James Baquet

    Saint Teresa of Avila was born Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada; “Avila” is the name of the province of Spain in which she was born.

    Her grandfather had been Jewish, but became a Christian. He was later accused by the Spanish Inquisition of returning to Judaism, and condemned. To avoid such a fate, her father became a knight and lived the life of a good Christian. Teresa’s mother was also devout, and the young girl developed the desire to become a saint like the ones she had read about, even running away at age 7 with her brother to become a martyr among the Muslim Moors who had occupied part of Spain. (Her uncle saw them and turned them around!)

    Teresa’s mother died when Teresa was 14, deepening her reliance on religion. However, at the same time, she began reading romantic stories of knights and ladies, and became vain about her appearance. But her father sent her to be educated in a convent, where she was frequently ill. She began to experience religious ecstasies — perhaps under the combined influence of illness, religious devotion, and a romantic view of the world. She often had what she called the “blessing of tears,” crying for love of God. She also became terrified of committing any sins that would separate her from God.

    Some of her friends felt that her experiences were not coming from God, but from the devil. (Many people in her time believed the devil would trick people into going the wrong direction.) But her spiritual adviser felt she was on the right path, even when — for over two years — she began “seeing” Jesus in an “invisible” form.

    This experience motivated her devotion for the rest of her life, inspiring her to “suffer for God.” (Her motto was “Lord, either let me suffer or let me die.”) She wrote several spiritual works, for which she is widely remembered: her autobiography, “The Life of Teresa of Jesus”; “The Interior Castle”; and “The Way of Perfection.”

    She went on to become founder of many convents and to reform the practice of religion. She died aged 67, and 40 years later was made a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

    Vocabulary

    Which word above means:

    1. found guilty

    2. place where (Christian) nuns live

    3. person who dies for something he or she believes in

    4. encouraged

    5. dedicated to holiness

    6. not able to be seen

    7. a part of the church that enforced right belief and action

    8. actions against God’s rules

    9. proud of one’s appearance

    10. dependence, need for