The evidence is overwhelmingly convincing on the former side in each case. Click Above to Order Retrain Your Brain for Joy Today! Complaining to the Lord of her treatment, she heard him reply, “Teresa, whom the Lord loves, he chastises. Why do you make me look at injustice? Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. St. Teresa of Avila. For me, at least, it was not hard to know why the Heavenly Refiner had to sit so long. But it shows something else: her playful way of addressing God. Through the extremity of their asceticism, the Carmelites would become living images of Christ who emptied himself of Divine Glory and accepted a human nature with all its limitations and sufferings. and justice never prevails. . The faithful were under-catechized and beleaguered by theological debates. Undaunted in the face of opposition, she drew her energy from the hours she spent in prayer. I knew that there were a couple of versions of that saying around. Teresa found the middle place – a tongue-in-cheek prayer. Teresa had accepted a vocation as a vowed religious and lived this vocation as a member of the Carmelite Order. A witty and delightful saint, Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515. That is one of my favorite quotes of all time from St. Terese, and one of my favorite passages from the OT. Spain was rising as a world power and its monarchy would not permit religious rancor and debate to curtail their ambitions for a global empire. I’m really confused by god, i sometimes he does not care for me. ". Learn how your comment data is processed. Sometimes, however, she couldn't avoid complaining to her closest Friend about the hostility and gossip that surrounded her. (Proverbs 3:5, 6). God alone is enough. Complaining to the Lord of her treatment, she heard him reply, “Teresa, whom the Lord loves, he chastises. Basically he asks God how a righteous God can use a people who worship false gods and who engage in some sick war practices (they used to impale their prisoners and put hooks through their jaws, etc.). Filed Under: uncategorized Tagged With: sanctification. There had to be a REASON for all of this. I was reminded of this by a quote I read on an Internetmonk post. The voice of Jesus then came to her from the heavens: "This is how I treat my friends, Teresa." So picture me spending all kinds of mental energy trying to find what was the great lesson at the core of all of this that, when I learned it, would make it all go away. I was reminded of this by a quote I read on an Internetmonk post. The author of the quote below was going through a very difficult time at the time. We simply haven’t been given all the information in this life to be able to understand. Father Steve Grunow is the CEO of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. At that point, Habakkuk wishes he had never asked the question! Witty Teresa responded with her typical sense of humour, “Ah, Lord, it is also on that account that Thou hast so few!” In more modern English, she yelled at the Lord, If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few. If this is how You treat Your friends, then it is no wonder You have so few of them. “Lord,” she said, “If this is how you treat your friends…it’s no wonder you have so few of them!” It’s this blunt “realness” of her relationship with God that we have so much to learn from. The Laughing Man, vol. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He quotes Scripture back to God to try to show God that God cannot do what God has just said that he is going to do. Part 3, Do Good Christians Make Good Husbands . You’ll never know if you just pout.” Or “Just obey me tomorrow and we’ll find out.”, There doesn’t seem to be some resounding THEME or amazing LESSON. • The PACEM IN TERRIS LEGACY FUND. But since Christ has so few friends, she felt they should be good ones. Manna: In Praise of Demanding Teachers, Accepting the Most Royal of Invitations: To Suffer, Stealth Evangelization Through Music and Beauty, 5 Ways Saint John Henry Newman Can Help You Through This Year, In a World of Miracles, We Can’t Look Away from Ourselves, On Education: 3 Counsels from My Little Plato. Or cry out to you, “Violence!” ", Back to "Wisdom and Advice from the Great Tradition of Crazy Wisdom", during a torrential rainstorm. "To be great is to be a servant: lowly, simple, often forgotten. In this case, God decides to give Habakkuk an answer. So, what is Habakkuk’s response to all this? Habakkuk recoils and asks God in a very diplomatic way how can this make any sense at all? And if He does, He is either good and loving, or He isn’t. Without a conscious effort, the former automatically takes over. He then uses a tactic that believers have used throughout the ages. “Lord,” she said, “If this is how you treat your friends…it’s no wonder you have so few of them!” It’s this blunt “realness” of her relationship with God that we have so much to learn from. Tomorrow, on October 15th, the Church celebrates the holiness of St. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church and a master of the Christian spiritual life. Whoever has God wants for nothing Eschew marks of respect; don’t seek them. Important conversation between @CCamosy and @AndrewPetiprin at @WordOnFire on how Catholic social teaching shows us a way out of political polarization and the “throwaway culture”: https://youtu.be/XpPWFWjljrk, Keep working with your head down & your sleeves rolled up. With good humour, St Teresa replied, “That must be why You have so few friends!” St Teresa struggled because there were few who could understand or appreciate her inner ecstasies. yet I will rejoice in the LORD, #LeadWithHumility. Such words lead straight to a land where there is gold, and the gold of that land is good. Teresa was born in the year 1515 and her life spanned the great tumult and upheaval of the historical epoch known as the Reformation: the tenuous unity of a fractious Europe, called Christendom, had been divided by the Protestant movement and suspicion of heresy kept the Church on the defensive. God BRINGS good out of it, but if I want to say that he caused it all (which I still do for lack of any other way to express faith and confusion simultaneously) with some CERTAIN LESSON in mind, I don’t get very far. Although i love and serve him but suffering is always a part of me, i wish he can tell me why. Like he said, “Go down the road, and you’ll see what’s there.” Kind of God’s version of “When we get there, you’ll know.”