St. Theresa of Avila

SAINT TERESA of AVILA
Virgin, Reformer of the Carmelite Order
(1515-1582)

"By their fruits you will know them," says Our Lord of those who claim to be His followers. The fruits which remain of the life, labors and prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila bear to her virtue a living and enduring testimony which none can refuse to admit. She herself wrote her life and many other celebrated spiritual works, and much more can still be said of this soul of predilection, whose writings and examples have led so many souls to high sanctity.


Born in 1515 in the kingdom of Castile in Spain, she was the youngest child of a virtuous nobleman. When she was seven years old, Teresa fled from her home with one of her young brothers, in the hope of going to Africa and receiving the palm of martyrdom. Brought back and asked the reason for her flight, she replied: "I want to see God, and I must die before I can see Him." She then began, with her same brother, Rodriguez, to build a hermitage in the garden, and was often heard repeating: "Forever, forever!" She lost her mother at the age of twelve years, and was led by worldly companions into various frivolities. When she lost her mother, Teresa cast herself down before an image of the Blessed Virgin, and in a flood of tears, cried out: "Mother of Mercy! I choose thee for my Mother! Take me, a poor orphan, among the number of thy children!" The wonderful protection of the Queen of Heaven, which she enjoyed in the future, proved that her prayer was heard. (After I lost my parents, and after my conversion, I asked our Mother to adopt me also. I think she has done it.)

Through the natural levity and forgetfulness of childhood, it happened that Teresa, after the death of her mother, gradually left off her devout reading, and instead of it, fell upon worldly books. She also became very intimate with one of her cousins, who was much addicted to vanity. This caused her to grow cold in her devotion; she no longer found pleasure in prayer, but became idle and vain,--without, however, losing the innocence of her heart. When her pious father became aware of the change, he sent her into an Augustinian convent, where she soon came to the knowledge of her fault, and bitterly repented of it. That she did not fall into greater spiritual danger she always ascribed to the special favor of the Divine Mother. She again began to read devout books, and thus brought back her former pious zeal, which had almost entirely died out, since she had spent so much time in reading romances. Soon after, she became dangerously sick, and her father took her home again. During her illness she recognized more thoroughly than before the vanity of the world, and was filled with an intense desire to leave it entirely and to serve God in the religious state. Her father was greatly opposed to this; but she secretly fled to the convent of the Carmelite Nuns, near Avila. This took place when she was in her twentieth year. But no sooner had she left her father's house, than she felt so ardent a desire to return to it, that she trembled in all her limbs. Looking upon this as a temptation of Satan, she courageously continued her way, and when she had arrived at the Convent, an entire change suddenly took place within her; her sorrow and dread became joy and comfort. Thus did the Almighty recompense her self-control.

Her father decided after all to place her in a boarding convent, and she obeyed without any inclination for this kind of life. Grace came to her assistance with the good guidance of the Sisters, and she decided to enter religion in the Carmelite monastery of the Incarnation at Avila.

For a time frivolous conversations there, too, checked her progress toward perfection, but finally in her thirty-first year, she abandoned herself entirely to God. A vision showed her the very place in hell to which her apparently light faults would have led her, and she was told by Our Lord that all her conversation must be with heaven. Ever afterwards she lived in the deepest distrust of herself. When she was named Prioress against her will at the monastery of the Incarnation, she succeeded in conciliating even the most hostile hearts by placing a statue of Our Lady in the seat she would ordinarily have occupied, to preside over the Community.

God enlightened her to understand that He desired the reform of her Order, and her heart was pierced with divine love. The Superior General gave her full permission to found as many houses as might become feasible. She dreaded nothing so much as delusion in the decisions she would make in difficult situations; we can well understand this, knowing she founded seventeen convents for the Sisters, and that fifteen others for the Fathers of the Reform were established during her lifetime, with the aid of Saint John of the Cross. To the end of her life she acted only under obedience to her confessors, and this practice both made her strong and preserved her from error. Journeying in those days was far from comfortable and even perilous, but nothing could stop the Saint from accomplishing the holy Will of God. When the cart was overturned one day and she had a broken leg, her sense of humor became very evident by her remark: "Dear Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, it is no wonder You have so few!" She died October 4, 1582, and was canonized in 1622.

