Let nothing Disturb You

That is the title of the Lenten "retreat" that will start next week. I really like the idea of doing something that is different in terms of my prayer life during Lent. It is the 40 days before we celebrate Easter and it is traditionally a time of renewed discernment and discipline in spiritual practices. I always welcome the opportunity to "go deeper" and for a person who is kind of undisciplined - I can do 40 days.

So.....this year we will spend time with St Teresa of Avila - a 16th century Carmelite nun who has much to teach us. Here are the basics about the retreat

Let Nothing Disturb You – a Prayer “Retreat” with Teresa of Avila for Lent
This year of living boldly we will spend time during Lent with Roman Catholic saint who lived inn the 16th century. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, reformer, writer and mystic. She is an example of a bold follower of Jesus Christ.
In a period of about 20 years, beginning when she was in her mid forties, she wrote five spiritual classics including her Autobiography, The Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. In that same period she carried out a difficult and travel intensive reform of the long established religious life of the Carmelite order. It required extraordinary boldness - spiritual courage and leadership. She was immersed not only in the basic physical details of daily Carmelite life, but also in the exasperating ecclesiastical and civil politics of over a dozen convents for women and two for men.


Add to all this is the fact that she was never in good health. As an adult she continued to suffer the effects of youthful illnesses. In her early life she had spent days in a coma and years paralyzed.
We might wonder what sustained her through all the difficulties she faced. Her own answer is prayer – prayer when it seems impossible, prayer when others do everything to dissuade you, prayer when you struggle for clarity and confidence.


The season of Lent is a good time for us to practice a different kind of prayer discipline. Using the book Let Nothing Disturb You, we will provide for you prayers for every weekday in Lent starting March 6th. They will include prayers for the morning and the evening as well as a prayer “mantra” for every day.
They will be emailed out the night before . I hope that you are able to attend worship on Ash Wednesday as a time of commitment to this prayer discipline during this Holy Season.
If you are interested – please email me (Margot Connor) at ogram842@yahoo.com


“Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.”
― Teresa of Ávila

So, email me if you would like to be part of this. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our faith was so strong that we let nothing disturb us?