Reflection written by: Abby Henderson, Associate Director of Faith Formation grades 6-8
I am a huge fan of Saint Teresa of Avila, a 15th century Catholic mystic from Spain. Her guide on spiritual development through prayer and service, The Interior Castle, brought me to my knees several times last year when I read it for the first time.
I’d taken myself away on a hermitage retreat in northern Minnesota, just me, God, & my tiny cabin in the woods with no running water or electricity (it did have gas for heating & lighting) for three days. It was glorious. Life stripped down to little or no noise beyond the birds on the lake and the wind in the trees allowed for God’s voice, through Scripture and her book, to speak loudly.
I was reminded of how much work I need to do on myself and my own relationship with Jesus before I can truly do the work of helping others to know God better. I need to have my own joy that is rooted firmly in the truth of Christ to be a true disciple. I need to inspect my own interior life, castle, space, whichever suits you. Yes, I will stumble and make mistakes, but resting in God gives me the strength to get back up.
In this year, when my ministry has changed drastically due to social distancing, that previous work on my interior life has been a blessing. The face to face connection of youth ministry has entirely shifted. Encouraging others, young and older, to seek & grow their friendship with Christ through daily prayer is vital. The suggestion offered at the end of this chapter of taking 5 minutes in the morning is wonderful.
It’s hard, too, if you’re in a stage of life of getting kids up & ready for school, or if you are the kid getting up & ready for school, but I can assure you from personal experience, every day I take the time to do this, the days are better, even when they might also be hard.
During this Advent I took advantage of our Christmas tree and got up early to turn the lights on and sit in the quiet glow of the early morning dark, first in silence with God, going over the previous day and the upcoming one, asking & listening for God’s guidance and help and then listening to a brief daily reflection of from Gospel of Matthew. Those moments prepared me for the day, to get my own interior life in order, so that I might better be an instrument of Christ’s joy to my family, my parish, and the world. Take up the challenge of spending those moments in silence to work on your interior life, for, as Teresa of Avila says, “(Mental) Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God”.