The Life and Teachings of St. Teresa of Avila

On March 28, 2015 the Carmelites all over the world will celebrate the 500 years birth anniversary of one of its great saints, St. Teresa of Avila, also known as St. Teresa of Jesus. St. Teresa was a prominent Christian Mystic, canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, and named the first woman Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. Her writings stand among the most remarkable mystical literature of the Catholic Church. In preparation for this important celebration, we will be running a series of articles on the reflections on her life and teachings.

Teresa: A servant, Spiritual soldier, Intimate friend, Daughter and Spouse of Christ

St. Teresa lived in the sixteenth century Spain. She was born in March 28, 1515 in the Province of Avila, part of Castille of what is now Spain. She was 6 years old when Magellan came to the Philippines and most of the Spaniards who came with him and those who came after him were from Castille, thus the reference of “Kastila” given to them by the Filipinos during the Spanish occupation. She was baptized as Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada. She died in October 15, 1582 at the age of 67.

The life of St. Teresa is made up of many beautiful, interesting and intriguing stories which she herself wrote about in her books and other writings. My favorite, however, is not any of the ones she wrote about, but about the one told after she died. This is how the story goes:

Soon after Teresa was buried in the private cemetery of the Carmelite Convent in Alba de Tormes where Teresa died, the nuns noticed a sweet fragrance coming from her tomb. Nine months after her death, the nuns of her community wondered about the condition of her body and the heavenly perfume surrounding her tomb. The provincial of the order, Fr. Jerome Gracian, gave permission for the exhumation of the body and described the proceedings: “The coffin lid was smashed, half rotten and full of mildew, the smell of damp was very pungent…the clothes had fallen to pieces…The whole body was covered with the earth which had penetrated into the coffin and so was all damp too, but as fresh and whole as if it had only been buried the day before.” After washing and re-clothing the body, “…there spread through the whole house a wonderful penetrating fragrance which lasted some days . Three years later the body was thoroughly examined by 2 doctors in the presence of the community and the bishop. The doctors declared the condition of the body to be “truly miraculous… for after 3 years, without having been embalmed, the entire body was in such a perfect state of preservation that nothing was wanting to it in any way, and a wonderful odor issued from it. The entire body of St. Teresa remains incorrupt.

In her writings St. Teresa describes herself as a loyal servant, a spiritual soldier, an intimate friend, a daughter, a spouse of Christ. As she matured in her spiritual life, she learned to completely surrender herself to God’s will. Her method of praying is what we Carmelites call the mental prayer. It is differentiated from the vocal and formulated prayers in that it is a prayer of the heart where words did not be thought of or spoken. It is a prayer where the heart is opened up to “an intimate conversation with the One who we know loves us” (Teresa’s words). It is a prayer done in silence and solitude. It is a prayer that is accompanied with the constant practice of humility, detachment and unconditional love for others in our daily life. When one has practiced this kind of prayer consistently for sometime – days for some, weeks or months for others, although the length of time does not really matter, he or she begins to be aware of a feeling deep within oneself similar to the feeling one experiences when witnessing a beautiful sunset, or watching a magnificent natural scenery, or when listening to a beautiful tender music. In this state of prayer the human body, mind and will become passive and the soul becomes active. Teresa spent many hours everyday in this state of prayer.

Teresa teaches her Carmelite sons and daughters:

“It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.”

Thus she counsels us:

“May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and everyone of you.”

Teresa lived by her own counsel and perhaps this is the reason why God sanctified her life, her death and her afterlife. Her teaching is not only for the Carmelites but for all the Christian faithful.

(In the next articles, we will be sharing with you more of the secrets of Teresa’s mental prayer.)

By: Cesar R. Ledesma, OCDS ( Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites)