Teresa and the Humanity of Christ
Parte one
One of the great blessings of today’s spirituality is the rich and challenging teachings of Vatican II. It is the steady effort to bring Jesus back to the center of our search for God. This venture of centering on Christ has always been an element of every authentic renewal in our long and varied Christian history
Teresa says one of her biggest mistakes was thinking reflection and awareness about the humanity of Christ was only for beginners. She came to understand the centrality of Jesus’ role and deeply regretted her error. Afterwards, she always put Jesus at the center of her personal prayer and her teachings and writings no matter how advanced her spiritual development.
In the book of her Life, there are special chapters, eleven to twenty two, on the four stages of prayer. Here, she has a special message on the importance of focusing on the humanity of Christ.
“The soul can place itself in the presence of Christ and grow accustomed to being inflamed with love for His sacred humanity. It can keep Him ever present and speak with Him asking for its needs and complaining of it labors, being glad with him in its enjoyments and not forgetting Him because of them, trying to speak to Him not through written prayers but with words that conform to its desires and needs,” (Life ch12:2)
Teresa has these types of statements on the sacred humanity throughout all of her writings. She always highlights the need for the encounter with Christ as an essential part of our search for our true self and for God.
Here is a statement from John of the Cross that is especially supportive of Teresa’s teaching on the sacred humanity. It describes the beginners’ need to encounter the Jesus of the Gospels.
“First, have a habitual desire to imitate Christ in all your deeds by bringing your life into conformity with His. You must then study His life in order to know how to imitate Him and behave in all events as He would,” (Ascent Book 1: Ch 13, #3)
Teresa found the humanity of Jesus truly helpful in developing a balanced approach to contemplation and all of her spirituality. Jesus was the center of her life and prayer. The Gospels were the primary source of her prayer. She was continually proclaiming to all the urgency of being friends with Jesus and lovers of Christ.
This commitment to Christ will always involve the cross. “Whether in the beginning, the middle or the end, all have their crosses even though these crosses be different. For all who follow Christ, if they do not want to get lost, must walk on this path that He trod.” (Life 11:5)
Teresa knew well that only in Jesus of the Gospels can we find genuine righteousness in our Christian faith. Every age must face deceptions and cultural flaws pulling us to an easier route. Whether it is the search for true fraternal charity or honest prayer, the demands of justice or our clinging to our possessions, the power of the ego is constantly attacking our Gospel commitment like a cancer. It is eating away at the Gospel truth. This leads to an image of Jesus far less demanding than the Jesus of the four Evangelists. This false Jesus has been an ever-repeating occurrence in the history of our faith.
Teresa taught that we always need to return to Jesus for the light and the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or challenging. Jesus alone is the source of all true integrity in life.
Taking the Risk of Jesus: “Not my will,, but thy will be done.”
We constantly have to keep our eyes on Jesus. We have to let his word enter into our mind and heart to transform our inner being.
The Gospel reveals the basis of all authentic spirituality and calls us to the transparency of a true Christian identity. It teaches us that to be a disciple of Jesus is to follow him. This is what Christian life is, following Jesus.
Teresa teaches us that the heart of the encounter with Jesus is a transition moving from our vision for happiness, from our priorities, to Jesus’ vision and call. This initial conversion repeats itself many times. It expands our world as we stay faithful with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. Prayer leads to an ever more generous acceptance of God’s will. A new and more mature experiences of prayer, flowing from the series of conversions, empowers us to live in a way that is genuinely guided by God’s will. The demands of justice and the environment are always knocking at the door of our heart as are the needs of our neighbor. This openness to our life’s circumstances is how faithfulness grows within us.
