Teresa Essay, Research Paper

Catholics recognize some people to be in heaven because of their holy lives. Such people are declared by the Pope to be in heaven. Most saints are people who have died rather than give up their faith. Saints are recognized as having the power to pray to God for specific persons. This is exactly what Teresa of Avila is known for, and in the following paragraphs it will explain it all a lot better and what Teresa of Avila is known for. Teresa of Avila was born in 1515 in Avila, Spain. She was born with a warrior?s heart locked inside women?s body. She had tension in her so crucifying and yet so creative it tore her apart. Teresa of Avila dreamed of doing Knightly deeds for her people. At the age of 20 she entered the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation. She loved the life inside the convent but an attachment before entering the convent tore her away from everything. Under the strain she became very ill and eventually was paralyzed. She was in bed for three years repairing her soul and spirit. As Teresa tells it, one day Christ rescued her from being so weak and having only half hearted prayers. After she experienced this awakening she started to see that the Carmelite Convent did not have the discipline that was so very important to her. She then founded in Avila the Convent of St. Joseph. Here, she enforced the original, severe Carmelite rules. Teresa left St. Joseph?s in 1567 and founded 16 more monasteries, which still exist today. With the help of St. John and the other followers of the spiritual life, she also founded monasteries for men and served as their spiritual mother. She charmed noble Knights, and pompous bishops and greedy merchants all for the sake of the Lord. She walked His royal road, bearing the fire that ignited not only Spain but also, the rest of Europe and eventually the world.

Along with her intense outer life, Teresa had an equally intense inner life. She endlessly labored and struggled, writing numerous letters and negotiating business deals. She robbed herself of sleep in order to pray and write as well as she wanted to do. Teresa?s followers learned that the love leads to costly sacrifices. Years are far from easy but should ring with laughter and with a Lordly fire. The joy and pain that we endure produces a spiritually that should enrich us. Through Teresa?s years of travel and trials her health steadily worsened. This did not cause her to courage to waiver. She continued to pour out all her energy and passionate love for Christ her King wherever she went. Teresa worked until she was 67 years old. She died on October 4th, 1582. Since, a new Gregorian Calendar was introduced that year, the following day it became October 15th, which is still celebrated as her feast day. In 1970, Pope Paul VI declared her the first Doctor of the Church. Terea?s writings are very valuable as unique contributions to mystical and devotional literature. Among her works are, The Way of Perfection, that gives advice to nuns, The Interior Castle and The Foundations, that describes the origins of the Carmelites. These spiritual writings still fill the hearts and minds of men and women everywhere we go and what we see. Teresa was a very gifted woman with common sense, intelligence, courage and humor, as well as a mystic of extraordinary spiritual depth. She purified the religious life of Spain and, in a period when Protestantism gained ground elsewhere in Europe, strengthened the forces that reformed the Roman Catholic Church from with inside the Church to the outside. In conclusion of Teresa of Avila?s life she spoke to the heart so directly that even for 400 hundred years after her death she seems like our peacemaker. Few people have ever come so close to writing as she has, so down-to-earth, and humor some. She was a great lady. The Way of Perfection In this writing Teresa tells of a dangerous temptation: Self-assurance in the thought that we will no way return to any past faults. If this self -assurance is present in beginners, it is dangerous that with it a person does not take care?. And he falls flat. Never proceed with such self assurance that you think you?ll never fail. Let prayers always begin and end with self-knowledge. This writing by Teresa says to me that even though self- assurance is a good virtue it can also hurt if a person has too much of it. Humanity is something we all need to keep connected with our fellow man. Praying for self-assurance is something we all need if we have knowledge to go along with it. Having all the self-assurance in the world will absolutely do nothing if knowledge isn?t there. While doing this research on this paper I learned what a remarkable, giving person she was. She was totally devoted to God and spreading His word and goodness. Her spiritually in her writings, even though done such a long time ago are still basic foundations that people should live their life by. Her insight to love and giving was amazing. I believe that today so many people are lacking a basic foundation of being able to open their hearts to the love of God. When you feel the love of God it enables you to give that love to others around you. I have also learned that Teresa of Avila was a strong and powerful woman who became the first Doctor of the Church. To me that is very remarkable and something that would be unspeakable and unheard of until about 20 years ago. Teresa put her needs aside and helped others to get what they strived for in their life. She was a very unselfish person with unselfish needs. Teresa was very involved with her writings and was very dedicated to make them heard from all over the world. She certainly accomplished that. She would have been very proud!