St. Teresa of Avila ~ the 500th Anniversary of her birth (March 28, 1515 - March, 28, 2015)

St Teresa of Jesus is a true teacher of Christian life for the faithful of every time

Pope Benedict XVI

Holy Mother Teresa

Let nothing disturb you.	Nada te turbe.
Let nothing terrify you.	Nada te espante.
All things pass away.	Todo se pasa.
God is unchangeable.	Dios no se muda.
Patience gains everything.	La paciencia todo lo alcanza.
He who adheres to God wants nothing.	Quien à Dios tiene nada le falte.
God alone is sufficient.	Solo Dios basta.

St. Teresa of Jesus, "Holy Mother Teresa", as she is known amongst Carmelites, was a master of the spiritual life. Her wisdom is needed even more today, in a world that is deeply spiritually sick. If you can find the time, please put aside a "Holy Hour" to pray to St. Teresa for interior peace. 

Pope Benedict XVI said of our beloved saint Teresa: 

It is far from easy to sum up in a few words Teresa’s profound and articulate spirituality. I would like to mention a few essential points. In the first place St Teresa proposes the evangelical virtues as the basis of all Christian and human life and in particular, detachment from possessions, that is, evangelical poverty, and this concerns all of us; love for one another as an essential element of community and social life; humility as love for the truth; determination as a fruit of Christian daring; theological hope, which she describes as the thirst for living water. Then we should not forget the human virtues: affability, truthfulness, modesty, courtesy, cheerfulness, culture...

Prayer is life and develops gradually, in pace with the growth of Christian life: it begins with vocal prayer, passes through interiorization by means of meditation and recollection, until it attains the union of love with Christ and with the Holy Trinity. Obviously, in the development of prayer climbing to the highest steps does not mean abandoning the previous type of prayer. Rather, it is a gradual deepening of the relationship with God that envelops the whole of life.

Here are a few of her maxims, that, if we lived them even furtively, we would be well on the way to salvation. Sancta Teresa ora pro nobis. 

Among many persons, always speak little.

Conduct yourself modestly in all you do or say.

Speak to every one with a well-regulated cheerfulness.

Accommodate yourselves to the temper of those you converse with; with the joyful be glad, and with the sorrowful sad: in a word, become all to all, that so you may gain all.

Never offer to give your opinion on all matters, except it be asked, or charity require it.

Take no notice of the defects of others, but only of their virtues: mind your own defects.

Be gentle to all, and to yourself severe.

Though you may have many Saints for your advocates, yet choose particularly St. Joseph, for he is very powerful with God.

Let your desire be to see God; your fear lest you lose Him; your grief that you do not enjoy Him; your joy at that which may bring you to Him; and thus you will live in great peace.