Saint Teresa of the Andes (1900-1920)
for April 12
From a young age, Saint Teresa showed a great devotion to Christ. Inspired by the autobiography of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, she became a Carmelite nun at Los Andes in 1919. Teresa found great joy in her simple lifestyle and devoted community. She spent each day wholly focused on prayer and sacrifice. Teresa wrote in her diary, "I am God's. He created me and is my beginning and my end." At the age of 20, Teresa caught typhus and swiftly took her final vows. She focused on penning many letters, sharing her views on spiritual life with numerous people. Teresa died during Holy Week, shortly after her diagnosis. Saint Teresa of the Andes is the patroness against illness, of sick people, and of young people. She is Chile's first saint.
Reflection
Saint Teresa, like Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, is important because she reminds us that sainthood has little to do with the grandness of one's life or accomplishments. Rather, true holiness and sainthood derive from an individual's inner devotion to God and others. Saint Teresa did very little in terms of worldly success, but she is, nonetheless, a magnificent saint. In your life, remember that, regardless of what you accomplish, your devotion to God and others can make you as holy as every saint in history.
Prayer
Dear God, help me to appreciate my lot in life.
