, “Let nothing trouble you…God alone suffices.”
The
Letters and Book of the Foundations are brimming over with lively descriptions
of those who shared her work and this is where we come to know Teresa in real
life. This is Teresa giving herself wholeheartedly to others, laboring for her
communities and her mission to serve Christ in the Church and establish houses
of prayer where His Divine Majesty would be honoured. For Teresa there was no
conflict between her inner life and her activities because all was one. As she lived
the Gospel in constant awareness of the presence of her Beloved, her philosophy
was essentially simple, uncomplicated.
If
she saw foibles that marred the virtues of her friends she looked beyond to see
God’s design and to draw good from these situations. It was so important that her Sisters live in
friendship and show mutual esteem and affability because that was the best way
to grow in friendship with Christ.
Spiritual friendships built communities where friends helped one
another, supported one another and encouraged one another in holiness.
Teresa
sought in prayer and found enlightenment to see God’s all-pervading presence
and power at work around her. This true contemplative was firmly planted in
this busy world of affairs and committed to the needs of others because she was
already united to the Incarnate Lord who chose this world for his dwelling and
revealed his presence, where life is touched by love, and suffering becomes
redemptive through Him. For her it was “to know Christ and the power of His
Resurrection”. (Phil.3:10)
In
one of her poems she had written: “Seek yourself in me; seek me in yourself”.
We all have this capacity for deeper life of the spirit; we all have the
opportunity to find the divine within our very selves. We have an inner life
hidden from the world where we can commune with the Lord and know sublime
truths, where goodness and beauty bring joy to share. Teresa’s spirituality was
always part of her humanity, incarnational in the sense that she was
transformed by her love to reflect the life of the Risen Jesus, and fully alive
with an energy that kindled others with the same desires for love.
The years of perseverance enabled
her to map a future journey for others. By writing with delicate detail of her
interior experiences she explained clearly in her lively style how she
discovered new depths of human capability that led to union with God. She clarified
understanding and confirmed others on their path with a certainty learnt from experience,
tested by fire. Weary travelling, risky ventures, unending writing, were all for
Christ’s sake. Everything had value since it showed that prayer is at the heart
of energy and gives meaning to life; prayer unites us to our Divine Lord in a
love that transcends time. Love at the beating heart of the universe enables us
to participate in the power of the Resurrection.
At
the end of that last great work, the Interior Castle, with clarity, vision and
mystical insight Teresa could again encourage her readers to embrace a full
life of prayer and contemplation, practicing the virtues, building on humility,
courageous in suffering and showing attentive love caring for one another,
delighting in each other’s company as friends. It is not the greatness of the
works that counts but the love with which they are done. (IC VII 4,15) The holier the person the more human they
become.
Teresa
found joy in life, in the grandeur and beauty of creation, in wonder and
amazement at the silkworm and butterfly, even the tiniest ant. She rejoiced to
discover God’s grace everywhere. Truly “the joy of the Gospel fills the hearts
and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” ( EG 1,1) Pope Francis’words
confirm and encourage our faith today:
“Christ’s resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital
power which has permeated this world…it is an irresistible force. In the midst
of darkness something new always springs to life… Each day in our world beauty
is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history…such is the
power of the resurrection.” ( EG 4, 1)
She too felt the urgency to work
for the mission of the Church in a period when “the world is in flames.” (q. from the WP 1:5, in Letter of P.Francis, 28.3 15) Fervent contemplative prayer channeled her
missionary zeal in the service of all people.
Opening new horizons of the spirit she calls us to dare this great
enterprise of seeking and loving Christ in His Mystical Body. Gathering
communities united in heart and mind to bear witness to genuine love she shows
how each one, each of us today, can “place what we are at the service of
others” caring of all needs. She saw each person as being gifted individually
and having a unique role. Teresa shows us that even in weakness gifts increase
and bear fruit when they are freely shared: the more we give the more we
receive. When we reach the ultimate goal, the final dwelling place, love of God
and love for one another are inseparable. With greater awareness we see God in
all things and all things speak of His glory:
To “see His blood upon the rose
And
in the skies the glory of His eyes.
…All
pathways by His feet are worn.”
(J.M.Plunkett, 1916)
Of lights and fires, of wisdom
and love, Teresa made her life a gift to God and also to us, for still she
inspires us to seek God in living love. Her great spirit lives on, lighting up our
spiritual path, encouraging us to meet Our loving Lord in trust and find beauty
and truth in such companionship. Mother and Friend, St Teresa, let your wisdom
be with us today to guide us in our actions and guard us in her glory.
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