Kindle Book: The Foundations of Spiritual Life, according to St Teresa of Avila

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138: Ensuring Steady Growth: Imitation of Christ

The Imitation of Christ, Thomas Kempis

Book I, The Eleventh Chapter

Acquiring Peace and Zeal for Perfection

I 1 We should enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours.

2 How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractions, and who is little or seldom inwardly recollected, live long in peace?

3 Blessed are the simple of heart for they shall enjoy peace in abundance. (Ps 37 (36):11)

II 4 Why were some of the saints so perfect and so given to contemplation?

5 Because they tried to mortify entirely in themselves all earthly desires, and thus they were able to attach themselves to God with all their heart and freely to concentrate their innermost thoughts.

6 We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things.

7 Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence, we remain cold and indifferent.

III 8 If we mortified our bodies perfectly and allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciate divine things (Mt 16:23) and experience something of heavenly contemplation.

9 The greatest obstacle, indeed, the only obstacle, is that we are not free from passions and lusts, that we do not try to follow the perfect way of the saints (Heb 9:8).

10 Thus when we encounter some slight difficulty, we are too easily dejected and turn to human consolations.

IV 11 If we tried, however, to stand as brave men in battle, the help of the Lord from heaven would surely sustain us (Ger 41:16; 2 Chr 20:17).

12 For He Who gives us the opportunity of fighting for victory, is ready to help those who carry on and trust in His grace.

13 If we let our spiritual progress depend on the observance of its externals alone, our devotion will quickly come to an end.

14 Let us, then, lay the ax to the root (Mt 3:10) that we may be freed from our passions and thus have peace of mind.

V 15 If we were to uproot only one vice each year, we should soon become perfect.

16 The contrary, however, is often the case—we feel that we were better and purer in the first fervor of our conversion than we are after many years in the practice of our faith.

17 Our fervor and progress ought to increase day by day; yet it is now considered noteworthy if a man can retain even a part of his first fervor.

18 If we did a little violence to ourselves at the start, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy. It is hard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.

VI 19 If you do not overcome small, trifling things, how will you overcome the more difficult?

20 Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.

22 If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your spiritual progress.

137: St Teresa of Avila 16/16: Teresa's Heritage

In this concluding chapter I will present what I consider are the important elements of her heritage, collated and preserved not only for today, but constituting also a pertinent legacy for tomorrow. This is done with the actual state of the Church today in mind, and is seen under the light of St Teresa's contribution.

It is true that she was first sent by God for the Church of her time. But given that, I think that she still has much more to offer to today's Church, and that time, circumstances, and the Church have not explored all her riches. On the contrary, I firmly believe that we could be on the eve of a new and deeper discovery, not to mention use of the wisdom and treasures that God deposited through her in the Church. The full richness of St Teresa has not been exploited fully till now, for a great deal of powerful new energy is still enclosed in her writings, awaiting our belief in the experience she offers, our exploration of it to the full and the application of it to many areas in the Church. I believe that many of these areas are reaching their limits today, like in a desert that cannot flower without water. Heritage sometimes – in a very old-fashioned way – is like an old treasure chest containing the most precious gems to be handed on by parents to their children. So when we speak about 'St Teresa's heritage' we mean these important precious rich gems. We need to open that treasure chest and gather them up.

With these gems, can St Teresa influence the Church today? Some can argue that she has already done so to a full extent. This is true. But as we saw in the previous chapters and juxtaposed on the actual needs in the world and in the Church today, we can counter-argue saying that St Teresa's heritage is highly capable of creating a new wave of influence. What are the elements of this new wave? How can we encapsulate them? The following elements will outline what the Church still needs to invest in, so that new waves of the grace of God can be manifest:

1- The Immense Meaning of her Conversion

First, we need a renewed understanding of the meaning of her conversion and of its repercussions on the daily life of the Church, starting with formation of consecrated persons and Formation in general. In fact the story of her conversion shows that one can faithfully live nineteen years of religious life, and still lack something of paramount importance: a living relationship with the Risen Lord. We need to study the elements that trigger her conversion and their influence on the second part of her life (the most fruitful one). Amongst the most important elements are: total gift of oneself; the emotional/erotic attachments as real obstacles; the foundations of spiritual life (the virtues exercised in a perfect way); the presence of Christ at the centre of our being (eases prayer); the power of the the grace of God; and the importance of meditating on the Lord's Passion in order to open our hearts to his Grace.

By studying her conversion, we will discover that she had two different yet legitimate christian lives, one before and one after her conversion. This recalls the fact that in the early Church something similar existed:

a- First there was Catechesis aimed at people desiring baptism. This is an initial formation offered by the Church. Think of today's Catechism of the Catholic Church that offers the essence of our Catholic Faith, the structure upon which it will be built – or, to give it a more concrete image, the two slices of bread necessary to contain the ham which will later go to make up the sandwich.

b- After a while, having started to live this new life, the Church felt the urge to offer a more profound teaching, that initiates the Christian into a deeper level of Spiritual life encompassing the depths of Jesus' mysteries called: mystagogy, or the ham in the sandwich. Already in the letters of St Paul himself and in the letter to the Hebrews, there is an allusion to a deeper teaching.

With St Teresa's life we learn how Mystagogy is not only essential, but should also not be dismissed and should be revived and taught. In fact, all her teaching is one of the most complete and accessible form of Mystagogy in the history of the Church as testified in her trilogy: Autobiography, Way of Perfection, Interior Castle. St Teresa helps us to delve deeply into our Christian life and to understand that our horizons should be enlarged.

Note: Please read the Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte of St John Paul II where he invites the Church to delve deeply ('Duc in Altum'), setting out the programme of Holiness as the Parish's main programme, and emphasising learning to pray and praying as a necessity.

2- Style of Life and Spiritual Life

Since it is important, even if only as a result of her reflection on her conversion, a second element should be set apart because of its significance: the relationship between the style of life and the spirit that animates our prayer and soul, that is, form and content. After her conversion, having a new life in Christ, one of the lessons St Teresa learned is that the way one lives is directly connected to the quality of the spiritual life one has. This is why she decided that there was a need to change her life-style to one more in harmony with this new life. Again, it is very important to understand that her previous style of life in her first Monastery was not at all offensive.

Deepening our understanding of the direct relationship between life-style and spiritual life is, however, of paramount importance. We live in a world where we often think that time is at a premium, - a form, actually, of being enslaved by the concept. In this sense, our life, in practice (our time) does not belong to God. Lay people think that this is their problem, but it is one faced by everybody: religious, monks, priests who also think alike. Time and space, however, are intrinsic to the human being. Therefore, we need to become aware that our excuse is an obstacle preventing us completely from really following – as St Teresa shows us – the Lord. We are putting other values or excuses above and beyond the Lord. This is where St Teresa proves to be prophetic.

3- Goal and Journey of Spiritual Life

When St Teresa wrote her book The Interior Castle God allowed its influence to spread. This book is a masterpiece we all admit, but are we aware of the exact reason? Certainly it is not the first time we have a master of Spiritual Life who speaks about its goal and the journey to reach it. But it is the first time that we have so many details on both of them, as well as provided in a manner that has a practical influence on each one of us in the Church.

