Monday, October 4, 2010

Monks commemorate the life of St. Teresa of Avila


The monks of the Eremitic Order of Mount Carmel (EOMC) at Annunciation Monastery of Honolulu joined with local Inclusive Orthodox Church (IOC) clergy, community and friends to celebrate a special Divine Liturgy commemorating the life of Saint Teresa of Avila. Archbishop Daniel J. Dahl, Bishop Stephen Randolph Sykes and Archpriest Drew A. Kovach joined in con-celebrating “The Rite of the Americas” at the monastery this past Sunday, October 3rd, 2010.

Bishop Daniel gave a homily about Saint Teresa's life. He spoke about the Saint's famous writings (The Interior Castle) about mental prayer and interior spiritual life which had been an inspiration for the foundation of the EOMC. He quoted directly from some of the more famous of Saint Teresa’s published works;

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.”

It is Saint Teresa’s life as a religious reformer, mystic and for her emphasis upon living in the presence of God which motivated the EOMC monks to choose her as Co-Patroness of their Hawaii religious community in 1994.

“It is here, … that love is to be found - not hidden away in corners but in the midst of occasions of sin. And believe me, although we may more often fail and commit small lapses, our gain will be incomparably the greater.”

“I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him,” Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church.