the life of st teresa of avila by herself summary

In prayer, God poured out His love on His daughter, who had become a willing and open vessel as she surrendered totally to her Lord and King. Teresa’s conversion, which actually occurred over a period of four years, set her on a new pathway that led her to an intimate experience of God, a God she came to perceive as a beloved Friend. At that moment, Teresa felt a growing strength within her. In tears, she begged the Lord to strengthen her desire to belong to Him, and resolved not to move from there until her prayer was granted. Coming upon a statue of the wounded Christ, Teresa was suddenly and intensely moved by what Christ had suffered for her and was overwhelmed by her own lack of gratitude for His sufferings. It was not until 1554 that she experienced the conversion that would mark the rest of her life. Repeatedly, Teresa asked God to help her, seemingly to no avail. Teresa longed for a deeper relationship with God, but due to the laxity of convent life in those days, she struggled to reconcile her desire to live for God with other relationships that kept her from devoting herself completely to Him.

Her life as a Carmelite, though far removed from the mainstream of modern culture, still speaks powerfully to us today. Her mother died when she was 14, and she entered the Carmelite Monastery in Avila in 1535. Teresa of Jesus was born on March 28, 1515, in Avila, Spain. Teresa of Jesus Mystic | Teacher of Prayer | Doctor of the Church

The life of st teresa of avila by herself summary