Welcome to Tuesday in the first full week of Lent Madness action. Today Teresa of Avila takes on Crispin. Medieval mystic vs. 3rd century martyr.
Yesterday, amid some early voting trials and tribulations, Hilary of Poitiers handily defeated Melania the Elder 61% to 39%. Perhaps no one was surprised voting was an issue in a matchup between Melania and Hilary?
In case you missed yesterday's world-changing episode of Monday Madness, you can watch it here. Tim and Scott address the voting issue, while reminding everyone that universal suffrage is a God-given right. As long as only one vote is involved.
Teresa of Avila
Teresa is one of only four women among the 36 doctors of the church. And that’s just one of her many accomplishments as a mystic, reformer, prolific writer, and theologian.
Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born into wealth on March 28, 1515, near Avila, Spain. Even as a young girl, she was a dedicated Christian, learning about the saints. When her mother died, Teresa called herself “worldly,” according to her autobiography. Her father enrolled her in an Augustinian convent for education. However, illness sent her home. Recovered and now determined for a religious life, she joined the Carmelites; again, illness sent her home. She eventually returned to the Carmelites but grew weary of what she perceived as the order’s lax rules. She inaugurated a reformed Carmelite order with a more ascetic lifestyle, eventually founding 17 convents.
In her meditative life, she tried to ignore her visions, which included an angel piercing her heart with a golden lance. She was also prone to raptures, sometimes including levitation. Though she found writing burdensome, she was a prolific writer, articulating Christian mysticism and meditation practice. Her writings include The Interior Castle; The Way of Perfection; and an autobiography entitled The Life of Teresa of Jesus.
Teresa is the subject of much artwork, paintings, and sculpture, such as Bernini’s famous The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. She is usually shown dressed as a Carmelite nun holding a pieced heart, book, and crucifix. She is also presented in music by such greats as Virgil Thomson and Joan Osborne; in literature by Simone de Beauvoir and George Eliot; and her statue played a central role in the movie, Angels and Demons.
After her death in 1582, she was buried at the Convento de la Anunciación in Alba de Tormes; her relics are scattered in Rome, Lisbon, Paris, and other locales. Teresa was canonized on March 12, 1622, by Pope Gregory XV, and her feast day is October 15.
She is the patron saint of Spain; sick people; religious orders; people ridiculed for their piety; lacemakers; Požega in Croatia; Cebu in the Philippines; the Diocese of Amos, Canada; and the Diocese of Avellaneda–Lanús, Argentina.
Collect for Teresa of Avila
O God, who by your Holy Spirit moved Teresa of Avila to manifest to your church the way of perfection: Grant us, we pray, to be nourished by her teaching, and enkindle within us a keen and unquenchable longing for true holiness; through Jesus Christ, the joy of loving hearts, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Crispin
Thanks to the Battle of Agincourt and Shakespeare’s Henry V, Crispin’s name may be more familiar to English majors and fans of British military history than the Christian faithful. Yet deep devotion to Crispin and his brother Crispinian can best be captured by a pun—the relationship between the soul and the sole.
Crispin and his brother Crispinian were born in the third century, sons of a wealthy Roman family. As young men, they fled Rome and the anti-Christian persecutions of emperor Maximian to settle in northern France. There, these once-pampered sons became humble shoemakers, working through the night so they could preach the gospel by day. The brothers were known for their generosity and their contempt for material goods, and their witness inspired many to become Christians. Once Roman authorities got wind of their exploits, Crispin and Crispinian were martyred by the governor of Gaul. Some accounts say they were beheaded; others say they were thrown into a river with millstones around their necks. The confusion may stem from the fact that killing the brothers was no easy task—from whips and rods and even shoemakers’ awls, every weapon of torture wielded against them wounded their captors instead. By the eighth century, the date of their execution had become their feast day, October 25.
