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St. Teresa was born in Avila, to a family of 10 siblings and two loving, noble parents. She was baptised as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada.
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St. Teresa was born to a welcoming, religious and pious family. Her father Alonso Sánchez de Cepeda, was a new comer to the religion becuase of his father's own conversion from Judaism to Catholicism. Her mother, Beatriz, was specially keen to welcome a new girl child to raise a noble Christian.
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The autobiography of the impeccable St. Teresa of Ávila and her immense impact on the Reformation of the Church
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In the life of St. Teresa (not her book) she experienced many false accusations relating to her works and her thoughts. Papal Nuncio considered her to be restless, stubborn, ignorant and disobedient. The Spanish Inquistition even investigated her books and writings, 6-fold, and they concluded that she was a raging heretic.
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The love of St. Teresa's heart, her mother, dies and her departure impacts profoundly on Teresa's emotions, future and health.
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Because of the death of her mother as a young child, Teresa's father sends her to the Augustinisn convent to be influenced by the convent works. Here she realises her vocation in life. She is influenced by her father, and uncle which gave her the Letters of Saint Jerome, which she adored. However, she leaves after 8 months, ending her youth-education.
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When Teresa enrolled in the Carmelite Nuns, she noticed something radical about the convent. She found that it was necessary to change the convent, before she tried to change Spain. During this time, Teresa formed the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. The Holy See, completely seperated the ordinary Carmelite Nuns from the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. With new constitutions, thoughts and writings, the Discalced Carmelite nuns speard throughout Europe and the entire world, countering, the Reformation.
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After her experiences in the Augustinian Convent, Teresa once again enrolls in the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation. She feels a special attachment to being a bride of Christ. And for the next twenty years experiences periods of semi-conversion to Jesus
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At the Convent of the Incarnation, a year after her entry, she becomes an educational professer. She bases herself on the education of the young and old all for the Glory of God.
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Teresa's health starts to decay. She goes to stay with her half-sister in a another village from the Convent. On the journey, she rests at her uncle's home at Hortigosa. While she is there, he gives her a copy of Osuna's Third Spiritual Alphabet.
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For the first time in her life, Teresa undergoes serious treatment for her sicknesses. She leaves the Convent, temporarily, to get medical help. In her autobiography, "The Life of Teresa of Jesus", she explains it as an excruciating experience without the convent in sight.
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Right after months of treatment, Teresa experiences a rare disease of catalepsy. This left her feeling helpless and prone to moments of seizure, forgetfulness and shear loneliness. However, she always felt that Jesus was using her eyes, her hands and feet to do his work.
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She returns to the Convent of the Incarnation. However still in the last stages of treatment, while still experiencing the effects of paralysis. Her faith, as recalled in her autobiography, is strong and still recovering.
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Relates to "Teresa returnes to Incarnation".
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At an old age, Teresa’s loving father passes. This affects Teresa, however not to the extant of her mother’s passing.
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Teresa experiences something better like she had ever experienced before. While reading the "Confessions of St. Augustine", she receives an epiphany.
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In this timespan, Teresa spent her time in prayer and reading the scriptures, while deepening her interior life. She also became very involved with the Protestant Reformation. Also during this period she finished books such as: The Life of Teresa of Jesus, The Interior Castle and the Way of Perfertion.
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Relates to "Teresa returns to Incarnation".
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Teresa’s supernatural nature starts to impact her life. She starts hearing interior voices and also starts seeing visions. These moments in her life come to be her personal.
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Teresa is at her climax, and she now knows it. She experiences her first rapture and a vision of Christ. She also realises that her life belongs totally to our Lord.
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Fianlly, in 1562 she reforms the Carmelite Convent in Avila and renames it St. Joseph's. When in the convent, she constructs her own constitutions for the convent, all under the primitive rule of St. Albert. She stays at the convent up until 1567.
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Throughout the 20-year period, the Carmelite nuns and friars would not rest. Absolutely, destroying the grwoth of Protestantism in Spain and the outskirts, aswell. The Discalced Carmelites organise the opening of several new convents throughtout Europe.
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Teresa places her auto-biography for a final editing and printing. On the other hand, she starts work on "The Way of Perfection" another book that she is renowed for.
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Teresa gets complete authority from the Carmelite General, to build other convents with her own constitutions from St. Joseph's convent. While not attacking the Reformation physically, she was reforming the Church institutions to counter the Reformations.
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The new order of nuns, reaches many including another prominent counter-reforming Catholic saint, St. John of the Cross. So much he is inspired that organises, with Teresa and Fr. Antonio of Jesus, the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Duruelo, Spain.
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The "Foundations" were written by Teresa as a sort-of sequel to her autobiography, "The Life of Teresa of Jesus". She further explains her extra-order-nary life and her conversions.
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Teresa finally finshes "The Interior Castle" and is later and till now, praised for great example of Christian, mystic and historical literature.
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Relates to '"The Interior Castle" is finshed'.
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The Holy See recognise the differences of the two Carmelite Orders and officially seperate the orders.
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While Teresa is 65 years young, she initiates 17 foundations of the Discalced Carmelites, her last being in Burgos, Spain. She continues her pilgrimage to Alba de Tormes, while being very ill.
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Relates to 'Began to write the "Foundations"'
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"My Lord, it is time to move on. Well then, may your will be done. O my Lord, my spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time to meet each other." What beautiful words, from a beautiful saint. Teresa dies, 3 days after she arrived in Alba de Tormes.
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32 years after Teresa's passing, she finally recognised to become a saint, by the Catholic Church and Pope Paul V. The Spanish Government also announces her to be the Patroness of Spain. But she knew that!
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The great Teresa, even when she has passed, still influencing others, through her sainthood, art expressed by her and literature written by her.
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Exactly 40 years after her death, Pope Gregory XV announces Blessed Teresa to become St. Teresa of Avila. She becomes the saint of headaches, Spain, loss of parents (orphans) and people in need of grace.
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A famous Baroque sculptor, Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, produces an impeccable work of art, expressing St. Teresa's encounter, "I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God." extracted from "The Life of Teresa of Jesus".
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By Pope Paul VI, St Teresa is named the first female Doctor of the Church, one of the highest honours in the Church. She brings supreme honour to Spain and opens new doors for female doctors of the Church, such as St. Catherine and St. Therese.
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Still till today, changing the lives of many, through her impeccable works.
