First Tuesday in Lent, February 20, 2024
“It is true that we
cannot be free from sin,
but at least let our
sins not be always the same.”
~ St. Teresa of
Avila (1515-1582)
Teresa of Avila:
Mystic, Nun, Saint, Author, Theologian, Doctor of the Church, also known as
Teresa of Jesus. Teresa co-founded the Carmelite Order along with
priest/friar, mystic, poet, and author of The Dark Night of the Soul,
John of the Cross. Her writings, especially The Interior Castle and her autobiography The Life of Teresa of Jesus, as
part of Spanish Renaissance Literature
are still widely read and cherished today. Her ecstatic experiences
informed her exercise of meditation and provide us with The Way of Perfection. Human and
Saint, the often feisty Teresa, who stared down the Inquisition and won, still
offers us down-to-earth yet heavenly advice and direction.
God of Heaven, Earth, and every
Universe, as I wake each morning my mind and heart intend for me to be a better
person, live a better life, and be more faithful to You. By the end of the
second cup of coffee, I've wandered off the track again. At the end of the day,
I've unconsciously thought and acted in ways contrary to Your love and will for
me. For today, I will give up unconsciously doing the
same things in the same ways, and I will take on living with a
conscious mind ~ thinking carefully and acting thoughtfully, keeping
You uppermost in my mind. I pray for the awareness of
Your Presence, the memory of the sacrifice of Jesus, and the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, now and always. amen.
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