Thought of the Day

T he essence of prayer never changes, yet it can take on a host of different expressions. There are people who pray in a great silence. Others need many words. Saint Theresa of Avila wrote, “When I speak to the Lord, often I do not know what I am saying.” Others find heaven’s joy on earth, a fulfillment, in prayer together with other people.

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Gospel of the Day

Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila

Romans 3:21-30

Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

L uke 11:47-54 Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. (48) So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. (49) Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, `I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,' (50) that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, (51) from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechari'ah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of  this generation. (52) Woe to you lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering." (53) As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, (54) lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.

Meditation by Rev. Richard Gabuzda

“Me” or “We”?

T oday’s powerful passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans reveals what some have called the “heart” of the gospel:  that we are made right with God not by our own efforts but through the free gift of God’s grace which we receive through faith.  All has been done for us in the costly death of Jesus; we need to receive the gift of the Lord’s mercy, his “plentiful redemption,” as the psalm says.

This is easy to say, but somewhat difficult to live!  We all have a tendency to want to “do for” God, to grow closer to God by way of our own efforts, even to earn forgiveness on our own.  Today’s saint, Teresa of Avila, helps us in this regard.  In her autobiography, entitled Her Life, Teresa lists a number of obstacles that prevented her from making progress in the spiritual life.  The third obstacle she lists is “self-reliance.”  Teresa insisted on the need to trust God for everything and to be cautious about “doing things” for God.  Yes, by all means, we need to cooperate and say “yes” to the grace and inspirations that the Lord gives us.  But everything is a gift of God—including our good inspirations.

Recently I received a helpful way to look over the day, to examine whether I’m “on my own” or living in the gaze of God’s grace.  At any point in the day, I might ask:  “Well, Lord, has it been ‘me’ or ‘we’ so far today?”

May St. Teresa of Avila encourage us to trust God in everything!

Supplementary Reading

fAmIly

My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it. – Luke 8:21

I love my family. I do my best to love my relatives from both “sides” — the Fernandezes and the Pecañas. I’ve learned to love my sisters and brothers in community — my second family. I strive to love my friends, both old and new. But I guess my “loving” is still limited to those whom I consider as “family.”

And family for me is about relationships — by blood, by friendship, by faith. Jesus’ definition of family encompasses every type of relationship and more. He considers part of His family “those who hear the word of God and act on it.” Having a personal relationship with God and obeying His will are what it takes to become part of Jesus’ big, wonderful family.

I struggle to become worthy of being called “daughter of God” and “sister of Jesus.” I struggle to love beyond the confines of my family. I believe I shall do so until the end. Only by God’s grace and mercy will I be able to embrace as “family” all those who love and are bound by a spiritual relationship with Him. -- Dina Pecaña

REFLECTION:

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” (Desmond Tutu)

Thank You, Jesus, for calling me to be part of Your family. What an honor and privilege it is to be Your brother, Your sister.