Outlining such a clear goal for life here on earth, showing that it is not to be attained in heaven after we die but here on earth; uncovering for us, too, that there is a life after Union, a fertile life participating in the work of salvation in a much more fruitful sense, is, to express it quite simply, an 'atomic bomb'. Even if today everybody in the Church accepts that holiness is the goal of each one of the faithful, there is no more popular or precise a description of holiness as the one written by Teresa, who not only has experienced it but has also been sent by God to impart her message to each one of us: here is the way, follow me, do a, b and c and you will acquire it, by the grace of God. Holiness with St Teresa not only becomes attainable, feasible, but she paves the way, showing us how to move forward at each essential stage. This is revolutionary. The majority of spiritual authors do touch on the early stages of spiritual growth. However, with Teresa we suddenly discover new horizons, new stages of growth, new challenges and we are offered a description of the journey in a very human, orthodox and safe way.

If this field is explored and developed we will certainly dare to embark more readily on the journey to holiness and have new things to discuss, instead of remaining at the point of departure going around in circles of indecision. If the journey is set out for us in a secure way, our Christian life will have a motive, and apostolate and ministry in the Church will start to be focused, centred and powerful.

We certainly need more experts in this field!

4- Clear and Practical Means

Another amazing step ahead is taken by St Teresa, when she offers not only a clear goal and describes the journey to reach it, but also when she offers a fruitful means to progress in a safe way on the journey toward union with Christ. Her means are two-fold: first, by working at the virtues, growing in them, practising them in a perfect way, a heroic and pure way; secondly, by constant daily practice of the Prayer of the Heart. Teaching in detail how to practise the first and the second, she never abandons us in the obscurity of this new world. To be more precise, Teresa not only teaches us how to practise the three essential evangelical virtues (see previous chapters), but she also teaches us how to practise the Prayer of the Heart (ibid). With St Teresa one really feels in safe hands, and that one will not err when following her advice. This is what God desires and is far removed from human endeavour – in truth a gift from God to us through her… rare gems of great practical clarity.

5- The Secret of the Prayer of the Heart

Within her teaching on the Prayer of the Heart, it is important to stop and ponder on various important elements, a salient one being to understand the difference between the action of the human being (with the general help of the grace of God) and the direct personal action of God in him. This is of paramount importance in the Church. Granted, many do pray. Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges the existence of a new phenomena: prayer groups spreading throughout the globe, which ironically reveal there is an undeniable thirst for God. But have they learned how to pray? Do we understand that prayer could be radically changed by knowing exactly what God is waiting for us to do? Do we appreciate the immense fund of graces that God desires to pour into us in order to sanctify us? Even from St Teresa we learn that there are at least two ways of attending Mass: one in prayer and one not in prayer (see previous chapters). Similarly, she illustrates how vocal prayer should be transfigured from within. Surely the value of this teaching and discernment cannot be doubted.

In sum we cannot simply have a prayer group, or personally pray at random. St Teresa firmly believes that it is necessary we learn to pray. This, in turn, entails the need for many formators in the art and theology of Prayer. We learn from the Saint that we can simply sit still and wait in faith for the grace of God. She reveals that there are triggers for the Grace of God, and that the main one is to offer ourselves to God, like a little child.

6- Spiritual Theology and Theology

In the light of St.Teresa, Doctor of the Church, what can we do for the future? How can we go about building it? The following are some suggestions:

Before anything else, in order to change the world we need to “change” Theology, in the sense of reforming it, improving it. We need to resurrect it from within! We need a rebirth from its ashes of “monastic theology” or better said “prophetic theology” or “integral theology” (in the sense of complete, wholesome). If we examine this more closely, we notice that what really governs the Church is “Theology”. Our universities, in their secular and intellectual way, reduce Theology to a dessicated shell of its true glory! Science is necessary and will always remain so! But science of what? A study of spiritual life is of the essence. It cannot be neglected. If we want to reform Theology, we first need to reform “Spiritual Theology” (or mysticism), for without it nothing really valuable and lasting can result! Without Spiritual Theology all that we accomplish is to produce empty sounds signifying nothing: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Co 13:1)

In my humble eyes, this is what St Teresa of Avila says, as a Doctor of the Church, to Theology. If we want any future, we need a theology that is alive from within, a theology that has at its centre a meeting, one to One, with Jesus the Risen Lord and helps us to reach union with him.

If we want a future for Theology, there is a definite need to pay attention to the modus operandi of theology: even if it seems an implicit aspect of Theology (almost unconscious in the theologian), it is a central aspect! It shapes the way we understand our faith and how we live it! It is according to this implicit way that Theology dictates to all of us, from the humblest catechist to the Pope, how to think our faith and how to act accordingly. Let us just hypothesize for one moment: if “Prophetic Theology” or “Integral Theology” were able to rise from its ashes, try to enumerate all the good things that could be extracted from it in the Church! This ironically is the powerful message of St Teresa to Theology: where it seems almost impossible to see this Phoenix rising from its ashes, she insists that it must. Why? Because the state of Spiritual Theology today is highly questionable. While, the Church is the one who guides us, as from above, showering her wisdom over everything, it is Spiritual Theology that re-forms, re-builds, also from above, from God, all things, including Theology itself. Spiritual Theology will be able to beget Theology from within, establishing bridges between the Church and Theology as we know it today. By so doing, Divine life will be revived in us, will flow in our veins and we will flourish.

Instead of talking about a distant future, however, let us examine a closer future and stop at that. If we were to decant St Teresa's Body of Teaching, it seems that the central requirement necessary for today would be the renewal of Spiritual Theology. The latter is a branch of Theology, or better said, a level of wisdom above mere Theology as we know it today. It gives an account of the spiritual growth in the human being until it is fully realised. With this in mind, St Teresa of Avila would have certainly rejoiced when the Church renewed the central proclamation of the Gospel that 'all are called to Holiness'. But at the same time, forty years afterwards, it is ludicrous to repeat to the faithful that holiness is the goal, when we fail to develop all that pertains to this important assertion, namely, to describe holiness; show the journey that leads to it; explain the conditions to reach it; offer the practical means to attain it and finally to develop the shrewd discernment that guaranties a safe journey! All this should be learnt, taught, transmitted. All these elements have their own science and wisdom: Spiritual Theology. That was the greatest part of St Teresa's Mission and the reason why the Church in the person of Pope Paul VI^th declared her 'Doctor of the Church' :  'In the clock of history, we have arrived at the hour of Contemplative Prayer'. He said as well: 'Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.' (Paul VIth, Evangelii Nuntiandi n°41, 27^th September 1970).

In order to understand her message more fully, we need as a first step to take into account the richness of Spiritual Theology and to work on developing it, to make it known, and as a second step, we should use this science in order to reform our way of constructing Theology. This could be a possible starting point for a solid and durable future. What the world awaits from us is that we become experts in the Meeting with the Risen Lord! For now, we need go no further! One starts building a house from its Foundations.

7- Money, Economy and Providence

In a previous chapter we have seen how St Teresa's understanding of the following elements, and her gradual fine tuning of them is unique, revolutionary and can inspire a dying economy: Time, Work, Primacy of God and Purity of Heart, Providence of God, Shrewd Choice of Type of Work.

