Teresa of Avila: Life with Purpose
Religous Life, Prayer, Writings, Reform, and Sainthood
Nov 19, 2008
Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was born into a family of Spanish nobility. Her mother died when she was 14. Her father, who shared his love of books and God with Teresa, sent her to a group of nuns in Avila to begin her education.
Teresa Joins the Religious Life
She stayed with the sisters a little over a year until illness plagued her and interrupted her studies.Teresa would fight with illness and poor health for the rest of her life, though it did not keep her from her religious vocation. In 1535, Teresa again returned to the religious life at the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation at Avila and pledged her life to being a Carmelite nun.
Prayer Becomes Teresa's Life to Combat Illness
Teresa began a practice of disciplined prayer while in the convent to combat the suffering from her physical illness. Over time, Teresa began to experience intellectual visions -- words or sights believed to be from God directly into her mind. Later in her life, her experiences would intensify into what she described as a piercing of her heart and a mystical union or marriage with Christ.
Though Teresa's experiences in prayer brought her great comfort, they also troubled her deeply. She did not see herself worthy of such experiences and struggled with others who distrusted her experiences. Over time, she found sound counsel with a variety of advisors, including Jesuit and Dominican priests.
Teresa's Writings on Relationship with God
Teresa wrote about her experiences as well. Her Life Written by Herself and Interior Castle are only two of her works encouraging others in their stuggles with prayer. In her writing, Teresa creates a system to describe the life of prayer and guide others in their own spiritual journeys. Her view of the relationship between God and humaniy remains unique, as she roots her understanding of God so deeply in her own personal experiences.
The following poem, attributed to Teresa and found in her prayer book at the time of her death, gives a glimpse into her faith and hope in God:
"Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices."
Struggles with Religious Life and Reform
Teresa's interests also included a zeal for reform. Despite opposition, she founded the convent of Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Primitive Rule of St. Joseph at Avila in 1562. "Discalced" originates from Latin for "barefooted." Teresa's nuns and monks wore sandals instead of shoes as a sign of their piety.
Teresa's order would spread to include both men and woman who found themselves called to her simple life of prayer and service, including fellow saint John of the Cross. A period of upheaval in the larger Carmelite Order threatened the stability of the Teresa's Discalced Carmelites in the late 1570's. Though Spain's King Phillip II and the Church supported her order's autonomy in 1580, these persecutions seriously weakened Teresa's already frail health.
End of Earthly Life, Beginning of Eternal Life
Teresa founded several more convents before her death in 1582. Her body, transferred from Avila to Alba years after her death, exhibited no signs of decay. Her heart also exhibited signs of piercing, or transverberation, connected with Teresa's description of having her heart pierced for her love of God. The Roman Catholic Church beautified Teresa in 1614 and canonized her in 1622 . Her feast day is October 15.
SOURCES
Lewis, Charlton T. and Charles Short. Latin Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 1956.
"Teresa of Avila." Women for Faith & Family. 2008.
Zimmerman, Benedict. "St. Teresa of Avila" in The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 27 Oct. 2008 .
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