Oct 15 – Memorial for St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor
Also known as Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Jesus (1515–1582) was born to the Spanish nobility, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Dona Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints and playing at ‘hermit’ in the garden.
Crippled by disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at home, she was cured after prayer to St. Joseph. Her mother died when she was 12, and Teresa prayed to Our Lady to be her replacement. Her father opposed her entry into religious life, so she left home without telling anyone, and entered a Carmelite house at 17. Seeing her conviction to her call, her father and family consented.
Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, and her condition was aggravated by the inadequate medical help she received; she never fully recovered her health. She began receiving visions, and was examined by Dominicans and Jesuits, including St. Francis Borgia, who pronounced her visions to be holy and true.
She considered her original house too lax in its rule, so she founded a reformed convent of St. John of Avila. She founded several houses, often against fierce opposition from local authorities. She was a mystical writer and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 27 September 1970 by Pope Paul VI. She is known for ‘holy wit’.
“God, deliver me from sullen saints.” – St. Teresa of Avila
- Patron Saint Index
Rm 2:1-11
Lk 11:42-46
If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.
Some time ago, a well-known composer of Catholic liturgical music got cancelled. Following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct by him towards young adults and minors, several schools, churches and organisations either terminated their relationships with him or discontinued the use of his music. When I first came across the news, I felt that it was a pity that a talented musician was the latest to fall from grace in a post-Me Too era. His songs were immensely popular in the English-speaking Catholic community. I recall the time he held a concert in one of the churches in Singapore. I was so moved and inspired by the entire experience that afterwards, I wrote an article for my parish website, raving about the beauty of the music and how the Holy Spirit was flowing through song. While I would not say that the composer’s proclivities have invalidated the spiritual aspects of his music, there is no doubt that they have ruined his legacy.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus rebukes two groups of people, the Pharisees and lawyers, for not having true charity in their hearts. As Christians, we must not only look the part by being blameless in our words and deeds, we must truly live the faith with every fibre of our being. While relatively few of us are famous personalities who will get dramatically called out for indiscretions, it will definitely be known to those around us when we are not being genuinely loving towards them.
I recently listened to a radio interview where a lawyer was asked about his pro bono work. What really struck me about his response was his emphasis on how a lawyer should spend time and effort on honing their craft before taking on pro bono responsibilities. This might be a good analogy for how we should prepare ourselves to manifest God’s holiness within us. As described in the first reading, we should not only avoid various forms of sinful behavior, but also actively cultivate virtues through prayer, reflection, learning about the faith, and reception of the sacraments. It is only then that we can properly live the fruits of the Spirit.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)
Prayer: We pray for the strength and discipline to cultivate virtues within ourselves, and for the tenacity to keep trying when we fail.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the assurance that God is ever present to us, so long as we are willing to repent and align our selves to His holy will.
OXYGEN 
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