A Spiritual Guide and Reformer
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) is probably best known for her image of the soul as an “interior castle” with many rooms, not all of them always neat and tidy. This feisty, attractive young woman loved good conversation, especially with men, and she struggled with her flirtatiousness. She had a passion for words, was a prolific writer, a notable cook, and was adept at getting people to like her. Yet, more than anything, Teresa loved to be with our Lord, cultivating an intimate, divine friendship with Christ. Today, she is revered as a Doctor of the Church.
Teresa used all aspects of her personality to spearhead a reform in the Carmelite Order. Later she partnered with John of the Cross in this work. Many years of her life were spent traveling across Spain in harsh weather and along muddy roads, founding seventeen houses of the Discalced Carmelites. It was a struggle to put the reforms in place, for prior to her work, many of the convents of Spain had been set up to serve the dynastic families of the towns. Teresa wanted her religious houses to live in poverty and to be free from power, favor, and influence. This taxing work and travel wore Teresa out! Her weary body was often plagued by rheumatoid arthritis, a weak heart, malaria, and other physical complaints. St. Teresa is patron of headache sufferers for good reason!
Teresa urged her novices to cultivate self-knowledge. She believed the more we know of our true selves, the more we know God, for we are made in his image. She urged them to be resilient, to persevere in their call, and to go to God often for further guidance. She reassured them: And if you fall sometimes, do not lose heart. Keep trying to walk your path with integrity. God will draw out the good even from your fall…
What can we learn from Teresa?
First and foremost, how to pray! Her striking metaphors help to explain the experience of meeting our Lord in “mental prayer,” what we would call “contemplation.” She assures us that God is constantly with us, as she related, I found Him very easily among the pots and pans. She is also a wonderful example of how our interior lives or prayer fuel our actions in the world. She cautions us not to over think everything (a bane of modern life!). She taught: The important thing is not to think much but to love much, and so do that which best stirs you to love.
Ultimately what Teresa brings to us is confidence in God’s great mercy toward us and God’s willingness to meet us in our flawed humanity and to dwell with us in our everyday circumstances.
Be aware of God with you today: Find him in your tasks, in the people you meet, in the problems that challenge you, and most of all, find him deep within your soul, expressed as love in all things.
