Dear All
I just heard that the Tablet will be publishing an article I submitted to announce the beginning of the Teresian year. It should be hitting the newsstands tomorrow but in the meantime here is an extract as a sneak preview...
Happy Anniversary Teresa!
best
Peter
Teresa
of Avila: Doctor for our Troubled Times
A day of reflection based on the texts of Teresa of Avila
organised by Oxford University earlier this year attracted an astonishing array
of people of all ages, class and perspective – Christian and non-Christian,
atheist and believer. As we opened up the fascinating treasures of her writing
to this mixed group one woman confided to me: ‘Teresa’s time has come!’ I think
she was right. There is something in Teresa’s language, style and approach that
seems peculiarly right for our own times. October 15th marks the
beginning of the ‘Teresian year’ in celebration of the Spanish saint’s birth in
Avila in March 1515 which will be celebrated across the whole world and
especially within the Carmelite family. This anniversary gives us a chance to
look back at 500 years of her influence and assess the gifts this remarkable
woman has given the church.
Teresa has always been held in special esteem by
the British. Some of the first translations of her works were made into English
and she very quickly found a place in the heart of British Catholics. After the
restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in the 19th Century, and the
re-translation of her works, she once again found an appreciative audience
beyond the Catholic community, most famously when George Eliot referenced her
in the Preface to Middlemarch. Since then
other writers (especially women), ranging from Vita Sackville-West to Julia
Kristeva, have admired and written commentaries on her works. So what is it
about this woman who has inspired Christians and non-Christians alike for half
a millennium? Well, first there is the woman herself. From her own memorable
accounts of her life and reform of the Carmelite order in ‘the Book of the
Life’ and ‘the Book of the Foundations’ to the written testimonies of friends,
foes and co-workers, the picture that emerges of Teresa is of a witty,
engaging, infuriating and indomitable force of nature. Born and bred on the
wild windswept Castilian mountains she grew up to take on kings and prelates
alike in the pursuit of her one abiding aim – to provide space (her ‘little
dovecotes’) within which her sisters could seek God in contemplation whilst the
storms and upheavals of the Reformation swept over Europe. Indeed, she is one
of those rare religious figures who seem to transcend the categories of their
time and space and become semi-mythical, universal figures for all peoples and
all times. A recent survey suggested that half the memorable sayings attributed
to her (including the one beloved by the British: ‘I have no hands and feet now
only yours’) are in fact apocryphal...
...As I said
at the beginning, the British have always held Teresa close to their hearts and
this quincentenary year will be marked by extensive celebrations of the life,
work and influence of the remarkable Castilian. The party begins on 15th
October with mass at the Carmelite Church, Kensington, attended by the Spanish
Ambassador to the Court of St James and ends a year later on 17th
October at the British cradle of Carmel – Aylesford in Kent. In between there
will be pilgrimages, colloquia, retreats and academic conferences – details of
which can be found on the Teresa 500 Website on www.teresaofavila.org.
Most importantly, though, I hope you will take this time to re-read the wise
words of this great Mother of Carmel –
one of the greatest gifts of the Church to the world and an inspiration and
hope to us all in a world once again in flames. Such an encounter
with Teresa has changed the lives of innumerable souls over the past
500 years and I have no doubt that this year of birthday celebrations will see
more people whose lives will be transformed by this ‘crazy, wild woman of
Avila’. Happy Birthday Teresa!
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