The history of her mortal remains is as extraordinary as that of her life. After nine months in a wooden coffin, caved in from the excess weight above it, the body was perfectly conserved, though the clothing had rotted. A fine perfume it exuded spread throughout the entire monastery of the nuns, when they reclothed it. Parts of it were later removed as relics, including the heart showing the marks of the Transverberation (A piercing through.  See below*), and her left arm. At the last exhumation in 1914, the body was found to remain in the same condition as when it was seen previously, still recognizable and very fragrant with the same intense perfume.

You know, in her writings she passed to us some things which we should try to immolate. She says we should remember this: '...the enemy tries to keep us from doing good in order to avoid doing evil. We must rise above this train of thought. Endeavor to keep your conscience always pure; strengthen yourself in humility; tread under foot all earthy things; be inflexible in the Faith of our mother the holy Church; and doubt not, after that, that you are on the right road.' It is too true that 'when a soul finds not in herself that vigorous Faith, and her transports of devotion do not strengthen her attachment to holy Church, she is in a way full of perils. The Spirit of God never inspires anything that is not conformable to holy Scripture; if there were the slightest divergence, that, of itself alone, would suffice to prove so evidently the action of the evil spirit, that, were the whole world to assure me it was the divine Spirit, I would never believe it.'

She lived her life as a life of suffering. Her motto was: "O Lord, let me suffer or die." Let us warm our hearts at the sight of this great example. "If we are true Christians, we must desire to be ever with Jesus Christ. Now, where are we to find this loving Saviour of our souls? In what place may we embrace Him? He is found in two places: in His glory and in His sufferings; on His throne and on His cross. We must, then, in order to be with Him, either embrace Him on His throne, which death enables us to do; or else share in His cross, and this we do by suffering; hence we must either suffer or die, if we would never be separated from our Lord. Let us suffer then, O Christians; let us suffer what it pleases God to send us: afflictions, sicknesses, the miseries of poverty, injuries, calumnies; let us try to carry, with steadfast courage, that portion of His cross, with which He is pleased to honor us."


Our Blessed Abbot Gueranger concludes: '

To the triumph of the Faith, and the support of its defenders, thou didst their prayers and fasts; what an immense field now lies open to their zeal! With them and with thee, we ask of God 'two things: first, that among so many men and so many religious, some may be found having the necessary qualities for usefully serving the cause of the Church, on the understanding that one perfect man can render more services than a great many who are not perfect. Secondly, that in the conflict our Lord may uphold them with His hand, enabling them to escape all dangers, and to close their ears to the songs of sirens...O God, have pity on so many perishing souls; stay the course of so many evils which afflict Christendom; and, without further delay, cause Thy light to shine in the midst of this darkness!' With St. Theresa of Avila, we have found this light. We should try immolate her as much as possible.


The devotion of Saint Teresa of Avila to Saint Joseph, virginal foster/father of Jesus, is proverbial. She said she had never asked anything of him without receiving what she requested. In the eighteenth century the Carmelite churches named for him numbered over one hundred and fifty. Let us imitate this holy Foundress and invoke Saint Joseph for our needs, both spiritual and temporal. He does hear and deliver.


Following is some extra-credit reading and Litany of the people who have, in some fashion, received a piercing from Our Lord, so He could show us how suffering is essential for us to endure. 

Litany of Saints who have received the Transverberation of the heart

Transverberation of St Teresa of Avila celebrated each year on August 26th.

(Special thanks to Mrs. Angelica Avcikurt who compiled this Litany for the spiritual benefit and blessings of all who visit here. May God reward her for her efforts.)

