This morning the Church gives us two readings that could describe the whole life of St Teresa of Avila.
St Paul says, “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”
And Jesus says, “Remain in Me, as I remain in you.”

That is the secret of every saint — to let the Spirit pray within, and to stay rooted in Christ.

Teresa entered the convent young, but she’d be the first to say she didn’t begin as a saint.
For twenty years she prayed half-heartedly.
She wanted to be holy and comfortable at the same time — a battle most of us know.

Then one day she knelt before a statue of the wounded Christ and saw what He had suffered for her.
That moment pierced her heart.
She realised holiness isn’t effort; it’s surrender.
From then on she lived what she taught: “Prayer is nothing else than a close sharing between friends — taking time to be alone with Him who we know loves us.”

That’s the whole Christian life in one line.

Paul says we don’t know how to pray as we ought.
That’s true — even saints don’t.
But the Holy Spirit prays within us, turning our weakness into worship.

Real prayer isn’t forcing words; it’s allowing the Spirit to speak in the silence of the heart.
Teresa spent hours before the tabernacle simply present.
She said, “Don’t think much — just love much.”

When we come before the Lord — even distracted, even tired —
if we sit there in love, the Spirit is already praying in us.

Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
Cut off from the vine, we wither.
Remain in Him, and life flows again.

Teresa’s reform of the Carmel was built on that truth.
She told her sisters, “God walks among the pots and pans.”
Holiness isn’t escape from ordinary life — it’s doing everything with Christ within you.
The washing, the teaching, the caring, the forgiving — all can bear fruit if done in union with the Vine.

But the vine is pruned.
Teresa knew pruning well — sickness, misunderstanding, long journeys, even opposition inside the Church.
Yet she never lost her humour.
When her cart broke in the rain she prayed, “Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few!”

Then she laughed — and carried on.
That’s real sanctity: perseverance with a smile.
God cuts only to make room for more fruit.

Teresa’s reform began not with meetings but with prayer.
She rebuilt Carmel by returning to silence, discipline, and friendship with Christ.
Every genuine renewal in the Church starts there.
When we lose prayer, we lose power.
When we rediscover prayer, grace flows again.

If our parish wants new life, it will come from people who quietly remain in the Vine — faithful in Mass, confession, adoration, and daily prayer.

Jesus promises, “Whoever remains in Me bears much fruit.”
Teresa’s fruit still feeds the Church —
her writings, her example, and her joy.
She proved that sanctity is possible in ordinary weakness.
God can do more with a single surrendered soul than we can with all our plans.

So today, let’s take her lesson to heart:
Begin again.
Even if you fall a thousand times, begin again.
Because prayer is not about perfection — it’s about fidelity.
Stay in Christ, and He will do the rest.

St Teresa of Avila teaches us three simple truths:

• The Spirit prays within you — so don’t give up when words fail.
• Remain in Christ — stay connected through the sacraments.
• Let yourself be pruned — God only cuts to help you grow.

If we live that way, we’ll bear fruit in our homes, in this parish, in this city.