Assignment: Western Religions
Explain the quotation from St. Theresa of Avila on p. 154 of Religions of the West Today. What does it mean for a Christian to say that their body is Christ's body? How does the idea of Christ using us as instruments "through which he blesses all the world" reflect basic Christian beliefs about how Christians should live and act? Theresa is definitely pointing towards a mystic understanding of embodiment, but try to explain why this way of thinking makes sense for a person of faith. Be specific about anything Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount that helps you understand what St. Theresa means. It might also be helpful to relate her ideas to what St. Paul has to say about love as a virtue in the 1st Letter to the Corinthians (see sidebar on p. 141).
Text: Religions of the West Today (fourth edition), by Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis. 2 pages, typed and double-spaced.