Saint Teresa of Ávila, Virgin and Doctor – Readings
Commentary on Romans 8:22-27; Psalm 18; John 15:1-8
In the First Reading from the Letter to the Romans Paul reflects on his mystical experience of knowing Christ. They parallel the experiences that Teresa also had:
…we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Like Paul, she wanted to be in the image of God’s incarnate Son.
At the same time, her experience is one of longing for something that has not yet been fully realised. It is a time for faith and trust and for hope. As Paul says:
For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Ultimately, our salvation is one of hope, but it is hope based on confidence in the reliability of God’s Word.
And, when we are feeling less confident, then it is:
…the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought…
And Paul makes the striking statement:
…that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.
Teresa knew all about this. Her attachment to Jesus knew no limits, but like many of the greatest mystics, she had her times of desert—what her companion John of the Cross called the “dark night of the soul”. If even the saints had this experience, we cannot expect anything different. But we need to realise, as they did, that when Jesus seems furthest away is often the time when he is closest to us. This is the time of our testing. As Teresa liked to say: “It is love alone that gives worth to all things.”
The Gospel reading is from Jesus’ discourse at the Last Supper which we find in John. It is from Chap 15 where Jesus speaks of himself as the True Vine. While he himself is the Vine, it is his Father who is the Vinegrower. Jesus’ followers are the branches on the vine. Branches which produce no fruit will be cut off and while branches which do bear fruit will be pruned in order to increase their yield.
It is clear that, if we are to remain united with Christ, we must lead fruitful lives. Others are to benefit from the way we lead our Christian life. Elsewhere Jesus had told his disciples that they were to be “the salt of the earth”, to be “a city built on a hill”, to be “a lamp [that] gives light to all in the house”. Again, he had said it was no use accepting God’s gifts and then carefully burying them in the ground. They are to be used for the benefit of other people.
But even in the case of those who are ‘fruitful’, there will always be need of some ‘pruning’. Some form of penance and self-denial is a central part of the fruitful Christian’s life. This penance may be self-chosen or it may come in the course of our daily lives. These are not meant to punish us, but rather to purify our intentions and make us more effective in spreading the spirit of the Gospel among other people.
Jesus also emphasises in this image, the importance of our being totally united with him. That means we accept entirely his Way of life and try to make it our own. Only then will we have something to share with others:
Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
We need to realise that:
Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
On the contrary:
If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
And the reason is, when we live in Christ, his will and our will coincide.
Finally, it is by leading truly fruitful lives that we will give glory to God. Words of adoration alone will not be enough.
We see all this fitting so well into the life of Teresa. Her whole life was to be deeply united with her Lord. She was indeed a living branch on the vine. She experienced pruning in the many challenges and difficulties she met in reforming the Carmelite Order, not to mention the life of penance and austerity which were a feature of her convents.
But she was fruitful also in the influence she had on drawing others into living their lives at such a high level of commitment. This was shown by the large number of convents which were founded in her own country and eventually all over the world.