When I Occasionally Desire to be a Timelord

The Doctor and Amy meet Vincent!

There are some days when I would love to be a Timelord. Because, as time travelers, Timelords are able to meet all sorts of famous, exciting people—like Vincent Van Gogh or William Shakespeare. The other day, I had one of my “why can’t I just be a Timelord right now?” moments (well, to be honest, I would love to  have the perks of meeting cool people, but I wouldn’t want the stress of saving the whole world). I found, while re-reading the book, Mary was Her Life, that I would love to time-travel back to Spain in the 1940s. Why? Because that’s when Teresita Quevedo was a teenager!

Venerable Teresita Quevedo and I would have been great friends in high school. She had a huge devotion to Mary, loved dressing in cute, fashionable, modest clothes, had a huge range of male and female friends, was picky with her entertainment, was incredibly stubborn and very passionate, and loved going to dances and parties! Aside from the fact that she was a big-time athlete, Teresita and I would have had so much in common. But alas, God had other plans, and Teresita and I were not destined to meet on Earth. Even so, I can still be good friends with Teresita Quevedo. She’s “Venerable,” which is a step on the pathway to sainthood; why wouldn’t I want one more saintly intercessor? And when I was re-reading her biography a few weeks ago, I was renewed in my appreciation for her, especially as an example for modern sanctity. 

Teresita Quevedo was born in 1930 in Madrid, Spain, and died 20 years later. So not only is she modern (which is so awesome!!!), but she also lived out her vocation and holiness when she was young. Anywho, Teresita’s dad was a doctor, and she, her two older siblings, and her mother lived a pretty comfortable life. The parents raised their children in a Catholic home, nurturing the domestic church through family prayer time every day (a practice I grew up with too and think every family could benefit from because of how it unites the family in prayer). Teresita entered the Carmel in 1948, and died just two years later. In 1983, Pope St. John Paul II declared her “venerable.”

“Little Poison”

Teresita earned this nickname because she was extremely stubborn and passionate, very willful, and had a temper. Furthermore, she wasn’t too chill with the street children, since she was used to refinement and cleanliness and good manners, and the street children many times didn’t fall into these categories. Teresita was a sinner. I know a lot of people find consolation in the fact that our “saints” all were very apparent sinners. And it’s true, we all sin here on Earth. But while many people look at the “sins” of the saints to console themselves in their lack of perfection, Teresita did not do this. Instead, Teresita chose another path: She strove for greater holiness. 

She greatly loved God and Our Lady, and her love for them motivated her to change her behavior. When she was so repulsed by the street children, her father reprimanded her by explaining how God loved those children. Teresita then became friends with these children and opened her heart and home to them. As I mentioned, Teresita was incredibly stubborn and willful. But, when she was on a retreat at the age of 10, Teresita decided to become a saint. With this decision, Teresita tried to conquer her sinful and concupiscent tendencies, offering all to Jesus through Mary.

Even just looking at a few basic facts of Teresita’s life, I am so inspired to change my life in a good way. Teresita decided she wanted to become a saint, so she lived like it!

I think it’s important that we all ask ourselves the following question: Do I want to become a saint? If so, am I living like it?