Daughter of adventure and prayer
Romanesque, generous, she dreams of an epic and glorious martyrdom at the end of the world. “I want to see God,” she says. Then God will delight this upright and chivalrous heart! A worldly Carmelite, a brilliant teacher admired by everyone in her overly welcoming convent, she discovers her lukewarmness and radically renews her order: “Only God is enough”, it will be the motto of the reformed Carmels that she will found throughout Spain. Her mystical temperament drives her to live secluded in prayer, but her ardent love for her sends her through the roads of the country to bring Christ. With Juan de la Cruz they are going to inflame Spain and the world. She will be the first female Doctor of the Church.
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Biography of Saint Teresa of Ávila
Teresa de Ahumada was born on March 28, 1515 in Gotarrendura in Castile. He grew up in a noble family of converted Jews. There he develops his intelligent and passionate personality. From his social background, she extracts his broad-mindedness, his relational universe, his good training, his love of reading. Later, he will say that his childhood readings revealed the truth to him: Everything happens, only God is enough. At the age of seven, he dreams of imitating the martyrs and leaves with one of his brothers hoping to die for his faith against the Moors and “see god in the sky“. Teresa becomes a flirtatious young lady who likes to please, after the death of her mother, her father sends her to a boarding school with the Augustinians of Our Lady-of-Grace. There she reflected on religious life.
At the age of 20, he entered the Convent of the Encarnación de Ávila under the name of Teresa of Jesus . The adaptation to the Carmelite life is happy and hard at the same time, Teresa puts her health in danger and close to death; she will have to return several times with her family to rest. She spends the first twenty years of religious life uneventfully, continually striving to sincerely give her life to God. she learns to pray, but he still has an inner division between the desire to give himself to Jesus and his lukewarmness.
The reading of the confessions of Saint Augustine is decisive, it meditates on the humanity of Jesus. At forty, he experienced what he called his second conversion. Teresa abandons herself to Jesus, this time not out of effort but out of love. That’s when she lived mystical experiences met Jesus crucified who became his teacher and friend. During an ecstasy, he saw the transverberation , that is, his heart was pierced by a spear that irradiated him with the love of Christ. These exceptional experiences arouse the mistrust of the other sisters and force Teresa to work on discernment in which the Franciscan Pedro de Alcántara helps her.
In 1562, Teresa founded the small convent of San José in Ávila, with the desire to return to the primitive rule of Carmel. It is the beginning of the Discalced Carmelites . By order of her spiritual advisers, Teresa writes the story of his life . Is autobiography it was completed in 1564 and is called The book of life . Teresa seeks to lead her life as a Carmelite with sincerity and wants to share her experience with others. She left Ávila, to go through the ways of Castile and Andalusia and founded 17 monasteries. The same enthusiasm arouses among the Carmelites, one of the first is Saint John of the Cross . Both inhabited by the love of Christ, come together to inflame Spain and the world.
In 1571, Teresa returned to the Ávila convent where she was appointed prioress. Saint John of the Cross is her chaplain. Together, they share their spiritual experiences and Teresa writes The Foundations. Beginning in 1577 he wrote his great book on the prayer: the abodes either The Inner Castle. At the end of her life, Teresa returned to visit the sisters of the convents she founded, wrote letters, gave her the last advice and finally, exhausted and sick, she died on October 4, 1582 in Alba de Tormes. .
Teresa of Avila entered the family of saints in 1622, canonized by Pope Gregory XV and proclaimed the first female doctor of the Church in 1970 by Paul VI. Her feast is celebrated on October 15.
Work of Saint Teresa of Ávila
The great work of Saint Teresa of Ávila is the reform of Carmel with the foundation of a new branch: the Discalced Carmelites. At the same time as her spiritual maturation, Teresa developed an ideal of Carmelite reform. She wants to return to the original Carmelite rule and encourage meditation, following the example of the prophet Elijah. Teresa founded in 1562, with the support of the bishop of the city, Don Álvaro de Mendoza, the first reformed Carmel. She receives the approval of the superior general of the order, Giovanni Battista Rossi. She continues to found new Carmels, seventeen in all. The encounter with Saint John of the Cross is fundamental, with him he founded in 1568 in Duruelo the first convent of the Discalced Carmelites., characterized by the absence of shoes. In 1580, he obtained from Rome that his Reformed Carmels be erected into autonomous provinces. He is the starting point of the religious order of the Discalced Carmelites.
The writings of Saint Teresa of Ávila
The writings of Saint Teresa of Ávila are among the masterpieces of literature and spirituality. Although he did not have a university education, he knew how to take advantage of the great theologians and Fathers of the Church: Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory the Great San Agustin .
His main works are:
· The book of life written in 1564 in obedience to his spiritual fathers. It’s more than one autobiography Teresa calls him the Book of Mercies of Mister.
· In 1566, he wrote for the twelve novices of the Carmel of San José: path of perfection who called reprimands and advice given by Teresa of Jesus to her nuns . She defines the Carmelite way of praying and living, based on the evangelical virtues of prayer.
· The most famous mystical work of Santa Teresa is the abodes either The Inner Castlewritten in 1577. Teresa rereads her path of spiritual life and in parallel gives the possible course of Christian life towards its fullness. She compares human interiority to a castle with seven mansions where under the action of the Holy Spirit, man progresses in this castle to holiness.
· The Book of Foundations , written between 1573 and 1582, is dedicated to the life of the emerging religious group. Teresa underlines the action of God in the work of founding the new monasteries.
· Saint Teresa of Ávila also wrote several poems, of which here is the most famous excerpt found in his breviary: “nothing bothers you nothing frightens you, everything happens, God does not change, patience reaches everything, whoever has God lacks nothing,God alone is sufficient!”(Poem 9).
The spirituality of Saint Teresa of Ávila
The spirituality of Saint Teresa of Ávila is rich and deep. It deserves to be read in detail, however, we can take away the main ideas.
· Teresa places the evangelical virtues as the basis of all Christian and human life . In particular, poverty and detachment are essential virtues. Love, humility, hope are many of the qualities that lead the soul to God.
· Teresa insists on listening to the Word of God and in harmony with the great biblical characters.
prayer is essential evolves as the soul progresses and results in union with God.
Teresa stresses the importance of the personal relationship with Jesus, it is based on the discovery of the humanity of Christ. Therefore, it is important to meditate on the episodes of the life of Jesus, especially the Passion.
Prayers to Saint Teresa of Ávila
Novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila:
A novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila that can be prayed during the nine days prior to her party on October 15.
Prayer: ” In the silence of this dawn “
“Lord, in the silence of this dawn, I come to ask you for peace, wisdom and strength.
I want to look at the world today with eyes full of love, to be patient, understanding, humble, soft and good, to see your children behind the appearances as you see them yourself and in this way to be able to appreciate the kindness of each one.
Close my ears to all murmuring, keep my tongue from all slander, that only the thoughts that bless remain in me. May I be so well-intentioned and good that all who come near me feel your presence.
Revive me of your goodness Lord and make me reflect you on this day. Amen.”