Feastday of St. Teresa of Avila
gabrielle October 15th, 2007
In honour of St. Teresa of Avila, I would like to dedicate this poem to all lay Carmelites (I am not one though, in case anyone was wondering), and especially to those who will be making their Temporary or Definitive Promises today or within the near future. (Apologies for not having found a similar poem for the men-folk!)
The Teresian Contemplative
(by Robert Hugh Benson 1871-1914)
She moves in tumult; round her lies
The silence of the world of grace;
The twilight of our mysteries
Shines like high noonday on her face;
Our piteous guesses, dim with fears,
She touches, handles, sees, and hears.
In her all longings mix and meet;
Dumb souls through her are eloquent;
She feels the world beneath her feet
Thrill in a passionate intent;
Through her our tides of feeling roll
And find their God within her soul.
Her faith the awful Face of God
Brightens and blinds with utter light;
Her footsteps fall where late He trod;
She sinks in roaring voids of night;
Cries to her Lord in black despair,
And knows, yet knows not, He is there.
A willing sacrifice she takes
The burden of our fall within;
Holy she stands; while on her breaks
The lightning of the wrath of sin;
She drinks her Saviour’s cup of pain,
And, one with Jesus, thirsts again.
Thank you for this beautiful poetry Gabrielle!
This is the feast of my favorite Gal and Patron Saint, St Teresa.
Thank you for the dedication poem and blogging today.
Am back from a wonderful time of spiritual refreshing…much needed on this end. I do visit, even though not as frequently as before…the Haven is the first contemplative blog I found on the internet a few years ago, and always will be my favorite!
Blessings,
teresa
“She moves in tumult; round her lies
The silence of the world of grace;” I love that!!!!!
I’m not one either, Gabrielle, but I have been fortunate enough to meet at least 3 who have received that particular grace, and who are fine examples of what St Teresa stood for. I hope they’re all having a wonderful day today….and thanks for this very beautifully worded poem.
roaring voids of night
Hoo-AH, as Al Pacino would say. Indeed.. Christ’s Way is to meet the roaring void of night head-on.
Just reading her biography about what endless and extreme difficulties and persecutions she faced (and almost always conquered) in setting up houses of prayer for both women and also those for men, well, all I can say is, that’d be the day I might ever think me followish of someone like her! Cripe, I’m not worthy to loose the strap of her ..well, I guess she was discalced, so I’d better alter it: I’m not worthy to pluck a bedbug from under her very hard pillow.
But this poetry about a life lived in His death, for Love, oh..
“Holy she stands; while on her breaks
The lightning of the wrath of sin…”
he paints her, and her kind, successfully, I would say.
Hey, teresa anawim, great to hear from you! Yes, moving in tumult - does that sound a little like yourself gracefully moving in, around and through your house renovations?
I’m so glad you have had some spiritual refreshment - start your blog up again and tell us all about it (hint, hint, hint)!
You’re welcome, Ann - glad you liked the poem. I came across it by accident on the Internet a few months ago, and thought it would be a good one to save for this occasion. Although I’m not a lay Carmelite, I always say that St. Teresa saved my sanity about thirteen years ago now, when I first read Interior Castle. I love her, to say the least.
JustMe, she was a feisty one, wasn’t she…and to think she managed it all despite the Inquisition, horrendous noises in her head, hiding an escaped John of the Cross…quite a woman.
..despite inquisition, horrendous noises in her head, hiding someone.. uberhumbling herself to appease her overseers, battling with a one-eyed princess-dragon, complaining to Him alone.. Indeed, a good Catholic mother.
Never alone. We are never alone.