Blog by-the-Sea

St. Jerome: Education for Progress, Peace and Reconciliation

In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI continued his catechesis on St. Jerome, begun last week.  Last week, he mentioned St. Jerome's work with Scripture.  This week, he mentioned St. Jerome's work in education in living according to the ethical teachings of Scripture: responsibility "before God and before man is the true condition for progress, peace and reconciliation and as a result the exclusion of violence."  The Pope mentioned that St. Jerome sought a broad education for the young, both men and women.

An article is available from Asia News.  Full translations are available from the Vatican, Zenit and from Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Here is a quote from the Pope's summary in English at the end of the General Audience, as reported by Zenit:

"In this week's catechesis we continue our reflections on Saint Jerome, the priest and scholar who was responsible for the Latin translation of the Bible known as the Vulgate. Convinced that "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ", Jerome everywhere urged the daily, prayerful study of the word of God. He insisted that the correct interpretation of the Scriptures demands not only the interior assistance of the Holy Spirit but also conformity to the Church's authoritative teaching. Jerome stressed the importance for all Christians, but especially for preachers, of ensuring that their lives accord with the ethical teaching offered in the sacred texts. Devotion to the word of God also shaped Jerome's ascetic doctrine, which emphasized the virtue of obedience and encouraged the pious practice of pilgrimage, particularly to the Holy Land. Finally, by his spiritual counsel, especially to parents, he emphasized the importance of a broad and disciplined Christian education for the young, including women. Jerome's integration of the enduring values of classical civilization and the wisdom of the inspired word of God made him one of the great figures of the emerging Christian culture of late antiquity."

At the end of the General Audience, the Holy Father mentioned the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, which were in Rome from November 9 to 14, were brought to the patio of St. Damasus outside the papal apartments.  According to the Information Service of the Discalced Carmelite Curia, he "venerated the relics in his private chapel, remaining a long time on his knees, recollected in prayer."  Zenit also has an article about it, quoting the Pope's words about the relics:

"St. Thérèse would have liked to learn the languages of the Bible in order to better understand sacred Scripture," he said. "Following her example and that of St. Jerome, dedicate time to frequent reading of the Bible. By familiarizing yourselves with the Word of God, you will discover Christ and remain in intimate contact with him."

 

Pope Benedict XVI's Letter for Today's Pilgrimage to Lisieux

La-Croix today has an article about a pilgrimage to Lisieux, France on the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the anniversary of the proclamation making her a patron saint of missions.  For this occasion, 300 people from around France, including priests, religious, members of ecclesial communities, and lay people, and some priests from other countries, have made a pilgrimage to Lisieux for a day of lectures, dialogue, and celebration.  Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, presided at the Eucharist, in the presence of Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, the president of the French Bishops Conference.  The pilgrimage was organized by the new National Service of the Universal Mission of the Church.  This particular event follows others, earlier in the year and ongoing, marking the Year of the Mission and the role of St. Thérèse as a universal patron saint of missions (see here).

Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Cardinal Dias, dated September 12, 2007, and published in French today by the Holy See Press Office on the occasion of the Year of Mission in Lisieux.  Here is an English translation of the letter, by me.  (Updated October 13: The official translation of the following letter is now available from the Vatican.)

LETTER FROM THE HOLY FATHER TO THE PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES ON THE OCCASION OF THE YEAR OF MISSION IN LISIEUX (FRANCE):

    To Cardinal Ivan Dias
    Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples:

The Pilgrimage of Lisieux and the services of the Missionary Cooperative of the French Bishops Conference wished to have the year 2007 be a Year of Mission in Lisieux, to remind all Christian communities and all of the faithful who come on pilgrimage in the steps of St. Thérèse of Lisieux that, with the example of the first Christian communities, they must be concerned unceasingly with mission, so that Christ will be known and loved everywhere.  For this reason, fifty years ago, Pope Pius XII gave the Church the encyclical Fidel Donum.  Nor should it be forgotten that eighty years ago, on December 14, 1927, responding to requests from throughout the world, Pope Pius XI proclaimed St. Thérèse of the Child-Jesus and the Holy Face, a humble Carmelite nun, a Patron Saint of Missions on a par with St. Francis-Xavier.

On April 21, 1957, taking up again one of the concerns from the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Pius XII invited Christians to a renewed interest in missions to the ends of the earth, showing that the help of the entire Church was needed to spread the Gospel.  In this same spirit, knowing the concern felt by the Church in France for missionary services, I wish, in my turn, that missionary vocations of priests, consecrated persons and the laity will continue to grow, following all people engaged in missions in every continent during the past century.  May the Lord lay on the hearts of many European young people the desire to commit themselves freely to proclaiming the salvation brought by Christ, particularly in Africa, South America, in Asia, in Oceania.

On her part, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, having never left her Carmel, by her contemplative prayer and correspondence maintained with priests - Abbot Bellière and Father Roulland -  lived, in her own way, an authentic missionary spirit, accompanying each of them in his service to the Gospel, and giving the world a new spiritual way which earned her the title of Doctor of the Church only ten years ago.  From Pius XI to our own time, popes have not neglected to point out the link among prayer, charity and action in the mission of the Church, so that, as the Vatican II Council emphasizes, "the entire world may become the People of God, the Body of the Lord and the Temple of the Holy Spirit" (Lumen Gentium, No. 17).

I thus hope that the celebrations taking place in Lisieux in this Year of Mission will strengthen all of the baptized in their sense of mission, by prayer, life testimony, and Christian engagement in all of its forms, so that all of the faithful will be missionaries where they live, and vocations will be born for the proclamation of the Gospel to those who do not yet know it.

In asking the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, and Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus to increase many spiritual fruits in this Year of Mission, in which each of the faithful is invited to cooperate more closely in the joyful proclamation of the Gospel, I cordially grant to you, Cardinal, as well as to the Bishops present, the pilgrims of Lisieux and their families, and to lay persons who have taken an active part in organizing this Year, the Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, September 12, 2007.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

A Credible Witness of the Spiritual Dimension Proper to Every Human Being

Following a previous post about the Holy Father's letter to Father Joseph Chalmers, the Prior-General of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel (O.Carm.) on the occasion of the order's general chapter, an official translation of the entire letter is now available on the Vatican's website.  Here is an excerpt:

"With his gaze fixed on Christ and trusting in the help of the Saints who in the course of these eight centuries have embodied the dictates of the Carmelite Rule, each member of the Order of Carmelite Fathers and Brothers should feel called to be a credible witness of the spiritual dimension proper to every human being. The lay faithful will thus be able to discover that Carmelite communities are "genuine "schools' of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly "falls in love'" (Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 33)."

The Pope's Letter to the Prior-General of the Carmelite Order

Zenit has an article today about the Holy Father's letter to Father Joseph Chalmers, the Prior-General of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel (O.Carm.) on the occasion of the order's general chapter.  The original Italian text of the letter is posted on the Vatican website, but official translations into other languages are not yet posted.  The Zenit article includes this, and much more, from the letter:

"The first Carmelites, "welcoming the lordship of Christ over their lives, made themselves available to be transformed by his love. This is the fundamental decision that every Christian faces."

As previously mentioned in other posts here, this year is being celebrated as the 800th anniversary of the Rule of St. Albert, given to Carmelites on Mt. Carmel in the early 13th century.  The Carmelite website has Father Chalmers' letter from this past May, announcing that the General Chapter would take place in Rome from September 4 to 22.  The theme is ""In Obsequio Jesu Christi – A Praying and Prophetic Community in a Changing World."

The Face of the Lord in Jesus of Nazareth and The Way of Perfection

This is the fourth and last post in a series of posts about The Lord's Prayer as seen in Pope Benedict XVI's book Jesus of Nazareth and in St. Teresa of Avila's book The Way of Perfection.  All posts in the series are in the category Carmelites and Pope Benedict XVI.

As a reminder,  Pope Benedict XVI's Foreword says this his writing in Jesus of Nazareth is “in no way an exercise of the magisterium,” adding, “Everyone is free, then, to contradict me.”  These posts discuss both their similarities and differences between them.

Deliver Us From Evil

The last petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “Deliver us from evil.”

Pope Benedict XVI writes that, in this petition, we are asking God to protect us from evil in this world.  In that sense, he writes, “[T]he last petition brings us back to the first three: In asking to be liberated from the power of evil, we are ultimately asking for God’s Kingdom, for union with his will, and for the sanctification of his name.  Throughout the ages, though, men and women of prayer have interpreted this petition in a broader sense.  In the midst of the world’s tribulations, they have also begged God to set a limit to the evils that ravage the world and our lives.” (Jesus of Nazareth, pg. 167) 

St. Teresa of Avila sees this petition as asking for God’s Kingdom in eternity, more than asking God to limit the evil in this world and in this life.  She does not expect to be delivered from all evil in this life, and thus prays to be delivered from evil beyond the grave. (42:2).  God, she says, wants us to desire the eternal. (42:4)  

She prays (42:2):

“Deliver me, Lord, from this shadow of death, deliver me from so many trials, deliver me from so many sufferings, deliver me from so many changes, from so many compliments that we are forced to receive while still living . . . .” 

