movie of st. teresa of avila
Table of Contents
1. POVERTY ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH
1.2 Understanding of the Church
2. poverty in the works of st. teresa of avila
general Introduction
In
order to attain salvation one must need to apply in daily life, the teachings
of Jesus Christ. Some of His teachings are must follow and some are not for all.
when the young man asked Him what
he should do to obtain eternal life, Christ bade him to “keep the commandments”
but when the young man pressed further, Christ told him: “If you to be perfect,
go sell what you have, and give to the poor”.[1] Thus
He has taught directly and indirectly through parables. after completing His mission He has handed over the authority
of the Church to his disciples. The origin of evangelical counsels is found in
the teaching and example of Christ Jesus.[2]
They are gift of God, which the Church has received from her Lord and which by
His grace the Church safeguards. through
the ages of the century the oral and the written form continued in the church
which was taught by the apostles. These written and oral forms are rooted in
the word of God which teaches the various things among them the poverty which
is the one of the evangelical counsels.
As
the saying goes like this “wants are more than needs.” one can attain the goal of the soul by detaching the things
of the world in order to teach people. Roman Catholic church highlighted Poverty (Evangelical Counsel) through documents
and saints.
chapter one
Poverty according to the church
1.0 introduction
As
we turn the pages of the church history we come to know that the poverty is a
one of the evangelical counsels. According to the thinkers of the church soul
will be purified through poverty therefore the church fathers or the desert
fathers ran from this world means to say they moved to the lonely place where
one can pray. Poverty makes the person to detach the worldly things. Thus ones
heart may not be near the treasure instead of God. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.[3] In
this modern world before entering the Religious life one should renounce
himself.[4]
Therefore Pope Francis says that the priest and religious are truly to be in
this world, but not of this world; they need to be deeply aware of their
nothingness / humanness as well as their greatness / dignity.[5]
1.2
Understanding of the Church
From
the very beginning of the Church there were men and women who set out to follow
Christ with greater liberty, and to imitate him more closely, by practicing the
poverty. They led lives dedicated to God, each in his own way. Many of them,
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, became hermits or founded religious
families. The Church, by virtue of her authority, gladly accepted and approved.[6]
Further
in the Code of Canon Law we read that
the life consecrated through the profession of the evangelical counsels is a
stable form of living by which the faithful, following Christ more closely
under the action of the Holy Spirit, are totally dedicated to God who is loved
most of all, so that, having been dedicated by a new and special title to His honour,
to the building up of the Church, and to the salvation of the world, they
strive for the perfection of charity in the service of the kingdom of God and,
having been made an outstanding sign in the Church, foretell the heavenly glory.
It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life
recognized by the Church, which characterizes the life consecrated to God.[7] The
Christian faithful freely assume this form of living in institutes of
consecrated life canonically erected by competent authority of the Church. Through
vows or other sacred bonds according to the proper laws of the institutes, they
profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience and,
through the charity to which the counsels lead, are joined in a special way to
the Church and its mystery.[8]
The
Church explains the purpose behind the life of poverty is so that certain
Christian faithful who are specially called by God to this state so that they
possess a special gift in the life of the Church might contribute to its
salvific mission, according to the purpose and spirit of the institute. Further
the evangelical counsels, based on the teaching and examples of Christ the
Teacher, are a divine gift which the Church has received from the Lord and
preserves always through His grace. Accordingly it is for the competent
authority of the Church to interpret the evangelical counsels, to direct their
practice by laws, and by canonical approbation to establish the stable forms of
living deriving from them, and also, for its part, to take care that the
institutes grow and flourish according to the spirit of the founders and sound
traditions.[9]
The
consecrated must therefore more closely follow Christ who prays, or announces
the kingdom of God, or does well to people, or lives with people in the world,
yet who always does the will of the Father.[10]
Number
15 of the Degree on Ecumenism insists
that the religious men and women voluntarily practice the vow of poverty.
Further adding to this it continues saying that the General Chapters should
promote and should give important to the vow of poverty in order to practice in
their daily life.[11]
1.3
Consecrated poverty
In order to follow Christ we need to
practice the vow of poverty. One who have taken the vow of poverty should keep
in mind that not renouncing everything rather preserving the things which are needed
for life. In the religious life poverty is not only renouncing himself rather
sharing the things to the other, one who lives in the same community. The book
of Proverb clearly mentions that “one who is more one need to share In common generous
to the poor will be blessed”. In order to attain fullness in unity one need to
share in common thus one may called by God’s grace to salvation.[12]
1.4 conclusion
In
order to gain salvation, one must follow the teachings of Christ. Christ
himself lived in poverty though he was a rich. By gazing the life of Christ we
can conclude that the poverty makes a person to live in happiness along with Christ.
Thus one cannot flee from the love of Christ. Poverty is not only living but
also sharing to the other who is in need. Thus this chapter clearly explains
what poverty is and how to live in by embracing Christ.
