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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. 





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