In the weariness of seeing that she has not lived the way she should have lived, she writes, “O my Lord and my God, deliver me now from all evil and be pleased to bring me to the place where all blessings are.”

Knowing the Mind and Will of God

While St. Teresa prays “deliver us from evil” with the expectation that this prayer will not be fully answered before eternity, she writes much about the importance of obedience in this life, and about the need for communion with Christ to make us better able to do God's will in this life. 

In seeking to know “who the Master is who taught us this prayer” (St. Teresa's words), both Benedict XVI and St. Teresa seek both knowledge about the Lord and the personal encounter with the Lord that involves knowing Him. 

Going back to the Pope's introduction of his discussion of the Lord’s Prayer, he writes: “God is not some distant stranger.  He shows us his face in Jesus.  In what Jesus does and wills, we come to know the mind and will of God himself.”

St. Teresa writes about the need to do God’s will, and about the way Jesus teaches us how to do that.  Since Jesus “knows how the love of his Father can be obtained, he teaches us how and by what means we must serve him.”  The more our deeds reflect Christ’s teaching, Christ “begins to commune with the soul in so intimate a friendship that he not only gives it back its own will but gives it his.” (The Way of Perfection, 32:12)

On Being Human

In his chapter on the Lord’s Prayer, Pope Benedict writes “The Lord tells us how we are to pray.”  Jesus does so because “being human is essentially about relation to God,” such that speaking with, and listening to Him is “an essential part of it.”

St. Teresa, similarly, counsels, “Never seek sustenance through human schemes, for you will die of hunger—and rightly so.  Your eyes on your Spouse!  He will sustain you.” (2:1)

The Face of the Lord

In his Foreword to Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict writes that the book is “an expression of my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord’ (cf. Ps 27:8).”

He writes, “Our sonship turns out to be identical with following Christ.”  We become increasingly God’s children “by growing more and more deeply in communion with Jesus.”

St. Teresa, similarly, counsels her nuns to speak with Christ “as with a father, or a brother, or a lord, or as with a spouse” and “he will teach you what you must do in order to please him.” (28:3).

Both of them seek that longing for an increasing personal encounter with Jesus that can be expressed as seeking the face of the Lord.

Conclusion

While they do not always share the same interpretation of each petition of the Lord’s Prayer, both Pope Benedict XVI and St. Teresa of Avila write of seeking to know Christ, and not only seeking to know about Him.  They seek to know and do His will, and -- in watching how Jesus prays -- to better know the mind and will of God.  Above all, they both seek to “grow more and more deeply in communion with Jesus” (Pope Benedict's words).  In writing for others, they both seek to share with us those things they know about prayer and about Jesus that will help us who read their work to more and more deeply know Jesus and the mind and will of the Lord.

"Daily Bread" in Jesus of Nazareth and The Way of Perfection

This is the third in a series of posts about what Pope Benedict XVI and St. Teresa of Avila wrote about the Lord's Prayer in Pope Benedict XVI's book Jesus of Nazareth and in St. Teresa of Avila's book The Way of Perfection.  All posts in the series will be in the category Carmelites and Pope Benedict XVI.

As a reminder,  Pope Benedict XVI's Foreword says this his writing in Jesus of Nazareth is “in no way an exercise of the magisterium,” adding, “Everyone is free, then, to contradict me.” These posts discuss both their similarities and differences.

Two Interpretations of “Bread” in Jesus of Nazareth

In Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI mentions two principal interpretations of what Jesus meant when he prayed “Give us this day our daily bread.”  One interpretations sees our “daily bread” as meaning “what is necessary for existence.”  It sees the prayer as a petition for what we need in order to live. 

The other interpretation sees the prayer as a petition for what we need for the following day, with an eschatological meaning, asking God to give us today “the bread of the new world – himself.”  That interpretation sees in the “bread” that which we receive in the Eucharist, the true bread of life.

In considering the Eucharistic understanding of our daily bread, the Holy Father mentions St. Jerome’s translation in the Vulgate.  St. Jerome translated the Greek word epiousios as supersubstantialis (i.e., super-substantial).  The Pope also mentions the Church Fathers, who almost unanimously understood the prayer as Eucharistic, without rejecting the immediate meaning of bread as reflecting the need of the poor for the day’s food.  Read in the light of Jesus’ preaching on the bread of life, the prayer was seen as pointing to the Logos, Jesus as the Word of God, our food at the eternal wedding banquet.

The Eucharistic Interpretation of “Bread” in The Way of Perfection

In The Way of Perfection, St. Teresa asserts the Eucharistic meaning of “our daily bread” in Chapter 34, addressed to contemplative nuns.  In Chapter 37, she also mentions daily bread as meaning the day's food, a meaning that she applies to people who are not contemplative. 

Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., discusses St. Teresa's understanding of this in his interpretive notes on Chapter 34 of The Way of Perfection - Study Edition (ICS Publications).  There, he mentions St. Jerome’s interpretation in the Vulgate as a likely influence on St. Teresa's understanding of the prayer, just as Pope Benedict mentions St. Jerome's Vulgate and other sources from the Church Fathers supporting the Eucharistic understanding of "daily bread."

Aside from the Vulgate, it is unlikely that the Church Fathers were St. Teresa's direct sources of information.  Her known readings from the Church Fathers included the letters of St. Jerome, St. Augustine’s Confessions, and the writings of St. John Cassian.  However, those particular writings would not have given her much information on how to interpret the Lord’s Prayer.

It is more likely that St. Teresa’s understanding of “our daily bread” came from clergy she knew, from homilies she had heard, and from her own insights.  Her reference to the scholastic term “accidents” in a discussion of daily bread suggests such influences as the Dominican clergy around her.  There was a Dominican seminary in Avila, her father’s confessor was a Dominican, and one of her brothers became a Dominican.  Moreover, she sought out St. John of the Cross as a Discalced Carmelite partly because of his theological education, and her own confessor at one point was a noted Dominican theologian of her day.

Here is the reference, from The Way of Perfection 34:3, mentioning "accidents":

“Ask the Father, daughters, together with the Lord, to give you your Spouse ‘this day’ so that you will not be seen in the world without him.  To temper such great happiness it’s sufficient that he remain disguised in these accidents of bread and wine.”

The scholastic influence is supported by Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh’s interpretive notes on Chapter 34, including this:

“The ‘accidents’ was a scholastic term used to refer to the appearances of bread and wine under which the Lord is present.  Teresa urges her readers to realize that he is just as much present as he would be if they saw him with their bodily eyes; they should look at him in faith with the eyes of their souls.”

Nonetheless, her understanding of the exegesis of "bread" is simple.  Nowhere is there an indication of a knowledge of the analytical exegesis of Scholasticism.  Indeed, her censor corrects an exegetical error in her writing on this subject.

By illustration of a Scholastic view of the Lord’s Prayer, St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Lectures on St. Matthew, draws his understanding of multiple meanings of "our daily bread" from the Church Fathers, including St. Cyprian’s commentary and St. Jerome’s interpretation in the Vulgate (two sources also mentioned by Pope Benedict), and also including St. Augustine (a commentary undoubtedly known to Pope Benedict, although not mentioned in his discussion of daily bread in Jesus of Nazareth).  In contrast with both Pope Benedict XVI and St. Teresa of Avila, St. Thomas discusses four meanings of daily bread, rather than two.  They are:

1. Christ, who calls himself the “bread of life” in John 6:48 (St. Jerome’s translation falls within this category).
2. God (the Godhead), based on Luke 14:15 (“Blessed is anyone who eats bread in the kingdom of God”) and Ps. 77:25 (“Human beings have eaten the bread of angels”), in which case “give us this day” means to allow us now to enjoy it in the way that is possible in this life.
3. God’s commandments, which are the bread of wisdom, as in Proverbs 9:5 (Wisdom says, “Come, eat my bread”).
4. Bodily bread, meaning the temporal things that are necessary to sustain life.

Although St. Teresa may have learned something of the exegesis of "daily bread" from a friar knowledgeable about Scholastic terminology, there is no indication in her writing of four meanings of "bread."  Unlike St. Thomas, she does not distinguish the eschatological aspect of “bread” from the Eucharistic meaning of “bread” as Christ. 

