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20110627 Teachers of prayer from Spain 西班牙的祈禱導師

World Youth Day will be celebrated in Madrid, Spain, in August. The theme for the upcoming World Youth Day is “Rooted and Built up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith.”

Ten saints and blesseds are being named patrons of World Youth Day 2011: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Isidore the Farmer, St. Maria of the Head, St. John of Avila, St. Rose of Lima, St. Rafael Arnaiz, and Blessed John Paul II.

In preparation for World Youth Day, we are going to have a series of five articles to study the lives of these patron saints. We begin this week with St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.

Desire for eternity

St. Teresa of Avila was born March 28, 1515. When she was only 7 years old, she and her little brother, Rodrigo, took great pleasure in the lives of the saints. They were much impressed with the thought of eternity and repeated together: “Forever – ever – ever.”

Teresa and Rodrigo decided to go to the country of the Moors and to die for the faith. They travelled as far as Adaja, where they were met by their uncle, who brought them back to their worried mother.

After that incident, Teresa and Rodrigo wanted to live as hermits at home. They kept building hermitages with piles of stones in the garden, but could never complete them.

During their teenage years, Teresa and Rodrigo spent hours reading romances, which made Teresa became vain and lukewarm. Her father, therefore, placed her in a convent to be educated by nuns.

Conversion experience

At 20, Teresa entered the convent of the Incarnation of the Carmelite nuns outside Avila. She neglected mental prayer, with the excuse that she was physically weak and that she was unworthy to converse familiarly with God. Reprimanded by a Dominican friar, Teresa returned to the practice of mental prayer.

Aware of her own unworthiness, Teresa had recourse to two great penitents: St. Augustine and St. Mary Magdalen. Her mind was enlightened by St. Augustine’s Confessions, and one day her heart was moved to penitence before a picture of the suffering Lord. Teresa received mastery over her desire to be appreciated and thought well of.

In 1562 Teresa founded the Discalced Carmelites. She emphasized the importance of mental prayer and said: “Give me a person who has 15 minutes of mental prayer daily, and I will give you a saint.”

Short spiritual giant

When Teresa was 52, she met a 25-year-old Carmelite friar who was small of stature, St. John of the Cross.

John of the Cross was minded to join the Carthusians, but Teresa urged him to join her reformation of the Carmelites. He became the first friar to wear the Discalced habit.

As a reformer, John of the Cross experienced much opposition. He was even put into prison for nine months! Years later, he said, “Do not be surprised if I show a great love of suffering; God gave me a high idea of its value when I was in prison at Toledo.”

St. John frequently asked three things in prayers: that he might not pass one day of his life without suffering something, that he might not die in office, and that he might end his life in humiliation and contempt.

St. John pointed out that contemplation is not the end, but a means to love. Among his sayings: “There is no better or more necessary work than love.”

“We have been created for love.”

“Where you do not find love, put love, and you will find love.”

今年八月,「世界青年日」在西班牙馬德里舉行,主題是「植根基督,堅強信德」。十位聖人和真福,被尊為本年「世界青年日」的主保聖人:聖女大德蘭、聖十字架若望、聖依納爵、聖方濟各.沙勿略、聖依西多祿「農人」和他的妻子聖瑪利亞、聖若望.亞維拉、聖羅撒、聖拉法厄爾.亞奈斯,及真福教宗若望保祿二世。

為了準備「世界青年日」,我們一連五週,淺談那十位主保聖賢。首先,我們談論聖女大德蘭和聖十字架若望。

渴求永恆

聖女大德蘭生於一五一五年三月二十八日,七歲時喜與兄長羅拔,同讀聖人行實,一同默想永生。

兄妹二人想到慕爾地區為信德致命,竟偷偷離家出走,半路被叔父撞見,帶返交給憂戚忡忡的母親。之後,兩人計劃在花園裏搭兩間石屋,用以隱修,卻始終沒有搭成。

青年期,德蘭與其他少女一樣,愛好時髦,轉而喜愛閱讀愛情小說,熱心的父親見她生活方式有異於前,就送她到奧斯定女修院住讀。

改過經歷

二十歲的德蘭,進入亞維拉外的加爾默羅修院,但常藉口身體弱,疏於心禱,自覺不配與天主交談;後來遭到一位道明會神父的責備,便多用時間在心禱善功上。

德蘭修女深感罪孽深重,就開始研究兩位由罪人轉變為聖賢的箸名聖人:聖奧斯定和聖瑪利亞.瑪大肋納。她讀了聖奧斯定的『慚悔錄』。有一天,德蘭在耶穌聖像前懺悔,覺得聖女瑪利亞.瑪大肋納在援助她。從此,她的靈修生活,有了顯箸的改善。

一五六二年,德蘭因改革原來的「加爾默羅修會」,創辦「赤足嘉爾默羅修會」,並強調心禱的重要;她說:「給我每天作十五分鐘心禱的人,我會把這人變成聖人。」

矮小的神修巨人

德蘭五十二歲時,遇上一位二十五歲、身形矮小的加爾默羅會神父,他就是後來的聖十字架若望。若望當時有意轉入「嘉都西會」,但德蘭邀他入「赤足嘉爾默羅修會」,成為該會第一位男會士,著手改革原來的「加爾默羅修會」。

作為改革者,若望面對不少反對,甚至曾被幽禁九個月。若望後來說:「我很愛受苦,因為九個月的牢獄生活,使我認識了受苦的真正價值」

聖若望祈求天主賞賜他三件恩典:每天一定要受一些苦;不要在執行職務時猝死,以致所辦的事功虧一簣;在被人羞辱和蔑視中去逝。

聖人指出,默觀並非終結,而是一種愛的方法。他說:「沒有一件事比愛德更重要。」「我們因愛而受造。」「那裏沒有愛,放上愛吧!那麼,我們便找到愛。」