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Commentary on the Gospel for Tuesday, October 15, 2024
A matter of glances
A legend tells of an old man who spent hours in front of the tabernacle. One day the parish priest, curious, asked him what he was doing, saying or thinking all that time. The old man simply replied, «He looks at me and I look at him. There is nothing more loving than sitting in silence and just looking at him. This legend comes to mind when we look at today’s readings. In the first reading it is said that we do not know how to pray and that the Spirit prays in us. And in the Gospel a key word is given: abide.
To abide is something almost unimaginable in today’s world. Things are disposable and relationships are too often temporary and very fragile. To abide, something that seems so simple, is in reality hard and demanding. To abide when nothing is felt, when things are difficult, when there is darkness.
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa of Jesus. Spain celebrates Saint Teresa with such devotion that we commonly refer to her as the Saint. It is often said that the writings of St. Teresa are difficult to understand because of the language of her time and their mystical density. But today we are offered a simple word of St. Teresa, which is connected to the two readings of the day: abide in me that you may have life. And what should we do? Let the Spirit pray in us «with inexpressible groans». We don’t even have to understand… Teresa gives us, in splendid simplicity, a recipe and a solution for both: «I only ask you to look at him. It is certainly not complex, but neither is it too simple. Quieting the senses to just look sounds a bit boring. We want activity, feelings, inner and outer bustle. It takes some courage to look and be looked at, because the light reveals the whole truth. It takes some humility not to pretend not to do anything and not to be dominated by silence. But it is not necessary to think, nor to move, nor to speak… And that is the best dialog of love. And therein lies the glory of the Father. Perseverance bears fruit because it is constantly nourished by the juice of the vine.