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We honor the first female Doctor of the Church today: Saint Teresa of Avila

      Today we celebrate the Feast of one of the two first women Doctors of the Church Saint Teresa of Avila who accomplished so much in reforming the Carmelites. The other saint who was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970 was Saint Catherine of Siena. Tomorrow is the Twenty-eighth Friday and the Feasts of Saint Hedwig, wife, mother and religious, and Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin, religious and mystic messenger. For today and tomorrow's liturgies, meditations and vignettes on these saints, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY

Thursday October 15:
Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, Virgin, Religious and Doctor of the Church

White vestments

First Reading: Ephesians 1: 1-10
Psalms: Psalm 98: 1-6
Gospel Reading: Luke 11: 47-54

      Probably no religious reformed the Church more than the great Saint Teresa of Avila who was born of Jewish descent in Avila, Spain on October 4, 1515 as Teresa de Cepeda y de Ahumada. Teresa was educated by the Augustinian nuns but at the age of 17 she was forced to leave the convent because of ill health. Regaining her strength she succumbed for a short time to the world and the wealth of Spain which was regaling in the golden age of riches garnered from the New World and the many superb spiritual treatises emanating from Spain. Teresa, like Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Anthony, longed to become a missionary and receive the crown of martyrdom at the hands of the heathen Moors. But this faded from memory as she regained her strength and gave into vanity and the distractions of the world, the flesh and the devil. It was while reading the writings of Saint Jerome that she realized the error of her ways and sought to become a Carmelite nun at the Monastery of the Incarnation in Avila in 1535. Shortly after her profession in 1537, she again became ill and was dispatched for treatment in 1538. Two years later she returned but remained an invalid for several years. After nearly 20 years as a nun she was greatly touched by the Confessions of Saint Augustine, in particular his description of the image Ecce Homo and dedicated the rest of her life to prayer and reform of the Carmelites. During the two years of 1556 and 57 Teresa experienced mystic occurrences with visions and locutions. Because she thought this was satan mimicking Our Lord and Our Lady she was thrown into great anguish until she confided in her new spiritual advisor Saint Peter of Alcantara who convinced her they were authentic from all she had conveyed to him. The Messages from Heaven prompted her to found St. Joseph Convent in Avila despite fierce opposition and ridicule from those who derided her for founding a convent to live the strict Carmelite rule rather than the relaxed rule that was being taken advantage of and being lived in most every convent of that time. In 1567 the Prior General of the Carmelites Father Rubeo gave Teresa permission to establish other convents with the same strict rule as established at St. Joseph's. This gave rise to a bitter struggle from the calced Carmelites who feared their easy-going lifestyle was threatened by this ultra conservative upstart nun. At the General Chapter Convention at Piacenza in 1575, Fr. Rubeo was forced by the majority to place strict restrictions on Teresa's group. The bitter struggle continued for the next five years but Teresa was undaunted and prayed diligently that the Will of God would prevail in this struggle. Joining her in this tireless crusade to reform the Carmelites was a young priest John Yepes who is better known as Saint John of the Cross. With his help she founded the first monastery for men under the strict decalced rule and continued to travel throughout Spain establishing more monasteries as she continuously turned over to St. John the duties of each in the formation of the friars. This responsibility, not to mention the constant harassment and struggle for control, all contributed to the doubts and void John felt in which he wrote about in his now famous "Dark Night of the Soul". Yet, he and Teresa persevered and in 1580 Pope Gregory XIII through the encouragement of the King of Spain King Philip II officially recognized the two distinct branches of the Carmelites - Calced and Discalced and made the latter a separate province free from the influence of those who sought to discredit Teresa. During her travels and drawing from her mystical experiences, Teresa wrote her autobiography The Life in 1565, The Way of Perfection in 1573, and the work The Interior Castle in 1577 - all classics in spiritual literature. Teresa, considered one of the greatest mystics of all time, confounded many who met this saint for she was deeply spiritual and intelligent but could be as stubborn and bullheaded as they come. Add to this that she combined her highly active and political life with a love for deep contemplation which she passed on to all she met, founding 40 new foundations throughout her lifetime to totally reform the Carmelites and put the life of a religious back on the track God intended. Teresa, greatly worn by her travails, travels and trials died at Alba de Tormes in the Province of Salamanca, Spain on the evening of October 4, 1582 - the very same evening the new Gregorian calendar replaced the old Julian calendar and moved everything up ten days, thus the confusion of when Teresa died because the new calendar would have her called home to Heaven on October 14th. It was symbolic that the new had replaced the old for Teresa had replaced the stagnant, liberal lifestyle of the religious with a more dedicated and reverent contemplative way of life in keeping with the vocation they were called to; and she was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. In 1970 Pope Paul VI honored her as the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church.

