This morning we had a low Mass for St. Teresa of Avila.
So once again thanks to Fr. Briggs Hurley for introducing more opportunities to attend the TLM in the parish.
I believe that he must have a devotion to St. Teresa of Avila considering the number of times I have heard him reference her in his homilies.
Yesterday at Mass he brought up what she considered her third obstacle to growing in the spiritual life, self-reliance. He then referenced a practice he had currently started as an examination of conscience to daily reflect on how much he relied on himself over God. The last line of his homily was something like, “how much was me over we.”
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During the homily today he referenced how the TLM was still in a state of flux in our diocese. In answer to this he simply said Teresa’s bookmark prayer.
Let nothing disturb you;
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God.
God alone suffices.
Amen to that.
This is the reason St. Teresa of Avila’s My Pillow business never took off.
“Never affirm anything unless you are sure it is true.” (“The Complete Works St. Teresa of Jesus, trans., E. Allison Peers, vol. 3 (New York: Burns and Oates, 2002), 256.”)
In regards to her advice:
This quote is just as accurate as the “Christ has no body but yours” in that she said neither.
The Institute of Carmelite Studies in Washington, DC, which translates, edits, and publishes the works of Saint Teresa, when asked about it said that the passage does not come from the writings of the saint, or from oral tradition of her sayings. No, Saint Whoever did not actually say that
While I am debunking quotes attributed to her.
“When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!”
From Trent Horn’s “What the Saints Never Said.”
“This is a common saying that was included in a book about saintly wisdom. One of that book’s chapters refers to St. Teresa’s The Way of Perfection, in which she said, “In order to disturb the soul and keep it from enjoying these great blessings, the devil will suggest to it a thousand false fears.” She then encouraged her fellow nuns to pray for those who seemed to be blessed, because “No one can be safe in this life amid the engulfing dangers of this stormy sea.”29
In Saintly Solutions to Life’s Common Problems, Fr. Joseph Esper wrote, “St. Teresa of Avila reminds you that the devil will try to upset you by suggesting a thousand false fears … laugh at the absurdity of the situation: Satan, the epitome of sin itself, accuses you of unworthiness. Furthermore, as the saying goes [not a saying of St. Teresa], “When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!”30”
