St. Teresa of Avila was born in 1515, of a noble Castilian family at Avila, in central Spain. As a child, she showed piety beyond her years. On one occasion she ran away from home with a younger brother with the intention of going to Morocco and dying as martyrs! Their uncle spoiled their plan when he spotted the two children outside the city walls.
In her teenage years, her father sent her to be educated by Augustinian Sisters in Avila. About 18 months later she became ill and spent her convalescence reading the letters of St Jerome. This resulted in her desire to become a nun. Her father was at first opposed to the idea, but then consented and Teresa, then 20, entered the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation in Avila. However, she soon became ill again from malaria. She was sent home to her family for medical treatment but, three years later, returned to the convent, which had a large community of about 140 nuns and had become somewhat lax in its following of the Carmelite rule. In what was a rather easygoing atmosphere, with not much time given to solitude or the observance of religious poverty. Teresa tried to live a life of prayer and eventually her spiritual life was indeed deepened by her prayer. In 1555, she experienced an inner conversion when she identified herself with two famous penitents, St. Mary Magdalen and St. Augustine (his Confessions had a deep influence on her).
St. Teresa was “gifted” with mystical experiences, including visions, but after 25 years of Carmelite life, which she felt was not living up to the ideals of the Order, she desired to set up a community where the original rule would be more strictly observed. Her proposal met with strong opposition from both Church and civil authorities. But she went ahead and set up the community of St Joseph in Avila in 1562. There 13 nuns lived in conditions of strict poverty and enclosed solitude. On moving to the new convent, Teresa got papal approval of her commitment to absolute poverty and renunciation of all property.
The Avila convent would be the first of 16 similar convents set up during Teresa’s lifetime. It would also inspire the setting up of other “reformed communities” in other countries and in the generations that followed. The characteristics of this life were material simplicity, signified by the coarse brown wool habit and leather sandals. The lifestyle of manual work, supplemented by alms, provided the income for this way of life, which included a diet that totally excluded meat. Teresa, though the superior, took her daily turn at household chores. The convents were small and poor, yet built in such a way that the personal needs of the community could be met.
St. Teresa’s combination of common sense, prudence, and trust in God’s providential care, together with a great capacity for work and organization, helped her overcome the many obstacles she had to face. Her books include her own life story, Libro de las Fundaciones (the story of her Foundations), The Way of Perfection (written for nuns), and The Interior Castle.
The ideals and way of life established by St. Teresa survive in the numerous small communities of Carmelite Sisters (including the Sisters of Carmel Maria Regin in Eugene), who witness to the importance of contemplation in our modern world. Her written works are spiritual classics read by believers of all kinds.
Let us pray. “Lord Jesus, you have said, ‘Learn from me because I am meek and humble of heart.’ Through your Immaculate Mother we come to you, for we can do nothing without your grace and her help. You are the One who brings forth in us the desire to grow and it’s fulfillment. You made your own love the standard and model for our love for one another: ‘A new command I give you; love one another as I have loved you.’ That you may be known and loved everywhere, we pray for the good help and intercession of St. Teresa of Avila. We ask that all those who are called to follow the way of the Gospel will generously respond to your invitation. Bless us with the love which comes from your own loving Heart. In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.”
For more on the Carmelite Sisters in Eugene: https://carmelitesinoregon.org/index.php/our-monastery/
