Feast day of St. Teresa of Avila of Spain. God can be found among the pots and pans.

This beloved Spanish saint was a Carmelite nun and the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church.

My title comes from a single sentence she wrote in her Book of Foundations where she calls her nuns to  grow in holiness within the fray of daily life. She writes: “Oh then, my daughters, let there be no neglect: but when obedience calls you to exterior employments (as, for example, into kitchen, amidst the pots and dishes), remember that our Lord goes along with you, to help you both in your interior and exterior duties.”

Teresa wanted to tell her sisters that spiritual life cannot be reduced to just hours of prayer and contemplation alone, but that everyday life in all its breadth and fullness can also be lived spiritually; that God is always with you, whether kneeling in church or washing the supper dishes or any of the innumerable tasks of a given day. This transformative, approachable writing on how a soul can journey to God has inspired countless individuals seeking a greater depth of spiritual life.

Her writings, her thought and mysticism and information about her life was translated into Polish and churches such as that of  St. Teresa of Avila in Jurków in southeastern Poland carry her name. The photos depict her feast day in 2023 when the parish hosted a procession and special mass in veneration of her life and her contribution to the teachings of the church and then celebrated with a street fair.

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     The rich history and tradition in Poland of celebrating the feast day of the church’s patron saint is called an odpust. In older days it once drew pilgrims from all over the country who had a special devotion to that saint. It also drew people from all walks of life including merchants selling devotionals, souvenirs and sweets who set up their wares along the path leading to the church.  It was a day to seek God in church, that “interior life” that St. Teresa wrote about, but also to find Him in the “exterior life” – during a time of socialization and festivity - that everyday life,  even when doing the dishes, can be lived spiritually.

Painting of St. Teresa of Avila by Spanish artist Eduardo Balaca. (Wikipedia) She is often depicted with the words  Misericordias domini in aeternum cantabo: "For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord."  Psalm 89 of the Book of Psalms.

Photos from the parish of St. Teresa of Avila in Jurków Wiślica:   www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=317947004327067&id=100083353087608&_rdr

For more on how feast days of saints were celebrated in Poland see the chapter on  Feasts and Festivals in: Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook, Hippocrene Books, Inc.