John 14:15-21

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep^[f] my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^[g] to be with you forever. ¹⁷ This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in^[h] you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Teresa of Avila was born in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelite Convent at the age of 20. In the decade that followed, she battled many serious illnesses, but remained devout in prayer and spiritual practices. Her most famous writing on prayer is a book called Interior Castle. At the age of 40, Teresa experienced what she called a “second conversion.” Her teachings and travels in founding new convents was not always embraced by the male-dominated church of her day, but in 1970 the Roman Catholic Church named her a Doctor of the Church.

Teresa of Avila once wrote that:

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ’s compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.”

Prayer

God, You have gifted me with hands, and feet, eyes and more. And You have filled me with Your presence. Help me to use my whole self in service to Christ this day, caring for the world around as he would have me care. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.