Today, October 15, is the Feast Day of St Teresa of Avila.  In keeping with my practice of the past few years, I will offer today a quote from St Teresa’s writings.  I came across this while reading  Dwight H. Judy’s Embracing God: Praying with Teresa of Avila, (p 19).

In Your Hand
I place my heart,
Body, life and soul,
Deep feelings, and affections mine,
Spouse – Redeemer sweet,
Myself offered now to you,
What do you want of me?
 
Give me death, give me life,
Health or sickness,
Honor or shame,
War or swelling peace,
Weakness or full strength,
Yes, to these I say,
What do you want of me?
 
(From “In the Hands of God” (Vol 3, pp 377-378, “The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila.”)

Are these words that only the religious professionals, the clergy, the monks, the nuns, those in “full-time” christian vocations utter, or are they in part or in whole for all of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus?

Have you and I asked ourselves the question Teresa asked, “What do you want of me?”