Teresa of Ávila

Teresa of Ávila

St. Teresa of Avila was described recently as "a mystic for our time" and it is true that there has been a surge of new studies into her life and a renewed interest in her writings. First and foremost, however, Teresa was a woman of her own times. Rowan Williams, in the preface to his book, Teresa of Avila, describes her as "a woman reacting to a particu-larly difficult epoch in the history of the Spanish state and Church, ... and an independent theological thinker." She is also described as being "one of the period's few prominent women writers" and although her books and letters were directed to small audiences, her directors and the members of her order, they became widely read and provided an understanding of her experience of a deep personal relationship with God through Christ. The similarity of her time to the present explains why Teresa's writings are finding a new audience today.

Born in 1515, Teresa was one of ten children. Her father and grandfather were conversos, Jews who had converted to Catholicism in the light of the newly unified Catholic Spain. These families, who had often falsified papers to assume a nobility and therefore some credence in Spanish society, lived a somewhat tenuous life. They were often treated with contempt and suspicion. Williams compares their place in society with that of the "first urban Christians ...those whose social standing was out of step with their wealth and achievement" . Williams also suggests that religious life may have provided an "alternative society" for Teresa as it had for many others

Teresa was intensely devout as a young child though she became more influenced by earthly matters as she grew. After her mother's death in 1530, her father sent her to board with the Augustinian nuns in Avila. She stayed there for about 18 months and it was during this time that Teresa first thought of becoming a nun. She became ill and was sent to convalesce at the home of an uncle where she had time to read and think. Without consulting her father, she entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation in Avila. She was 21 years old when she took the habit in 1536.

Her early time as a nun was marked by a deep prayerful relationship with God, experiencing frequent intimacy and moments she believed to be 'union' , however illness overtook her again and it was while convalescing with an uncle, Don Pedro de Cepeda, she read The Third Spiritual Alphabet, a work by Franciscan monk, Francisco de Osuna. This work, along with others written at the time, described a method of opening a space where God could enter, a quietness where the material world was removed. This was very different from the recitation of prayers at the time which depended on rote repetition of standard words and prayer through mediation. Teresa believed this form of prayer opened to the 'unlearned' a better way to a closer relationship with God. She constantly maintained that God worked through her in this way.

Around her fortieth birthday, Teresa began to experience inner voices and visions. This was the time of the Inquisition when mystics were held in great suspicion, especially women whose experiences were disregarded as hysterical or demonic. She herself was investigated five times by the Inquisition.

Teresa was instructed by some of her trusted directors and confessors to write an ac-count of her life and experiences. Life, began as an account of the state of her soul for the benefit of her confessors. She later expanded this into an account of the first 50 years of her life. Teresa also wrote books of spiritual teachings directed to her nuns, The Way to Perfection and Interior Castle. Her other works include Meditations on the Song of Songs and Spiritual Testimonies.

Out of agreement with the way the Carmelites had moved from their original stand of austerity, poverty and simplicity, Teresa sought to found a new community which would re-embrace these ideals. To identify themselves apart from the unreformed Carmelites they were known as the Discalced Carmelites. A paragraph from the "Story" page on the website of the Discalced Carmelites in Australia explains her motivation:

Teresa was critical of the society of her day which was obsessed with honour and rivalry. She wanted a world where people were humbly and authentically themselves, where all were equal. When Teresa began

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