8- Apostolate and Spiritual Growth

St Teresa's approach to apostolate is unique, supported doctrinally by St John of the Cross, and lived perfectly by St Therese. Spiritual Growth implies the growth of God's love in our heart, namely, to reach the stage when our acts acquire, for the first time, a power over God that they did not have before, required in order to receive the plentiful graces that are the necessary to obtain the salvation of Christ on the Cross.

9- Offer of a Viable Future

St Teresa's power is the capacity to offer in a chaotic world, with its disintegrating values, references and traditions, a kernel of hope capable of encapsulating society entirely. A description of today's world reveals the pertinence of a new understanding of St Teresa's message and its capacity to generate a new form of life – not merely a movement in the Church, not a new order, but a new way of being.

One has only to look at today's world, or rather the negative side of it, to appreciate the enormity of the task in hand. Loss of guiding values, is compounded by constant and accelerated change in all areas of life. Perception of time and its duration consequently suffers, so that what happens today is totally cut off from what happened yesterday. Continuity becomes non-existent, as if a force is at work dedicated to generating chaos in a variety of forms – all this in order to shake the human being to the very foundations of his humanity where any form of behaviour is permissible. It resembles a stronger and more profound application of 'divide and rule' that has become more widespread, and will generate chaos where opposites are bedfellows and where all values are shaken to the core. Everything, it seems, exists for the benefit of the few. Mass media contributes much to generating the psychological effect that results, oscillating as it does between highlighting striking short-lived events with a constant stream of subtle messages, where information is limited and superficial so that it is of no use and is in no way uplifting. The resultant effect is to numb the mind, causing it to lose its critical ability and to encourage docility, producing depression as initiative is quashed. Individuality sapped, the human being degenerates into a mere follower, a consumer owing imaginary debts. Fear consequently results, masterminded in a very subtle way. How can a human being survive this state of affairs? How can the Church survive?

Paradoxically (since social media is diffuse) the human being is now living in great solitude. Now quest and thirst for God seems to be an important form of relief for this. There is a thirst for wisdom, a vision of life given from above, on how to put God above all else, not as other saints do but in a new way, capable of responding to the new requirements of today's spirit/mentality where the human being is at the centre. Despite many exterior structures collapsing in the actual globalisation process, what St Teresa is offering is a viable human style of life, full of wisdom, having God at the centre of the human being, and couched in the language of experience so appealing to today's mentality. Now too, society is becoming increasingly secularised, constantly straying from the old order and generating greater difficulty for remaining faithful to God. Time and space are kidnapped, even more now by the internet and the smart phone, so we find less and less time and space for God.

If we take a line going from William of Ockham up until today, passing through Luther, Kant and Freud, we see that the human being, especially after the revolution of the sixties and seventies, is increasingly to be found at the centre of society, subjectivity, the 'I' and 'experience' being the dominant features. St Teresa, however, illumines this line magnificently giving it a source of real fulfilment from within, and just as Pope Gregory presents St. Benedict before her as a 'luminous star' who in the words of Pope Benedict XV1 'point[s] the way out of the 'black night of history' (cf. John Paul II, 18 May 1979), so too does she show us how God can, with his grace awaken the potential of every human being, inviting him to embark on a fascinating journey that will give an aim and sense to his life, and will finally realise the great privilege of union with Christ. This is what will continue the life of Jesus on earth. To repeat: if with the human being, the 'I' has now become the centre of society, God through St Teresa imparts a new message: God alone is at the centre of the human being... From that inner central point, a new Way will blossom.... a Way that leads to real fulfilment, for both 'a new spiritual and cultural unity will result, that of the Christian faith shared by the peoples of the Continent.' (Pope Benedict XV1) It was St Teresa who mapped out the journey, and by so doing she mapped out a possible new world for us, a world in which the Church especially can be renewed. It is within the coordinates of her map that the future is possible. Outside of it chaos reigns.

Conclusion

In conclusion what can we say about the message of St Teresa and the heritage she bequeaths to us? As intimated before, what can we learn from her? From what she left us, what should continue? And in which way? What can her impact be on the Church of today and tomorrow? These are the questions that we should attempt to answer in a practical way.

For a start it should be recognised that within a few decades the world has truly morphed from an “ancient” form into a new and different one. The make-up of people has changed. Indeed it has yet to be finalised and this end result will depend also on the individual's contribution. Therefore in order to reply to the above questions, “heritage” or “contribution” need to be defined, namely, the entire body of graces granted by the Lord to the Church and the world through St Teresa needs definition, in order to ensure validity for today and tomorrow. If it were possible to look objectively at the elements that compose today's culture and the essential elements of St Teresa's heritage, without the pretence of being prophets, we might have a clearer and more mature vision of the future.

Returning to the description Pope Benedict makes of the world at the juncture between the V^th and the VI^th centuries, some similarities with our time are soon found. In both times a world was in a state of collapse. Then, too, we ourselves are as yet unable to envisage the world that will emerge as we are participants in the process. History is always marked by the birth of forms, that reach their peek, fall and finally disappear. These forms (cultural, political, social, religious,...) are not a goal in themselves but the result of the synchronicity of effort and spirit. They inspire the driving-force behind many acts and give voice to the spirit. What matters most is the identity of the form, its very spirit embodied in those called to perform the task. Thus, in Teresa's case, if we look closer at the work the Lord called her to do for the Order of his Mother, the Carmelite Order, we will note that it contains clear and defined elements on four different but complementary levels: Legislative (Constitutions; Procedure when visiting a monastery,..); on daily life (Way of Perfection,...); on Spiritual life, interior life (Autobiography, Way of Perfection, Interior Castle,...); plus the expansion, the missionary dimension (Foundations). Here the consensus of opinion would be that this set is complete and homogeneous. In fact her input and heritage encompass not only one point – the “spiritual” for example. This is absolutely not the case! Her influence and teaching cover all the areas external to the interior life.

In this light, then, when Pope Paul VI^th said in 1970 that 'in the clock of history, the hour of Contemplative Prayer ha[d] struck', we should not fall into the trap of understanding Contemplative Prayer in an ethereal way, not of this world. As we have said many times before: there is 'Contemplative Prayer' and there a life of prayer the rest of the day. It is timely to remember here that mental prayer without a 'life of prayer' is non-productive. A 'life of prayer' is composed of different concentric circles which have 'Mental Prayer' as their centre - meeting the Risen Lord one to One, living with Him. Mental prayer without commitment to the growth of the virtues (see Way of Perfection) will lead only to stagnation for the individual! And we know that in spiritual life if we fail to grow, we slide back on a journey that is at best haphazard! So too, mental prayer, will never be effective if it fails to expand to include the missionary dimension, the foundation of a prayerful spirit and life-style, not to mention prayer for the Church, as well as, last but not least, prayer for priests!

______________

Extract from the Pope's Homily for the Doctorate of St Teresa of Avila, 27^th of September 1970:

'The Message of Contemplative Prayer

The title of 'Doctor,' bestowed on St Teresa today, will ensure that the light she exudes will envelop us more brightly and penetrate more deeply.This light is the message of Contemplative Prayer!