Chapter two
poverty in the works of st. teresa of avila
the book of her life
2.0
introduction
From beginning, various saints,
desert fathers and early Christians spoken and written about the poverty which
is a one of the evangelical councils.
There is no other example then the Jesus who practiced the way of poverty,
therefore Church is always conscious about the Poverty which is a one of the
evangelical councils. While turning the pages of the Roman Catholic Church we
come across various saints who have spoken, St. Teresa of Avila is one of them,
who speaks about the poverty. Therefore this chapter deals with the teachings
of St. Teresa of Avila and her expression together with the explanation on
self- surrender.
2.1 poverty
St.
Teresa insists on poverty, both in fact and in spirit. This poverty is
manifested also in the way one disposes himself in prayer as she explains. “I
fear it [the soul] will never attain to true poverty of spirit, which consists
in seeking, not comfort or pleasure in prayer (for it has already abandoned
earthly comforts and pleasures), but consolation in trials for the love of Him
Who suffered trials all His life long; and we must endure these trials, and be
calm amidst aridity.”[13]
In
fact for St. Teresa of Avila to be poor in spirit and in fact go hand in hand.
The two cannot be separated for if one is remiss in the practice of one the
other is of no benefit to the soul.
We have made a resolve to be
poor, and that is a resolution of great merit; but we often begin to plan and
strive again so that we may have no lack, not only of necessaries, but even of
superfluities; we try to make friends who will give us these, lest we should
lack anything; and we take greater pains, and perhaps even run greater risks, than
we did before, when we had possessions of our own. It also appears to us that
we are renouncing our status when we become religious or that we renounce it
when we begin to live a spiritual life and follow the path of perfection. And
yet hardly is our prestige wounded than we quite forget that we have
surrendered it to God and we try to seize it again, and wrest it, as they say,
out of His very hands, although we had apparently made Him Lord of our will. So
it is with everything else.[14]
For this poverty to be actualized in
our lives and to reap the benefits that it brings with it, we must be completed
detached and stripped of all inordinate desires. “I am quite clear that there
is nothing on earth with which so great a blessing can be purchased; but if we
did what we could to obtain it, if we cherished no attachment to earthly
things, and if all our cares and all our intercourse were centred in Heaven, I
believe there is no doubt that this blessing would be given us very speedily,
provided we prepared ourselves for it thoroughly and quickly.”[15]
According to her teaching that the blessings of God is more than everything
which exists in the world.
2.2 self-surrender
Spiritual poverty to be actualized
in our lives we require a great deal of trust in the providence of God. St.
Augustine says that “O rich man, if you have not God what have you; O poor man,
if you have God what have you not”[16]
This is implies a complete surrender of ourselves to His majesty.
“Self-surrender to God is necessary for true Holiness. Not even self-commitment
is sufficient.[17]
A failure in this is a failure in the exercise of the evangelical counsel of
poverty and consequently the reward promised to the poor in the Beatitudes will
never be actualized in our lives. “We make no effort to carry our desires into
effect or to raise them far above the earth. It is hardly suitable that people
who act in this way should have many spiritual consolations; the two things
seem to me incompatible. So, being unable to make a full surrender of
ourselves, we are never given a full supply of this treasure.”[18]
Knowing human frailty herself, St.
Teresa of Avila asserts that the grace of God is indispensible for the one who
resolves to follow the narrow path of perfection. She assures us that if we
strive with all our heart the Lord will not deny himself to the one who
displays ‘determined determination’. “The Lord shows exceeding great mercy to him
whom He gives grace and courage to resolve to strive after this blessing with
all his might. For God denies Himself to no one who perseveres but gradually
increases the courage of such a one till he achieves victory.”[19]
Our holy mother was influenced a
great deal by St. Clare in matters pertaining to poverty and abandonment. She
was devoted to this holy saint and attributed much of her success to her
intercession. The bare minimum
without compromising on health was the policy followed by and recommended by St.
Teresa of Avila when it came to building monasteries. “Everything was very
rough and it had only enough done to it not to make it injurious to the health.
And that is the principle that should be followed everywhere.” [20] Yet
Teresa sometimes was assailed by scruples and doubted whether the strict
poverty was really the will of God or whether it would be a distraction to
prayer and recollection. But over time as Teresa grew in her faith experience
she was convinced that God never fails to provide for the ones who trust him
and serve him wholeheartedly.
Yet the saint faced severe
opposition to this novel idea from even her learned counsellors and her
confessors whom she consulted. “They put before me so many contrary arguments
that I did not know what to do; for, now that I had learned the nature of the
Rule and realized that its way was that of greater perfection, I could not
persuade myself to allow the house to have any revenue.” Her conscience could
not allow her to accept anything less than what the primitive rule entailed and
her prayer life further strengthen her convictions.