St. Teresa writes, in The Way of Perfection 34:2, “He is teaching us to set our wills on heavenly things and to ask that we might begin enjoying him from here below. . . .”  St. Thomas had written, about what he considered the second meaning of “bread,” “So ‘Give us this day,’ that is, so that we may be able to enjoy it in the kind of way that is possible in this life.”  However, while St. Thomas distinguishes that meaning from the Eucharistic meaning of bread, St. Teresa is writing within a discussion of the Eucharistic meaning.  She does not follow his distinction, and probably was not aware of it.  Thus, while she may have learned something of the exegesis of the Lord's Prayer from the clergy in her environment, it was never anything so analytical or sophisticated as what the clergy could have read from St. Thomas.

In Chapter 34 of The Way of Perfection, in her application of the prayer to contemplative nuns, St. Teresa actually rejects the interpretation of “daily bread” as meaning bodily bread to be eaten.  Instead, she writes, at 34:2:

“I don’t want to think the Lord had in mind the other bread that is used for our bodily needs and nourishment; nor would I want you to have that in mind.  The Lord was in the most sublime contemplation (for whoever has reached such a stage has no more remembrance that he is in the world than if he were not, however much there may be to eat), and would he have placed so much emphasis on the petition that he as well as ourselves eat?  It wouldn’t make sense to me.  He is teaching us to set our wills on heavenly things and to ask that we might begin enjoying him from here below; and would he get us involved in something so base as asking to eat?”

The discussion in which she rejects the interpretation of “daily bread” as bodily bread was actually crossed out by the censor in St. Teresa’s first draft.  The censor, according to Fr. Kavanaugh, wrote in the margins: “Christ our Lord asked for everything that pertained to the sustenance of both body and soul, material bread and the Eucharist.  And this is what the church asks for in the litany.”  In this respect, St. Teresa’s censor corrected her by holding to the same two interpretations given by Pope Benedict in Jesus of Nazareth.

"Bread" as a Day's Food in The Way of Perfection

Chapter 34 of The Way of Perfection does not offer all that St. Teresa has to say about “daily bread.”  She returns to the subject in Chapter 37, where she does interpret "our daily bread" as meaning a day's food, when applied to the prayers of people in the world who are not contemplative.

In Chapter 37, she speaks of how the Lord’s Prayer should be applied to people “who still live here on earth.”  While contemplatives should seek heavenly things, she writes that those who live in the world may pray for bread to eat so that “they live in conformity with their state in life,” as “they must be sustained and must sustain their households.”  She even calls such prayers “just and holy” as are other prayers for things they need.  (37:2).

While she writes, in Chapter 34, that she believes that Jesus was in a deep state of contemplation when he gave his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, and that he thus must have had only a Eucharistic meaning in mind, she says in Chapter 37 that she had wondered why Jesus did not explain it further.  She had concluded that the prayer was intended for general use so that each person “could petition according to our own intention, be consoled, and think that we have a good understanding of the prayer.” Thus, she concludes that Jesus left the petition for daily bread in an obscure form in order to make it applicable to everyone.

In short, she does not entirely reject either of the two readings mentioned by Pope Benedict and by her censor; rather, she concludes that one reading applies to the prayer of contemplatives, while the other applies to the prayer of people who are in the world and need to provide for themselves and their families.

St. Teresa’s idea, that Jesus intended the Lord’s Prayer to have different meanings according to the state in life of the person who prays it, seems to be her own insight.  She casts it as the result of her own meditation.  While her censor crossed out her discussion in Chapter 34 that would read the prayer as referencing only the Eucharist, he did not delete her discussion in Chapter 37.

Our Daily Bread: The Divinity of Jesus

Pope Benedict XVI, writing in the context of present day Biblical criticism, necessarily emphasizes the Scriptural evidence of the divinity of Christ.  St. Teresa, writing for 16th century contemplatives, emphasizes His humanity.  Both, of course, would hold that Christ is both fully God and fully man.  The difference in their emphasis is seen in their respective discussions of what Jesus meant in praying “Our Father” and “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Benedict XVI discusses the prayer in the context of Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life in John 6.  The Church Fathers’ understanding of “bread” as Eucharistic drew from that discourse.  He writes, “The theme of bread has an important place in Jesus’ message – from the temptation in the desert and the multiplication of the loaves right up to the Last Supper.”  Moreover, “The great discourse on the bread of life in John 6 discloses the full spectrum of meaning of this theme.” (Jesus of Nazareth, pg. 155)   There, after miraculously feeding the 5,000 with loaves and fishes, Jesus went away with his disciples, who mentioned that Moses had given them manna in the desert to eat.  Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” When they asked him to give them that bread, he said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

The multiplied bread relates back to manna in the wilderness and also points forward “to the fact that man’s real food is the Logos, the eternal Word.” (pg. 155)  The Logos becomes bread for man when he has taken on human form.  It is the incarnate Lord who gives himself to us in the Eucharist.

In Chapter 2 of Jesus of Nazareth, Benedict XVI speaks of the image of “bread” in Jesus’ temptations in the desert.  In the first of three temptations, the devil tempted Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  Jesus answered, “Man does not live by bread alone, but . . . by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”

In Chapter 8 of Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict returns again to Jesus’ use of the concept of “bread.”  There, Benedict XVI compares Moses with Jesus.  God showed Moses only God’s back.  Benedict XVI writes, “Only the one who is God sees God – Jesus” (pg. 265 citing John 1:18).

In describing how Jesus went beyond Moses, Pope Benedict returned to the bread of life discourse of John 6.  “For as Jewish thought developed inwardly, it became increasingly plain that the real bread from heaven that fed and feeds Israel is precisely the Law – the word of God.”  Mentioning Proverbs 9:5, which describes the wisdom present in the Law as bread (the Scriptural basis for St. Thomas’ third meaning of “bread”), Pope Benedict describes the Torah, when viewed as bread from God, as a shadow, showing us God’s back.  In comparison, Jesus is quoted in John 6:33 as saying, “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus then explained, “I am the bread of life.”  Pope Benedict writes, “The Law has become a person.”

Reading “Give us this day our daily bread” in that context, the Eucharistic reading of “bread” meaning Christ thus relates to St. Thomas’ third interpretation of “bread” as God’s commandments in that the Law (bread as the Law) has become a person (bread as Christ, the Word of God, who is present in the Eucharist).  Benedict XVI explains that bread as God's commandments is thus surpassed by Christ as the Bread of Life.

In presenting that explanation of Jesus as the Word of God and as the Bread of Life, Pope Benedict thus presents Jesus as Divine -- as God.

In saying, with the disciples, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray for Christ, the Word made Flesh, in the Eucharist.

Our Daily Bread: The Humanity of Jesus

In The Life of St. Teresa of Avila, Chapter 22, St. Teresa explains how she came to see that if we are to please God, we should rejoice in Jesus’ humanity.  There, she writes that she studied the lives of several saints who became great mystics, and they traveled that road.  Among them, she names St. Francis, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard, and St. Catherine of Siena. 

In her discussion of the Lord’s Prayer, St. Teresa no doubt shares the fruit of some of her meditations upon Christ’s humanity.  In Chapter 27 of The Way of Perfection, in discussing the word “our” in “Our Father,” she writes (27:2):

“O Son of God and my Lord!  How is it that you give so much all together in the first words?  Since you humble yourself to such an extreme in joining with us in prayer and making yourself the Brother of creatures so lowly and wretched, how is it that You give us in the name of Your Father everything that can be given?”

Jesus, who is God, prays to the Father with us, “Our Father.”  He is made flesh and prays with us as part of that “Our.”

In Chapter 33, she begins her discussion of daily bread.  Near the end of 33:1, she writes:

“Now then, once Jesus saw the need, he sought out a wonderful means by which to show the extreme of his love for us, and in his own name and in that of his brothers he made the following petition: ‘Give us this day, Lord, our daily bread.’”

She sees special emphasis in the repetition in the phrase, which again draws her attention to Jesus’ humanity (33:4):

“I have noticed how in this petition alone he repeats the words: first he says and asks the Father to give us this daily bread, and then repeats, ‘give it to us this day, Lord,’ invoking the Father again.  It’s as though Jesus tells the Father that he is now ours since the Father has given him to us to die for us; and asks that the Father not take him from us until the end of the world; that he allow him to serve each day.”

Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D.’s footnote explains that the Castilian version said, “Give us our daily bread this day.  In the following paragraph, St. Teresa stresses Jesus' humanity further:

“Since by sharing in our nature he has become one with us here below – and as Lord of his own will – he reminds the Father that because he belongs to him the Father in turn can give him to us.  And so he says, ‘our bread.'  He doesn’t make any difference between himself and us . . . .”