It comes to us, children of the Church, at a time signalled by the great effort to reform and renew liturgical prayer; it comes to us, while we are being overcome by the overwhelming attractiveness of earthly delights, by their loud clamour and by our desire to be involved in the external world and surrender to the 'busyness' of modern life, to the detriment of the true treasures of our soul. This light comes to us, children of our time, at a point when not only the habit of having a dialogue with God is being eroded, but also the sense of the need and duty to adore and invoke Him. The message of contemplative prayer – the song and music of the spirit impregnated by grace and opened to the dialogue of faith, hope and love – is making itself known, at a time when psychoanalytical exploration is undermining the fragile and complicated instrument that we are, and is failing to recognise the voice of suffering and redeemed humanity, concentrating purely on the confused whispers of our sensual subconscious with its corroding passions and its desperate pain. The sublime and simple message of contemplative prayer according to the wisdom of Teresa now comes to us, exhorting us to understand 'what great blessings God grants to a soul when He prepares it to love the practice of prayer;... mental prayer, in [her] view, is nothing but friendly intercourse, and frequent solitary converse, with Him Who we know loves us' (Life 8:4-5).'

'O Eternal Father, through the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pour down your manifold graces up each and every reader so that they will bear many fruits to the glory of your name. This book and its readers I most humbly entrust to Her care.'

136: St Teresa of Avila 15/16: Evangelisation

One important question is left for us to address and it can be very easily overlooked: what St Teresa has to say to us about Evangelisation.

She is a woman great of heart, full of compassion for the Church of her time, clearly seen in Chapters 1 and 3 of the Way of Perfection, where we witness her enormous suffering because of the Protestant Reformation, not to mention all the disastrous news she was receiving from France. It is true that all the graces she received greatly spurred her on to increase her desire to reform her life and create a monastery. It is true, too, that the powerful grace of witnessing the place she deserved in Hell, had she not been saved by the Lord's mercy, consistently urged her on to start a new life. We know that she founded seventeen monasteries, which is a momentous achievement, given the means she had and the short time it took to accomplish. But all this does not necessarily give any clear indication of 'evangelisation'.

How can St Teresa's teaching shed a light on the very hot topic of Evangelisation? It is very rare to compare Evangelisation with the fact of sitting on the top of a very high tower, in the guardhouse, having a wider and deeper view with being capable of measuring the heights and depths of God; in fact all these elements are necessary in order to spread the Gospel. In one word, in order to evangelise, we need to find, in contemplation, the supernatural wisdom of God. Christ wants us to be 'witnesses'! Witnesses of the Risen Lord. Yet, to bear witness necessitates seeing the person, meeting him, actually touching him and finally contemplating him. This high 'tower', this living and contemplative dimension of our relationship with Christ is necessary in order to bear witness to Him. This is very seldom underlined.

Unfortunately this tower must definitely be built! It requires a steady effort aiming for growth and not being spread too thinly. Inevitably there is a constant referral back to the question of the spiritual life and of its priority for us. The reason is simple: one can impart to others only what one has first assimilated. This demands extreme care in nurturing a deep relationship with Christ first, in order to grow spiritually. On a tower, the place of the guardian or night watchman is not at mid-height of the tower, but at its summit! Therefore it is vital to reach the summit in order to have clarity of vision and not to act with haste by lowering one's gaze to mid-height only. In a sense, this is how evangelising progresses: Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? (Luke 14:28) However, do we pay attention to and acknowledge this important fact of 'completing the tower'? After all, it's only logical that a task be completed. In St Teresa's case, then, after her conversion and from the moment she started to receive a steady stream of 'grace upon grace', would she not have felt the urge to do something for the Lord? But with lack of experience and discernment as yet still growing, the process would necessarily take some time to be completed! Herein, therefore, lies the reason for the Lord's delay in allowing her to do any important work for Him – at least until she was ready for the grace of 'Spiritual Engagement'.

Loving one's neighbour is of paramount importance, and this from day one, as Teresa's growth in grace was to reveal! Charity is fundamental and does transform us in Christ! But charity is not necessarily 'Evangelisation'. It is more limited in time and content. A great Master in Spiritual Life of last century, the Carmelite Father Marie Eugene Grialou, saw this point with great clarity. In the forties and fifties he wrote a great 'summa' of Spiritual Theology in the form of a substantial commentary of St Teresa's book the Interior Castle, its title being I want to see God. Toward the end of the magnum opus, he endeavours to write a small treatise on the relationship between 'spiritual growth' and 'apostolate' according to St Teresa. His intuition is of rare brilliance! Why? Because being able to recognize the link between them is highly pertinent! In fact, one of the members of his secular institution, Notre Dame de Vie, transformed it into a wider study and published it as a book. That this work is of fundamental significance cannot be denied.

Let us expand a little on this brilliantly intuitive work. It is very rare to find an analysis on the direct relationship between, on the one hand, the spiritual growth, transformation and sanctification in the agent of evangelisation and, on the other hand, the quality and great fruitfulness of his apostolate, ministry and evangelisation. St Paul clearly endorses this in that he says 'without charity' all that he does is mere gesturing (1 Corinthians 13:1 : If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal). It is God alone who makes us bear fruit, His love pouring into us adding greater merit to all that we do. If we are not connected to God, either the divine stream of the grace of God will not flow, or it will flow only feebly, crippled by our clumsiness.

Paradoxically we rarely address these issues either theoretically or pastorally. The question is 'Why'? Because our starting point is that the apostolate and the ministry are separate areas to be worked on, we are blind to the labourer's being ill-equipped for this! As the apostolate is mandatory, hardly anybody analyses the conditions for increasing fruitfulness in the vineyard, resulting consequently in the quality of the labourer not being addressed. Instead, only their intellectual formation and theological qualifications are considered, to the detriment of the spiritual life. Their spiritual life is considered as being a private matter, of an interior dialogue that has no immediate connection with the possible fruits that might result.

It is true that these are profound issues, but of necessity they must be addressed, because it is on them that the fruits of our life depend, it is they which reflect God's true intention when he chose us. 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last' (John 15:16). It is not surprising, therefore, to hear criticism of the contemplative cloistered style of life of St Teresa's nuns such as: 'what good are they doing?', 'wouldn't it be better for them to come out of their enclosure in order to be useful to their neighbour instead of remaining enclosed doing nothing?' This is a blatantly superficial judgment that fails to appreciate or understand how the Gospel spreads, or what occurs in the hidden recesses of peoples' hearts. When St Teresa writes to her sisters, she often asks them to be 'such as', namely, transformed by the Lord, so that their prayers become more powerful (see Way of Perfection Chapters 1 and 3)! 'to be such as' goes a long way in Teresa'a view! It is not a passing comment in her writings, but in fact encapsulates the entire process of the spiritual growth that it implies and that should be implemented, that is: the closer one gets to God the more one is transformed into Him, and gains – by the grace of God – an increasing, an extraordinary, 'hold' on God, which enables them to be instrumental in the salvation of more people. In sum, to 'evangelise' is first and foremost to obtain Christ's grace for others. It is true that Christ obtained everything for us on the Cross. But this salvation needs to be communicated to others, and the Lord's plan for us is that we participate in this work, as St Paul specifies: we are the collaborators of the Lord (1 Co 3:9; 2 Co 6:1), of his grace.There is a need, after all, for all the graces obtained by Christ on the cross (our salvation) to be passed on to our brothers. Surely this is the basic requirement for any evangelisation! One can preach ad infinitum, but if this is not done while being spurred on by the divine life in us, it will be like 'sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal' as St Paul says.

