Teresa and the Humanity of Christ Part Two
Devotion to the Passion
In responding to her mistake about the importance of the humanity of Christ, Teresa soon moved to a great love for the Passion and Death of Christ.For Teresa, this emphasis on the suffering and death of Jesus gave her an anchor to embrace the deeper dimensions of the spiritual life. It let her be more connected and more committed to her everyday human experience.
Here are a series of quotes from the Holy Mother that enlighten the stages of her growth in devotion to the Passion:
“I could only think about Christ as He was as man…The soul can place itself in the presence of Christ and grow accustomed to being inflamed with love for is sacred humanity…this is an excellent way of making progress, and in a very short time.” (Life, Ch, 9:6; Ch12:2; Ch 13:22)
Teresa understood that the movement in all of Jesus’ life was a faithfulness to walk the Road to Jerusalem. Teresa recognized that in his Passion and Death, Jesus embraced all of humanity’s suffering and experience of evil. Jesus not only heard the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth; Jesus entered into this agony wholeheartedly. It is in the heartbreak and the mockery and the rejection and the crown and nails that Jesus became our cry for justice, for peace, for healing and reconciliation.
In her devotion to the Passion, Teresa was more connected to life than today’s headlines. The suffering and death of Jesus will always be the clearest expression of commitment and discipleship. There is no more concrete bond to our broken world and our broken lives than the Crucified Christ. Teresa understood that walking with Jesus always must move forward to the Cross on hill on the way to the glory of the Resurrection.
The Importance of Humility
It is at this stage of development, the genuine devotion to the Passion and Death of Christ, that Teresa returns to one of her most consistent teachings. “Since this edifice is built entirely on humility, the closer one comes to God, the more progress there must be in this virtue; and if there is no progress in humility, everything is going to be ruined.” (Life Ch 12:4)Even when we are making real progress, we will eventually face the challenge of compromise. This is the ego’s desperate maneuver to maintain control. We are driven persistently to seek a space between the costly demands of the Gospel and the comfort of the world. We subtly create our own gospel and make Jesus over in our image. This produces the heavy burden of mediocrity. This has been a truly destructive element throughout Christian history.
We should let Peter’s example encourage us in this struggle that is the human curse of ambivalence. In spite of Peter’s total failure in the threefold rejection, Jesus did not give up on him. It is the same for us. He is always calling us to life. Each crisis manifests a deeper insight into the depth of our weakness and the magnitude of God’s merciful love revealed in Christ Crucified and Christ Risen.
The four Gospels, in all their diversity, finally bring us a picture of Jesus which is a mirror for us. We look at Jesus and see what is most authentic about ourselves. We are children of God, loved and forgiven. In his Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis describes the joy and beauty of discovering our true selves when we respond to Jesus’ call.
“The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step toward Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus, “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord. Take me once more into your redeeming embrace.” (The Joy of the Gospel: #3)
