Teresa of Avila - Perfectionism, Excellence, and You

Virginia Theological Seminary Chapel
October 15, 2009; The Feast of Teresa of Avila
Leslie C. Ferguson
Psalm 42:1-7; Romans 8:22-27; Matthew 5:13-16

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

Perfection… excellence… the pursuit of all things that are good and right in our ministry…

Today we celebrate the life and ministry Teresa of Avila, a 16th century Spanish nun and Christian mystic; a reformer of the Carmelite monastic movement. She was an example of tireless pursuit of an ideal for her ministry in the face of personal setbacks. We could view Teresa as our matron: she continued to strive towards the perfection of her ministry against the recommendations of her family and faith community. We are called to remember Teresa as a virtuous and exemplary Christian. Our collect today reminded us that she manifested the way of perfection; she is an exemplary teacher about the faith; and she can help us find true holiness. All these are wonderful ways to describe perfection in ministry.

I bet this next statement isn’t a shock to some – I’m a perfectionist; an “A+” personality; a Myers-Briggs “SJ;” striving for perfection is my middle name. There is an order and perfection in all things I do. In my prior life, there was no acceptance of less than perfection, or at least that’s what I always told myself; my society and community always rewarded incessant striving for perfection. I know I’m not alone in this seminary or society when it comes to a perfectionist gene. And yet, my striving for perfection did little more than make me lose my hair; lose weight; lose sleep; and lose time with my family: not ideal rewards for my efforts.

We as a society “know” about excellence and the way of perfection. It would be hard to think of a place where perfection isn’t rewarded: personal bests in sports; graduating with distinction or cum laude in school; or honored with an award like the Nobel Peace Prize or an Emmy. How do we achieve our perfection? The model I’ve always used is, “Study, Act, Practice, Do, Repeat.” This never ending cycle looks a lot like a hamster wheel - unfulfilling. But how can we break this pattern? How do we strive for perfection that satisfies, if that exists?

One would think that our Seminary and our Church would be a welcome break from the incessant need to strive for excellence. And yet, even here the most laid back person can be enticed to attempt to achieve excellence at an immeasurable cost. So where is our hope?

Today’s lessons show us a way to sanely search for perfection. The example of Teresa and the lessons on her feast day provide images that show us how to strive for an excellence that fulfills. The images of perfection we see are summed up by living in faith, hope, and love of God. We demonstrate these traits by living a life of trust and lightness in our soul. A soul that gratefully praises a loving and living God.

But how do we build this kind of trust? How do we find lightness in our soul – a state of not being weighed down by the illusion of worldly excellence and perfection? We are told in the Psalm that we grow in trust by longing for God’s presence like a deer longs for water. It is in this quietness and our silence before God that we are able to truly hear God’s voice and grow in perfection by sensing and proclaiming God present with us and around us.

In Romans, we are called to wait for adoption by God; we are told that in waiting we will find redemption of our bodies – redemption from the false perfection that consumes us and adoption into a place of true excellence. We are assured that we will not have to go alone in our toil but that the Holy Spirit will intercede for us and with us to prepare us for excellence according to the will of God. But we won’t be able to see the Holy Spirit without being present and still before the Lord; unless we get off the hamster wheel of action we will never be able to remove the barriers that we erect against our completeness in God; we will never fully sense the true and blessed relationship with God.

What is our challenge? How do we model our lives after Teresa? What is it that prevents us from living into a perfect life with God? Our challenge is letting God be perfect for us – all our efforts will always fall short on their own but with God they will succeed as they NEED to. We need to look for practices that fulfill us and challenge us to live a life that is different and in line with a holy life devoted to God present in the here and now. We only find these practices when we let the Holy Spirit guide us on the way.

We are able, when we stop trying to do OUR best, to see a better image of God present in our life and in our world. We are able, when we wait for the Holy Spirit to lead us, to find God in our life. We are able, when we wait with lightness and faith, to achieve perfection –completeness in our lives and the true reward of God’s love and grace.

As we wait for the Lord with patience we will be filled and enkindled with an unquenchable longing for true holiness; filled with the love of God; and nourished in our living and vital relationship with God. And when we do these things, we can truly say…

Thanks be to God!

Amen!