Denver Catholic

2 MARCH 28-APRIL 3, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Vatican Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the fi rst weeks of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature Oœ set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3215 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE March 29: Palm Sunday Mass, Cathedral Basili- ca of the Immaculate Conception (10:30 a.m.) March 31: Chrism Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (11 a.m.) April 2: Mass of the Lord's Supper, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (5:30 p.m.) April 3: Liturgy of the Lord's Passion, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (3 p.m.) April 4: Easter Vigil, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (8 p.m.) April 5: Easter Sunday Mass and confi rmation, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Concep- tion (10:30 a.m.) PHOTO OF THE WEEK March 5 @ArchbishopDen God wants to hear your deepest desires and struggles, and he wants to forgive you of your sins: http://ow.ly/ JSUvh #Lent #confession Archbishop Samuel Aquila blessed the o• ces of The Catholic Foundation March 13 and its shared entities' new o• ces, the Catholic Foundation Alliance. The ministries included in the alliance are the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal, Bishop Machebeuf High School, Holy Family High School, Catholic Charities, Centro San Juan Diego, Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary, Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust and St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. The o• ces at 3801 E. Florida Ave. were blessed along with the employees. PHOTO BY EDUARDO GODINEZ Americans protect liberty, Religious tles continue but in the opinion, wins easily. percent a new Marist support port First religious tions or faith-based and individuals, when it government 38 percent dents oppose oppose Support the South, tion was Northeast Respondents were the porters, adults aged CATHOLICNEWSAGENCY.COM P ope attributed the during fect of of Saints. two spouses, of Lisieux, Angelo priests and This will couple Married nine children, religious cancer " Forever and ever and ever," St. Teresa of Avila and her brother used to repeat to each other when they were little. For them, the saying was a reminder that the joys of heaven last forever, but the joys of earth are fl eeting. This week we celebrate two import- ant moments in history—the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila and the beginning of Holy Week 2015. As I look ahead at the events that marked Christ's path to Calvary and remember the story of St. Teresa of Avila, I am struck by how they mirror the path of conversion that each of us is called to walk. St. Teresa of Avila was born Teresa de Ahumada on March 28, 1515 in Avila, Spain. The fi fth of 12 children, she displayed a strong faith in her early childhood, even plotting with her brother to fi nd a way to become martyrs. Palm Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jeru- salem, reminds me of this kind of faith. When Christ fi rst enters into our lives, forgives us of our sins, and claims us as his own, we welcome him with joy. We respond with childlike faith similar to St. Teresa's and sing God's praises. And each time our hearts undergo conver- sion, we are called back to that kind of love and devotion. But life is not always easy. When Teresa was 13 years old her mother died, dealing a blow to her faith. Her worried father intervened and sent her to a convent school run by the Augustinians, where a kind nun befriended her and helped her return to a deeper faith. The pivotal moment for St. Teresa came when she was reading the "Letters of Saint Jerome," which convinced her to stop resisting the calling she heard to be a nun. At the age of 20, she entered the Carmelite order and two years later made her perpetual vows. Like St. Teresa of Avila, we might also stray from the path leading to the Father, but for these times he gives us himself in the Eucharist and forgives us in reconciliation. He accompanies us in our everyday life with grace and mercy. On Holy Thursday, we participate in this reality when we celebrate the insti- tution of the holy Eucharist. Because of our fallen nature, Good Friday comes to us all. Soon after she professed her vows, St. Teresa became sick with a fever and had fainting epi- sodes. The doctors couldn't determine the cause or fi nd a cure. In a last ditch eŸ ort, her father sent her to an herbal- ist, but this intervention made things drastically worse, putting St. Teresa in a coma for four days. When she emerged from the coma, St. Teresa was para- lyzed. She didn't regain full mobility for almost three years, and from that point on her health was poor. This was her Good Friday. When we suŸ er and unite our suf- ferings to Jesus' sacrifi ce on the cross we experience it too. In these trials, we can be purifi ed and our love can grow. Father Kieran Kavanaugh observed in "Teresa of Avila: The Way of Prayer" that "one of the amazing features of her life was her ability to rise above her illnesses and carry out her many and complicated aŸ airs with exceptional dil- igence and enthusiasm." She was driven by her love for Christ, just as Jesus' love for us compelled him to embrace the cross. Those of you familiar with St. Teresa will realize that I haven't mentioned the two things she is most known for: her spiritual writings about prayer and the numerous Carmelite monasteries she founded. During her religious life there were many "Holy Saturdays"—times when God seemed silent. At one point, she was caught in the middle of a power struggle between the King of Spain and the superior of the Carmelite order. For a time, St. Teresa's superior required her to leave the communities she had founded and return to the convent where she fi rst became a nun. On the spiritual front, she also experienced periods when God seemed absent. As we mature spiritually, there are always "Holy Saturdays," periods when God seems far away. St. Teresa of Avila's most famous work, "The Interior Castle," presents us with the path to Easter Sunday that she experienced in her prayer life. Within the interior castle there are seven spir- itual dwelling places, and in the fi nal one, the soul experiences the intimate communion of the Holy Trinity. This communion of life and love is the seat of the power that raised Jesus from the dead. In our Christian walk, each of us is destined for eternity; we are made to live "forever and ever and ever" in com- munion with God. As you move through Holy Week, I encourage you to refl ect on where you are on the lifelong path of conversion and turn to God for the grace to seek him more fervently and grow in intimacy with his son. Holy Week: Christian life in miniature St. Teresa of Avila's path of conver- sion can mirror our own during Holy Week. PAINTING BY PETER PAUL RUBENS, 1615

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