St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)

Today is the feast of St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila).

 

One of my favorite quotes from St. Teresa is, "Prayer is the trap door out of sin."
So often people are told that if they are in a state of mortal sin they cannot merit any grace, and their prayers and good works are not efficacious.
Nevertheless, it is important that the sinner never give up prayer. Pray as best as he knows how, and as often as he can - even when he feels he cannot quit his sins. God never fails to hear prayer, especially the prayer to be free of ones sins, placing all of ones confidence in the mercy of God. We do not have to be perfect to pray. The idea of merit? Leave that to the Blood of Christ.

Pray, pray, pray without ceasing, this is how you will attain eternal life.


St. Teresa, teach us how to pray and obtain for us a greater

thirst for prayer.

http://abbey-roads.blogspot.it/


“The truly humble person will have a genuine desire to be thought little of, and persecuted, and condemned unjustly, even in serious matters. For, if she desires to imitate the Lord, how can she do so better than in this? And no bodily strength is necessary here, nor the aid of anyone save God.”

― Teresa of Ávila, The Way of Perfection

http://te-deum.blogspot.it/

Theresa was born of devout and noble parents at Avilla in Spain. While still a child, burning with the desire of martyrdom, she ran away from home, and tried to go to Africa, but was brought back. After the death of her mother, she commended herself completely to the protection of the Blessed Virgin. When she was twenty, she professed the rule of the nuns of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Eager for the salvation of souls, she restored the observance of the ancient Carmelite rule by both men and women and built many monasteries. She continually offered God the sufferings of her own body voluntarily assumed for the sake of infidels and heretics. And when burning with divine love she had made the very difficult vow always to do what she thought the most perfect, she was privileged to have her heart pierced by an Angel with a fiery lance. She wrote many works filled with lessons of heavenly wisdom and taught a great deal by word and by example, often having this saying on her lips: “Lord, either to suffer, or die”. She gave back her most pure soul to God at Alba at the sixty-seventh year of her age, on October 15, 1582. 1960...

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
– St. Teresa of Avila
http://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/