Are those, then, who plunge into action, into apostolate, connected to God, to divine charity? Preaching is not one 'job' amongst others! It is sacred work! My Father works always says the Lord (John 5:17), and the Son sees the Father doing, and he does the same' (John 5:19) - these are important indications of real 'work' and real divine 'action' in the Gospel of St John. They are put there in order to enlighten us, for if Christ, who is the Evangeliser and the Witness par excellence, proceeded in this way, how can we evade it? This greatly intuitive concept of Fr. Marie-Eugene on the relationship between 'spiritual growth' and 'apostolate' is summed up at the end of his book I want to see God, mentioned above, and deserving great praise should be pondered on at length. Here, going through her book the Interior Castle, Mansion after Mansion, he reviews the relationship between the growth of the love of God in us and our apostolate. He analyses the state of the human being at each stage, and questions whether it is advisable for him to plunge into the apostolate and to which extent, or whether prudence is needed. He questions the state of balance between the human and the divine parts in the person, and whether the person is ready for greater things. 'Is the person rooted deeply enough in God to undertake great endeavours?' he asks, and 'how does the divine work in the person?' And so forth. Not only does he address these questions, but 'pondering' on these questions is also essential and reminds us of that other cause for pondering: For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ (Luke 14:28)

Two Questions

Instantly two urgent questions emerge : do we have to wait until we reach the summit in order to initiate interaction with our neighbour? If this is the case, then, why do the cloistered Carmelites not go out and evangelise – at least the ones who have reached the summit of the Spiritual Life?

The reply of St Teresa herself in answer to the first question is to lay great stress on the importance of love of neighbour in order to grow (see Chapter 13 in this book). Decidedly, not only is this a beneficial practice, but it is also a vital one for our spiritual life, because it facilitates spiritual growth, enlarges our capacity to love and increasingly attracts inner graces. Without it, there will definitely be no growth! We are called to practise it from day one! We simply cannot seek Christ the Head of the Church and neglect his Body, the Church, our brothers and sisters. Here it is necessary to add that it is during the Prayer of the Heart, namely during those long daily moments of silent prayer, that the Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds concerning our neighbour. One would be surprised to discover within the 'science of the human being' that the Holy Spirit unquestionably communicates with us during the Prayer of the Heart. This having been said, the meaning of 'evangelisation' does not include throwing oneself into a project, a mission, even a specific ecclesial one, or an apostolate. From day one, Christ simply asks us to forgive our neighbour, to help him, to see Christ in the person of the poor, the suffering, the one who is in need. By contrast to start work on a project, a mission, is quite another matter..

The second question concerning the cloistered nuns is both 'cheeky' and pertinent. Who says that St Teresa's sisters are not taking care of their neighbour? From the beginning of their cloistered life till their last breath they work for the salvation of souls, and more especially for priests (read Chapters 1 and 3 of Way of Perfection). Is it possible for the Love of Christ to be poured into the heart of a human being for the latter not to be filled with supernatural compassion for his neighbour? The condition, in fact, for a young girl's entry into a Discalced Carmelite Monastery is that she dedicate her prayer and her sacrifices to priests. Her entire life (her efforts, sufferings, sacrifices, prayers...) is oriented towards and centred on this intention. It may be better therefore to reword the question another way: 'if one of the nuns has reached 'spiritual engagement' or even 'spiritual marriage' with Christ, what then becomes her method of evangelising?' In this light, seen externally the impression given is that, enclosed between four walls, she does not do a great deal! The question as ever, then, remains: what is she doing?

Let us take as an example one of the best representatives of St Teresa's daughters, St Therese of the Child Jesus. She perfectly embodies the teaching and spirit of St Teresa of Avila. If we examine her life more closely, especially from the year 1893 to her death in 1897, what she 'does' will become eminently clear. It is true externally her life looks very simple with no great changes from 1893 onwards including that she will be responsible for the Novices, will pray especially for two priests entrusted to her prayers, and will become gravely ill of tuberculosis and die young. Her life goes unnoticed by anyone outside of the Monastery, but also by those inside it. Let us remember that after her death, the Church started her process of Beatification, with the Diocesan Process, and that when one of the nuns learned of this she said: 'Sister Therese, a saint? What did she do? Nothing!' Very true – she did not do anything remarkable, noticeable or of visible impact! But would this be St Teresa's point of view and analysis of the situation? If we read her works, or merely remember what she recommends is done in the seventh mansions, we certainly will reach a different conclusion. St Teresa, in fact, used to say (see Chapters 1 and 3 of Way of Perfection) that she wanted her nuns 'to be in such a way' that their prayers would have greater empire and influence over Christ. What does it mean to be 'in such a way'? It alludes to their transformation in the love of God. St Therese would understand what has already been mentioned above: the supernatural power of love that circulated from then on in her veins, resulted in her being able to take part directly in the action of the grace of God within the Church! An external view of the Church reveals it is composed of different distinct members. However, an internal view reveals it to be one Body, wherein the same Divine Blood (the Holy Spirit) circulates. If this life's blood in a member is blocked, the blockage is dire! The Vatican II Council, with its new awareness of the Church as Jesus's Body, clarifies this as it gives us a greater perception of what is known as the Communion of Saints. Today, therefore, we have a better understanding of sin and that one person's sin will affect not only that person and God, but it will also affect the Church. This is the reason for asking for forgiveness not only of God, but also of the Church. So then, if we allow this flow of the love of God in our heart to be deployed, or even if we increase the power of that flow, we get different results. The process is reminiscent of the action of a pump, although Therese herself uses a different comparison - the 'lever'. Concerning the action of God she says:

All the saints have understood this, and more especially those who filled the world with the light of the Gospel teachings. Was it not in prayer that St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis, St. Dominic, and so many other famous Friends of God have drawn out this divine science which delights the greatest geniuses? A scholar has said: 'Give me a lever and a fulcrum and I will lift the world.' What Archimedes was not able to obtain, for his request was not directed by God and was only made from a material viewpoint, the saints have obtained in all its fullness. The Almighty has given them as fulcrum: HIMSELF ALONE; as lever: PRAYER which burns with a fire of love. And it is in this way that they have lifted the world; it is in this way that the saints still militant lift it, and that, until the end of time, the saints to come will lift it.'(Manuscript C, end)

In order to understand more fully the 'prayer which burns with a fire of love' Therese will take another image where the Church is compared to a great body composed of different members; which member will she be? 'In the heart of the Church I will be Love' (Manuscript B) is the inevitable answer. She will not be the heart, she has been in fact transformed into 'blood'! She is so transformed in the Holy Spirit, that she becomes, by participation, the Holy Spirit (Love) himself. St John of the Cross will say something as powerful in his own incomparable way: first, 'the soul gives God (the Holy Spirit) to God (the Father)' and, 'the soul gives God to whoever she wants' (see his work Living Flame of Love). What a supreme hold the human being has on God!!

