St. Teresa's Bookmark (Prayer)

St. Teresa of Avila Bookmark

In English:
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Patience
obtains all things.
Whoever has God
lacks nothing.
God is enough.

In Spanish (original):
Nada te turbe;
nada te espante;
todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda,
la pacïencia
todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene,
nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta.

St. Teresa of Avila was a Spaniard who lived and died over 400 years ago. She became a Carmelite nun as a young adult, but did not get really serious about her vows and prayer life until middle age. Then she became a power-house of prayer and reform of the Carmelite order, for women first, and then for men (She was a close spiritual and personal friend of St. John of the Cross). She wrote several books about prayer and spiritual development which continue to sell today. They are both used, and studied by scholars. She founded a number of small reformed convents. St. Teresa of Avila’s day (October 15) was added as a minor and optional, or black letter, feast day to the calendar of the Episcopal Church after the 1979 BCP had been approved. (Kathryn Piccard)