Today, October 15
Feast of the Day
No feast of the day
Saint of the Day
Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, and died in 1582. Of the many women who have exercised leadership roles in the Church, Teresa must surely be considered among the greatest.
When she entered the Carmelite convent, some thought Teresa was a spoiled young woman with an unremarkable prayer life. She soon advanced in prayer, experiencing visions and hearing voices. Dissatisfied with the laxity she perceived among religious, she determined to institute reforms and established St Joseph's Convent where enclosure and a strict rule prevailed. With the assistance of Peter of Alcantara and John of the Cross, Teresa succeeded in founding the reformed (Discalced) Carmelite orders of nuns and friars.
Teresa wrote several works which are considered classics of spiritual literature, including The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. A great mystic, and a strong, intelligent and active leader, Teresa was canonized in 1622 and in 1970 became the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church. She is patroness of Spain.
©2011 Living with Christ, Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/. Reprinted with permission.
Readings of the Day
Letter to the Ephesians 1,1-10.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are (in Ephesus) faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
Psalms 98(97),1.2-3ab.3cd-4.5-6.
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11,47-54.
The Lord said: “Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute' in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter." When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
Daily Reflection
Cain and Abel both appeared to worship God with exactly the same rites, but in reality they made their offerings with very different dispositions. Those of the elder only seemed like a gift whereas those of the younger bore witness to his reverence and piety. From this arose feelings of jealousy..., and so Abel was murdered (Gen 4,3f.)... In holy Abel I find the image of Christ. For indeed, our Savior is the supremely Righteous One... But amongst all the men of the Old Covenant Abel was the prince of righteousness... Besides, our Savior himself placed Abel at the head of the line of all the righteous when he said to the Jews: “Amen, I tell you, the blood of all the righteous shed since the beginning of the world will be charged to this generation, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar”... Here is a wonderful thing: because he was the first to fight for justice, Abel had the honor of being the first to suffer for his piety. He is a true prefiguration of Christ who was put to death for truth's sake. The blood of Abel foretold the blood of Christ: it cried out from the earth (Gen 4,10). Our Lord's blood cries out too; but the blood of Abel was a supplication, the blood of Christ the reconciliation of the world... That is why the apostle Paul, recalling both of them, confesses the superiority of Christ's blood. He writes: “We have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel” (Heb 12,22-24)... Yes, this blood speaks: it prays for sinners, intercedes for the world. The blood of Christ is truly for the purification of the world; the blood of Christ is our redemption.