This seems to belong to another world! Only Spiritual Theology is capable of explaining to us what happens in the depths of the human heart in the transformative journey. It was a great part of St Teresa's mission to lift the veil over the world of the interior life which, while invisible to the naked eye, is very real. She offers to her readers an 'inner garden' so they can walk within it. As described in the early chapters, she could be compared entirely to Christopher Columbus the explorer of a new world, and to Diego de Ribera the cartographer. Or even closer to us, to Freud and Jung. There are indubitably entire continents to be discovered within ourselves which develop with our spiritual life! It is not because they are invisible that they do not exist. Reference to microprocessors or to nano-technologies proves this without question! They are invisible to the naked eye, but they are quite real. Like today's electronic microscopes or scanners, Spiritual Theology, a science shining with such power through St Teresa of Avila, is the right tool: it allows us to 'see' what the naked eye of Theology cannot see.

A return to details of Therese's life is pertinent here, especially to the fact that her body is prey to a terminal illness – tuberculosis. More significant, however, is the massive internal struggle occurring in her soul, especially starting from Easter of 1896 – God's introducing her into the underground world of sinners. Reflect for a moment on the beautiful passage we read every Christmas, at midnight Mass: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2) This text mentions 'the land of deep darkness' or in another translation: 'the land of the shadow of death'. But what is this 'death'? It is nothing less than separation from God! This is a terrible thought! And St Teresa says it in the Seventh Mansions where she advocates the need for great compassion for people in this state, the state of mortal sin.... people who dwell in the obscurity of the First Mansions, far from God. She is insistent about the need to remember them in our prayers and that this is a momentous act of mercy on our part. Remember, too, that many years after experiencing it, she still had a vivid impression and image in her mind of the vision from God of her place in Hell, had He not had mercy upon her!

In Therese's case here, not only does she remember these people, but she is literally introduced by God himself - as a result of a greater Love - into their world! Through the Holy Spirit, she is united to them, becoming out of her transformation in Christ the Love of God himself, being imbued in all her being by that which invades them: darkness. Here it is to be understood that only a soul who has reached the summit of the Tower (union with Christ), has the capacity (which is at this stage not hers, because she is now being moved by God) to bear the weight of that contact with darkness. And this is done out of love, by the action of the Holy Spirit, by virtue of her transformation in Christ. St Paul says it well: I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for His body, that is, the church (Colossians 1:24). We know very well that nothing is lacking in the Lord's Passion. He is the only one who is fully God and fully man, the only one who obtained salvation for all on the Cross. But, what is lacking is not salvation itself, it is the application of this salvation to more people, to those who are distant from Christ. What is lacking is discovering a charitable soul, a true Bride of Christ, who wants to communicate this salvation to her brothers, her new brothers! The magnificent understanding conveyed by St Teresa and St Therese is that Jesus does not only desire souls to become his Brides, reaching 'Union with Christ', but He also desires Brides and Mothers, Spiritual Mothers, capable of bearing new children for Him! St Paul, a man, says: My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,(Galatians 4:19), indicating that there is no single way of evangelising, of engaging in the apostolate, or of acting. On the contrary, it is of central importance, first, to enter the real laboratory of transformation and evangelisation of the Church. God allowed St Teresa to undergo the journey of growth in order to reach this goal.

From the Seventh Mansions, the Mansion of the Lord himself, a new interaction starts, that of entering into the inner depths of the human being in need of the salvation realised by Christ, he who is in need of being carried.... he for whom verbal evangelisation is insufficient. Here the focus must be on Our Lady, Mother of Jesus! Did she give voice to any remarkable words of external evangelisation? Did she have any apostolate? Has she evangelised? No. And she is the mother of us all. Her mission belongs to all Christians, and is at the reach of everybody, especially the humblest of us. She is the mother of evangelising and the mother of evangelisation. Indeed, it is fitting to say that everything starts with her and ends in her. We, too, can emulate Our Lady being enclosed within four walls, and still hold the entire world in our hands and in our heart, and yet make it turn. After all, the sun continues to rise everyday. One has only to see and to pose the question: because of whom?!

Conformity with Our Lady

“On the octave day of All Saints I spent two or three very troublesome days [...] While I was at Matins that same night, the Lord, through an intellectual vision so intense it almost seemed to be an imaginative one, placed Himself in my arms as in the painting of the fifth agony. This vision caused me great fear. For it was so clear, and He was so close to me that I wondered if it was an illusion. He told me: "Don't be surprised by this, for My Father is with your soul in an incomparably greater union."

This vision has so remained up till now. What I said of our Lord lasted more than a month. Now it is gone. (St Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Testimonies, Seville 8^th of November 1575)

By placing Himself in the arms of St Teresa, just as tradition represents Him in the hands of Our Lady in the descent from the cross (in fact the sixth sorrow of Our Lady), a real similarity between Our Lady of Compassion and St Teresa is established. We understand her fears of being deluded or misled. Herein we discover her supreme conformity with our Lady of Compassion, rarely given – it seems – with such supporting evidence in the entire history of the Church. Jesus has granted St. Teresa the grace of conformity to Our Lady's life, leading her to the fullness of the Mystery of Our Lady. The last statement above could mean that this grace lasted an entire month, in which case this could be the longest Marian grace St Teresa received. Initially on 22^nd of July 1572 St Teresa had requested the Lord to allow her to take the place of Mary Magdalen at the foot of the cross. Here Christ is giving her infinitely more.... the place of his mother.

St Teresa would not mention any other Marian grace after this one. Was it because this was unsurpassable? It is noteworthy that this grace was received three years after the grace of Spiritual Marriage, which rooted St Teresa in the Spiritual Maternity of Our Lady, in her compassion for Christ's Body, dead as it was. Also, more trials would occur in her life, beginning a month later when she received the order from her superiors to stop founding more monasteries and to retire in one of them. At the same time the Inquisition paid a visit to Teresa in the Seville monastery after a denunciation by an ex-novice. It was the beginning of a great storm hitting her reformed order. Then too, St John of the Cross was kidnapped and imprisoned. To make matters worse, the discalced had now to submit to the orders of the Calced Carmelites. In a word, her entire new world, in one fell swoop, seemed to collapse – Teresa was certainly living her 'motherhood' in a painful way. Being the woman she was at that junction however, she would show a great deal of patience and strength, moving heaven and earth in order to save her reform and fulfil her God-given mission. This mission would be almost completed at the Chapter at Alcalà (beginning of March 1581) that consecrated the autonomy of her Reformation. During this month, echoing some words heard interiorly in 1572 (see below), Teresa said: I can speak like Simeon, because I saw in the Order of Our Lady the realisation of what I wished (Letter 361, March 1581).