“the
Lord told me that I must on no account fail to found the convent in poverty,
for that was His Father's will, and His own will, and He would help me. On
another occasion He told me that money led only to confusion, and said other
things in praise of poverty, and assured me that none would ever lack the necessaries
of life if they served Him.”[21] These
experiences of St. Teresa in prayer convinced her that it God’s will that she
was doing and that He Himself will bring it to fulfilment.
2.3 conclusion
The experience is a one of the great
teachers, who teach by the experience. This chapter is also one of the main
important chapters, where the experience teaches through doctrines of St.
Teresa of Avila. Her experience always tries to bring Christ more closely
through her spirituality. Her self- surrender to Christ was a one of the
pleasing cause to Love her.
GENERAL CONCLUSION
Desire
is a root cause for suffering, there is no men who do not get any suffering. When
the suffering comes on our way we try to neglect God. When the happiness comes
on our way we tend to forget God.
The
entire human person knows that the son of God became a human being for the
salvation of a human kind. In order to follow Christ we need to practice the
teachings of Christ in our daily life. Through the teachings of Christ one can
attain salvation. Therefore the teachings St. Teresa of Avila and the doctrines
of the Church goes hand in hand. In order to follow Christ St. Teresa of Avila teaches
in her own experience therefore she pauses to take the vow of poverty
seriously. One who practices the vow of poverty very seriously will not go
beyond the worldly things; rather he may more close to Christ.
Saying
goes always that the experience is a best teacher. Keeping this in mind St.
Teresa of Avila teaches to entire Roman Catholic Church. according to her one who practices the
simplicity and the way of poverty will reach to the kingdom of heaven. Further
she says that the poverty is not only sharing to the other but also sharing one
who is in need. Therefore this paper tries to explain what poverty is and how
to live in it. Thus it becomes a one of the entrance door to all the readers.
bibliography
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 2013.
Flannery, Austin o.p. Vatican II; conciliar and post conciliar
Documents. Bombay: St. Paul
Publication, 1992.
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In Christo, 56, 4. Jharkhand: The
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Dharmaram Journal of psycho-spiritual Formation, X, 1. Bengaluru: Institute of Spirituality and Counselling, DVK, Dharmaram College, 2019.
Podimattam, Felix M. Consecrated Obedience Revisited. Delhi: Media House, 2006.
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Adaption and Renewal of
Religious
Life. ed. Austin Flannery. Vatican II:
The Conciliar Documents. Bombay: St. Paul Publication, 1992.
Second
Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium; Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. Edited by
Austin Flannery. Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar
Documents, Vol. 1. Bombay: St. Paul Publication, 1992
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The code of Canon Law; New Revised English Translation. Bangalore: Theological Publication in India, 2015.
[1] Mt. 19:16
NRSV.
[2] Second
Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium; Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, ed. Austin
Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Vol.
1 (Bombay: St. Paul Publication, 1992), 43.
[3] Mt 6:21
[4] Second Vatican
Council, PerfectaeCaritatis, Degree
On the up to date Renewal of Religious Life, ed. Austin Flannery, Vatican
council II; (Bombay: St. Paul publication, 1992), 560.
[5] Thomas Parayil, “Challenges of Religious and priestly Formation,” Vinayasadhana: Dharmaram Journal of psycho-spiritual Formation, X, 1, (Bengaluru:
Institute of Spirituality and Counselling, DVK, Dharmaram College, 2019), 5.
[6] The code of Canon Law (Bangalore:
Theological Publication in India, 2015), 918.
[7] Catechism of the Catholic Church (Bangalore:
Theological Publications in India, 2013), 915.
[8] Ibid., 573.
[9] Ibid., 574-6
[10] Ibid., 577.
[11] Second Vatican
Council, PerfectaeCaritatis, Degree
On the up to date Renewal of Religious Life, ed. Austin Flannery, Vatican
council II; (Bombay: St. Paul publication, 1992), 560.
[12] Second Vatican
Council, PerfectaeCaritatis, Degree
On the up to date Renewal of Religious Life, ed. Austin Flannery, Vatican
council II; (Bombay: St. Paul publication, 1992), 13.
[13] St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life, Spiritual Testimonies
Soliloquies, vol 1 trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, no. 11 ( Kerala: Carmel
International Publishing House, 2013), 148.
[14] Ibid., Ch. 2, 79.
[15] Ibid., no. 2, 79.
[16] Bro.
Conrad Fonseca, SJ, “A challenge
to Religious Life Today”, In Christo,
56, 4 (Jharkhand: The Manager, In Christo Xavier Publications, 2008) 183.
[17] Felix M Podimattam,
Consecrated Obidience Revisited, (Delhi:
Media House, 2006) 102.
[18] Ibid., no. 3, 79.
[19] Ibid., no.4, 79.
[20] Ibid., no. 12, 225.
[21] Ibid., no. 6, 237.
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