St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) has long been one of my personal spiritual heroines. Her ministry was to form, and hold in unity, a lively (and sometimes fragmented) religious community in the complex religious and political world of 16th century Europe (the same century in which the Reformation emerged). She was spiritual director to many of the great religious leaders of the day, and was accordingly named a "Doctor of the Church", a designation reserved for those who are seen as gifted with special leadership in ecclesiastical spheres. She was known to be a woman of deep and ecstatic prayer, while also possessing amazing gifts as an administrator and overseer. A true patron saint for a bishop who is also a woman! How wonderful it is that we Episcopalians, with all Anglicans, have preserved the ancient understanding of the "Communion of Saints," as we affirm in the Apostle’s Creed:

"I believe...in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting"

For in this communion of saints, we are companioned always by those whose lives bore a special radiance, a powerful presence of Christ in their day. If you want to know more about Teresa, one of her books, The Interior Castle, stands as a major work in Western Christian Spirituality. It’s not light reading, but reading it pays dividends for those who sip at it gradually with an open spirit. Readers will find themselves hungering for the ever-deeper intimacy with Christ which she describes.

At various times, Teresa ministered in partnership with St John of the Cross, whose words have always been affixed to my bathroom mirror from the day that I was ordained a priest in February 1981:

At the end of life, we shall be examined on Love.

St. John’s words have called me each day to remember, in the words of a poster seen in our day, to "Keep the main thing, the main thing". OK, Chilton, he seems to say from the bathroom mirror; today will be filled with joy and sorrow, betrayal and celebration...remember to love. Always to love.

Teresa, out of her love for Christ, held a vivid sense of Christian mission. It was this graceful ability to put her prayer into action that inspired others to recognize the touch of Christ in her ministry, and to seek the same heartfelt expression of their own faith. For Teresa, prayer was meaningless until it took form in actions of mercy, in mission to the world’s needs.

In an era when we can be so inwardly-focussed, so preoccupied by worldly strivings and the institutional turmoil of the Church, Teresa helps us get re-oriented around the doing of our mission. One biographer says of her, "Her combination of mystic experience with ceaseless activity as a reformer and organizer makes her life the classic instance for those who contend that the highest contemplation is not incompatible with practical achievements."

One of Teresa’s most well-known sayings has been adopted by all manner of people, from political leaders to Mother Teresa of Calcutta (a saint of our day):

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless all people now."

The question always before us is not, "Who wins in the latest ecclesiastical tug-of-war?" but "What are we doing for Christ in the world?". I am grateful to the many people, from the many congregations in Maine, who have put their energies behind the advancement of mission, of the ministry to the world which Christ has commanded that we embrace. In future editions of the NORTHEAST, we will be highlighting some of these examples of mission. For now, let us give thanks and offer prayers for two of them which have received recent special tribute:

The Urban Ministry in Lewiston, a mission effort developed by the people of Trinity Church in Lewiston. That ministry feeds hundreds of people each week, and has recently been designated a Jubilee Center by the National Episcopal Church. Though their outreach ministries, Urban Ministry also serves people with AIDS, mothers and infants, and people in prison. A very special saint, Mr. Calvin Dube, oversees the work of this ministry, which involves praying Episcopalians (and others) from every corner of the diocese.

The Food for Life Program of St. Stephen’s, Waterboro, a recent recipient of a grant from the Commission on Outreach and Services. Their Food Pantry serves, through both regular and emergency food pantry service, a growing number of people in southern Maine whose financial resources do not cover all the monthly bills which they must pay. Another special saint, Mr. Paul Hopkins, oversees this ministry, which also is set within the framework of prayer.

It is the sacred responsibility of every Christian to offer ourselves in mission. It is the essence of our Baptismal Covenant. There is a word which defines our effort to discover the ministry we are particularly called to offer in this mission which is Christ’s work. That word is DISCERNMENT.

Discernment is not only about whether someone should or should not be ordained, but about how God may choose to use us in fostering Christ’s mission to the world. Someone once said that our life’s mission as Christians is to find the intersection where our deep longing and the world’s deep needs come together. Discernment is rooted in prayer and in community. We need one another to fully discern what God calls us to do. My own discernment is that God is calling the Diocese of Maine to be more outwardly-focussed, more fully dedicated to ministries of justice and mercy.

May we, this Lent, be zealous in self-giving; in seeking and exercising our mission. Christ is counting on us to be his eyes and hands and feet, his very Body in the world around us. May we be set free from all that distracts us from this mission, for the world is waiting to see Good News enacted and made real in our life together. May God strengthen us for this holy task.

In Christ’s love,