Avila, Spain
"Throughout this trip, the Lord has been repeating to me that I and the Society and the Church are one just as He and the Father are one. Whatever I do for one, I do for the other. The head must be united to the entire body. I remember Ignatius' dictum that our vocation is a single one: It is by the same grace that I seek God's greater glory, seek the salvation and perfection of my neighbor and save my own soul.
"When I see all these monuments to holy people, I hear in my heart, 'Be holy as they were holy...Time is short, don't fail to redeem it and so use every moment. If you can't minister to others directly, minister to them indirectly by living each moment and fulfilling each responsibility with Christ-like virtue.'
"After lunch today, I had a chance to pray alone in the Convent of St. Joseph, which was Teresa of Avila's first foundation of the Reformed Carmelites. I loved the poverty of the place and her devotion to the Sacred Heart long before it became popularized. Her devotion confirms the desire Jesus has to be Guest in my heart, the Light who waits and watches, the Love who knows no limits...
All the details of her life from the opulence she left at Incarnation Convent to the take up the wooden pillow that she used at St. Joseph Convent, spoke to me. Later on this evening, I told the Jesuit Community that Ignatius is my spiritual father and Teresa is my spiritual mother!"
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