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| By Peter Paul Rubens - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank |
Today is the memorial
of the great Carmelite Saint, contemplative and Doctor of the Church, St Teresa
of Ávila (1515-1582). In the turbulence of the Protestant Reformation that
pulled Europe apart in 16th Century, Teresa saw a life of prayer,
fidelity to the Church and devotion to Christ in the Eucharist as essential to
the renewal of the Church. The Eucharist occupies a privileged place within
Teresa's broader Christ-centred spirituality and life of what we refer to as mental
prayer. Her reform of Carmel stressed: frequent
participation at Mass together with a life ordered towards greater union with
Christ. In her great work, The Interior Castle, she describes how the
soul journeys toward complete union with God.
In language typical of her writing and speaking, she urged her sisters
to receive the Lord in Holy Communion in the following terms:
When you receive the Lord, since you have His Person present, strive to close the eyes of the body and open those of the soul.
Rather than many words, she emphasised loving attention and openness to God's presence. For Teresa, prayer is a movement of the heart: we enter into a special place deep within where we look and gaze on the Lord present there. Especially in the moments after receiving Holy Communion we have an opportunity to remain in intimate communion. It is not something to be rushed.
We do not need to
search for Him far away. He is within us. We just need to remain quietly with
Him, speaking to Him as friend to friend and allowing His presence to transform
my heart.
It is a blessing to know that somewhere, in the world and at this moment, there are contemplative monks and nuns praying for all of us. Perhaps they are down the road from us and within an hour's drive. It is good to reach out and seek their support in prayer from time to time.
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