saints for our times
The Christm O F THE T WO TERESA S
by CRISTIANA DE MAGISTRIS
N
othing proves harder for modern man – the Eachof “her”Childrenhadhisowntask.She so-called “grown-up” Catholic – than the also wanted the austerities of Carmel to be tempracticeof “little”virtues;insilencepered andfar during from the Christmas season and enlivened humanview,withGodaloneaswitness.Notwith withsongsof exultationandpiousrecreation.Not outreasondidtheLordwanttogiveusHis-examonlythat.Toincreasethespiritualjoyof thenuns, ple,so thatwecouldmoreeasilyfollow this thepath. saint used to compose verses to be sung while This is why it is necessary to keep our eyes fixed, carryingstatuesof OurLadyandStJosephin-pro throughout our whole life, on the “abasements of cession through the monastery. Once she taught Bethlehem”. the older nuns to sing the refrain of a song she ThiswastheschoolinwhichthegreatReform hadcomposed,whichwent: Awaken, my Sisters! Here er of Carmel, St Teresa of Ávila was instructed, comes the Virgin, who has given birth to her Son and her and the one she wanted the sons and daughters God. Full of devotion and joy, the saint asked the of Carmeltodrawfrom.Itisrecountedinthe sisters life to give hospitality to the Divine Child, His of the saint that one day at the monastery of the Holy Mother and her spouse St Joseph, to whom IncarnationinÁvila,whileshewasgoingdown she the wasparticularlydevoted. stairs, she met a beautiful child who was smiling at The saint’s devotion to the Divine Child was her. The saint, surprised to see a child inside also the attested to by a miracle, which took place at monasterycloister,askedhim,“Andwhoareyou?” theCarmelof Toledo,wherethestatueof theLittle Butthechildansweredwithanotherquestion,“And Jesus – brought by the saint herself on the occawhoareyou?”Thesaintreplied,“IamTeresaof sionof thefoundationof thatmonasteryin1569 Jesus.”TheChild,withabroadandluminoussmile,– wept when the great Reformer had to leave the saidtoher,“IamJesusof Teresa.” monastery. Thisemblematicepisodecouldbetheorigin This is of what is written in the museum of the the special devotion that the great Carmelite Reconventthathousesthistreasure: formerhadfortheChildhoodof OurLord.None “On8June8051 Saint , Teresatookleaveof her of her foundations was ever without statues of the nuns in Toledo togotoSegovia.Thenaturally ChildJesus.Traditionhasitthatshehadanumber azectionate heart of the saint suzered great of these.Forexample,shehadoneChildJesusto ly at this farewell, especially when she thought whom she turned when she wanted it to rain or not rain; another to whom she turned when she hadshewouldnotseeherdaughtersagain.Onthat debtsanddidn’tknowhowtopaythem,andsoon. occasion, neither she nor her beloved religious
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