SAINT TERESA OF AVILAS ATTITUDE TO LIFE SOME REFLECTIONS

S. Lourdunathan, Department of Philosophy, Arul Anandar College, Karumathur, Madurai nathanlourdu1960@gmail.com

Teresa in her life of Prayer When Teresa was very young (7 years old), along with her brother Rodrigo, she used to say a prayer the joy of heaven will last forever where as the pleasures (distractions) of this world will not last forever. She used to repeat this prayer as often as p ossible. The Spanish words of this prayer go like this: Para Siempre (forever and ever), Para Siempre Para Siempre. She used to urge Rodrigo, her brother whom she liked most, to repeat this prayer, and both gained a sense of lasting happiness in repeating this prayer. Thus, we learn from Teresa, that when a prayer is uttered in repetition with involvement, perhaps one could put astray any distractions, like the words, Para Siempre became like a prayer of music in Teresas life.1

Teresa even at the early stage was attracted by the idea of becoming a martyr for Christ sake in the African land, and once as she was young attempted to go away from the house along with her brother but this attempt failed because her uncle saw the children on the way and brought them back home. Such was her urge for giving her total self to Christ and to suffer for the glory of the lord.

Teresa used to imagine herself like that of the Samaritan women to whom Jesus asked for water (narrated in the Gospel of St. John). She used to imagine as if Jesus is sitting near well and Teresa would ask (pray) to him, Lord, give me that (eternal) water. Such an imagination in prayer perhaps may appear to be distraction, but, this is an intensity of the moment of experiencing Jesus through prayer life. What is perhaps is a sort of distraction (sort of dramatic imagination), in the life of Teresa, they turned it to be intensity of prayer life, an alive way of communicating with Lord Jesus.2

1 2

William Thomas Walsh, Saint Teresa of Avila, Tan Books & Publishers, Rockford, Illinois. 1943, p. 12. Ibid., 17

The incident of the death of Teresas mother is an important anecdote of how Teresa having lost her earthly mother prayed for the adaptation of herself as a perpetual daughter to the heavenly mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Teresas mother died in her early years at the age of thirty three, when Teresa was hardly fifteen years old. The loss of her mother penetrated her heart, deeply sorrowed, grief-stricken, Teresa, (after the funeral) wept without any consolation, she fled from the house to the church of Saint Lazarus, where the beloved image of our Lady of Charity was there. She prayed to Mother Mary, Now you must be my mother. The death of her own mother, though forsaken of a caring mother, Teresa life is filled with prayerful moment to pray to Mother Mary to be her Mother. Therefore even death instead of bringing rejection and frustrations, brought Teresa closer to the Mother of God through prayer. It can be said that most often we are forced to feel the limitations of life if not by love but through any loss of loved ones. We feel we are alone and in our aloneness we seek to rely on Gods strength. This is the moment that invokes us to be religious not onl y as specially called but for anyone who is entrusted with faith in the-beyond. Same is true with Teresa, the loss of her mother was an important event that made Teresa to realize the inadequacy of human life, the distractions of human care to be transformed into the adequateness of divine love and infinity through ardent prayer life. She sort comfort from the earthly loneliness in the loneliness of living with Christ in Cross through prayer. (She speaks of this in the Libro de la Vida, her Autobiography). For almost in the rest of her life-time, Teresa before going to bed, had the habit of praying intensely, by positively distracting herself by remembering the solitary suffering of Jesus in the Garden. She writes, she used to pray this: Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass away! Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.

The Journey of Teresa Teresas book on prayer, The Interior Castle is a good example to dwell into the house of our Lord avoiding distractions. (I would ask this friend to read this work). It is work of a sincere soul to be in union with God through intense prayer life. The soul is like that of the interior castle that has to be adorned with flowers of prayer in everyday life. Teresa
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points out seven mansions or seven stages to reach the zenith of prayerful union with God. The inner soul like that of a castle has an entrance door; the key to open this door for Teresa is prayer. The distractions are like venomous world of things that attract the soul to destruction. One needs to pray to be touched by God to be away from these venomous distractions. This stage for Teresa is the First Mansion. The distractions are the falling moments of the soul, whereby according to Teresa, the Devil takes advantage of the soul. One needs to keep vigil of these moments of distractions by continuously focusing on the perfect love of God which supersedes all other finite inclinations. In the Second Mansion, the second stage in prayer life, human soul/mind feels the invitation of God to his Divine presence. This is a moment of a continuous prayer as well. This is a stage where one involves in mental prayer. She compares as that of a gardener drawing the water from the well through his arms to water the garden. Then the third stage or the Third Mansion of Prayer life. This is like the moment the garden being watered or irrigated by the gardener. The flow of water cools the earth of the Garden. The grace of the lord cools down the soul, the soul is set ready to drink the grace of God and this is a moment of rejoicing of the Divine eternal water quenching the thirsting soul. Then is the fourth stage or the fourth mansion, which Teresa speaks about. This is the stage of infused prayer; the soul is like an empty vessel though receives the gift of God this is also a moment of calmness, quiet as to relinquish the divine grace, love, peace and joy. This moment of prayer leaves the soul tender as to be consumed by the fire of love of our Lord.