Crispin and Crispinian are the beloved patron saints of cobblers, shoemakers, curriers, tanners, and leatherworkers. Shoemakers were both common laborers and skilled craftsmen, and they held a particularly important role in medieval Europe. All shoes were custom shoes, and a visit to the shoemaker was not unlike a visit to the hairdresser—shoemakers had to be trustworthy enough to work in intimate conditions (like lifting ladies’ long skirts to better grasp their feet). In England, shoemakers were among the only people allowed to work on Sundays, and over time they became associated with spiritual assistance and support—“sole menders” became “soul menders” in a popular pun. Saint Crispin’s name comes up again and again in the history of labor unions across both Europe and the United States. For example, the Daughters of St. Crispin was a union of female shoemakers—and the first national women’s labor union in the United States.
Collect for Crispin
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Crispin triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
143 comments on “Teresa of Avila vs. Crispin”
I can't get either (vote) circle to fill in. This has persisted since the first day. Is it still broken? What can I do to cast a vote? Thanks.
Use a different device (your phone?) or try a different browser than Safari. No promises on the latter, however. SEC, are you listening? Is it curable?
I tried to vote for Crispin, but the webpage said "Captcha is required ". However, no place to enter any Captcha test is visible.
This was not a contest for me. Tere is one of my favorite saints from my RC days!
When I first heard of Teresa of Avila years ago I'm thinking it was through a source that was not a fan of her or mysticism in general and it left me a bit wary. But recently reading elsewhere that she "taught an openness to such possibilities [mystical experiences in prayer], but she did not encourage undue dependence on them" brought me back to want to learn more.
Then Neva's mention of her illness and how it interrupted her plans/dreams (and then she returned) really connected deeply. Most obviously in that I had to take time off seminary to go home due to illness and then returned, but also in that my chronic illnesses continue to interrupt and diminish and yet here I still am trying to be faithful and a witness to others...
I'm looking forward to seeing if I can finally actually vote--was able to do so on the first day but nothing has worked since. Tried to leave a comment as to the problem and got the response that I posted. We will see. I've enjoyed Lenten madness in the past. Hope to again.
Your voting mechanism is still wonky. It took me five minutes to vote yesterday, and no luck so far today.
My chapter in Daughters of the King is Teresa of Avila, so I was already impressed by her, but willing to have an open mind with the voting today. However, after careful reading, I am sticking with my home girl. Teresa it is.
I'm looking forward to seeing if I can finally actually vote--was able to do so on the first day but nothing has worked since. Tried to leave a comment as to the problem and got the response that I posted. We will see. I've enjoyed Lenten madness in the past. Hope to again. I was able to vote, now to see if I can see the results.
Won’t take my vote
Shoes. Meh. Besides, the very little that is known about Crispin seems to be equally known and told about his brother Crispinian, who shares his feast day.
But Teresa! Lacemaking and levitation and the founding of discalced (barefoot or sandal-wearing) religious orders! This barefoot child of Hawaii is kicking off her shoes and rising up to support Teresa ...that is, until she's up for the Golden Halo against Queen Emma.
I have to admit, the levitation does sound rather fun.
Not if it was due to grand mal seizures, as has been suggested by some scholars.
Tough choice today: Do I vote for Teresa of Avila, whose name, with an "h" and named in honor of a different Theresa (the one from Lisieux), was that of my Catholic grade school, OR do I vote for Crispin, the patron saint of several European labor unions and the first US women's labor union in honor of my grandfather, a Teamsters member for 57 years? (He started with a horse and cart.)
At the moment, I am leaning toward Crispin. I shall ponder some more and vote after breakfast.
I know Teresa will win. However, I voted for Crispin because I once stayed in a small, renovated farm house (called a castle) in St. Crepin, France (tiny place). My very basic high school French caused a moment of embarrassment when I asked "Where is St. Crepin? rather than "Who is St. Crepin?" St. Crispin/St. Crepin remind me to be humble.
I can't get into the comments. Every time I click on the date it takes me back to the beginning of the day's post. Help!
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page do you see the older comments there with link to see newer comments underneath those comments?
Clicking the date just takes you to the top of the post. The comments are much further down the page.
Since at least one of my ancestors was a tanner (owned a tanning company in England), I will vote for Cristan today.