In a Eucharistic understanding of “bread,” therefore, Jesus, who is Divine and whose real presence is in the very Eucharist for which we pray, also reflects His humanity, in that He prays with us “Give us” although the thing prayed for is His very self.  Reflecting on this, St. Teresa concludes that Jesus is praying that the Father will give Jesus to us in the Eucharist and not to take Him from us until the end of the world.

Conclusion

In this petition, the differences between Pope Benedict XVI's and St. Teresa of Avila's respective insights into the Lord's Prayer differ more than in the aspects of the same prayer mentioned in earlier posts in this series.  However, they still complement each other, sometimes in surprising ways.  It is possible to imagine them in conversation with each other, each of them having something of value to contribute in response to what the other has to say on this aspect of the Lord's Prayer.  In combination, Pope Benedict's insights into the Divinity of Christ and St. Teresa's insights into His humanity supplement each other in a way that, it seems to me, draws out more fully the meaning each of them had in mind.

Intimacy and Community in Jesus of Nazareth and The Way of Perfection

This is the second in a series of posts about what Pope Benedict XVI and St. Teresa of Avila wrote about the Lord's Prayer in Pope Benedict XVI's book Jesus of Nazareth and in St. Teresa of Avila's book The Way of Perfection.  The series will be in the category Carmelites and Pope Benedict XVI.

The first post in the series was about what they each wrote about the phrase Thy Kingdom Come.  There were similarities -- some of them perhaps surprising -- and a couple of differences. 

To summarize and add to that previous discussion, Pope Benedict XVI mentions that Origen, in his Treatise on Prayer, wrote that "those who pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God pray without any doubt for the Kingdom of God that they contain in themselves." (Jesus of Nazareth, Pg. 50).  Later, he comments, "The Kingdom of God comes by way of a listening heart.  That is its path."  In those statements, we find a counterpart in St. Teresa of Avila, who writes in The Way of Perfection of God as our Father, "this mighty King . . . seated upon an extremely valuable throne, which is your heart." (38:9)  They depart from each other, if perhaps only slightly, in that Pope Benedict  writes  too that "Jesus is the Kingdom of God in person," (pg. 146) and that "Jesus himself is 'heaven' in the deepest and truest sense of the word -- he in whom and through whom God's will is wholly done." (pg. 150).  St. Teresa comes closest to this in writing that "wherever God is, there is heaven." (28:2) and in speaking of the prayer of recollection as enclosing oneself in 'this little heaven of our soul, where the Maker of heaven and earth is present." (28:5)

The topic of this post is what they each wrote, in those particular books, about intimacy with God (individualism) and the Communion of the Saints (unity) in personal prayer. 

Jesus of Nazareth

In the Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth, speaking of the Mystery of Jesus, Pope Benedict writes about how Jesus withdrew to pray alone to the Father (pg. 7):

"Again and again the Gospels note that Jesus withdrew 'to the mountain' to spend nights in prayer 'alone' with his Father.  These short passages are fundamental for our understanding of Jesus; they lift the veil of mystery just a little; they give us a glimpse into Jesus' filial existence, into the source from which his action and teaching and suffering sprang."

In Chapter 4, which is about the Sermon on the Mount, the Holy Father writes that the "mountain" -- the new Sinai -- "is the place where Jesus prays -- where he is face-to-face with the Father." (pg. 66) 

He writes too of the intimacy of the individual in prayer with God and in communion with God.  Concerning the Beatitudes, he writes, "The disciple is bound to the mystery of Christ.  His life is immersed in communion with Christ: 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me' (Gal. 2:20)." (pg. 74)  And, elsewhere, "He himself is our treasure; communion with him is the pearl of great price." (pg. 61)   Concerning the Third Order created by St. Francis, he says that the point is to accept one's secular profession with humility, "while directing one's whole life to that deep interior communion with Christ that Francis showed us." (Pg. 79)  He writes of the interior union with the Lord that enabled "the great men and women of prayer throughout the centuries" to "descend into the depths beyond the word." (pg. 133).

However, in discussing the Lord's Prayer, Pope Benedict also considers the word "Our" Father, and the significance of praying in the first person plural.  There, he considers the combination of individual intimacy and unity with others that is found in Jesus' prayer (pg. 129):

"The Our Father is itself a prayer uttered in the first person plural, and it is only by becoming part of the 'we' of God's children that we can reach up to him beyond the limits of this world in the first place.  And yet this 'we' awakens the inmost core of the person; in the act of prayer the totally personal and the communal must always pervade each other . . . The 'we' of the praying community and the utterly personal intimacy that can be shared only with God are closely interconnected"

Further explaining this combination of intimacy and community, he writes (pg. 141):

"In praying the Our Father, we pray totally with our own heart, but at the same time we pray in communion with the whole family of God, with the living and the dead, with men of all conditions, cultures, and races."

The necessity of combining individual intimacy with God together with prayer in the communion of the saints, the interconnectedness between individual intimacy and unity with the community, thus becomes one of several issues that the Holy Father considers in his discussion of the Lord's Prayer.

The Way of Perfection

It surprises some people to see a combination of individualism and community in St. Teresa of Avila's concept of prayer, and even in her concept of contemplative prayer.  She is known for her description of the Interior Castle of a person's individual heart (the "heart" being, in its New Testament Greek sense, the "inmost core" of a person).  It is in a person's heart that one turns inward to seek God within and finds Him in the innermost room of our inner selves.  It seems, at least initially, that such prayer is inherently an experience of being alone with God, introspectively, and that it is inherently a time spent alone with God.

However, that is not the complete picture of such prayer as seen by St. Teresa of Avila.  In The Way of Perfection, she speaks of this more clearly than usual.  To the contrary of what might be assumed, she says that we are, in fact, never alone in prayer (The Way of Perfection, 28:13):

"Do you think, daughters, that he comes alone?  Don't you see that his Son says, 'who art in heaven'?  Well, since he is such a King, certainly his court attendants would never leave him alone, but they will always be with him; and they beseech him on our behalf since they are full of charity."

In the Study Guide for The Way of Perfection, Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., provides the following interpretive notes about that statement by St. Teresa (Pg. 314 of The Way of Perfection Study Edition, ICS Publications):

"In a sense we are never alone with God in prayer. . . . We belong to a community without number.  Teresa at times in her prayer experienced the presence of the Blessed Virgin, angels, and saints.  The communion of saints may intervene in prayer in an entirely personal manner.  Our own parents, or a saint to whom we are particularly devoted, or a friend now dead may communicate with us through some word of the Scriptures, thereby encouraging or enlightening us."

In her discussion of the words "Our Father," she mentions that Jesus includes Himself with us in the words "our" and "us," as He humbles himself "to such an extreme in joining with us in prayer" and making Himself "the Brother of creatures so lowly and wretched." (27:2)  She is not so much intrigued by the fact that the Lord's Prayer is a collective prayer in which one human person joins with another human person, as she is intrigued with the fact that God the Son joins with those persons in saying "our" and "us."

Another source for this type of community in contemplative prayer according to St. Teresa of Avila appears in Interior Castle.  In Chapter 2 of the First Dwelling Place, she alludes to the "great cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1-2 ("Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.").  St. Teresa writes (Interior Castle, 1:2:12):

"So I say, daughters, that we should set our eyes on Christ, our Good, and on His saints.  There we shall learn true humility, the intellectual will be enhanced, as I have said, and self-knowledge will not make one base and cowardly.  Even thought this is the first dwelling place, it is very rich and so precious that if the soul slips away from the vermin in it, nothing will be left to do but advance."

Moreover, she then speaks of the need, within the Interior Castle, for intercessors to help to defend the "vassals" (i.e., soldiers, used as a metaphor for the senses and faculties):

"But since in the first rooms souls are still absorbed in the world . . . these souls are easily conquered . . . Those who see themselves in this state must approach His Majesty as often as possible.  They must take His Blessed Mother and His saints as intercessors so that these intercessors may fight for them, for the soul's vassal's have little strength to defend themselves."

Thus, in both The Way of Perfection and Interior Castle (to site two examples), St. Teresa describes the person praying within the Interior Castle of his or her heart as a person praying together with the communion of the saints.

Conclusion

Both Pope Benedict XVI and St. Teresa of Avila look to an interwoven intimacy alone with the Lord and unity in communion with others in prayer.  For both of them, that communion is not only a matter of praying together with others who live around us.  Rather, Pope Benedict mentions praying with the whole family of God, living and dead.  St. Teresa likewise mentions praying with the Blessed Mother and the saints as intercessors, affirming that the King of the Interior Castle is always accompanied by His saints.  They're views are not entirely identical, but both view prayer as always praying together with the whole Church, yet at once praying in intimacy alone with God.

