Homily for the Memorial of
St. Teresa of Avila
Wednesday, Week 28 of O.T.
Oct. 15, 2025
Rom 2: 1-11
Salesian Missions, New Rochelle, N.Y.
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa
(Bernini)
“The
kindness of God would lead you to repentance” (Rom 2: 4).
Both
Scripture readings today challenge us to be aware of our sins. St. Paul cautions against judging others when
we are sinners ourselves, and he warns us that “God will repay everyone
according to his works” (2:6)—with either eternal life, glory, and honor, or
with divine wrath, affliction, and distress (2:7-9). Jesus faults the scribes and Pharisees for
loving themselves more than they love God and their neighbor.
St.
Teresa of Avila entered a Carmelite convent as a young woman and for 18 years
lived as a very ordinary nun, not evil but more interested in conversation than
in conversion of life. Then she did
experience conversion and realized that she must be fired with love for our
Lord Jesus rather than for herself or even for others. She repented of her mediocre life and made
Jesus her center, her focus. “The name
of Jesus was fixed and embedded” in her heart.[1] She tells us in her autobiography that she
recognized 2 fundamentals: “All things
of this world will pass away,” and God alone is forever. She retained her lively personality and
continued to enjoy human company; but she took Jesus as her closest friend.
It’s
Jesus’ desire that every one of his followers should be a dear friend. He loves us with a love that sacrificed
himself to wash away our sins and lead us to eternal life, glory, and honor at
his side. “Love calls for love in return,”
Teresa wrote.[2] So we speak to him in prayer as to a friend,
when we’re happy and when we’re afflicted, and we long for his company. We strive to love others as he did, with patience,
kindness, and generosity (cf. Rom 2:4).
We place ourselves completely in Jesus’ hands.
St.
Teresa urges us: “Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you. Whoever
has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.”
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