Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
The plea from the disciples today, “Lord, teach us to pray,” is a plea that continues through desert mothers and fathers, the medieval mystics, through today. As we near the feast of the spiritual master, St. Teresa of Avila, doctor of the Church, on Oct 15, let’s contemplate how her words and wisdom illuminate Jesus' teaching on prayer.
St Theresa of Avila reminds us that prayer is not about the words we say; instead, “Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God. … Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.”
Father, hallowed be your name,
“May we always be in awe of the One who deserves our awe.” (p. 192)
your Kingdom come.
“The surest way to determine whether one possesses the love of God is to see whether he or she loves his or her neighbor. These two loves are never separated. Rest assured, the more you progress in love of neighbor, the more your love of God will increase.”
Give us each day our daily bread
Help us to be content with what we need just for today, remember that Theresa said,
“Experience has shown me that if I bolster my determination for his sake alone, he will bless me not with increased certainty but with deeper doubt. Then, when I achieve my goal, the reward is all the sweeter, not in the world to come, but in this very lifetime.” (p.18)
and forgive us our sins
and do not subject us to the final test.
Forgive us our sins and help us to truly let go of them once forgiven, remembering what Theresa said, “The spirit of evil seems to smother the soul and constrict the body, rendering them both powerless. It makes us feel so wretched that we hate ourselves. But these exaggerated thoughts of our own wickedness have nothing to do with true humility. True humility does not cause inner turmoil and spiritual unrest. True humility creates the opposite effect. It consoles the soul. It fills her with quietude, serenity, and light.” (p. 231)
-Kelly Adamson
Quotes with page numbers above are taken from: Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life. translated by Mirabai Starr (Boston: New Seeds, 2007).