Third part:1
Criteria for the layout of Teresa's reading and specific proposals
I. Criteria for the layout of the writings of St. Teresa
32. The first criterion is provided by the personal spiritual experience of Mother Teresa. Since her conversion, she has gained, relying firmly on inner prayer, experiences of an ever-deepening encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, in whom she believed, whom she loved, and in whom she placed her hope. With His assistance, she penetrated into the life of the Most Holy Trinity, and through Him dedicated herself to the service of the Church, practicing an apostolic and missionary-focused contemplation. Therefore, our reading must also lead us to Christ, call us to contemplate His face, and urge us to become like Him and thus proclaim Him as the Word from the position of witnesses of His love.
33. In second place, with regard to the power of God's word and Holy Scripture in the Teresa experience and in line with the renewed appreciation of God's word in the life and mission of the Church (cf. Episcopal Synod, October 2008), it is necessary to offer such a reading of Teresa's works that stems from a biblical perspective, which in the Teresa understanding is closely connected with the liturgy, "the source and summit of the spiritual life" (SC 10).
34. In third place, taking into account Teresa's unique experience of the Church, it is possible to propose as another key to reading her writings the perception of the needs of today’s Church and the effort to respond to them in the areas of spirituality and evangelization, drawing on the three coordinates of post-conciliar ecclesiology summarized in the document Vita consecrata: consecration, community, and mission.
35. The works of Saint Teresa of Jesus describe a style of fraternity that is particularly significant for our modern society, marked by individualism, where clearer signs of community are needed to proclaim universal fraternity through a life filled with poverty, purity, and obedience: "I have decided to do the little that I can, which is to follow the evangelical counsels with all the perfection that I am capable of, and to strive to ensure that the few sisters who are here do the same, trusting in the great goodness of God, who never fails to help those who have decided to abandon everything for Him" (CV 1,2; cf. VC 87).
36. Another criterion for reading is provided by the apostolic and missionary dimension that radiates from the life and works of the saint. It should be emphasized that her experience of the Easter mystery is the source of all evangelization and the apostolic service that today's Church requires from the consecrated life, as is evident from the third part of the document Vita consecrata, entitled "The Service of Love."
37. Finally, because we are convinced that the works of the saint contain messages that are relevant for our time and for all cultures, we encourage reading them with eyes open to the present day, with new religious and cultural sensitivity, while remaining constantly aware of different cultural and religious contexts, into which our Order is set. The framework for this reading can be the vision developed in the document of the General Chapter of 2003: On the journey with St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross: returning to the essential, 60–64; 74–78.
II. Specific proposals
38. We propose to read from October 15, 2009, to the same date in 2014, each year, both personally and in community, one of the works of Saint Mother Teresa of Jesus, with the help of a guide prepared by a commission to be appointed by the definitorium.2 Where possible, community reading will be complemented by [liturgical] celebrations, weeks of spirituality, interdisciplinary congresses on Teresa's works, etc. In any case, annual meetings will be held in the individual areas to share and evaluate the results of the project.
39. The order of reading Teresa’s works will be as follows: The Book of Life (2009–2010), The Way of Perfection (2010–2011), The Book of Foundations (2011–2012), The Interior Castle (2012–2013), Spiritual Relations, Poems, and Letters (2013–2014).
40. The aim we have set is to strengthen our Christian existence on a biblical and evangelical foundation and enrich our life of faith in communion with the Church, through listening to the words of Saint Teresa, personally and in communities. As contemporary recipients of Teresa's message, we too must be able to affirm that the fruits of contact with her writings help us improve our lives as Barefoot Carmelites, with effectiveness similar to that which Saint Gregory attributed to Scripture, which "grows with those who read it," in proportion to the faith and love of the reader. For this reason, our reading will follow rather what is genuinely essential in Teresa's writings for our lives than any systematic interest.
41. The definitorium will create a central committee whose main task will be to prepare guides or aids for reading for each year, as well as to support, coordinate, and promote initiatives that arise in various areas.
42. We will extend our circle of readers (of the works of Saint Teresa) from individuals and communities also to Barefoot Carmelite sisters, the Secular Order, the Teresa family, and laity, in order to enrich this reading. Thus, to foster the reading of Saint Teresa's works in our communities and the scope of our pastorship, connected with sharing.
43. Websites will be created to promote the writings of Mother Teresa, facilitating their reading as easily as possible, also through new technologies.
44. We will support the growth of the potential of Ávila as a center for welcoming pilgrims, particularly young people, based on the initiative of the General Definitorium and in collaboration with the "La Santa" convent – the birthplace of Saint Teresa – with the Pyrenean Conference of Provincials and CITeS. A pastoral offer should be provided here, which could also be extended to other significant Teresa places and include pilgrimages, days of formation, and prayer, etc. In this sense, we will also perceive World Youth Day, which will take place in 2011 in Madrid, as an opportunity to disseminate understanding of the figure and works of Saint Teresa.
45. This pastoral offer will also be supplemented – with the contribution of other formation centers of the Order, such as Teresianum, through cultural and scientific initiatives, via courses and congresses, meetings and seminars for specialists, translators, and researchers dedicated to Saint Teresa. Specific programs will be developed, achievable in various areas and centers of study of spiritual theology, etc.
46. At least once during the next six years, an extraordinary definitorium will be organized, which will address the evaluation of the effectiveness of this reading plan among its topics for discussion.
47. We will proceed to develop a critical edition (textus receptus) of the works of Saint Teresa, as well as further procedures (modus operandi) for incorporating new texts, especially concerning letters and other fragments that may be found, in order to unite the method of citation in the original text and in the translations. The definitorium must undertake this commitment as soon as possible, after discussing it with experts and publishers.
48. The definitorium will support the publication of the works of Saint Teresa in various languages, in popular and economically accessible forms.
Conclusion
49. Relying on the experience of the living God, who created us in His image and likeness and who has made a dwelling place in the innermost part of every person, we wish to renew our awareness of our charism in the service of the Church and humanity today through purposefully structured reading of the writings of Teresa of Jesus. We desire to re-experience and share Teresa's values: her sense of God and the human being, her spirit of prayer, and her openness to the events of our world, her responsibility toward the Church, and her apostolic spirit. Finally, we also wish to join her and together contemplate the beauty of "souls that the Lord delights in" (7H 1,1), beginning with the renewed awareness of the dignity of each of us. Thus, we will regard today’s person positively and full of hope, and we will take a creative stance both in building the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and in proclaiming the new heaven and the new earth. "God's greatness has no end, nor will His works" (ibid). God has not ceased to act and remains the Lord of history. Therefore, we want all this to be a great contribution that the Teresian Carmel feels obliged to offer so that men and women of the 21st century may also become mystics, people who have encountered God, discovered the meaning of their lives, and wish to pass it on to their contemporaries.
Prayer to St. Teresa of Jesus
Saint Mother Teresa of Jesus,
you completely dedicated yourself to the service of love:
teach us to walk the path of inner prayer
decidedly and faithfully,
with our attention focused on the Lord, the Triune God,
who is always present in the innermost center of our being.
Strengthen in us the foundation
of true humility,
renewed detachment,
and unconditional brotherly love,
in the school of Mary, our Mother.
Grant us your fervent apostolic love for the Church.
May Jesus Christ be our joy,
our hope, and our strength,
an inexhaustible Source
of the deepest intimacy.
Bless our great Carmelite family,
teach us to pray with all our hearts together with you:
“I am Yours, Lord, for You I was born.
What will you do with me?” Amen.
