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Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Teresa of Avila: Feast Day Oct. 15th
Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, is a beautiful inspiration for not only how to pray, but also how to love the Blessed Virgin Mary as a spiritual mother. One thing that I personally love about Saint Teresa of Avila is that she always reflected upon Christ’s presence in the Holy Eucharist. Back in January of this year, I began to reflect upon how I approach Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, if I truly believe—which I do—that Jesus makes himself present to us through the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, then how could I remind myself of this wonderful gift and humble myself before him? For me, I decided that I would genuflect/kneel before receiving Jesus in the Eucharist and mentally recite: “My Lord and my God.” I believe by doing this small act of reverence I am able to remind myself that I am truly in the presence of the King of Kings. How wonderful is that to know that we are in the presence of such an amazing King, a King who is waiting for us, as we approach Him in the communion line? It’s a mystery that is unfathomable, yet by the grace of faith, we know it is true!
After receiving Jesus veiled in the Holy Eucharist, I then recite the following prayer: “Please nourish my heart, my mind, my body and my soul to do your will.” Saying this short prayer has helped remind me to not take Jesus in the Eucharist for granted. As you and your family celebrate Saint Teresa of Avila today, pray for her intercession to help you always love and believe in Jesus’ true presence in the Holy Eucharist. Here is a beautiful Prayer written by Saint Teresa that you and your family can also pray. I hope you and your family have a blessed day celebrating Saint Teresa of Avila and growing in faith together!
Celebrating Saint Teresa Through Food:
Today as my family celebrated Saint Teresa of Avila, we made Spanish torrijas since she was from Spain. This tasty treat is the Spanish version of French Toast and makes a delicious treat for breakfast or lunch and is a meal kids of any age can help prepare.
Crafts:
A traditional Spanish craft is paper rosettes. These colorful folded paper flowers are used as decorations for parties. Here are paper rosette/medallion templates you can use, or you can tape two pieces of scrapbook paper together like I did below. You can also tape two pieces of construction paper together if you don’t have scrapbook paper.
Below is a helpful video, from Paper Source, that shows how to fold/make a paper rosette.
Additional Resources:
Here is an article for further reading about St. Teresa of Avila that you and your family can read and discuss together.
You and your family can also watch the My Catholic Family cartoon below, from EWTN, about Saint Teresa of Avila.
Saint Teresa of Avila: Feast Day October 15th (My rendition of François Gérard’s painting “Teresa of Ávila” 1827) "Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing make you afraid. All things are passing. God alone never changes. Patience gains all things. If you have God, you will want for nothing. God alone suffices.” It's been a while since I've written a blog post, and as I reflect upon the words of Saint Teresa of Avila's "Serenity Prayer" above, I cannot help but find comfort in them. Living in a time when everything in the world seems to be turned upside down, and logic and truth abandoned, the wisdom of Saint Teresa offers hope, consolation, and peace. Teresa of Avila lived in a time similar to our own. Born in the 16th century, she witnessed a world that contained globalism, political conflicts, and religious tensions following the Protestant Reformation. Yet during this turmoil, she trusted in God. She lived a life of contemplation, excelled in writing and p...
Saint Margaret Mary: Feast Day October 16th “Look upon yourself as a tree planted beside water, which bears its fruit in due season; the more it is shaken by the wind, the deeper it strikes its roots into the ground.” ~ Saint Margaret Mary ~ Faith is a gift—an undeserved and valuable grace granted by the Holy Spirit. Each of us has the capacity to seek The Way, The Truth, and The Life, for this longing has been inscribed within our hearts. Yet, in our free will, we have the choice and ability to ignore and turn from this divine call. Like the image of the tree Saint Margaret Mary describes above, if we seek Jesus and are rooted in our faith, nothing can shake us. Our water is the Church, and Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, is who makes our roots deep and strong enabling us to withstand the winds of the world and produce good fruit in His name. Jesus offers us so many opportunities to find Him, and so many ways to live with Him in Heaven. In the 1600s, He appeared to Saint Mar...
Saint Wenceslaus: Feast Day Sept. 28 I’ve heard the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus” practically every Christmas and played the song on the piano too, but I never knew he was a saint until recently. When I looked Saint Wenceslaus up and read about him, I learned he was from Bohemia and was a duke and not a king. He was declared a king after his death and proclaimed a saint soon after as tales of his virtue, piety, and care for the poor spread. Today as my family celebrated “Good King Wenceslaus’s” feast day, we took a Christmas theme approach, since, the lyrics of his Christmas carol mention him looking out the window on the Feast of Saint Stephen (The first Christian martyr whose feast day is December 26th). Craft: While listening to the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslaus,” we made paper snowflake patters . There are a variety of printable templates at this link that are easy to use. I then discussed with my kids that each snowflake is different and un...
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