On another day the Lord told me this: "Do you think, daughter, that merit lies in enjoyment? No, rather it lies in working and suffering and loving. Haven't you heard that St. Paul rejoiced in heavenly joys only once and that he suffered often. Look at my whole life filled with suffering, and only in the incident on Mount Tabor do you hear about my joy. When you see My Mother holding Me in her arms, don't think she enjoyed those consolations without heavy torment. From the time Simeon spoke those words to her, My Father gave her clear light to see what I was to suffer. The great saints who lived in deserts, since they were guided by God, performed severe penances; and besides this, they waged great battle with the devil and with themselves. They spent long periods without any spiritual consolation. Believe, daughter, that My Father gives greater trials to anyone whom He loves more; and love responds to these. How can I show you greater love than by desiring for you what I have desired for Myself? Behold these wounds, for your sufferings have never reached this point. Suffering is the way of truth. By this means you will help me weep over the loss of those who follow the way of the world, and you will understand that all your desires, cares, and thoughts must be employed in how to do the opposite." (St Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Testimonies, Probably Avila, 1572)

135: St Teresa of Avila 14/16: God's Entrepreneur

There is one aspect of St Teresa's life that is usually rarely addressed by commentators: her Foundations. After having embarked on the spiritual journey, rich in its promise of forthcoming graces, St Teresa felt the call to found a monastery - San José of Avila - where a style of life would be established more in harmony with this new fervent spiritual life, done in order to promote, support and protect it. Encouraged by its success, and certainly guided by the Lord and his Mother, not to mention St Joseph, with the agreement of the ecclesiastical authorities, she started a long series of foundations of other monasteries in Spain – a staggering total of seventeen monasteries. These monasteries were replicas of the first one. When viewed objectively, this outstanding endeavour and the way she achieved it, never fails to profoundly impress. Teresa's action here was backed superbly by her spirit of faith, her practical sense and skill in implementing a project, and last but by no means least, the purity of her vision.

Bearing this in mind a modern expression presents itself to define this facet of St Teresa - 'God's entrepreneur'. The Saint fits this definition of herself most aptly if one considers the imposing number of her foundations realised in a very short space of time, especially given the difficulties and restrictions of her time (see 'Important dates' at the beginning of the book). One cannot fail to be impressed! Even more impressive is the impact on the modern-day reader who might be tempted to make some farsighted observations, namely, that there might be some profound relevance in her undertakings for our time which could do with further exploration, and that Teresa possessed a revolutionary view of economical crisis, of transformation in the world and the market place. Often Christians find a certain difficulty when dealing with money issues and riches, even with enterprise. Money seems to have a negative stain on it. This difficulty is certainly more present amongst Catholics than Protestants, our brothers from the protestant denominations being more flexible and uninhibited vis à vis these questions. But this observation does not infer that she accumulated huge sums of money, or that she made her monasteries wealthy, but on the contrary it alludes to something quite different: the method she used in order to acquire the monasteries; how she ensured they were run in a 'viable' way; the use she made of certain virtues; her vision and her managerial skills. Surely, as the evidence will show, this cannot fail to inspire!

As alien as it might seem, to be interested in 'management' and 'enterprise' is nonetheless pertinent. First of all let us examine the concept that 'mysticism' and 'action' are contradictory. Quite the contrary. Some may think that mystics are distracted, clumsy, with their heads in the clouds, and that they lack a practical sense. However, St Teresa's life and the life of a multitude of other mystics make a mockery of this. It would be even more relevant to observe that an authentic mystic has a superior fruitfulness or fecundity compared to a half-heartedly spiritual person. Indubitably, as mentioned in a previous chapter, this can only happen provided that we are in the presence of a healthy mysticism and not a deviation of it, a deviation that concentrates more and gives more credit to extraordinary phenomena - that are only for the very few and the ones who have special missions in the Church.

For the authentic mystic, then, the more spiritual they become the more they are transformed in Christ, and the more their actions are guided and inspired by Christ and 'co-moved' by Him. Inevitably the achievements of this individual become God's achievements, which would definitely not be the case for less spiritual people. This seems to be a paradox: having to get closer to God in order to become more fruitful. But this is not only normal, but it is a definite requirement. If the choice is made to spend time in daily prayer more frequently, the greater the opportunity becomes not only to enter into God but also to place ourselves into His Hands and improve his action in us and through us. As a natural consequence, for obviously material interest would be the last thing to inform our prayers, there would be greater clarity about what we are supposed to do and much time and energy would be saved! Ironically this fact seems to escape notice for many! The true reason for this is to be found in another area altogether, namely, the individual is not yet ready to have a personal relationship with Christ, and in consequence, completely fails to recognise the role they would play in a spiritual life, whereas, in fact the goal of this relationship is to be nourished by no less a Being than Christ Himself. The astounding secret is embodied in Christ himself! No matter the amount of searching undertaken, it is always to Christ that we return! Christ is both the starting point and also the heart of everything – He is both Alpha and Omega!

Now, a return to a closer look at the reality of St Teresa's life would illustrate this amply: her being 'God's entrepreneur'. Here it would be advantageous to adhere to this idea of entrepreneurship and to examine it in greater depth. It has therefore to be acknowledged that everything she achieved was the offshoot of a spirit of enterprise, and that, more precisely, it is poverty that is the fundamental characteristic of her foundations. Not only this, but an additional characteristic of her monasteries is work and economical time-management. The spiritual person does work! But he does it peacefully. If there is a distaste for work, then there is no place in the individual's life for St.Teresa's spirituality and the understanding of doing the will of God. The truly spiritual person accepts 'time' as an extraordinary gift from God, and understands that all that personal time belongs to God and not to idleness. It is opportune to remember, here, that idleness is the mother of all vices, a fact that monks constantly recall. This does not lead, however, to a frenetic race with time, but rather to a harmonious combination of work while being connected to the Holy Spirit, so that each moment is imbued with the ever-present incarnation of Christ.

It is important to work while being 'in God's hands', in the peace of Christ. In spiritual life the fact of being there 'for God', and 'for God alone', commands the entire action - our entire life - and in that there is definitely no room for stress and no need for anxiety. This is the heart of Teresa's enterprise! It was from God that she received this precious guidance, God who taught her the real meaning of life, life with Him – aptly depicted, the reader will recall, in the opening chapters of this book. It is Christ himself who is the real entrepreneur. Christ, in fact, succinctly expresses this in the Gospel when he says: 'the Father acts all the time”, and 'the Son sees what the Father does, and he does the same'. As we can see, mysticism is like an open window onto the 'CEO' (God) whom we 'see' (contemplate) incessantly. He is a 'CEO' whom we love, who died for us, who is our whole world, our All, our Spouse! This formula is unique! The business world, in fact, might do well to take a leaf out of Teresa's book and adopt this mode of action, the sole proviso being to start with Christ and a personal relationship with Him! However, to do so requires detachment from self-interest, from personal ambitions and goals. It is advisable then to take time, and with as much introspection as possible to allow ourselves to become so imbued with Christ and his Way, that our thirst for Him will so increase as to meet His thirst for us. It is absolutely crucial that we realise, here, that Christ cannot be approached in order to promote certain ambitions or goals, or with a particular wish or intention in mind. Indeed not! Christ is approached for the sake of Christ and Christ alone, unconditionally, with purity of intent and no ulterior motive whatsoever - without restriction of any kind! Without the grace of God it is impossible to follow Christ with purity of heart and mind!

