It's not what you experience, but what you become

I am indebted to the St Paul Centre website for these thoughts about our Teresa: ‘The teachings of Teresa of Avila are a vital source of wisdom for many who seek a deeper life of prayer ... Saint Teresa unmasks the spiritual kitsch of our time because she effectively contended with it in her own. New deviant forms of spirituality are, generally, simply re-presentations of previously failed gimmicks. In her time, like the New Age movement in ours, the teachings of the Alumbrados promised mystical experiences after which the ongoing hard work of personal conversion was no longer necessary. Against this, she taught that no matter how far we advance, the Lord often returns us to humble forms of prayer that demand even more ascetical effort and the determination. If some in her time, like some today, proposed states of consciousness that went beyond the humanity of Christ and doctrines of the Church, she emphasized devotion to Christ crucified as the only way to the heart of the Father. If the teachings of Martin Luther promised a more authentic encounter with Christ outside full communion with the Church, she worked hard to promote obedience even as some of the ecclesial authorities rejected and betrayed her. St. Teresa sets as rallying point, for anyone who would strive for spiritual maturity, a captivation with the presence of God revealed in Christ Jesus. … Her spirituality is not about what one experiences, but about what one becomes.’

Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon Bielowski (Plymouth Diocese), Catherine, Alex (43 with five children)

Illness:  Katy Keeling

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Mark – brain infection

Michael – youngster with occult influences

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Roy Seymour, Richard Parker, Sue Burton, Joy Smith OCDS, Dr Alan Rodgers