St. Teresa of Avila: Model for New Evangelization

St. Teresa of Avila in Ecstasy by Bernini

Today the Universal Church celebrates the feast of St. Teresa of Avila.  St. Teresa was a powerful example of prayer leading to reform.  She first set her heart on the Lord to reform herself.  She was actually shown a vision of the spot in Hell she was headed for if she hadn't been personally reformed to belong totally to Jesus Christ.

In addition to herself, St. Teresa set out to reform the Carmelite Order.  In a letter last year to Bishop Jesus Garcia Burillo of Avila, Spain marking the 450th anniversary of St. Teresa founding the Monastery of St. Joseph as part of her reform of the Carmelite Order, Pope Benedict XVI described the apostolic work of her prayer life.  The Catholic News Agency reported the Holy Father's thoughts:

In the “exhilarating task” of the New Evangelization, he said, the example of St. Teresa should inspire all Christians because she “evangelized unhesitatingly, showing tireless ardor, employing methods free from inertia and using expressions bathed in light.”

“This remains important in the current time,” said the Pope, “when there is a pressing need for the baptized to renew their hearts through individual prayer in which, following the guidance of St. Teresa, they also focus on contemplation of Christ’s blessed humanity as the only way to reach the glory of God.”

May the intercession and example of St. Teresa of Jesus lead more hearts to evangelize "unhesitatingly, showing tireless ardor, employing methods free from inertia and using expressions bathed in light."