Friday October 16:
Twenty-eighth Friday in Ordinary Timeand
Feast of Saint HedwigWife, Mother and Religious and
Feast of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin, Religious and Mystic

Green or White vestments

First Reading: Ephesians 1: 11-14
Psalms: Psalm 33: 1-2, 4-5, 12-13
Gospel Reading: Luke 12: 1-7

      This little known saint Saint Hedwig, who was known as the Duchess of Silesia, was the daughter of Count Berthold IV of Bavaria. Hedwig was born in 1174 into a very devout Catholic family with royal ties. Her two brothers were both bishops and one sister was an abbess while another, the mother of Saint Elizabeth was the queen of Hungary, and still another who was married to King Philip II of France. Hedwig had been educated by the Benedictine nuns in the Kitzengen Monastery in Franconia and developed a great love for the Word of God in Sacred Scripture. But the religious life was not meant for Hedwig and, at the age of 12, she was married to Duke Henry I of Silesia . They had seven children. When Henry's father died in 1202 he succeeded to the dukedom and at Hedwig's urging he built a Cistercian Monastery in Polish Trebnitz, which became the first monastery for nuns in Silesia. Hedwig, who was a devoted wife and mother and totally giving in her generosity of time and money, along with her husband, founded many more monasteries as well as hospitals. Two of their children Henry II and Conrad came to bitter blows over the division of territories made by their father in 1112. Though Hedwig prayed and tried to counsel them, they still resisted and war brokeout between Henry I and Swatopluk of Pomerania for territorial rights. Siding with Henry I was Duke Ladislaus while Conrad sided against Ladislaus, lusting after the latter's lands. When Ladislaus was slain by Ladislaus' men in 1227, Henry II waged war against his brother Conrad. It was only through Hedwig acting as a peacemaker that the two brothers were reconciled. Hedwig's husband Henry I died in 1238 and three years later her son Henry II was felled on the battlefield near Wahlstadt at the hands of the ruthless Mongol Tartars. With both her husband and son gone, Hedwig retired to the Monastery at Trebnitz in Poland where she lived for another three years, passing away peacefully on October 15, 1243. She was canonized less than a quarter of a century later by Pope Clement IV in 1267 with many miracles attributed to her. She is considered the Patroness of Silesia which is today western Poland.

      This simple Visitation nun was born Margaret Mary Alacoque on July 22, 1647 to Claude Alocoque and his wife Philiberte Lamyn Alacoque at L'Hautecour in Burgundy, France. When Claude died in 1655, Margaret was sent by her mother to the Poor Clares' school in Charolles where she stayed with her uncle who mistreated her badly. This in turn translated into rheumatic fever that found her bedridden for five years until she was 15. During this time she developed a special devotion for the Blessed Sacrament. Though she was courted by suitors, she declined all invitations to marriage and instead longed to be a bride of Christ as a Visitation nun at their convent at Paray-le-Monial and became a professed nun the following year. In 1667 she experienced her first mystical vision of Jesus. On December 27, 1673, when she was 26, Our Lord began the series of revelations to her that would last over a year and a half. Jesus confided to her that she was His chosen instrument to convey to the world all He revealed to her including Devotion to His Sacred Heart and the devotion of Nine First Fridays and Holy Hour and the graces inherent from observing these as well as establishing a feast specifically for His Most Sacred Heart. St. Margaret Mary in obedience went to her superior Mother de Saumaise but she was strongly rebuffed as all this being superstitious. Sr. Margaret was obedient but continued to pray that Mother Superior would see the light as Jesus continued to appear to her offering her guidance and a reassurance she was doing the right thing. Even though a group of theologians were called in to investigate, they refused to accept any of it as valid and this further alienated her from the members of her community and Mother de Saumaise who all thought Sr. Margaret was making a circus out of all of this. The only one who believed was her confessor Blessed Father Claud La Colombiere, who declared the visions genuine and valid. Sr. Margaret's prayers were answered when Mother de Saumaise was replaced in 1683 by Mother Melin, a dear friend who believed. She in turn selected Sr. Margaret as her assistant. Because of this appointment and the support of both the Father Confessor and Mother Superior the rest of the community changed their tune and began to believe. Shortly after that Sr. Margaret Mary was appointed Mistress of Novices and was overjoyed to see Mother Melin ordain that the Feast of the Sacred Heart would be officially celebrated at the convent on June 21, 1686. Two years later a chapel honoring the Sacred Heart was built at Paray-le-Monial with a beautiful painting commissioned to be painted on the standard of the king of France King Louis XIV. This was later adopted in France, Spain and in the western Alps. Soon the observation of this feast was spread to other convents throughout the Visitandine network and to other Orders. On October 17, 1690, with her work for Jesus complete, and at the fairly early age of 43, Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque, while in prayer at her convent, closed her eyes for the final time on this earth to be forever with Jesus in Heaven. 75 years later devotion to the Sacred Heart was officially recognized by Holy Mother Church and approved by Pope Clement XIII in 1765. In 1920 Pope Benedict XV canonized Sr. Margaret Mary along with her spiritual advisor and Saint John Eudes, all of whom the Holy Father proclaimed as "Saints of the Sacred Heart." Her visions and the subsequent embracing of all Jesus conveyed is another example of how private revelation is so slow to be received, yet when surviving the test of time and bearing good fruit, can add greatly to Holy Mother Church as God wills.

