A 65-year-old nun is travelling to her convent. The cold wind makes the journey uncomfortable and the torrential rain makes the carriage ride precarious. At one point, the road disappears into a stream. The nun, aged and infirm, alights and without care for the rider’s protests, hitches up her skirt and wades through the icy water. Halfway across, she has a vision of Jesus standing on the opposite bank smiling at her and saying, “Don’t worry Teresa, this is how I treat all my friends.” Spontaneously, she replies, “Ah! My Lord, no wonder you have so few.” After she crosses over, Jesus has vanished and her habit is miraculously dry.
The nun is one of the famous Teresa’s; in fact, she is the primary Teresa whose name was taken up by subsequent saintly Teresa’s. She is better known as Teresa of Avila, not just to set her apart from other Teresa’s but also to remind all who take the name where her influence grew and became immortal.
The Allure of the World
Teresa was born on March 28, 1515 in Avila, Spain. She grew up in a devout family of nine children. When she was 13, her mother passed away, and this loss left a deep scar on her. She found it difficult to reconcile the loss and sought solace in romantic novels and fleeting relationships. Teresa had a magnetic personality and she confessed that she loved to draw people to herself, and get them to like her.
She grew up at a time when Western kingdoms were exploring the world. Travelling had become fashionable, and the stories that were recounted by those who returned, besides the proliferation of books and maps about new discoveries captured the minds of many a young person. Teresa was influenced by all this. She harboured dreams of her own; initially, travelling wasn’t on the cards but having a good time certainly was. It is astounding to know that her family were quite flustered by her behaviour. To say that she was chasing the good life would not suffice to capture the rambunctious energy she exuded. Her family were so desperate that they felt the only way to reform her was to confine her to a convent. And so, Teresa was sent away to a convent, not because she ardently longed to dedicate herself to God, but out of sheer desperation to get her to change.
The lifestyle of the convent was not very self-abnegating at all. It was not uncommon for nuns to live in comfort. Guests freely came and went, and the rhythm of prayer was easily diluted by loose conversation, and worldly habits. As a result, the number of nuns grew large. It was not uncommon for young women who were unmarried and without options to join the convent. In fact, this was a reliable way of ensuring their status and dignity in society. Becoming a nun was seen less as a vocational call and more as securing one’s future. Teresa was not too welcoming of this mindset and lifestyle. Despite her own allurements, she felt the tug of God at her heart, calling her to something more.
The Radicality of Reform
Teresa joined the convent at the age of 20. She spent the first two decades of her life as a nun, just like the rest. She felt that her religious life lacked spiritual depth; she later regarded much of that period as a kind of half-conversion.
While she respected the Carmelite charism, she felt that the community had drifted from the original rigour of the rule: prayer and poverty were not taken as seriously as they should have been. This gradually led her to push for reform. In 1562, she moved out of her convent to open a new presence. She founded St. Joseph’s in Avila, a convent that would follow the original Rule and charism more faithfully. Emphasis was laid on silence, poverty and contemplation. The departure from Carmel was difficult and challenging. Teresa had to face a lot of misunderstanding and resistance; not many accepted her proposal with open minds and hearts. On the other hand, there was great uncertainty about the new convent. Where would the money come from, who would vouch for this venture, who would join in to ensure this did not turn out to be the crazy fantasy of a deranged nun?
Teresa opened St. Joseph’s with the conviction that this was God’s will. Life at St. Joseph’s was marked by a simplicity that Teresa wanted to preserve at all cost. The house was small, sparsely furnished, and filled with an atmosphere of prayer and austerity. She believed that this stripped-down way of life would protect the community from the distractions and softness she felt had weakened other convents. She led her community with maternal firmness. She often reminded her sisters that they needed to remain fervent and devout if they were to succeed against the temptations of the world. This admonishment came from personal experience, and the sisters were able to see the concern hidden behind it. On the other hand, she did not want them to be so strict with themselves that they lost out on the joy of living. She would often remark: “From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!”
The community that took up residence in St. Joseph’s called themselves the Discalced Carmelites. The word ‘discalced,’ came from the fact that they consciously chose to wear sandals rather than shoes as a sign of poverty and austerity. The reform gradually expanded across Spain and Teresa had to undertake the difficult job of travelling from place to place to establish new convents. She found support in St. John of the Cross and Fr. Antonio of Jesus, who carried her reform over to the men’s wing of the Carmelites. By 1580, the reformed houses were grouped together as a separate Carmelite Province, and later in 1593, they were recognized as a separate Congregation all together.
Doctor of Prayer
Teresa garnered fame as a mystic. She would often receive visions of Our Lord, and was subject to grave scrutiny because of it. She was questioned on many occasions by people, including members of the clergy who sought to establish the veracity of her visions. Through the challenges that came, Teresa braved a way; she attributed her success to prayer.
She wrote, “Anyone who has not begun to pray, I beg, for the love of the Lord, not to miss so great a blessing. There is no place here for fear, but only desire. For even if a person fails to make progress, or to strive after perfection, so that he may merit the consolations and favours given to the perfect by God, yet he will gradually gain a knowledge of the road to Heaven.”
Prayer is essential for the spiritual life but it remains a challenge. More often than not, prayer is disturbed by distractions. Teresa compared them to wild horses that pull the mind in all directions. She recognized that distractions are part and parcel of our human experience and are therefore inevitable. However, she practised and taught others to persevere in prayer in spite of the distractions. She pointed out that the devil tries his best to put people off from praying altogether by convincing them of the futility of effort. She realized that dryness and desolation of spirit are often better signs of spiritual progress than consolation and happiness.
By the time Teresa passed away in October 1582, the Discalced Carmelites had made a significant impact on the Church and the world. They were not yet a recognized Congregation but their influence was noted. Teresa’s popularity began to swell. The fact that her body remained intact even after it was exhumed nine months after her burial, added to her aura. She was canonized in 1622 along with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Isidore. In 1970, Pope Paul VI declared her ‘Doctor of Prayer’ because her writings reflect holiness, theological acumen, and spiritual benefit. Along with Catherine of Siena, she was declared the first woman doctor of the Church.