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Franciscan at Home

Forming those who form others

The Spiritual Life: St. Teresa of Avila and Pope Francis, Pt. 3

At the beginning of her consecrated life, St. Teresa experienced a “surprising” joy: “I was filled with a joy so great, that it has never failed me to this day…I was filled with a new joy that surprised me, nor could I understand whence it came.”[i] At the same time, though, she was also attracted by worldly vanities, which tempted her even in the cloister.[ii] How did she become able to sacrifice immediate “vain” joys for lasting joy? She needed to experience a true conversion, a kind of liberation. Like Mary Magdalene, she reached joy through the experience of tears.
Fidelity to prayer was, for Teresa, the path of her conversion and the way to reach true joy.

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Fr. Jean-François Lefebvre is a priest and Professor of Theology from the Notre Dame de Vie (Our Lady of Life) Studium in Venasque, France. Fr. Lefebvre earned his doctorate from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland in 2002. In addition to his teaching responsibilities and overseeing the initial formation to the consecrated life for the priests’ branch of the Notre Dame de Vie institute, Fr. Lefebvre additionally leads a variety of Christian outreach apostolates, including prayer groups, preaching retreats, and youth chaplaincy in France.

This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]

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