St. Teresa of Avila
Our saint today is one of the most beloved in our tradition. St. Teresa of Avila was a 16th-century Spanish mystic, Carmelite reformer, and the first woman named a Doctor of the Church.
In past years, we have looked at the arc of her life, i.e., how God’s grace was woven throughout her years while in exile here on earth. This year, we will look at a few fun facts about this beautiful saint.
When Teresa was age 7, she convinced her brother Rodrigo to run away to a land ruled by the Moors. Teresa hoped to be beheaded and become a martyr for Christ. Very early in her life, then, we already see great passion in this charming little girl! The story goes that her uncle found them just outside the town and brought them back home. In response, she and her siblings built pretend hermitages out of twigs and stones in their garden and played at being recluses. 🙂
After entering the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation at age 20, Teresa wrestled for nearly two decades (18 years) with worldly socializing with her religious obligations. She wrestled with prayer, finding it dry and therefore rushed through it rather than finding deep communion with God. Around age 40, she had an image of the suffering Christ and was struck by the contrast between Christ’s love and her own lukewarmness. She felt immediate loathing for her spiritual mediocrity and fell to her knees begging for grace not to offend God anymore. Thankfully, God heard and answered her prayer!
Teresa, upon hearing her niece remark about the spiritual laziness and chatter in the parlor of relaxed convents, took the comment as a divine inspiration to found the Discalced Carmelites alongside St. John of the Cross. The new, purified order, pushed for extreme poverty, strict enclosure, and bare feet or simple sandals. Despite Teresa’s chronic illness and frail health, she traveled hundreds of miles across rough Spanish terrain in carts and on foot to establish more than 15 new monasteries.
Teresa was a woman of deep paradox. It is said that she was terribly charming (everyone seemed to love her), formed friendship easily, and adapted to people from all walks of life. Teresa also had an extraordinary sense of humor. She once said, “May God protect me from gloomy saints.” This beautiful saint had mystical visions while remaining deeply grounded by giving people everyday practical advice. Teresa was terribly authentic with God, completely at ease expressing her raw emotion to Him. The first female doctor of the Church (1970) had a warm, extroverted, and deeply magnetic personality, and yet, she had one of the greatest intimate friendships with God and warmest affections for Christ the world has ever seen. Hence, we can see why so many love St. Teresa of Avila, a true gift for the Church and the world!