15 October 2020
Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Today is the memorial of St. Theresa of Avila, one of the great doctors of the Church. She is most well known for her book the Interior Castle, which is a masterpiece on prayer. However, today, we will focus on one of her lesser known teachings – the danger of gossip and the power of spiritual conversation. Pope Francis has recently called gossip a “plague worse than COVID.” That is a striking image.
Today’s Saint experienced the plague that gossip caused in her heart for twenty years. She entered a convent very young, but she was so taken by this vice of gossip and speaking of personal affairs of others, that her first twenty years of religious life she described as dry, lukewarm, and that her prayer life was in a poor state. Imagine that, twenty years where this plague of gossip ate away at her heart even as a religious. What changed her heart was a good spiritual conversation with another sister which inspired her to return to fidelity to her prayer, and to begin to shun conversation that didn’t build up, but only sought to tear down. This began her journey into the interior life, and she became one of the greatest spiritual writers on prayer in the Catholic tradition.
Theresa, after her years of growing in prayer realized how powerful conversation had on the soul – for good or ill. She was constantly instructing her sisters in ways to be better spiritual conversationalist, and to flee the presence of those who would do the opposite. Theresa reminds us that it is never too late to begin anew the life of prayer, of the dangers of gossip on the spiritual life, and of the power of spiritual conversations to awaken souls to love of God and neighbor. Let us pray today and reflect upon our habits of conversation and gossip and ask the Lord to inspire us to become more like St. Theresa in these areas.