October 15, 2007

Fruits and Roots

This morning I was looking at passages I had underlined in St. Teresa's autobiography, looking for something short and sweet I could give for a homily in her Mass today. I finally decided to give a very short form of her beautiful metaphor of prayer as watering and tending a garden. But I noticed another, much more critical thought I had underlined:
Mas parécenos que lo damos todo, y es que ofrecemos a Dios la renta o los frutos y quedámonos con la raíz y posesión. (11:2)

"It seems to us that we are giving all, but it's more like we offer God rent or the fruits while we hold on to the root and the ownership." With cutting insight like that, it's no wonder she got to be the first woman declared a doctor of the Church.
at

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