¡feliz #500 cumpleaños Teresa of Avila!

 “I repeat, it is necessary that your foundation consist of more than prayer and contemplation. If you do not strive for the virtues and practice them, you will always be dwarfs. And, please God, it will be only a matter of not growing, for you already know that whoever does not increase decreases. I hold that love, where present, cannot possibly be content with remaining always the same.”

~Teresa of Avila                          

“Keep in mind that I could not exaggerate the importance of this. Fix your eyes on the Crucified and everything will become small for you.”

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Today is the 5^th centenary of the birth of Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-2015), one my closest mentors in the spiritual journey.

Today is also the 33^rd birthday of our oldest and our only son, Christopher!

And today I am traveling basically all day from Norman to Chicago to New York, where I will join the rest of the Catholic Bloggers Press Tour participants on our way to Amman. 

Let us pray for one another!

nada te turbe...solo Dios basta

Teresa, la peregrina, Ávila

A follow up to yesterday's Ávila story...

This year marks the 500th birthday of Santa Teresa de Jesús, Teresa of Ávila, whose feast day is October 15.

Not only has Teresa always been close to my heart, this October 15 of 2014, will be my son's 32nd birthday--and it is also the due date for his fourth child (our 5th grandbaby)!

This week I came across this beautiful video in honor of this year's feast, and its beauty brought tears to my eyes.

It is one of two virtual choirs produced for the celebration of Santa Teresa's 500th birthday, and it features Carmelite nuns virtually singing "together" from around the world, accompanied by the Teresian Orchestra of St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington.

Sister Claire Sokol composed this beautiful rendition of Teresa's famous prayer, "Nada te turbe."  I know you will enjoy it.