Teresa of Avila
Teresa of Avila, or Teresa of Jesus was born Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada on March 28 1515. Her father’s family, Jewish merchants from Toledo, had accepted Christianity in 1492 when Ferdinand and Isabella gave the Jews of Spain the choice of conversion or expulsion, but her grandfather was later convicted of secretly continuing to practice Judaism. Her father, Alonso Sánchez de Cepeda, bought a title of knighthood and assimilated into Christian society. Like many conversos, Alonso was deeply embarrassed by his Jewish roots and, along with his children, made every effort to conceal them. They would prove a cause of deep concern for his daughter whose writings were always scrutinized by the Inquisition. Being a woman claiming religious experience and writing about it raised sufficient concern among the authorities, but being a woman of Jewish background made here a particular target of suspicion.
Teresa herself was raised in a devoutly Christian household. She showed an aversion to the idea of marriage—perhaps seeing both her mother and step-mother dying young cooled any romantic notions she had developed reading romantic novels, one of her favorite pastimes. She had been educated by the Augustinian nuns at the Monastery of Saint Mary of Grace in Avila and there had developed a strong piety, but she did not feel attracted to the Religious Life. However, despite her lack of attraction to a religious vocation, she began to develop a sense that this is what the Lord was calling her to, and at the age of 20—a woman of some mature years in the 16th century—she entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation in Avila.
The Incarnation was a large community—a huge community—and it bustled with friends and neighbors and relatives who paid social calls on the nuns. Despite the current legislation of the Church, the nuns of the Incarnation were not cloistered and indeed, it was not uncommon for the nuns to go visiting family, friends, and benefactors, sometimes for weeks at a time. Teresa had a vivacious personality and endeared herself to many who knew her. Consequently her social talents became an important part of the Monastery’s fundraising and she was much in demand both in the monastery parlor and in the homes of the wealthy supporters of the Incarnation.
In 1538, shortly after taking her vows, Teresa experienced a serious health crisis. She spent some recuperation time at the home of her uncle who gave her a copy of Francis of Asuna’s Third Spiritual Alphabet. This introduced Teresa to the practice of mental prayer. Her physical maladies continued, indeed got worse, and at one point Teresa was even thought to have died. She had not, of course, but it would be several years before she regained her physical strength.
The spiritual life was slow to mature in Teresa but at the age of 39 she began to experience strong mystical graces. Various priest advisors were not unanimous on the authenticity of these experiences, some telling her that they were actually from the devil. But fortunately wiser advice prevailed and Teresa was even commanded by her spiritual advisors to begin writing down her experiences and insights.
As she matured in the spiritual life, Teresa longed for the opportunity to live more deeply the Carmelite life to which she was vowed. Her proposal to establish a monastery in which the nuns would be strictly enclosed and lead a semi-eremitical life—in imitation of the first Carmelite hermits on Mount Carmel—initially met with approval but soon, because of the number of already existing religious foundations in Avila, aroused popular opposition. Even though her superiors did not support the idea, however, Teresa persisted with her plan and obtained the necessary apostolic rescripts that authorized the plan. On August 24, 1562 the new monastery was canonically established with four novices. The outcry was tremendous and Teresa was ordered back to the Incarnation. By the end of the year, however, Teresa was permitted to return to her new foundation and subseuently wrote her first book, The Way of Perfection.
It was in 1567 that the Carmelite General, John Baptist Rossi (in Spanish, Rubeo) visited Avila and encouraged Teresa to establish more monasteries following her particular reformed version of the Carmelite life. She also had permission to establish two reformed friaries whose members could serve as spiritual directors and confessors for her nuns. Anthony of Jesus and the young, newly ordained, John of the Cross were the first two friars to accept her reform. Jerome Gracian was another friar who joined the reform and who was especially dear to Teresa.
