Ephesians 1:15-23 / Luke 12:8-12
Paul prays for Christians: May God enlighten your innermost vision.
An old Dakota cowboy told a newsman, “It’s going to be
a fine day. If geese were flying closer together, we’d have bad weather.” The
cowboy went on to say that he could predict weather better than electronic
equipment. “You must use your eyes and look at God’s radar. Furry calves mean
early winter; hairy caterpillars signal hard winter; gophers nestling in
prairie grass mean rain.” Then the old cowboy paused and mused, “Sometimes, I
think we don’t see anymore.” This can also be said about modern Christians when
it comes to their spiritual vision. It’s the grace Paul prays that the
Ephesians will receive.
****
How clear is our own spiritual vision? “Nothing here
below is profane for those who know how to see. On the contrary, everything is
sacred.” Teilhard de Chardin
****
Saint
Teresa of Jesus (Ávila)
Feast day October 15
St.
Teresa of Ávila was the founder of the Discalced Carmelites, which was a reform
movement within the Carmelite Order. In her work of reform, she worked very
closely with St. John of the Cross. She wrote several important works,
including her autobiography, Life of Teresa of Avila, and her most
influential work, The Interior Castle, in which she talks about the
mystical life in terms of seven mansions. These mansions show the growth in
intimacy between the believer and God. St. Teresa was the first woman ever to
be declared a Doctor of the Church (1970).
***
The term blasphemy may be
generally defined as anything from defiant irreverence to intentional
sacrilegious acts. Hence it can mean acts like cursing God or wilfully
degrading things relating to God. It can also be attributing some evil to God,
or denying Him some good that should be attributed to Him. Yet we believe that
God is love and forgiveness and He will forgive us even if we had committed the
most heinous sin. So what did Jesus mean when He said that "he who
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven"?
The purpose of this phrase was to strengthen the disciples in the face of
persecution and to deter them from falling into apostasy (giving up the faith)
out of cowardice or doubt. It was also meant as an admonition - a sin can only be
unforgivable if repentance is impossible. So in other words, it is not whether
God will forgive; it is a question of whether we want to repent or not.
Because along with repentance is also the trust in God's love and mercy and
forgiveness. To be able to declare that is to stand before others and witness
to God and all that He has done for us.
***
Teresa Cepeda de Ahumada was born in Avila, Old Castille, some 50 miles N.W. of Madrid (Spain). At 20, she read the letters of St Jerome before joining the Carmelites, regarding it as the safest way to salvation, albeit without her father’s consent. “Prayer is the doorway to great graces; if this door is closed, I do not see how God can bestow any graces!” During ill health, she practiced mental prayer, and the Confessions of St Augustine inspired her to give herself unreservedly to God. For in many religious houses of that day discipline had become rather relaxed, what with frequent visitors providing worldly distractions. “Prayer and self-indulgence do not go together!” she was wont to say.
Our Lord repeatedly spoke to her, even as a seraph pierced her heart (Transverberation, 1559), and she experienced the spiritual espousal. Extrovert by nature and affectionate of disposition, Teresa had the ability to adapt herself quite easily to all kinds of people, places and circumstances.
In 1561 our Lord commanded her to reform the Carmelite Order. Then 46 years of age, during the remaining 21 years of her life she was able, despite violent opposition, to found 17 convents of discalced Carmelite nuns and 15 monasteries for friars under the severe, unmitigated rule of the Order. Under due obedience to her superiors Teresa wrote her life story “The Way of Perfection”, “The Interior Castle” and “Conception of the Love of God”. Canonized in 1622, she was declared ‘Doctor of the Church' in 1970.
***
All parts of the readings today call upon us to contemplate our relationship with Christ and His power for those who believe. The Gospel today is as relevant as it was 2,000 years ago.
In it, we have Jesus going up
to Jerusalem, where, as we all know, is crucified for our sins and ultimately
triumphs over death.
Like the disciples, we today
have a choice to make. At this point in the Gospel, the disciples do not know
what awaits them in Jerusalem. The same can be said of us in our daily lives
today.
They are assured that through
faith in Him, the Holy Spirit can be drawn upon for wisdom and knowledge. I ask
myself the question, have I made the final complete commitment to Christ?
Am I ready for the trials? In
our current times we have our own “rulers and authorities” that will test my
faith. In my own experience I find those who are the biggest challenge to my
faith are often friends, family, and neighbors. So, I try to go about living my
faith without embarrassment as a disciple of Christ. Hopefully I am a good
witness to his truth. I’m guaranteed “the Holy Spirit” will teach if I’m open
and discerning.
"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." — St. Thomas Aquinas
Let us pray: God our steadfast hope, St.
Ignatius of Antioch knew that in his martyrdom he identified with your Son,
Jesus. Like Jesus, he was planted as a
grain of wheat in the furrows of the earth.
Let them grow from his death an abundant harvest of a new humanity. Give your people strength to follow him so
that our love and deep faith may bring life and joy to many. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
