RECENTLY I spent some days with three other Bishops at the Royal College of St Alban in Valladolid, Spain. The college was founded in 1589 for the training of priests for England and Wales, who often returned to almost certain death. It numbers six saints and 16 beatified among its alumni.
Valladolid is the ancient Spanish capital and the place where Christopher Columbus and Cervantes lived.
The image of Our Lady venerated in the college is of La Vulnetrata, “the wounded one”. Sailors from the English fleet who defeated the Spanish came into Cadiz and desecrated the statue by removing the arms. The priests and seminarians of St Alban’s asked to have the statue in reparation for their countrymen. I was given a small replica for my chapel. In Spain, people of faith and ideals have lived and exerted a tremendous influence.
We also visited Toledo, Segovia, Madrid and Avila. We celebrated Mass in the convent of the Incarnation of Avila, where St Teresa lived before retiring to a reformed convent in the city.
Both St Teresa and St John of the Cross invite us to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Teresa of Avila was 52 years old when she met St John of the Cross, a newly-ordained priest. She was vivacious and active; he was quiet and restrained. Teresa had been dissatisfied with the quality of religious life and began to establish houses closer to the original spirit of Carmel. John had been thinking of leaving the Carmelite Order for the Carthusians. The encounter that developed between the two saints show us the value of friendship, which is well-balanced and with spiritual depth.
John recognised in Teresa’s reform what he had been seeking and acknowledged her leadership and guidance; Teresa appreciated the witness of John’s deep faith and interior life and selected him as her spiritual director. Their relationship is a comment on true friendship, which advanced them to Christ. Their differences enhanced the spirit that would go through the reform of Carmel.
Both had common intelligence, determination and courage, but they were misjudged and misunderstood in their efforts at reform. Both were acclaimed writers of spiritual life and able to articulate well their own experiences. Both are recognised as saints and doctors of the Church.
The example of the priests of St Alban’s College facing death on return to England and the spiritual growth of St Teresa and St John of the Cross invite us to think deeply about what is important in our lives. They call us to make sure we have time for God in prayer, to be still and listen to him. He will give us the strength and hope that we cannot imagine.
Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Follow Jesus Christ with open heart
and no matter what may come let
nothing frighten you.
(St Teresa of Avila)
+ Denis Hart