Transverberation: The term transverberation comes from the Latin transverberare which means to pierce through. In mystical theology it is also known by the Italian term ferita (wound) or ‘heart wound.’[1] It has also commonly been referred to as the Seraph’s assault [2] because it is often accompanied by a vision of an angel who inflicts the wound. It is a wound of love that inflames the soul with the love of God and at the same time a purification.

[1] Montague Summers, The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism (London: Rider and Company, 1950), 118.
[2] Michael Freze, They Bore the Wounds of Christ (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 1989), 195.

Litany of the Transverberation

 

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us.

Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy upon us.

 

Holy Mary, pray for us.

Holy Mother of God, pray for us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

St. Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

St. Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

O Holy Guardian Angel, pray for us.

All you Nine Choirs of Angels, pray for us.

 

St. John the evangelist, pray for us.

St. Magdalen, pray for us.

St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.

St. Padre Pio, pray for us.

St. Gertrude the Great, pray for us.

St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn, pray for us.

St. Augustine, pray for us.

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi, pray for us.

St. John of the Cross, pray for us.

St. Juana de la Cruz, pray for us.

St. Gemma Galgani, pray for us.

St. Philip Neri, pray for us.

St. Veronica Giugliani, pray for us.

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for me.

St. Catherine of Genoa, pray for us.

St. Margaret Mary Alaquoque, pray for us.

St. Jeanne de Chantal, pray for us.

St. Francis of Sales, pray for us.

St. Camilla Battista da Varano, pray for us.

St. Charles of Sezze, pray for us.

Bl. Luisa Picarreta, pray for us.

Bl. Gabrielle Bossis, pray for us.

Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora, pray for us.

Bl. Edvige Cardoni, pray for us.

Ven. Maria de Jesus de Agreda, pray for us.

Bl. Angela Foligno, pray for us.

Bl. Maria Angela Astorch, pray for us.

Bl. Madre Magdalena de Jesus, pray for us.

Ven. Madre María Angélica Álvarez Icaza, pray for us.

Bl. Padre Johann Batista Reus, pray for us.

Bl. Bernardo de Hoyos, pray for us.

Bl. Elizabeth Kindelman, pray for us.

Bl. Mother Catherina Aurelia of the Precious Blood, pray for us.

Bl. Sor Josefa Menendez, pray for us.

Bl. Lucia, Mangano, pray for us.

All you Holy Saints and Mystics who have been wounded by the flame of Love, pray for us.

 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer you all the pain of not loving you enough in union with the sufferings of Your Sacred Heart. Heal my poor heart.

 

Mary, Mother of Love, give me love.
 

 

With St. Charles Sezze I pray: Lord, give me Your most divine love, through the intercession of the glorious St. Joseph.

 

With St. Augustine, I pray: “By the saving wounds which you suffered on the cross for our salvation and from which flowed the precious blood of our redemption, wound this sinful soul of mine for which you were willing even to die; wound it with the fiery and powerful dart of your charity that is beyond compare.”

 

With St. Gertrude I pray: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive the least of Thy gifts; but I beseech Thee, by the merits and prayers of all Your saints, to pierce my heart with the arrow of Thy love.”

With Bl. Dina Belanger I pray: “Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love for You.”

 

With Bl. Gabrielle Bossis I pray: Lord, may I not die before You pierce my heart with the fire of Your love.

Eternal Father, in Your Divine Will, I offer you all the love of the Most Holy Trinity, all the love contained in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, all the love of the Immaculate heart of Mary, and all the love, the prayers and holy longings of all the saints and faithful that have ever live and will ever live until the end of times, as my own and in reparation for those who do not love you. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

St. Gertrude the Great says to offer this prayer, before a Crucifix each day:
 

“O most loving Lord, by Thy pierced Heart, pierce her heart with the arrow of Thy love, so that nothing earthly will remain therein, and that it may be entirely filled with the strength of Thy Divinity.”