PRAYERS & DEVOTION

     Today's prayer is taken from the Preface of the Mass from the Carmelite Missal honoring Saint Teresa of Jesus:

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give You thanks as we honor St. Teresa, on whom You bestowed such gifts of nature and grace. You espoused her to Christ, her Divine Friend, Who taught her to be zealous in prayer and penance for the unity and the holiness of the Church. You endowed her with the wisdom of the saints to be our guide on the way of perfection and the spiritual mother of a new family in Carmel.

God has placed signs at every intersection of history through private revelation

     In our fifth part of the series on SIGNS OF GOD'S MERCY AND JUSTICE we look to the fact that all through history the Almighty has given us signs to follow and to keep us on the straight and narrow through the means of private revelation - from so many of the great saints like Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic to the saint we celebrate today Saint Teresa of Avila to tons and tons of other saints and messengers over the centuries it has been through private revelation that orders and devotions have been established, sacred movements generated and the results have been a drawing closer to Jesus and all He has taught through Divine Revelation with the road signs of private revelation. For the Eightieth installment of this on-going megaseries, click on WHERE IS HOLY MOTHER CHURCH HEADING AS WE NEAR THE MILLENNIUM?.

      Why He chooses this messenger or that messenger is God's reasons alone. When we start to box Him, to get inside His mind, His rationale, we are limiting the Infinite, bringing everything down to a finite, fallible level and God is infallible. It's not possible to do this and yet many self-proclaimed critics persist in interpreting private revelation as if they were God, as if they knew the Blessed Mother's every thought and nuance as they lash out at those who hear the voice of Our lady or see her radiant and holy figure before them, setting themselves up as judge and jury as to how the Mother of God speaks and judging that she wouldn't say it like that. What presumption! If someone has a question or a problem with this messenger or that messenger, if someone truly feels what the messenger is saying is damaging to the soul, confront that messenger one on one, consult the messenger's spiritual director. That is part of the discernment process. Not all private revelation speaks to everyone. Maybe that's why there is such a plethora of private revelation in these End Times. Our Lord and Our Lady are trying to reach as many willing souls as possible. They're posting "road signs" at all intersections, all along the way, in every place in hoping we will wake up and return to Jesus by returning and adhering to the truths of public Revelation. That is the main reason for private revelation - to enhance Public Revelation. As the noted locutionist priest Father Don Stefano Gobbi often counsels, "if they speak to your heart, read them and respond; if they don't, don't read them." It is an affirmation of what Holy Mother Church says about private revelation, "They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or His saints to the Church" (p. 67, The Profession of Faith, Catechism of the Catholic Church).

      Saint Paul summed it up best in reference to private revelations in 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-21, "Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. But test all things; hold fast that which is good." Paul knew God would continue to speak to His children in ways not common to man and he urged the people not to douse the flame of the Holy Spirit, not to "despise prophecies" by negating Heavenly messages. He advises us to "test all things" through proper discernment which does not mean our opinion but rather to examine if all, that is being imparted through private revelation, is totally in line with everything professed through Public Revelation? IF it is not, then go to the proper authorities, but be sure to have proof. Many have spoken out against God's messengers without conclusive evidence setting themselves up as self-appointed firemen who douse the Spirit. How will they explain this to the Almighty on Judgment Day?

      That day is fast approaching. When, no one knows but the Father, but we do know it is coming; of that, we can be sure. We all need to control our mouths, to zip the lip and open our ears and hearts. We're really good at rendering our own "opinion" about a myriad of things from abortion, AIDS, the status of the Church today, the brainwashing of the constant media blitz in our lives. No wonder the Mother of God told us years ago at Medjugorje to turn off the TV's and radios, forget the local newspaper, the secular magazines that litter our homes with their obnoxious articles and ads. Our minds are like sponges that soak up all that our senses take in. If only we could soak up God through the sense of the soul, then our other, senses would seek God, and not the world. Impossible you say? No, not in the least. We're programmed to be "informed" of current events, unmindful that God is Timeless and is therefore and always will be a "current event!