. And yet, the Church was in need of reform. These communities of men and women accepted the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, but also sought to live them in great austerity and simplicity of life. Either everything that happens passes by His approval, or it doesn’t. November 8, 2010. There are pieces of the puzzle that won’t be seen in this life. La Santa Teresa de Ávila was reputed to have said: If this is how You treat Your friends, then it is no wonder You have so few of them. ‘When I can see my face in it,’ he answered.” (Rose From Brier by Amy Carmichael, Chapter 3). Teresa discerned that the Carmelite ideal of austerity and simplicity was being subverted by many men and women in her community. She joined the Carmelite Order and, after an admittedly uneven start, made great progress in her spiritual journey after a conversion experience at the age of 39. Teresa’s piety wasn’t a false one. The voice of Jesus then came to her from the heavens: "This is how I treat my friends, Teresa." and no cattle in the stalls, I’m not so sure that God has a “personal lesson” in mind for every tragedy that strikes human beings, except perhaps that we aren’t God and that is the first step to knowing there is God. Naughty Nutrition: I Feel a Little Bit Embarrassed Telling You This But…. "If this is how God treats his friends, no wonder he has so few of them." She burned with a passion to live the Carmelite way as she believed it had been intended at its beginning. For me, in the midst of suffering, I have come to this conclusion: How can I not trust this One who I have enjoyed and loved for so many years, who has showered me with good things all my life. Why this way and not another? I have various leather bibles, missals, and breviaries; and I must say this is a VERY high quality Bible! Saint Teresa complained to Jesus at being treated in this manner in the midst of trying to serve Him. This is how I treat all my friends.” She replied tartly, “No wonder you have so few!” St. Teresa always sought to know Christ through prayer and obedience, love and humility, penance and joyfulness. The wicked hem in the righteous, God does not defend himself. there is strife, and conflict abounds. The Laughing Man, vol. This quote by Teresa of Avila in the 1500′s shows that our struggle with God and suffering is nothing new. I was reminded of this by a quote I read on an Internetmonk post. That is, though he is not omniscient, he wishes to be omniscient, he wishes to know the reasons for why everything is happening the way in which it is happening. God never changes Through the extremity of their asceticism, the Carmelites would become living images of Christ who emptied himself of Divine Glory and accepted a human nature with all its limitations and sufferings. Destruction and violence are before me; As she founded and visited convents, Teresa often traveled the rugged roads of Spain. I know from experience and observation that bitterness poisons the container in which it is held. She died in Avila on October 4, 1582, and has been proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! I will be joyful in God my Savior. Somehow His goodness and love and allowance of suffering, all co-exist. Maybe only in eternity can we comprehend the full answers to the questions of suffering. Under Cyrus, they allow the Jews to return and reopen the Temple (read Ezra/Nehemiah). from "'A Gift of All That One Is': The Laughing Man Interviews Mother Tessa Bieleck". Rather than merely gripe and wring our hands about the challenges of the times into which the Lord has placed us, let us pray the Christ might raise up from our own families saints like Teresa of Avila who will through their witness and example bring about a reform and renewal of vowed religious life. This was the Carmelite ideal. Teresa of Avila – Mary Henderson, post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-267,single-format-standard,bridge-core-2.1.8,do-etfw,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-theme-ver-20.5,qode-theme-bridge,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.1,vc_responsive,elementor-default, “If this is how God treats his friends, no wonder he has so few of them.” Teresa of Avila, Coronavirus Stress: Hide in a Secret Place, Too Much Fun Is Just Barely Enough….. Part 2, Part 1: Too Much Fun Is Just Barely Enough, Do Good Christians Make Good Husbands… And Good Marriages? Some of the great monasteries and religious houses seemed far too worldly in their concerns. For the last two decades of her life, she was a bedridden invalid, but continued to live in India, where she remained involved in her lifelong work of helping orphans. As Greg Boyd says, from my point of view, it just all seems to be hitting the fan. Wiping the mud from her face, she replied, "No wonder you have so few! Yet it is her gift of spiritual direction, practiced personally with nuns and publicly in her writings, for which she is known today. [email protected] The choice before us is clear: either trust in Him with all our heart, not leaning on our own understanding, or don’t. It is actually in the form of some rather famous verses: Though the fig tree does not bud Twitter fam, Her horse-drawn cart hit a huge pothole and collapsed, throwing her head-first into the mud. One time her saddle slipped, and she found herself head down under the belly of a donkey as she crossed a stream. That is, the Prophet Habakkuk wants reasons. I did not realize that it is now considered a pseudo-saying. Part 2, Savoring — It’s Not Just for Dessert Anymore. A fellow-pilgrim once said that difficulties either lead a person to become bitter or better. ‘How do you know when it is purified?’ we asked our village goldsmith. The quote above reminds me of the writings of the Prophet Habakkuk. St. Teresa always sought to know Christ through prayer and obedience, love and humility, penance and joyfulness. The prophet starts out by asking God a series of questions: How long, LORD, must I call for help,

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