St. Teresa of Jesus
Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM
St. Teresa of Jesus
St. Teresa has much to teach us. She ran away from home hoping that someone would catch her and kill her!
She was a young girl, still a child when she did this . . . hoping that she would go straight to Heaven. Not many people young or old think this way.
Her life was marked with a burning desire for eternal life. Wow! Think about that statement for a moment. Do we live our lives this way? Do we have a burning desire for eternal life? Is it not the hope of all Christians for eternal life with Jesus? Yet, do we live our lives with burning desire?
One of the great things that St. Teresa teaches us . . . is desire is not enough!
Today’s Gospel should be familiar to most. I am the vine and you are the branches. Without the vine, the branch is nothing. Teresa’s life is evident in this Gospel. God gives Teresa a gift. He gives her a vision. If she continued on her present course, she would not achieve the eternal life she had hoped for in Heaven. Understand what it meant for St. Teresa and what she did next.
Hear about her teaching for all Christians!
The Right to Life
The Homily speaks of St. Teresa, and introduces the Novena that was held on The Right To Life after the Mass.
Understand why the Church honors St. Teresa as a saint and a doctor of the Church. Listen to this Meditation piece.
Return to Meditation Media
St. Teresa of Jesus : Italian Artist and Painter: Peter Paul Rubens: 1615
Additional artwork from this artist may be found here. The second image is from the Church window from the Convent of St. Teresa (in Ávila, Spain).
St. Teresa of Jesus
