O God, who by thy Holy Spirit didst move Teresa of Avila to manifest to thy Church the way of perfection: Grant us, we beseech thee, to be nourished by her excellent teaching, and enkindle within us a lively and unquenchable longing for true holiness; through Jesus Christ, the joy of loving hearts, who with thee and the same Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever.
This week gives us an abundance or riches in terms of “Lesser” Feasts. I commented yesterday on my hero, +Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, the Lithuanian rabbical student turned Episcopal missionary and Bible translator in China. Tomorrow is the commemoration of the martyrdom of the famous Reformation bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. The day after that is the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and the day after that is the “Major” Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, and the day after that the commemoration of Henry Martyn, another great Anglican missionary and Bible translator (in India and Persia).
What an amazing group they all were! The great, beloved hymn, “For All the Saints” comes to mind. We are indeed surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
As an avid chess player (my favorite hobby), it gives me pleasure to point out that among her other claims to fame, St. Theresa of Avila is the patron saint of chess players. She loved the game herself, and was a contemporary of the famous bishop Ruy Lopez, who wrote the first significant book on chess opening theory. In their lifetime, Spain was the dominant chess power in the world, and Bishop Ruy Lopez was widely considered the best player in the world.
David Handy+