The combination of intimacy and community, individual relationship with God and the communion of the saints, is a complex mystery that they both affirm and endeavor to describe.  That mystery does not lend itself readily to description.

"Thy Kingdom Come" in Jesus of Nazareth and The Way of Perfection

This will be the first in a series of posts on the Lord's Prayer in Pope Benedict XVI's book Jesus of Nazareth and in St. Teresa of Avila's book The Way of Perfection.  This first post will address, in particular, their respective views of the Kingdom of God.

Their Respective Reasons for Writing

It should be kept in mind that in his Foreword, Benedict XVI describes his book as his personal search “for the face of the Lord” (Ps. 27:28, and as “in no way an exercise of the magisterium,” adding, “Everyone is free, then, to contradict me.”  He considers the Lord’s Prayer for what it shows about Jesus’ claim to divinity, about Jesus' claim to be one with the Father, and for what else it tells us about who Jesus is.

Teresa of Avila, on the other hand, writes to encourage her readers toward giving the complete gift of themselves to God, “the surrender of our wills to his, and detachment from creatures,” a surrender that is needed for perfection in contemplation.  She draws from the Lord's Prayer more about what our response to Jesus should be.

Their different reasons for writing, as well as the difference between the theological context of our present day and that of sixteenth century Spain, are among the differences between their books about the same prayer.  Of course, Pope Benedict is also a theologian and pope, while St. Teresa lived in a day in which women did not learn to read much of the Latin in which Scripture was written.  However, that difference is not as important when she is writing about the Lord's Prayer, because it is a portion of Scripture that she would have known deeply from the Mass and from praying the Hours, from what she had learned from priests who were her spiritual advisers, and what she had learned from books.  (See the post About St. Teresa of Avila for more background information on that.)

This series of posts will consider both similarities and differences between the two books.  Given the nature of the texts, discussions of the differences should not be taken as implying that I believe one of them to be more correct than the other on any point of difference discussed in these posts.  Quite often, these are differences of emphasis.

The One Who Comes Throughout the Whole of History

In discussing Jesus' prayer "Thy Kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer, Pope Benedict states, “the deepest theme of Jesus’ preaching was his own mystery, the mystery of the Son in whom God is among us and keeps his word; he announces the Kingdom of God as coming and as having come in his person.”  (pg. 188)  The Sermon on the Mount, he says, was thus eschatological in a sense discussed by Charles H. Dodd in the early 20th century.  Jesus, who has come, is “the One who comes throughout the whole of history” in an “eschatology in process of realization.”  (pg. 188).

Such a concept of an eschatology throughout the whole of history also plays a role in St. Teresa’s understanding of the Lord's Prayer.  She explains it more clearly in her discussion of “Give us this day our daily bread” than in her discussion of “Thy Kingdom come."  In Chapter 34 of The Way of Perfection, she says that the word “daily” in “daily bread” “seems to mean forever.”  That is so, she says, because in asking “give us this day, Lord,” we are asking him to “be ours every day.”  She explains [The Way of Perfection 34:1]:

“I’ve come to think that it is because here on earth we possess him [Jesus] and also in heaven we will possess him if we profit well by his company. . . . In saying ‘this day,’ it seems to me, he is referring to one day: that which lasts as long as the world and no longer.  And one day indeed!”

What Dodd saw in the early 20th century, and Pope Benedict affirms in Jesus of Nazareth, supports St. Teresa’s view of the Lord’s Prayer in its eschatological aspect, although she draws the concept from “Give us this day our daily bread,” while Dodd and Benedict XVI draw that concept from “Thy Kingdom come . . . on earth as it is in heaven.”  What Pope Benedict describes as "the One who comes throughout the whole of history" is not clearly distinguishable from what St. Teresa describes as "that which lasts as long as the world and no longer."

The Kingdom of God

Benedict first addresses the meaning of the “Kingdom of God” as the subject matter of Chapter 3 of Jesus of Nazareth, beginning with Jesus’ preaching recorded in Mark 1:14-15: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  Matthew 4:23 and 9:35 also mention that Jesus went through Galilee preaching “the Gospel of the Kingdom.” In Luke 17:20-21, we are told that Jesus told the Pharisees, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Pope Benedict concurs with a “growing tendency to hold that Christ uses these words to refer to himself: He, who is in our midst, is the ‘Kingdom of God,’ only we do not know him (cf. Jn 1:30).”  Considering Jesus’ words in Luke 11:20 (“But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you”), Benedict writes that “it is in his action, accomplished in the Holy Spirit.  In this sense, it is in and through him that the Kingdom of God becomes present here and now, that it ‘is drawing near.’”

St. Teresa’s writing about the Kingdom of God in The Way of Perfection does not conclude that Christ himself is the Kingdom of God.  She is not writing exegetically.  Rather, she speaks more specifically of Jesus asking the Father for the Father’s Kingdom to come, and observes that Jesus has shown that He is one with the Father. [The Way of Perfection 27:4]  Her writing about prayer describes God as a King or Emperor in his palace, and of a little heaven within each person's soul, which is His throne.  Her analytical understanding of the Kingdom of God is thus drawn more from details here and there in various parts of her book, and cannot be found in a specific analysis within her chapter on the phrase "Thy Kingdom come."

Understanding something of the eschatological implications of the Kingdom of God throughout the whole of history, without drawing the specific Christological implications seen in the Holy Father’s book, she writes in Chapter 28 of The Way of Perfection:

“You already know that God is everywhere.  It’s obvious, then, that where the king is, there is his court; in sum, wherever God is, there is heaven.  Without a doubt  you can believe that where His Majesty is present, all glory is present. . . . All one need do is go into solitude and look at him within oneself” [28:2] . . . I have the Emperor of heaven and earth in my house” [28:3] . . . within this little heaven of our soul [28:5] . . . in this palace dwells this mighty King who has been gracious enough to become your Father; and that he is seated upon an extremely valuable throne, which is your heart. [28:9]

Toward the end of Chapter 28, what she has said of the Father as King takes on Christological implications, as she writes:

“But what a marvelous thing, that he who would fill a thousand worlds and many more with his grandeur would enclose himself in something so small!  (And so he wanted to enclose himself in the womb of his most Blessed Mother.) In fact, since he is Lord he is free to do what he wants, and since he loves us he adapts himself to our size.” [28:11]

That concept of God as King on the throne of our hearts becomes the basis for her discussion of the petition “Thy Kingdom Come.”  In Chapter 31, rather than drawing from Jesus' preaching on the Kingdom of God as does Pope Benedict, St. Teresa mentions Simeon, who said of the child Jesus, in Luke 2:29, “my eyes have seen your salvation.”  It was Jesus, she says, who made Simeon understand, and who can make our soul understand.  “But it [the soul] sees it is in the kingdom, at least near the King who will give the kingdom to the soul.” [31:2]

It is in Chapter 32 of The Way of Perfection that St. Teresa takes up the phrase “Thy Kingdom Come” specifically in her discussion of The Lord's Prayer.  There, connecting the coming of the Kingdom with the prayer that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, she writes: “For once the earth has become heaven, the possibility is there for your will to be done in me.” [32:2].  There, she connects the Kingdom of God in the present not only with the presence of God in the palace of our souls, but also with our ability to do God’s will.  In prayer, similarly, she writes:

“Since your Son gave you this will of mine in the name of all, there’s no reason for any lack on my part.  But grant me the favor of your kingdom that I may do your will, since he asked for this kingdom for me, and use me as you would your own possession, in conformity with your will.” [32:10]

Pope Benedict XVI, in Jesus of Nazareth, separately discusses the phrase “Thy Will Be Done on earth as it is in heaven."  There is nonetheless considerable consistency between them on this point.  Pope Benedict writes, “The essence of heaven is oneness with God’s will, the oneness of will and truth.  Earth becomes ‘heaven when and insofar as God’s will is done there . . .” (pg. 147).  As Jesus is the Kingdom of God, He is also “'heaven’ in the deepest and truest sense of the word – he in whom and through whom God’s will is wholly done.” (pg. 150).  Thus, Pope Benedict concludes that what we are praying for is that we will come closer to God so that His will can make us capable of becoming just.

The Transfiguration

In Chapter 31 of The Way of Perfection, St. Teresa associates the Kingdom of God with the Transfiguration in describing the prayer of quiet.  In describing those who are in prayer, happy close to God, so that in saying the “Our Father” once, an hour passes, she writes:

“They are within the palace, near the King, and they see that he is beginning to give them here his kingdom.  It doesn’t seem to them that they are in the world. . . . In sum, while this prayer lasts they are so absorbed and engulfed with the satisfaction and delight they experience within themselves that they do not remember there is more to desire; they would eagerly say with St. Peter: ‘Lord, let us build three dwelling places here.’”

