St. Teresa of Ávila (Feast Day October 15)

March 28, 1515 – October 4, 1582

St. Teresa was born in central Spain. She was from a large, middle-class, and pious family. As a girl, Teresa dreamed of being a martyr or a hermit. As a woman, Teresa stood on her own two feet, even in the man’s world of her time. She lived what she demanded of others and did it all with a cheerful disposition and a rich personality that overcame deep-seated opposition. St. Teresa was a mystic, writer, and reformer of the Carmelite order. She was an influential and pivotal figure in her generation. Teresa was the first female non-martyr to have her feast day extended to the universal Church, and, due to the profundity of her mystical writings, she was declared a Doctor of the Church by Paul VI in 1970.

·      Describe a wedding that you have attended. Explain what happens at a wedding feast to those who have never been to a wedding.

·      Why does Jesus use the image of a wedding feast to describe the kingdom of heaven?

·      In Jesus’ day, people were usually supplied with appropriate wedding garments if they didn’t bring one themselves. The man who was thrown out refused the garment and was unwilling to pay reverence to the king and dress appropriately for the occasion. What does this teach us about entrance into the kingdom of heaven?

·      St. Teresa had a cheerful disposition. What’s it like to be around a cheerful person? What are some things that help you be cheerful?

Wedding Day Album

Spend time as a family going through your wedding album or a wedding album from someone in your family. Share stories about the joy of your wedding feast.

Chicken Paella

While this classic Spanish dish originated as an ordinary work lunch for farmers, this version is far from ordinary. It’s a great way to honor St. Teresa of Avila, who was born in Spain. 

4 bone-in chicken thighs

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion diced

1 garlic clove minced

4 Tbsp hot water

1 tsp saffron

1 tsp cumin

2 cups arborio rice

3 cups chicken stock

1 can pigeon peas

Pat chicken dry and salt and pepper your chicken. In your paella pan or Dutch oven, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Brown chicken skin side down for about 5 minutes or until it browns nicely. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side for about 2 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the onions to the pan. Allow to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes and then add the garlic. Sauté another minute. In a small bowl, combine the hot water and saffron. Allow the saffron to dissolve in the water, then add the cumin. Mix to combine. Pour the spice mixture into the paella pan and add the rice, chicken stock and peas.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the heavenly banquet of the wedding feast that you invite us to through your son Jesus! Help us to love one another as you love us. We pray for our family and all families to be holy and look to the Holy Family for help and a model of how to love one another. Thank you for giving us time together this day as a family. We ask through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to bless and protect our family as we enter a new week and seek to give glory to you. Amen.

What kind of garment is the priest wearing? Do you know what it’s called?

Invite someone this week to go to Mass with you next weekend.

The magical term “hocus pocus” comes from the most sacred moment in Catholic ritual: the consecration of the bread as the body of Christ by the priest speaking the words “This is my body,” which in Latin is Hoc est enim corpus meum.