Day 1: Avila
Tuesday, Sept 24, 2024
On Day 1, we arrived in Avila.
The first thing you see when you arrive in Avila is the medieval walls of Avila, constructed between the 10th and 14th centuries in order to defend the city. It is apparently the only town in Spain still surrounded by walls. They are grand and you can walk along them. There are over 1000 arrow slits in the top of the tower, each one of which would have been occupied by a soldier to keep the enemies at bay.
The apse of the cathedral also forms one of the towers - as seen above - and the spot sticking out most there is the biggest of nine side chapels of the Cathedral, dedicated as it is to Our Lady.
We arrived at the Gate of St. Vincent.
San Vicente gate is one of nine gates, and it is called the Gate of St Vincent because on the opposite side of the gate is the Basilica of St. Vincent. Inside that church, there is "mini-church" on the right side of the main part of the church the with the remains of three early Church martrys, Saints Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta. The church is named after the first of those three martyrs. They were children who were martyred during the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the fourth century on account of their childlike, pure and courageous faith.
Downstairs in the crypt of San Vicente you will find the remains of San Pedro. He was a monk (not sure what order - maybe Carmelite) who had a great reputation for being holy. He lived in a cave as a hermit for many years with the blessing of the abbot. He went there for solitude with God, but he was easily found by the great multitude of people who sought him for healing, prayer, miracles--or even just a bite of food. Many received food from him, and many received miracles from him. He is the miracle man of Avila.
I had a wonderful holy hour in the church of St Vincent!
We also discovered that priests are treated well by and large -- we got free chicken tacos and some sort of other item for free at a local restaurant:)
We visited as a group the childhood home of St. Teresa. She was actually born right there, on that spot. Born into a religious household and the third of nine children, she was raised by strict and devout Christian parents. She was seen as the favorite. Her parents were of great means, unlike St John of the Cross who grew up in poverty. From a young age Teresa was fascinated by the lives of saints and ran away from home at the age of seven to seek martyrdom among the Moors. She was eventually brought back home but nonetheless continued on her quest for spiritual knowledge. She was 15 when her mother died. Shortly thereafter, she entered the Carmelite order. Here is the church built on top of her birthplace:
While preparing herself to obey the call of God, Teresa persuaded one of her brothers, Roderigo, to become a friar. The brother and sister had laid their plans, and early one morning secretly left their father's house—he for the Dominican house in Avila, she for the Monastery of the Incarnation where her friend Dona Juana Suarez was a nun. "I remember perfectly well," she wrote afterwards, "and it is quite true, that the pain I felt when I left my father's house was so great that I do not believe the pain of dying will be greater; it seemed as if all the bones in my body were wrenched asunder." This was on November 2, I533, the feast of All Souls.
We venerated her relics there at her childhood home (including a finger), saw some of her letters (written in Latin) and had a nice visit. Built on top of her childhood home is what is now the discalced friary called La Santa. St. John of the Cross was the spiritual director of St. Teresa, and just as she reformed the Carmelite order of nuns, St. John of the Cross reformed the Carmelite order of the monks. We had Mass in their chapel. Photos weren't allowed in there, so here is a photo from the outside of where Teresa's childhood home was and where now the men's reformed order is located. We had Mass in the chapel on the right:
The readings of the day were quite appropriate! The psalm was about following God's commandments. St. Teresa contributed so much to the life of prayer of the Church -- not just in Spain and in her own time, but around the world and down through the centuries. She helped the health of the Church by calling EVERYONE to a life of deep prayer. She lived in a time when people thought the Catholic religion is simply a moral code, a list of DOs and DON'Ts. She taught that religion isn't just about adhering to a moral code, but in being IN JESUS and allowing JESUS to be IN us. This is the union she experienced in her transverberation (more on this tomorrow).
By the way, St Mother Teresa of Calcutta picked the name Teresa many years later after St Teresa of Avila. Mother Teresa was ALL ABOUT this reality of RADICAL UNION between God and Man, which happens in JESUS and through the SACRAMENTS of the Catholic faith.
We did see in the Monastery of the Incarnation (which I'll explain tomorrow) a WONDERFUL picture of the woman at the well. In the Old Testament, men proposed to their wives at the well. Moses to Zapoha, Jacob to Rebecca, et .... The image in the Carmelite monastery is that of the woman at the well of Sychar....who had all the husbands. When Jesus went to her, it was as if he was saying: I WANT TO MARRY YOU. And everyone, everyone picked up on that. And that's what happens at the well that is Jesus: he gives himself to us. In the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, Jesus proposes. He says: I WANT TO BE ONE WITH YOU....sinner that you are.
St Teresa of Avila knew this and taught this....and how it happens in prayer, in the sacraments--and how it's expressed in a life of radical Charity. "He has no hands but yours, no feet but yours, no heart but yours, no brain but yours.."
A few of us went to investigate and pray in the cathedral. Beautiful indeed. One thing that really moved me was the apse that formed part of the wall around Avila. The farthest most piece? A window dedicated to Our Lady....she is Queen of Victory! This is the window in one of nine side chapels, but this side chapel is the centermost of all the ones behind the high altar. On the opposite side of this side altar, there is on the back of the high altar a beautiful depiction in stone of "El Tostado," Avila's 15th-century Bishop Alonso de Madrigal. He was known to be a deeply holy man who sort of paved the way for St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. He studied a lot, read a lot, saw visions, and helped kids to learn to read...and he lost his eyesight at the end, which is depicted here in this photo as well. I had a nice moment praying here.
There's also a lovely depiction in stone of the Magi visitng Jesus. This may be my Christmas card this year:
St John of the Cross, pray for us
Sts Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta, pray for us
St John of Avila, pray for us
San Pedro de Avila, pray for us
San Segundo, pray for us
