Episode Transcript  

One

Biography

Today is the feast of St. Teresa of Avila. Along with St. John of the Cross, she is one of the most important teachers of the spiritual life. She was born in Spain in 1515 and died in 1582. When Teresa was seven, she talked her cousin into running away from home to be martyred by Muslims. Her uncle caught them at the edge of town and brought them back. 

Her mother died when she was fourteen, so she took Mary as her mom. Then, at twenty, she entered the Carmelite monastery of the Incarnation in Avila. At twenty-two, she experienced an illness that paralyzed her for three years. In the end, she turned to St. Joseph, who obtained for her a miraculous healing. She writes, “I took for my advocate and lord the glorious St. Joseph and earnestly recommended myself to him…I don't recall up to this day ever having petitioned him for anything that he failed to grant…For with other saints, it seems the Lord has given them grace to be of help in one need, whereas with this glorious saint I have experience that he helps in all our needs and that the Lord wants to us understand that just as He was subject to St. Joseph on earth -- for since bearing the title of father, being the Lord's tutor, Joseph could give the Child command -- so in heaven God does whatever he commands.”

Two

The need for mental prayer

The biggest problem Teresa faced was that the nuns in the convent were kept so busy that there was no time for deeper prayer, and there was no one to teach them how to go deeper. So, Jesus appeared to her and taught her how to have a deep friendship with Him in mental prayer (otherwise known as meditation). Teresa later wrote that mental prayer, “is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.”

Mental prayer is a conversation with God in which we speak to Him from the heart and tell Him whatever we are thinking and feeling. But if it’s going to be a two-way conversation, we need to listen to God. 

How do we do that? Read or listen to something from the Word of God found in Scripture or Tradition, that is, the writings of the saints, or the teaching of the Church. But if we stop there, it is almost useless. We need time to think about the Word or God, reflect on it, and ask ourselves, “Am I living this or not? If not, what is preventing me? And what am I going to do about this?” 

Jesus said that it is not enough to hear the Word of God, we must do it, put it into practice. So, every meditation must end with a resolution. Choose something practical and concrete from the meditation to put into practice that day. 

The purpose of prayer is not to change God. Prayer is for us to change, and we will only change if we follow all the steps, listen to the Word of God, think, see the gap between how we live and what Jesus is saying, then make the choice, the resolution to put it into practice, and then do it. Only then will we change. 

Three

Are we engaging our minds when we pray?

The basic problem in life is that disordered feelings control us: anger, fear, anxiety, lust, pride, and so on. But God designed the soul differently. The intellect should see the truth, the feelings should respond, and the will should choose. Thinking should determine behavior, not feelings.

Mental prayer fixes this. In mental prayer, we think about the word of God and then choose to act on it. By thinking and acting, the feelings become ordered toward God.

This is why the great Teresa of Avila could say that mental prayer is the infallible means of transformation. Without it, Jesus cannot change us, because we are not cooperating with Him. With it, He transforms the whole person, mind, heart, and will, until Christ Himself is the Master.

Four

Teresa tells us there are two essential traits we need to grow closer to God 

The first is to want God more than any good thing in this world.

The rich young man in the Gospels fascinated Teresa. Outwardly, he had everything: success, obedience to the commandments, and even the desire for eternal life. But he loved his wealth more than he loved Christ, and so he went away sad.

To reach the goal of life, transforming union with Jesus, we must desire Him above all else. If there is any created good we love more than God, we must accept the purification, even the loss of that good, so that we can possess Him perfectly. We must say with Teresa, “Let Your will be done in me in every way” (Life 11, 12).

Five

The second condition for growth is courage

Teresa insists on this again and again. She writes, “Have great confidence, for it is necessary not to hold back one's desire to be a saint, but to believe in God that if we try we shall little by little, even though it may not be soon, reach the state the saints did with His help. For if they had never determined to desire and seek this state little by little in practice, they would never have mounted so high. His Majesty wants this determination, and He is a friend of courageous souls if they walk in humility and without trusting in self.” (Life 13, 1-3).

Courage is the willingness to sacrifice lesser things for the sake of greater. The rich young man was a coward because he sacrificed the greatest thing, Jesus, for the much lesser, his wealth and comfort. 

Teresa said, “I marvel at how important it is to be courageous in striving for great things along this path.” (Life 11, 11).

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