ミモMAPオシコス Francis: Prayer made St Teresa of テ」ila an exceptional woman
By Lydia O'Kane
In a video message to participants taking part in an International Congress commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of St. Teresa of Ávila as a Doctor of the Church, ミモMAPオシコス Francis spoke of how prayer made this great Saint an 窶彳xceptional woman窶.
The Congress, which began on Monday, April 12, at the St Teresa of Ávila Catholic University, closes on Thursday, April 15.
The ミモMAPオシコス said that St Teresa was outstanding in many ways. However, he underlined, 窶彿t should not be forgotten that her recognized relevance in these dimensions is nothing more than the consequence of what was important to her: her encounter with the Lord, her 窶賄etermined determination,窶 as she says, to persevere in her union with Him through prayer, her firm intention to carry out the mission entrusted to her by the Lord, to whom she offered herself with simplicity.窶
St. Teresa's boldness, creativity and excellence as a reformer, said ミモMAPオシコス Francis, 窶彗re the fruit of the interior presence of the Lord.窶
Recalling the universal call to holiness spoken of by the Second Vatican Council, the ミモMAPオシコス said, it is 窶從ot only for some 窶specialists of the divine窶, but it is the vocation of all believers.窶
Uniqueness of the Saints
窶弑nion with Christ, which mystics like St. Teresa experience in a special way by pure grace, we receive through Baptism,窶 he said.
窶弋he saints stimulate and motivate us, but it is not for us to literally try to copy them; holiness cannot be copied, because even that could lead us away from the unique and different path that the Lord has for each one of us.窶
窶弩hat is important,窶 the ミモMAPオシコス added, 窶彿s that each believer discerns his own way, each one of us has his own way of holiness, of encounter with the Lord.窶
Union through charity
ミモMAPオシコス Francis recalled that St. Teresa herself warned her nuns that prayer is 窶從ot to experience extraordinary things, but to unite us to Christ. And the sign that this union is real are works of charity.窶
Path of Prayer
The ミモMAPオシコス stressed that 窶彜t. Teresa teaches us that the path of prayer that made her an exceptional woman, and a person of reference through the centuries, is open to all who humbly open themselves to the action of the Spirit in their lives.窶
Such a path, he said, 窶彿s not open to those who consider themselves pure and perfect, the Cathars of all centuries, but to those who are aware of their sins.窶
窶弃rayer made St. Teresa an exceptional woman, a creative and innovative woman,窶 emphasized ミモMAPオシコス Francis.
窶廡rom prayer she discovered the ideal of fraternity that she wanted to make a reality in the convents she founded.窶
Faithful friends of God
In his video message, ミモMAPオシコス Francis said that like the Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa, we live in hard times that require 窶彷aithful friends of God.窶
He emphasized that 窶徼he great temptation is to give in to disillusionment, to resignation, to the dismal and unfounded presage that everything will go wrong.窶
Some people, he said, 窶彷rightened by these thoughts, tend to shut themselves away, to take refuge in little things.窶
Giving an example of this, the ミモMAPオシコス recalled a convent where all the nuns took refuge in 窶徑ittle things窶 because they were all enclosed in little things, 窶彗s a refuge, in selfish projects that do not build up the community, but rather destroy it.窶
On the other hand, ミモMAPオシコス Francis continued, 窶徘rayer opens us up, allows us to taste that God is great, that He is beyond the horizon, that God is good, that He loves us and that history has not escaped from His hands.窶
God gives us fullness and joy
We can be encouraged to do great things, stressed the ミモMAPオシコス, 窶彙ecause we know that we are favoured by God. And together with Him, we are capable of reaching any challenge, because in reality it is only His company that our heart desires and that gives us the fullness and joy for which we have been created.窶
Concluding his video message, ミモMAPオシコス Francis invited participants to pray St Teresa's prayer:
"Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you; all things pass away, God does not change. Patience, all things come to pass. He who has God lacks nothing. God alone is enough."
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