St. Teresa of Avila

Early Life: From Romantic Novels to Religious Life

Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada was born on March 28, 1515, in Avila, Spain, to a prosperous converso family (of Jewish ancestry). As a child, she and her brother Rodrigo attempted to run away to seek martyrdom among the Moors—an episode she later recounted with characteristic humor.

In her teenage years, Teresa became enamored with romantic novels and the social pleasures of her era. Her concerned father sent her to an Augustinian convent for education, where she began to feel drawn to religious life—though, as she admitted, more from fear of hell than love of God.

In 1535, at age twenty, Teresa entered the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation in Avila. The convent was large and relaxed in its observance, allowing social visits, personal property, and distinctions based on family status. Teresa would later reform these very practices.

"I was more anxious for the hour of prayer to pass than to remain there. I do not know what heavy penance I would not have gladly undertaken rather than practice recollection."— St. Teresa, describing her early struggles

The Second Conversion

For nearly twenty years, Teresa lived a divided life—outwardly religious but inwardly lukewarm. Serious illness had left her partially paralyzed for years, and though she recovered, her prayer life remained superficial.

In 1554, at age thirty-nine, Teresa experienced what she called her "second conversion." Passing a statue of the wounded Christ, she was suddenly overwhelmed by her own ingratitude and God's patient love. She fell weeping at the statue's feet and begged Christ to give her the strength to never offend Him again.

Reformer: The Discalced Carmelites

In 1562, at age forty-seven, Teresa founded the first convent of the Discalced ("barefoot") Carmelites—St. Joseph's in Avila. The new community returned to the original Carmelite Rule: strict enclosure, poverty, silence, and an emphasis on mental prayer.

The reform faced fierce opposition from both secular and religious authorities. Teresa was accused of ambition, pride, and even demonic influence. Yet she persevered, eventually founding seventeen convents across Spain despite poor health, constant travel, and ongoing persecution.

"Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours."— Attributed to St. Teresa

Major Writings

Despite lacking formal education and writing under obedience to her confessors, Teresa produced works of extraordinary depth and literary quality:

Teresa's Approach to Prayer

Teresa's teaching on prayer is profoundly practical. She had no patience for abstractions and always wrote from lived experience. Her approach can be summarized in several key principles:

"The important thing is not to think much but to love much; and so do that which best stirs you to love."— St. Teresa, The Interior Castle

On Visions and Mystical Experiences

Teresa experienced numerous visions, including the famous "transverberation"—a vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden spear of divine love. Yet her teaching on such experiences remains remarkably cautious:

Death and Legacy

Teresa died on October 4, 1582, at Alba de Tormes, worn out from decades of illness, travel, and labor. Her last words were: "My Lord, it is time to move on. Well then, may Your will be done. O my Lord and my Spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time to meet one another."

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