Autocorrect strikes again. I voted for CRISPIN.
Some advice for those who seem to still be having trouble voting. First make sure you have a stable Internet connection that is neither slow nor weak, then do a complete power cycle. Power off, not any quick restart (an Android thing), but a full power off, count to 30 slowly, then power on. Try to vote and if the issue persists clear your browsing history, cache, & cookies. Try to vote and if the issue persists try a different browser (like Chrome or Firefox instead of the default Safari / Edge). If the issue persists make sure your operating system software is up-to-date. Try to vote and if the issue persists try another device if you have access to one. If you still can’t vote after doing all that then let the Supreme Executive Committee of Lent Madness know what you have tried and that you still can’t vote.
Rebooting doesn’t help. Clearing cache doesn’t help. Not trying a different browser, as I have another device. SEC may be asleep by now….
I was drawn to Teresa of Avila immediately, as I am a Daughter of the King in Flagstaff, AZ. Our chapter is named after Teresa of Avila.
I voted for Crispin who used his position within this world to bring people to Christ rather than withdrawing into a cloistered world. I realize that most will vote for Teresa, especially on International Women’s Day, but I find perfection off-putting. Besides which, I’m a Brit and love Shakespeare and Henry V.
Yesterday, it worked for me, but today, I am unable to vote. Is this new system not compatible with iPads? I would like to cast a vote for Teresa. It was a hard choice for me, but her feast day is my husband’s birthday, so I have had a soft spot for her for awhile now. When you really want to vote for both saints sometimes you just have to go with a silly reason.
Never mind, I now got it to work.
What did you do???
I knew St. Teresa would win, but I voted for Crispin because of the Labor Union.
Being International Women's Day, I suppose I should've voted for Theresa. However, Crispin was such a soulful fella, and coming from a labor union state, well . . . I guess, if the shoe fits...
English major here. I was tempted by Henry V’s stirring speech at Agincourt, but 1) they were Shakespeare’s words and 2) St. Crispin didn’t say them. My vote goes to Dr. Teresa, DOC
I’m sure Teresa will win, and for good reason, but I was swayed to vote for Crispin as the patron saint of the shoemakers union and women shoemakers in particular. I believe not only the first women’s union but also the first union in the USA was the shoemakers, in Philadelphia. On International Women’s Day I remember the Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Mass., which gave us the Bread and Roses song for women unionists (“Small art and love and beauty their ancient spirits knew; it’s not only bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too”); I remember the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire that killed so many women 111 years ago this month and built the ILGWU; I remember past Golden Halo winner Frances Perkins. Perhaps Crispin’s connection to these women is a stretch, but Eva Suarez persuaded me!
I suspect Teresa will win, but I'm going with Crispin and his brother. They took their faith out into the world and in their work, which was taking care of people's feet and which we can appreciate today (oh the joy of comfortable shoes). Their work calls to mind not only the welfare of countless pilgrims' feet, but of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. They were true soul menders.
I was dropped from the emails and had to enroll again - still no emails! Could this be tied in with the voting problem? Help?
This is the second time I can’t get my vote to register. Although the story of the sole/soul brothers was compelling, I was named after Teresa of Avila, so this is a no brainer for me. Please add one for Teresa.
Teresa for the win
I voted for Teresa, but the first women's labor union almost swayed me on International Women's Day. Celebrity bloggers are doing a great job!
As a retired military man I have to go with Crispin, if only for Henry V and his exhortation at Agincourt: "This day is called the feast of Crispin. He that shall live this day and comes safe home will stand aa-tiptoe when this day is named and rouse him at the name of Crispin. He that shall live this day and see old age will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors and say, "Tomorrow is Sa'nt Crispian." Then will he strip his sleeves and show his scars.... But he'll remember with advantages...feats he did that day
I already knew about Saint Teresa, have logn admired the Bernini work, and have even attended a church named for her near me (Alhambra, California) BUT I went with Crispin, because I am shoe freak, and also, I felt he might be the underdog and need some extra votes!