St Teresa of Ávila

Today is the feast of St Teresa of Ávila. She is a saint to whom I feel a strong attraction, Not just as a spiritual guide, but as an example of very down to earth, practical Christianity.

Spiritual writing and guide to prayer most notably The Interior Castle are justly famous, and full of insight. However, her more prosaic accounts of her life in her Autobiography which owes a considerable debt To Saint Augustine’s Confessions as an Account of her spiritual growth, and The Book of the Foundations which records her trials and tribulations, as well as her successes in establishing her reformed Carmelite houses, together with her Letters which reveal much of her life, and of her steely determination in creating the Discalced Carmelites. Reading these words reveals a distinct and engaging personality, And it is to encounter the practicalities and the inner life of a sixteenth century woman. They must have a wider interest than that just of the pious searcher after spiritual insight.

For those who i’m looking for an introduction to her life the Wikipedia account at Teresa of Ávila outlines her life and writings as well as her posthumous cult, relics and influence.

This year has seen a renewed study of her substantially incorrupt remains and their public veneration. This is covered in a video which also outlines her life and which can be seen at When a 400-Year-Old Tomb Opened and the Body Was Perfect

Teresa of Ávila, by Rubens. This is the portrait of Teresa that is probably the most true to her appearance. It is a copy of an original 1576 painting of her when she was 61.

Image: Wikipedia

St Teresa Pray for us