Rowan Williams and St. Teresa of Avila

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, gave a talk at Boston College, this morning.  It was on St. Teresa of Avila.  His talk centered on her spirituality.

St. Teresa was a mystic and a theologian in the sixteenth century.  This was unusual for the times.  She was declared a doctor of the church in 1970.  She is famous for founding the Discalced Carmelites.

Her spirituality includes community.  Even though she was a contemplative nun she focused on other people.  One has to be practical besides being mystical.  One's prayer life should foster the care of others.

Spiritual intimacy with God occurs in and through living one's life in genuine concern for the welfare of others.  As a Lay Dominican, I would put it as my contemplation leading to action.  My prayer life helps my apostolate.  This makes perfect sense to me.  Before Saint Dominic founded the friars, 800 years ago, the first thing he did was found a monastery of contemplative nuns.  Prayer came first.  Then comes action.

So Near, Yet So Far

Wouldn't you love to know what's going on in their heads?

What a historic moment!

The last time I saw Archbishop Rowan Williams on TV, he was a little testy over the Anglicans that had swum the Tiber.  So is he greeting a friend or a threat?

But as B16 said, he didn't come to highlight the differences; he's making a pastoral visit.
Read his speech here.

Another Reason to Celebrate

Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has welcomed Anglicans who wish to enter full communion of the Catholic Church.

Two press conferences, one in Rome and another in London announced that Pope Benedict XVI had signed an Apostolic Constitution, which would give Anglicans wishing to become Catholics, may do so without losing their Anglican identity.

With the decree, the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith introduced a new legal structure, which resembles the structure of military dioceses, called a Personal Ordinariate.

This move will enable those Anglicans who have been increasingly uncomfortable with the direction the Anglican Church has been going to keep their identity and also become Roman Catholic. And perhaps, the move will allow the Anglican Church to reorganize without worrying about division and controversy.

The Holy Spirit moves as He wills.