That reference to the Transfiguration and three dwelling places mentioned by St. Peter is interesting in the light of the Pope’s discussion of the Transfiguration in Chapter 9 of Jesus of Nazareth.  Modern exegesis, considering the Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration placed within the Jewish calendar, connects the Transfiguration with the Feast of Tabernacles.  Pope Benedict mentions twentieth century historian Jean Daniélou's analysis of the messianic interpretation of that feast in the Judaism of Jesus’ day.  The huts of the Jewish feast of Sukkoth (Tabernacles) “were thought of, not only as a remembrance of the protection of God in the desert, but also as a prefiguration of the Sukkoth in which the just are to dwell in the age to come.  Thus, it seems that a very exact eschatological symbolism was attached to the most characteristic rite of the Feast of Tabernacles, as this was celebrated in Jewish times.” [Pope Benedict, at 314-315, quoting Jean Daniélou’s book Bible and Liturgy, pp. 334f]. 

Thus, St. Teresa's connection of the prayer of quiet, in which the Father is "beginning to give them the Kingdom," with the Transfiguration offers an eschatological view of the Transfiguration, and recent exegesis finds such a view to be supported in the Jewish eschatological symbolism of the feast of Sukkoth in which the Transfiguration is set.

Also like St. Teresa, Pope Benedict XVI, in Jesus of Nazareth, sees the Transfiguration as “a prayer event” (pg. 310). 

While not clear, it is possible that St. Teresa had some awareness that the Jewish concept of the huts of Sukkoth had implications of the Kingdom of God in the age to come.  She had one Jewish grandparent, and it was not unusual for 16th century Spanish Jews to become Catholic.  Although not necessary to an understanding of her text, she may have learned more as a child about the Jewish feasts mentioned in Scripture than she expressly revealed.  The extent of her understanding of the Jewish implications explained by the Holy Father is thus unknown.

Conclusion

While St. Teresa was not writing exegetically, and the exegetical implications of what she wrote are found interspersed with discussions of contemplation,  there is remarkable consistency between her understanding of the Kingdom of God and the understanding expressed in Pope Benedict’s book Jesus of Nazareth.  Where they differ is primarily in the Holy Father's conclusion, drawing from recent exegetical scholarship, that Jesus was saying specifically that He is the Kingdom of God and that He is heaven.  St. Teresa sees Jesus as having prayed that the Father would give us his Kingdom -- and she describes both God the Father and Jesus as the King of that Kingdom within us.  The difference thus lies in whether Jesus and the Father, as one, are the King with our hearts, with our hearts seen as His throne, or whether He is, moreover, the Kingdom of God within us.

Pope Benedict XVI's Letter on St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi

On April 29, the Holy Father sent a letter to Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, the Archbishop of Florence, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the death of Carmelite St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi.  An English translation of the letter are available from the Vatican and Zenit.  Here is an excerpt in my translation:

"Sister Mary Magdalene had the gift of living communion with God in an ever more interiorized form, so as to become a model for the whole community, and even today she continues to be thought of as "mother".  Purified love, which pulsed through her heart, opened her to the desire for full conformity to Christ, her Spouse, to the point of sharing with Him the 'naked suffering' of the cross."

"Set yourselves no other goal than holiness"

This is from the Holy Father's Address to the Inaugural Session of the Conference of Latin American Bishops this past Sunday.  It is a section of that address, in its entirety, speaking to men and women in the religious orders and also to the lay faithful who are consecrated members of lay orders:

"I now want to address the religious men and women and consecrated members of the lay faithful.  Latin American and Caribbean society needs your witness:  in a world that so often gives priority to seeking well-being, wealth and pleasure as the goal of life, exalting freedom to the point where it takes the place of the truth of man created by God, you are witnesses that there is another meaningful way to live;  remind your brothers and sisters that the Kingdom of God has already arrived;  that justice and truth are possible if we open ourselves to the loving presence of God our Father, of Christ our brother and Lord, and of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter.  With generosity and with heroism, you must continue working to ensure that society is ruled by love, justice, goodness, service and solidarity in conformity with the charism of your founders.  With profound joy, embrace your consecration, which is an instrument of sanctification for you and of redemption for your brothers and sisters.

"The Church in Latin America thanks you for the great work that you have accomplished over the centuries for the Gospel of Christ in favour of your brothers and sisters, especially the poorest and most deprived.  I invite you always to work together with the Bishops and to work in unity with them, since they are the ones responsible for pastoral action.  I exhort you also to sincere obedience towards the authority of the Church.  Set yourselves no other goal than holiness, as you have learned from your founders."

Carmelite Saints in "Sacramentum Caritatis"

The May 1 issue of Communicationes.org, the information service of the Discalced Carmelite Curia, mentions the references to Carmelite saints in Pope Benedict XVI's Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis.

One of those is a reference to St. Thérèse of Lisieux in the Conclusion, Propositio 94:

"Dear brothers and sisters, the Eucharist is at the root of every form of holiness, and each of us is called to the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit. How many saints have advanced along the way of perfection thanks to their eucharistic devotion! From Saint Ignatius of Antioch to Saint Augustine, from Saint Anthony Abbot to Saint Benedict, from Saint Francis of Assisi to Saint Thomas Aquinas, from Saint Clare of Assisi to Saint Catherine of Siena, from Saint Paschal Baylon to Saint Peter Julian Eymard, from Saint Alphonsus Liguori to Blessed Charles de Foucauld, from Saint John Mary Vianney to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, from Saint Pius of Pietrelcina to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, from Blessed Piergiorgio Frassati to Blessed Ivan Merz, to name only a few, holiness has always found its centre in the sacrament of the Eucharist."

Another is a reference to St. Teresa of Avila in Footnote 171, mentioning something she wrote in The Way of Perfection that was later confirmed by the Council of Trent:

"See, for example, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. LXXX, a. 1, 2; Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, Chapter 35. The doctrine was authoritatively confirmed by the Council of Trent, Session XIII, c. VIII."

The footnote followed this paragraph from Propositio 55:

"Clearly, full participation in the Eucharist takes place when the faithful approach the altar in person to receive communion (169). Yet true as this is, care must be taken lest they conclude that the mere fact of their being present in church during the liturgy gives them a right or even an obligation to approach the table of the Eucharist. Even in cases where it is not possible to receive sacramental communion, participation at Mass remains necessary, important, meaningful and fruitful. In such circumstances it is beneficial to cultivate a desire for full union with Christ through the practice of spiritual communion, praised by Pope John Paul II (170) and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life (171)."

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 35 of The Way of Perfection with the recommendation mentioned by the Pope in Sacramentum Caritatis:

"When you do not receive communion, daughters, but hear Mass, you can make a spiritual communion.  Spiritual communion is highly beneficial; through it you can recollect yourselves in the same way after Mass, for the love of this Lord is thereby deeply impressed on the soul.  If we prepare ourselves to receive him, he never fails to give, in many ways which we do not understand.  It is like approaching a fire; even though the fire may be a large one, it will not be able to warm you well if you turn away and hide your hands, though you will still get more heat than you would if you were in a place without one.  But it is something else if we desire to approach him.  If the soul is disposed (I mean, if it wants to get warm), and if it remains there for a while, it will stay warm for many hours."

The Contemplative Life: Draw from the Springs of the Spirit

In his reflections before praying the Angelus today, Pope Benedict XVI remembered the upcoming observance of  the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple and Pro Orantibus Day, dedicated to cloistered religious communities.  Both observances are on the Church calendar for November 21.  The Pope's words spoke of people today who leave sometimes promising professions to seek the cloistered life, and its importance to the Church and the world today.

An article is available from Asia News.  Translations are available from the Vatican, Zenit and Papa Ratzinger Forum (scroll down).

Here is an excerpt from Papa Ratzinger Forum:

"In effect, these brothers and sisters of ours silently bear witness that in the midst of daily events, which can sometimes be quite convulsive, the only support that never vacillates is God, the unshakeable rock of faith and love.
 
"'Todo pasa, nada se muda'- 'Everything passes, God does not change'- wrote the great spiritual teacher St. Teresa of Avila in a celebrated text. For the widely felt need that many have to get out of their daily routine in great urban agglomerations to seek spaces that are favorable for silence and meditation, the monasteries of 'contemplative llfe' are 'oases' in which man, a pilgrim on earth, can draw from the springs of the Spirit and quench his thirst along the way."

