Adiutorium Nostrum in Nomine Domini.

            In the morning of 16 August 2011, our first full day in Spain, we were able to refrain from eating European sized breakfast and instead consumed one that was much more substantial.  While this may not seem to be a big deal, it was extremely beneficial when enduring the Spanish heat and the amount of walking that was necessary.  After breakfast we proceeded to take a bus to Avila.

            Upon arrival in Avila, we were immediately struck by the sight of the walls surrounding the old part of the city.  Seeing this medieval city really exhibited the militant nature of the period in which Teresa, the saint who reformed the Carmelite order, lived, especially seeing that the cathedral was also a tower used to defend the city.  In our time, people often ask how people can believe in God or act as a Christian in our violent and vice-filled world.  However, we should remember that now is not the first time war has come to earth, something made obvious by the city Teresa lived in.  In fact, in a walled city such as Avila, war was probably a much more prevalent thing than in our lives in the United States or other western countries.  That Teresa can become a saint by pointing out changes that need to be made in the local world that she lived in while having evils present proves that we can and should do the same.

            Following our tour of Avila and dinner on a hill opposite it, we drove back to Madrid to prepare for the opening Mass for World Youth Day.  The Mass was truly and amazing sight.  Millions of people from all over the world gathered together to celebrate Mass as one.  Reading the Gospel after Mass, I was unable to understand it at the time as it was in Spanish and we could not find the English translation that was on the radio, I found that it involved Jesus asking Simon Peter if he loved him and told him to feed His sheep.  This was intriguing as it related to St. Teresa and our lives today.  Because she loved Christ and saw that the world was hungry for something more, she worked to feed that world.  Teresa did more than just observe the problems in her order; she reformed it to make it a more spiritual experience for all of its members and to align it more with Christ’s teachings.  Seeing millions of people united together in Christ made this easy-to-write-on-paper concept something that seemed much more plausible in real life.  As a Church, we can do a great deal as we are all united in Christ’s love.  All we need to do is take the first step that millions of others are taking with us.