The tide turned against Teresa and her reform after 1575. The friars of the old observance were blocking Teresa’s reformed friars from spreading into Andalusia, the region of Southern Spain. More and more difficulties arose between the friars pf the reform and the old observance. The King supported the Reform, the papal nuncio back the old observance. The gap widened and the separation became inevitable, although it would become final only after Teresa death. The Vida, her autobiography, and the Way of Perfection were both written before 1567. The Interior Castle was finished by 1577. There are over 342 letters as well as 88 fragments of other letters existing as well.
In 1970 Pope Paul VI named Teresa of Avila as the first woman Doctor of the Church. It is, of course, impossible to sum up the spiritual doctrine of Saint Teresa in a few sentences. Broadly speaking her approach is consistent with the Carmelite experience of vacare Deo, that is to say that to possess Christ, or more precisely to be possessed by Christ, one must be free of all other attachments. God alone suffices. As regards prayer, Teresa sees a movement within the soul—and for Teresa the focus of prayer is on interior prayer—from actively seeking God in meditation through a gradual quieting of the soul until it rests united to God in contemplation—something which is always totally within the gift of God and not attainable by human effort. The purpose of prayer, indeed the end of the spiritual life, is not the enjoyment of God’s presence—something to which we must have a certain indifference—but the conformity of the will to the will of God. This conformity is the fruit of our love for God but it is directed to empower us for the love of our neighbor. Prayer is simple for Teresa-- "Mental prayer is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us." There is much more that can be said of Teresa’s doctrine, of course, but that is why we have a library. Come to the library and read Teresa for yourself.
Teresa died on a most unusual day, or rather she died in a vacuum of time. When the new Gregorian Calendar, a reform of the Calendar meant to correct deficiencies in the old Julian calendar, was scheduled to go into effect in 1582, ten days would disappear to bring the calendar into line with the sun. the days chosen were October 5-14,1582. Teresa died sometime in the night between Thursday. October 4 and Friday October 15. She died in the Carmelite monastery of Alba de Tormes where she is buried.
In our Collection you will find:
Los libros de la madre Teresa de Iesus, fundadora de lost monesterios de monjas y frayles Cafrmelitas descalços de la primera regal. Salamanca: Por Guillelmo Foquel, 1588.
The lyf of the Mother Teresa of Iesus, foundress of the monasteries of the Descalced or bare-footed Carmelite nunnes and fryers of the first rule, written by herself at the commaundement of her ghostly father, and now translated into English out of Spanish by W.M. of the Society of Iesus, very profitable for all vertuous and devout people, and for all those that are desyrous to be such, or at least do not obstinately deprive themselves of so great a benefit. Antwerp: Henrie Iaye, 1611.
Los libros de la madre Teresa de Iesus, fundadora de lost monesterios de monjas y frayles Cafrmelitas descalços de la primera regal. De nueuo corregidos con su original y con sus tablas. Lisboa: Antonio Alvarez, 1616
Breve relatione della vita, miracoli et canonizatione della groriosa vergine S. Teresa de Giesù, fondatrice de Carmelitani Scalzi. Cavata da processi autentici & relationi della Rota & Congregatione de Riti fatte per la sua canonizatione. Vita, miracoli, e canonizatione de gloriosi santi Isidoro Agricola, Ignatio de Loiola, Francesco Xaverio, Terese de Giesù & Filippo Neri. Venetiz: appresso Antonio Pinelli, 1622.
Relatione delle cose più notabili occorse nelle fondationi de’monasteri che fece Santa Teresa di Giesu, Fondratice de’ Carmelitani Scalzi. Doue insieme si danno molti documenti utili per la vita spirituale. Scritta dall’intessa per ordine delli suoi confessori; Tradotta nuovamente dall lingua Spagnuola nell’Italiana de un religiouso del medesimo Ordine de Scalzi. In Roma: Apresso Giacomo Mascardi, 1622.
Plus many more rare editions and works concerning Saint Teresa of Avila