Pope Blesses Statue of St. Edith Stein

Thanks to Rose Mary Rauhut, who brought to my attention that the Pope blessed the Vatican's statue of St. Edith Stein following the weekly audience on October 11.  It is mentioned here with a photo (scroll down).  Mediafax photos from October 11 also have a couple of photos of the Pope with the statue (you may have to go to a different page of that site -- look near the end of the photos from the October 11 audience).  The Spero News blog also has the Vatican Information Service article from that day, mentioning the blessing of the statue at the end of the audience. 

The statue is in a niche outside of St. Peter's Basilica.  ICS Publications News mentioned in Winter 2005 that permission for the statue had been given.  That Winter 2005 news article also includes some information about the saint's book, An Investigation Concerning the State, which has just been released in English.

On Mount Carmel and Prayer for Peace

Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the situation in the Middle East and about the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel today before and after praying the Angelus.  Asia News has posted its article on the Holy Father's message given from his vacation retreat in the Italian Alps.  He invited all local churches to pray today for peace in the Holy Land and the entire Middle East.   

He mentioned that Mount Carmel is only a few kilometers from Lebanon, dominating the city of Haifa, which has been hit in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Lebanon.  Describing the history of the mountain, he said:

"Carmel, the headland which rises above the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, at the same level as Galilee, has many natural grottoes among its peaks, sought after by hermits. The most celebrated of these men of God was the great prophet Elijah, who in the IX century before Christ strenuously defended the purity of the faith in the one true God from contamination by idolatrous cults.  Drawing inspiration from the figure of Elijah, the contemplative Order of the “Carmelites” emerged . . . ."

The ZENIT translation of the entire message is here.  The Vatican's translation of the message is here.   

Italian television included video of the Angelus together with a short video of the Pope on vacation, visiting with Carmelite nuns on Friday, and playing the piano.  Amy Welborn found a link to the video.  The TV newscast opens in Windows Media Player and shows about 9:20 minutes of other news before showing the Pope, and it is ofcourse in Italian.  The piano video starts about 10:43 minutes into the broadcast.  I don't know if the link will still take you to the same newscast once the news is updated or not and didn't find a way to download this particular broadcast, so the link may not be good for long.  RAI also has a few other videos of the Pope available online here.

A Good or a Better Wine

Thoughts on Love in Action from St. Teresa of Avila's Meditations on the Song of Songs:

(This post was written soon after Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical Deus Caritas Est.  In this post, I look at some excerpts from St. Teresa's book about love, with a focus on the active side of a saint who is known more for her contemplative side.  In another post, I looked at some excerpts from Deus Caritas Est, with a focus on the contemplative side of Pope Benedict XVI, who is more known for his active side.)

"The King brought me into the wine cellar and set charity in order over me." (Song of Songs 2:4)

1.   God gives people different gifts in abundance, not wanting to keep anything from them, and some receive great fervor in His service, others great charity toward their neighbors.

"For a greater or less amount can be given a person to drink, a good or a better wine, and the wine will leave him more or less inebriated and intoxicated.  So with the favors of the Lord; to one He gives a little wine of devotion, to another more, with another He increases it in such a way that the person begins to go out from himself, from his sensuality, and from all earthly things; to some He gives great fervor in His service; to others, impulses of love; to others, great charity toward their neighbors.  These gifts are given in such a way that these persons go about so stupefied they do not feel the great trials that take place here.  But much is contained in what the bride says.  He brings her into the wine cellar so that she may come out more abundantly enriched."  (Meditations 6:3) 

2.  A union with the will of God is not based on words or feelings alone, but is a union that we prove by our actions.

"Oh, how happy will be the lot of one who obtains this favor [that holy peace which makes the soul venture out to war against worldly kinds of peace] since it is a union with the will of God, such a union that there is no division between him and the soul, but one same will.  It is a union not based on words or desires alone, but a union proved by deeds."  (Meditations  3:1)

3.  Because God gives us permission to think that He, this true Lover, needs us, we can forget ourselves and look at how we can serve God and wish to do His will.

"He gives us permission to think that He, this true Lover, my Spouse and my Good, needs us. 

"Since He gives us permission, let us repeat, daughters, my Beloved is mine and I am my Beloved's.  You are mine, Lord?  If You come to me, why do I doubt that I will be able to serve You?  From here on, Lord, I want to forget myself and look only at how I can serve You and have no other desire than to do Your will."  (Meditations 4:11, 12)

4.  In the active life, the soul is working contemplatively.  When active works grow out of God's love and are done for Him, they spread to benefit many people.

"[S]ustain me with flowers. . . . I understand by these words that the soul is asking to perform great works in the service of our Lord and of its neighbor. . . . Martha and Mary never fail to work almost together when the soul is in this state.  For in the active -- and seemingly exterior -- work the soul is working interiorly.  And when the active works rise from this interior root, they become lovely and very fragrant flowers.  For they proceed from this tree of God's love and are done for Him alone, without any self-interest.  The fragrance from these flowers spreads to the benefit of many."  (Meditations 7:3)

5.  People who know the love that God has for people, like to set aside their own self-interest and tell others beneficial truths by the best means they can to benefit their neighbor.

"[The bride] looks only for the honor and glory of God in everything.  Truly, I don't believe that souls brought to this state by the Lord, from what I have understood of some, think of themselves, and of whether they will lose or gain, any more than if they did not exist.  They look only at serving and pleasing the Lord.  And because they know the love He has for His servants, they like to leave aside their own satisfaction and good so as to please Him and serve and tell souls beneficial truths by the best means they can.  Nor do they, as I say, think about whether or not they will themselves lose.  They keep before their minds the benefit of their neighbor, nothing else."  (Meditations 7:5)

6.  God enjoys having His works shine through our weaknesses, and the virtues He gives us can help us forget our weaknesses.

"[I]n no way does He need our strength.  Rather, His Majesty enjoys having His works shine forth in weak people, for in them there is more room for His power to work and fulfill the desire He has to grant us favors.  As a result, the virtues God has given you will help you act with determination and forget the reasons the intellect presents and your own weakness.  These virtues will prevent this weakness from increasing when there are thoughts about what will or will not happen, or thoughts, perhaps, that because of my own sins I will not deserve that He give me the fortitude He has given others."  (Meditations 3:6)

7.  The more people advance in contemplative prayer, the more attention they pay to the needs of others, especially to other people's spiritual needs.

"And a soul that is surrounded by crosses, trials, and persecutions has a powerful remedy against often continuing in the delight of contemplation.  It finds great delight in suffering; but suffering doesn't consume it and waste its strength, as would this suspension, if very frequent, of the faculties in contemplation.  And the soul also has another reason for making this request, for it must not be always enjoying without serving and working in something.  I notice in some persons -- there are not many because of our sins -- that the more they advance in this kind of prayer and the gifts of our Lord the more attention they pay to the needs of their  neighbor, especially to the needs of their neighbors' souls."  (Meditations 7:8)

8.  Even if someone cannot help her neighbor, her prayer will be powerful if she has "an ardent desire for souls", and the Lord may desire that she help others as an example in life or in death.  [St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite, hoped that she would help others as an example after her death.  I do not know whether Thérèse had this part of Teresa of Avila's writings in mind.]

"For if someone who is a religious -- especially a woman -- cannot help her neighbor, her prayer will be powerful if she has strong determination and ardent desires for souls.  Even, perhaps, the Lord will desire that either in life or in death she will help others, as the holy friar Diego [St. Diego of Alcalà] does now . . . his memory is revived by the Lord that he might be an example to us.  Let us praise His Majesty!"  (Meditations 2:29)

9.  True contemplation from God causes the virtues to grow so strong and love to become so enkindled that it is not possible to conceal them, and they always bring profit to others.

"One must not place limits on a Lord so great and desirous to grant favors.  I am speaking of the true favors from God, not of illusions or of the results of melancholy or of our own natural efforts.  Only time will tell where the favors come from.  When they are from God the virtues grow so strong and love becomes so enkindled that there's no concealing the two.  Even without any specific desire on the part of the soul, they always bring profit to other souls."  (Meditations 6:12)

10.  The gain drawn from contemplative prayer is seen through its effects: the virtues and the living faith that grow out of it.

"The tremendous gain drawn from this kind of prayer is clearly recognized through the effects, the virtues, the living faith, and the contempt for the world left in the soul. . . Well, is it possible for God to grant a favor so great that it wastes time and gains nothing in Him?  No, I don't think so."  (Meditations 6:6)

Photos:  Ancient Artadi wine cellar in Spain, from  Peter Blattmann Culinary Tours; dahlias in the gardens of Redwood Valley Cellars, Redwood Valley, California.   

