t Teresa of Avila lived in an age of political, social and religious upheaval. In a male dominated world, she left her mark on the Church because she was a contemplative and an active reformer. She was intelligent, beautiful, talented, outgoing, courageous and enthusiastic. Born in 1515 in Avila, Spain, Teresa’s mother died when she was 12. Subsequently at 16, Teresa was sent to live in a convent and against the will of her father, later became a nun in the Carmelite Order.
She experienced a lifelong struggle, involving ongoing spiritual purification and suffering with illness and much opposition to her ideas. A large part of her time and energy was spent reforming herself and the Carmelite Order. She founded over a half-dozen new monasteries and her ideas spread throughout Spain and in many parts of Europe. In the midst of all this, she clung to God in life and in prayer. Her many writings on prayer and contemplation
have helped countless generations of faithful. They were drawn from personal experiences and her most famous writings; The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, described the various stages of spiritual
evolution in the contemplative life of prayer. St Teresa is regarded as one of the great Christian mystics. She died in 1582 at the age of 67 and became a saint in 1622. In 1970, she was named Doctor of the Church for her writings and teachings on prayer.
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