      We have to be ever mindful of God's Presence in our lives. We have to know He is there and is the main reason to hit the brake and STOP in order to use the time to enter into heartfelt prayer with Him. We need to recognize His Will in all things so we can YIELD to Him first and foremost and not to His adversary even when we see "everyone else going the other way." We can't let ourselves get trapped into compromising our values, rationalizing that if everyone else is doing it, it must be right and anyway, who has the right to tell us what is right and wrong. We're adults. Yes, in the eyes of the world we are, but in the eyes of God - and that's all that really counts - we are little children who desperately need Him, need His signs to guide us along the way. God sets the standards not man. He alone has the right to establish right from wrong, and no one else. That' He has done, but do we always adhere to His Laws? Evidently not. That's why He sends His Mother. Time is running out on mankind. That's not doom and gloom, that's just the facts, folks. The world, as we know it, is going to hell in a hand-basket. Those are our words, but those are not just our opinions. They are, rather, straight from the Blessed Mother, straight from Jesus in Sacred Scripture. Are we listening? Are we heeding the signs?

      God is so merciful and patient in bestowing these signs to help us. No matter where we may have been in our past, we must realize that God is all Merciful and Forgiving to a humble and contrite heart. God does not look back and neither should we. We should keep our eyes focused on the road ahead, realizing always why we are on that road in the first place.

      If we're not already on that road, then to everything there is a season, and it's time that we TURN in the direction God desires us to steer - t Heaven. We cannot arrive there if we look at worldly signs, for these lead to perdition and a definite DEAD END. The world has filled up the chalice in its offenses against God. It seems that every capital sin, even every venial sin committed everyday is more and more being rationalized and justified away because the "conscience," both individual and collective, has been so watered down as to be non-existent. With all these road hazards, it's still not too late to pave over the past by repenting, by changing the signs of man's disobedience to God.

      In the midst of this changing season, on this day we celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, one of the great crusaders of the Church and a respectable Doctor of the Church who heeded God's signs let us renew our commitment, imitate the season and FALL upon our knees before the Almighty Merciful One; it's our chance to take that indispensable vehicle known as our soul in for a complete overhaul and tune-up by amending our lives lest we EXIT into hell because we MERGED with satan's legions. This could happen if we fail to vote our conscience in the upcoming election three weeks away. If there is a pro-life candidate, support them. If there is a pro-abortion candidate defeat them. If we fail to consider God's role and Will in a these elections that could bring us to a DEAD END if we don't pray and discern. This DEAD END will definitely become a reality if we fail to YIELD to God's Forgiveness and Mercy and to obey Him in ALL THINGS!

      What have we got to lose? Only our eternal souls!!!! So buckle up, rev up the prayers and petitions, throw the throttle into the gear of grace and ease into the "fast" lane where our sacrifices will fuel our resolve to do all God asks through Public Revelation and Our Lady's Messages of private revelation. If we do this, then the potholes of life on the rough and narrow road will become the smooth portal to Eternal Life where we shall safely reach our destination and see face to face the SIGN of our salvation - God Himself!

     Today is the 416th anniversary of the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar which was authored by Pope Gregory XIII and put into effect on October 4th, 1582. Instead of it being October 5th the next morning, when Europeans awoke it was October 15th! It is the same calendar we use today and has been adopted as the universal calendar. For other events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for October 15:

1389 A.D.


Death of Pope Urbanus VI, 202nd successor of Peter whose pontificate lasted eleven and a half years. He was the first Pope to be elected by a conclave held in the Vatican after the seventy years captivity in Avignon. Yet, he could not avoid the creation of antipopes at Avignon and this brought about the Western Schism which would last forty years. Many believe the weight of this sorrow bore heavily on his death.

1582 A.D.


First day of the new Gregorian Calendar which was introduced in Italy and other Catholic countries. In order to make the transition from the old Julian Calendar to the new one authored by Pope Gregory XIII it was necessary to eliminate ten days. Thus, when people went to sleep on the night of the 4th in 1582, the next day they woke up was October 15th.

1582 A.D.


Death of Saint Teresa of Jesus from Avila, Spain who was so instrumental in reforming the Carmelites and spurring on Saint John of the Cross to do the same for the priests. For more on this first female Doctor of the Church, see TODAY'S LITURGY.

1890 A.D.


Pope Leo XIII issues his encyclical Dall' alto Dell' Apostolico seggio intended primarily to the Italian bishops and their flocks on the evils of Freemasonry.

   Dear children! Today, I call you to become my witnesses by living the faith of your fathers. Little children, you seek signs and messages and do not see that, with every morning sunrise, God calls you to convert and to return to the way of truth and salvation. You speak much, little children, but you work little on your conversion. That is why, convert and start to live my messages, not with your words but with your life. In this way, little children, you will have the strength to decide for the true conversion of the heart. Thank you for having responded to my call

For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE

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October 15, 1998 volume 9, no. 202   DAILY CATHOLIC