Love and the Will of God

In Part I of the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, section 17, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that God loved us first (I John 4:10), and that He has made Himself visible: "in Jesus we are able to see the Father" (John 14:9).  In the love story of the Gospels, "he comes towards us, he seeks to win our hearts, all the way to the Last Supper, to the piercing of his heart on the Cross, to his appearances after the Resurrection and to the great deeds by which, through the activity of the Apostles, he guided the nascent Church along its path.  Nor has the Lord been absent from subsequent Church history: he encounters us ever anew, in the men and women who reflect his presence . . ."  We experience God's love and then can respond with love. 

Continuing in that same section, the Holy Father speaks of love and the "communion of will" in which we, through love, increasingly will the same thing God wills (footnotes omitted):

"In the gradual unfolding of this encounter, it is clearly revealed that love is not merely a sentiment.  Sentiments come and go.  A sentiment can be a marvellous first spark, but it is not the fullness of love. . . .Contact with the visible manifestations of God's love can awaken within us a feeling of joy born of the experience of being loved.  But this encounter also engages our will and our intellect.  Acknowledgment of the living God is one path towards love, and the "yes" of our will to his will unites our intellect, will and sentiments in the all-embracing act of love.  But this process is always open-ended; love is never "finished" and complete; throughout life, it changes and matures, and thus remains faithful to itself.  Idem velle atque idem nolle -- to want the same thing, and to reject the same thing -- was recognized by antiquity as the authentic content of love: the one becomes similar to the other, and this leads to a community of will and thought.  The love-story between God and man consists in the very fact that this communion of will increases in a communion of thought and sentiment, and thus our will and God's will increasingly coincide: God's will is no longer for me an alien will, something imposed on me from without by the commandments, but it is now my own will, based on the realization that God is in fact more deeply present to me than I am to myself.  Then self-abandonment to God increases and God becomes our joy (cf. Ps 73 [72]:23-28).

This discussion of God's love for us leading us to will what God wills should put those minds to rest who grow concerned when some people speak of God's love as if it implied a tolerance of every diverse way of living without regard to morality.  Love and will are united so that "our will and God's will increasingly coincide."

Of course, this connection of love and will is well founded and often discussed among the saints and doctors of the Church.  St. Teresa of Avila mentioned such a unity of will in response to the love described in the Song of Songs in her Meditations on the Song of Songs, 3:1:

"O HOLY BRIDE, let us turn to what you ask for: that holy peace which makes the soul, while remaining itself completely secure and tranquil, venture out to war against all worldly kinds of peace.  Oh, how happy will be the lot of one who obtains this favor since it is a union with the will of God, such a union that there is no division between Him and the soul, but one same will.  It is a union not based on words or desires alone, but a union proved by deeds.  Thus, when the bride knows she is serving the Bridegroom in something, there is so much love and desire to please Him that she doesn't listen to the reasons the intellect will give her or to the fears it will propose.  But she lets faith so work that she doesn't look for her own profit or rest; rather, she succeeds now in understanding that in this service lies all her profit."

Thus, the "communion of will" mentioned in Deus Caritas Est is not unlike the "union of will" mentioned in St. Teresa of Avila's Meditations on the Song of Songs.  Both expect that the natural result of love is that we begin to want the same things God wants:  we begin to want to be holy, we increasingly want to do the will of God.  To speak of God's love, then, is not a different thing from speaking of God's holiness or of God's will for righteousness; rather, to know God's love and to love God in turn entails the will to know and do His will.

St. Edith Stein, in Chapter VII of Finite and Eternal Being ("The Image of the Trinity in the Created World"), analyzes the thinking of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine on love and will.  In Section 9 of that chapter, she summarizes St. Augustine's view in a way that corresponds to the concept in Deus Caritas Est of how love leads to active charity (such charity being the focus of Part II of the Encyclical):

"He [St. Augustine] places longing desire in the will and says that this desire is something in the nature of love, and that desire turns into love when the desired thing, i.e., knowledge, has been attained.  And there no doubt exists a close relationship between love and will.  The one who loves feels the urge to fulfill the commandments of God: he desires to conform his own will to the will of God.  The will grows out of love, and from willing springs action.  In fulfilling the divine commandments, however, we gain a deeper knowledge of God, and thereby in turn our love increases.  And while love for its part seeks to gain ever deepening knowledge, it is from the very outset not possible to have love without having knowledge.  Love comprises in itself knowledge and presupposes a certain kind of knowledge.  The spiritual life is an ascending life, and every basic form of spiritual life conditions by its own ascent the ascent of the other forms and is in turn stimulated and further advanced by these other forms.  It is precisely the inextricable junction and simultaneous difference of these basic forms of spiritual life that make them an image of the triune God."

After also considering the thinking of St. Thomas Aquinas, Edith says (section 9, pg. 457):

"As was previously pointed out, the one and only perfect actualization of love is the divine life itself, the mutual self-giving of the Divine Persons.  Here each person finds himself in the other, and since both their life and their nature are one, this mutual love is simultaneously self-love and a self-affirmation of the Persons' nature or essence.  In the realm of creatures, the closest approximation to this pure love, which is God, is the self-surrender of finite persons to God.

"No finite spirit [Geist], to be sure, is capable of wholly embracing the Divine Spirit, but God -- and he alone -- embraces and encompasses wholly every created spirit.  Those who surrender their selves to him attain in loving union with him to the highest perfection of their being and to that love which is at once knowledge, surrender of the heart, and free act.  That love is wholly turned upon God, but in union with divine love the created spirit also embraces its own self -- in knowledge, in joyful bliss, and in free self-affirmation.  The surrender of oneself to God is simultaneously a surrender of one's own self -- a self which God loves -- to the entire created world, and in particular to all spiritual beings united with God."

Viewed in the context of these quotations from Pope Benedict XVI, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Edith Stein, there is no real division between a view of God's love as leading to Catholic social action, on the one hand, and a call for obedience to God's moral law, on the other.  Indeed, the love that draws us into a "union with divine love" draws us into a communion of will with God so that we will what He wills, and in that communion of will lies the motivation for charity to the poor and "to the entire created world, and in particular to all spiritual beings united with God." 

The Controversy of Love

In his Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI wrote:

"In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, this message is both timely and significant.  For this reason, I wish in my first Encyclical to speak of the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others."

On the same day when the Encyclical was released, Sandro Magister published a Preface to the Encyclical, written by the Holy Father, online here, entitled "Why I chose love as the theme of my first encyclical".  In that preface, the Holy Father wrote:

"Today the word "love" is so tarnished, so spoiled and so abused, that one is almost afraid to pronounce it with one's lips.

And yet it is a primordial word, expression of the primordial reality; we cannot simply abandon it, we must take it up again, purify it and give back to it its original splendor so that it might illuminate our life and lead it on the right path.

This awareness led me to choose love as the theme of my first encyclical."

Our modern day is not unique in its fear to pronounce "love" with one's lips. 

In sixteenth century Spain, St. Teresa of Avila's book, sometimes called Meditations on the Song of Songs and sometimes called Thoughts on the Love of God.  She wrote:

"Indeed, I recall hearing a priest who was a religious preach a very admirable sermon, most of which was an explanation of those loving delights with which the bride communed with God.  And there was so much laughter, and what he said was so poorly taken, that I was shocked.  He was speaking about love since the sermon was on Maundy Thursday, when one shouldn't be speaking of anything else.  And I see clearly that the reason for not understanding is the one I mentioned (that we practice so poorly the love of God), for it doesn't seem to us possible for a soul to commune in such a way with God.  These people did not benefit, surely because they did not understand, nor, I believe, did they think anything but that the preacher made the sermon up in his own head."   

It would seem, from that example, that the word "love" was misunderstood as well those 430 or so years ago, at least when it comes to the application of the Song of Songs to the love of God for His people. 

The Meditations on the Song of Songs is St. Teresa's book that was ordered burned and yet survived.  Although it had been approved by Domingo Banez on June 10, 1575, she later burned it on the command of her later confessor, the Dominican theologian Diego de Yanguas, possibly as late as 1580, after copies of the book were in circulation.  According to Father Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D.'s "Introduction" to the Meditations in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. II:

"The Discalced Carmelite nuns in Alba de Tormes hid their copy in the monastery.  When Fr. Yanguas ordered that the copies they possessed be burned "not because the work was bad but because he didn't think it was proper for a woman to explain the Song of Songs," the nuns demonstrated their expertise in casuistry by giving the manuscript away, to the Duchess of Alba, who they knew would value and guard it safely."

Scripture's use of marriage and romantic love as imagery to explain God's love creates controversy now as it did then.  It is rooted in Scripture, and yet is almost unique to Scripture.  Deus Caritas Est mentions the Old Testament fou