St. Theresa of Avila

St. Theresa of Jesus was born on March 28th 1515 in Avila. After her parents she was called Ceped. When she was 14 years of age her mother died and her father placed her with the Augustine Sisters for education. She entered the Carmelite convent in 1536, but at first suffered a bout of sicknesses and interior struggles. In 1557 she decided to rule out anything from her life, that would withdraw her from the Lord in any way. She started a life of deep interior prayer. At that time she was longing for the return to the original rules with severe seclusion. After establishing the first reformed Carmelite Convent in 1562, she formed further such convents. When she met St. John of the Cross, she suggested to start reforming the monasteries.

Her writings became a school of deep prayer. She died in Alb de Tormes on October 1582. Because of current Gregorian reforms of the calendar, it fell on October 15th. In 1622 she was beatified and in 1970 together with St. Catherine of Siena declared a Doctor of the Chuch.

The Theresian Mystic is noted mainly for its sense of reality in the spiritual life and a personal friendship with Christ. St. Theresa greatly influenced the spiritual development of her time. Through her writings she inspired many later spiritual writers.