The Fifth Mansion is the stage one feels the union with the divine. It is a marriage between the lord and the soul and the soul yearns towards the master. It is the stage of love as that of the bride and bridegroom. it is the prayer of simple union in which the soul labours at its metamorphis as the silk worm, cocoon in which it encloses itself into be a reborn a butterfly. Such a union, the delicacy of the joy of such union, Teresa says, it is indescribable and ineffable. The Sixth Mansion stage is the stage of prayer when the inner soul lives in close intimacy with God, with a continuous desire to be in the Presence of the Lord. Typically Teresa explains that in this stage one could feel the wound of Christ our Master, as if it is a wound in our soul-body. The Seventh Mansion stage is
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moment of prayer in perfect union. The soul is in ecstasy of being One with God. The soul is in God and God is in Soul. A sense of Perfect Bliss and Happiness is attained in being unified in the Lord. What is Teresas attitude to life? Does she say that we should live a total ascetic life or does she say that we need to look at life differently? We need to have an answer from her own words: (i) Cultivate Compassion towards your sister and the suffering People first No sisters, absolutely not; works are what the Lord wants! He desires that if you see a sister who is sick to whom you can bring some relief, you have compassion on her and not worry about losing devotion; that if she is suffering pain, you also feel it (Int C.V.3.11). (ii) Practice self regulated virtuous life Understand, Padre, that I am fond of strictness in the practice of virtue but not austerity, as you see in our houses of nuns (Letters, 161, Dec.12, 1576). (iii) Be normal and earthly To desire to be angels while we are on earth and as much on earth as I was is foolishness (L.22, 19). (iv) Be prayerful in the sense of leading a reflective life I was living an extremely burdensome life, because in prayer I understood more clearly my faults. On the one hand God was calling me, on the other hand, I was all the things of the world It seems I desired to harmonize these two contraries (v) Treat Jesus, the most passionate friend

When one is in the midst of business matters and in times of persecutions and trials, when one cant maintain so much quietude and in times of dryness, Christ is a very good friend. Because we behold Him as man and see Him with weakness and trials, and He is company for us (L.22, 19) (vi) Build up the Church means building up a people of God Reformation Teresa Teresa was not a passive blind receiver of the church. She was not just doing or repeating some ritual or devotional rites. Rather she was very active. She involved herself to re4

build the Church in Spain in her times. The Church was facing threats both from inside and outside. When the church underwent trials she inspired the church to remain steadfast in her commitment to Jesus and his ministry. She was a great reformer of the Church during the 15th century. She was not inactive or non-active rather she lunged actively in the life of the Church. If she had been inactive and passive closing her door exclusively leading a life of inflicting penance and suffering to her own self, she would not have been such a great reformer and reformatix of such a huge Carmel religious order. She founded number of Carmel houses during her life time, which needs tremendous amount of involvement and public life. She desired in her heart to serve the Lord and this fire of service to the Lore impelled her to reform the church. But her attitude to life is to live a life of poverty to live entirely on alms. Because of her life style in prayer and simultaneously involving renewing the Church and the Carmel convents she could be instrumental to establish one convent after another. This means that she attracted many persons to religious life to serve the Lord in His ministry to completely dedicate oneself to the life of the suffering people.

By the time of her death in 1582, she had founded almost 17 convents all over Spain. She was very apostolic in this venture. She also founded 15 monasteries for men. Does it mean she was inactive and nonactive closing herself in the security of religious life? This is the missionary zeal that achieved 100 fold into the church. If she has closed herself within the walls of a monastery or convent this could not have been possible. She lived diligently and devotionally, her prayer life leads her to a life of commitment and service. She would say: No one can hinder us from serving the Lord. Let us make haste to serve him. Let us not neglect anything relating to perfection. The battle will be brief and the end is eternal. (F.29,32,33) The reading and reflecting of St. Teresas life, her autobiography, the collection of her writings, and many sources written about her - all of them I believe would continue to inspire the Church (when the Church hierarchy increasingly become frustrated of its sophistry) in the path of fulfilling the salvation-history that situated and flows from the
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mystery of our Lord Jesus. Mystery does not mean some magic in residue for miraclemake-ups rather the fertile ground in continuity that inspired millions of people. Do continue your good work with more dedication and happiness with fewer complaints. Do remember these words of Teresa of Avila: consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions. ------------