The grace of God is at the centre of the secret entrusted to us by St.Teresa. It is widely assumed that it was she who wished to found the monasteries that she did, that she was a woman of action and enterprise... while, in fact, she clearly states in her writings that she doubted, that she had fears! There were, undoubtedly many obstacles she had to face. Humanly speaking, she stood a greater chance of failing and remaining in her monastery than to travel so widely in Spain in order to create her foundations. Remember, too, that she was a woman, a 'mystic' (therefore suspect), and that the Spain of Teresa's time saw the Church in serious combat with the Protestant Reformation and the damaging effects it unleashed through endorsing the personal interpretation of the Scriptures. Not only this, but there were also the' Alumbrados' (the Enlightened) proliferating throughout the country, resulting in extreme vigilance by the ecclesiastical authorities, the Inquisition, as it was to become known. Bearing this in mind, from a human standpoint it cannot be denied that it would have been impossible for her to succeed!

How then did she succeed? Her secret is simple: the Lord and his holy Mother assured her in more than one vision that the reformation of her religious order, the Carmelites, would take place and that she would see it prosper before she died. This vision was confirmed by her spiritual director and by the following authorisation by her superior who gave her permission to found monasteries 'as many hairs as she had on her head'. This is the secret of her foundations! All the rest was irrelevant and transitory! God alone knows how much she must have suffered, how many obstacles she undoubtedly encountered. It is impossible to conceive of her embarking on the plan of founding so many monasteries, had she not had the sure and certain conviction that the order was being issued by God himself! After all, in the grand scheme of things who was Teresa – a mere insignificant human being!

It would be of interest to investigate whether she had any means of human support: maybe a good network of acquaintances, friends or if she even gained entry into the royal palace, or had material means and an innate business acumen. In reality we know she had as many well-wishers as she had in opposition to her. The latter were not actively or in a literal sense anti Teresa, but rather they were in a position to create obstacles so that her progress was slowed down and the momentum interrupted. Ironically these people did not have The Saint's beliefs, endorsed as they were by all her visions, her beliefs being inconceivable to those who did not have the supernatural spirit of faith, who were unaware of the action of God in us. Significantly, when it is impossible to see beyond the events unfolding before one, many obstacles could manifest themselves. For Teresa, however, her guiding light was ever in heaven! If God lead her to understand that a particular desire she felt originated with Him, it was tantamount to God saying to the Saint: 'It is I, the Lord your God, who desires it!' It follows then that whatever God desires He is capable of bringing about. What is astounding, however, is that He needs us in order to do so.

Once Teresa took her decision with great resolve to obey God, and after having received the confirmation from her confessor, obstacles would emerge inexplicable or not, from every direction, but this for Teresa was proof positive that the Devil was becoming enraged and that it was the hand of God that was guiding her actions. Accordingly she just stood by, observed events, followed the Lord and contributed her part without too much interference. One can interpret this in ways without number. Although everyone around her had doubts – even herself, her human weakness creating these within her – her belief in Christ with His hand on the helm of events never wavered. She knew in the very core of her being that if God willed something, He was entirely capable of realising it, not without obstacles – decidedly not – but despite and through obstacles! This embodies the very reason, as we have said above, for her considering that one had to act with purity, namely, that one knew one's place, listened, followed and obeyed God's will! It is very easy to have our own personal vision of how things progress, but one enters another league completely when following the vision of God! If God allows the existence of obstacles, it is because we human beings have our own part to play in God's work! He dislikes working alone, preferring our collaboration, which cannot be termed as interference simply because He desires us to participate. Even if St Teresa's role in the Foundations is very small, they could not have materialised without her and without all the individuals who played a role in bringing them into being! The Foundations, the Reformation of the Carmelite Order were primarily Our Lady's concern: everyone who contributed did it for Her, and without a doubt it pleased Christ enormously, Christ who appreciates anything done for his Mother.

Taking this viewpoint into consideration, and expressing it in plain, unadulterated terms – the real 'boss' of Carmelite Order is Our Lady ! In many monasteries founded by Her, indeed, one can see in the Prioress' seat, not the Prioress herself but a statue of Our Lady! This viewpoint was actually supported by a vision received by St Teresa, where Our Lady assured her that all the prayers accomplished in the Choir by the nuns were presented to Christ by the Blessed Virgin herself. Having Our Lady's statue in the Prioress's place of honour can now be seen as anything but an act of devotion. On the contrary, it is something infinitely greater: it represents Our Lady herself who leads and guides us, and who is the one who presents all our prayers to the Lord. Not only this, but with Our Lady we have evidence of the greatness of Her tender love for St Joseph, coming from a personal experience of his presence and action in her life. She considers him as a Master of Mental Prayer, who together with the Mother of God, silently teaches us how to practise it. St. Joseph constantly watched over St Teresa's spiritual life and never neglected her material needs.

Each monastery is founded on a fervent spiritual life and on a total radical gift of oneself! This involves to this day a practice of detachment, real poverty, as well as evidence of great poverty in the outward trappings of the order, for example, in its buildings, cells, down to even the belongings of the community. Any ornamentation is decisively excluded, and this at all levels. The nuns are there for God and only for God. This provides ample evidence of the reduction in the needs of the nuns, even though it still remains necessary for them to work. But work does not have the upper hand: this is the prerogative of Christ and the life of prayer. Their work ethic is simple: one does not live in order to work. Rather one works to provide for material needs! The place of prayer in the life of the Carmelite nuns remains all-absorbing. They work, admittedly, but with intelligence and common sense offering only saleable products. However, their overriding and total support is found in the Providence of God! It is this delicate but fundamental combination, coming from above, that is the driving force for everything! Yes, today's world can learn this method of 'management'. It presupposes, however, the existence of a great 'poverty of spirit'!

All the nuns' lives, then, are geared towards Christ as has been noted. Without Him, their life would be a true prison for anybody, because in the monastery on a daily basis every action performed by the nuns has Christ as the reference point. This is why mentioning 'enterprise' and 'entrepreneurial spirit' tends to be misplaced! It is true to say that considering what St Teresa achieved, her spirit and her methods are certainly challenging, pertinent and inspirational, especially in today's world which is sinking into a deep economical crisis and is in search of a set of criteria for a healthy new economy.

St Teresa considers, as much as is humanly possible, that her monasteries are a slice of Paradise on earth, places where all Christ's Law is put into practice, where Christ not only dwells but is consoled and loved. The only master of these monasteries is Christ, and the world's master - money - is banned from their precincts!

Finally, it would be a healthy exercise to ask ourselves these questions: do we believe that God is capable of helping us to live by his Providence alone ? Do we abide by what the Lord says in the Gospel, instead of concerning ourselves about our clothing or our food, or is our prime concern to incarnate His kingdom here on earth? Can we watch the fields in their beauty and trust that God will cover us with a greater beauty? Can we radically live the Gospel of dependency on the Providence of God ? Is our economy capable of changing its principles? Instead of greed, the pursuit of riches, would it not be possible to apply the simple principle of placing in first place the search for the Lord in all purity and with radical determination? Only by trying His way will we discover the truth of Christ's' words!

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Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. (John 5:19-20)

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:1-11)