John M Alfonso OCD
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St Teresa of Jesus (St Teresa of Avila), a reformer and mother of the Carmelites. Teresa was born at Avila (Spain) in 1515. As a member of the Carmelite Order she made great progress in perfection and received mystical revelations. She was the reformer of the Order where she underwent many trials which she valiantly overcame. Her contributions to spiritual life reflect her own experiences. She died at Alba in 1582.
In a letter to the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelite Friars on the ocasion of the fourth centenary of the death of Teresa, Bl Pope John Paul II said: ‘She considered that her vocation and her mission was prayer in the Church and with the Church. She believed that the life of prayer is the greatest manifestation of the theological life of the faithful who, believing in the love of God, free themselves from everything to attain the full presence of that love.’
When Pope Paul VI proclaimed St Teresa of Avila the first woman Doctor of the Church on September 27, 1970, he honoured her by conferring a title: Teresa of Avila, Teacher of Prayer. Today, her works are studied by the seekers of different faith. We need to study her to grow in spiritual life.
Her major works ~ The Life, The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle explain and teach us the practice of prayer. She realized that all souls take the same path to perfection, but God leads souls by many different roads. She was also aware that one has to follow a basic structure/pattern when teaching the practice of prayer. The journey to spiritual perfection is a progressive passage from the lower to the higher stages of prayer, from ascetical to mystical prayer. According to her, prayer is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends, it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.
Yet in another book ‘The Interior Castle’ St Teresa uses the symbol of a castle containing seven rooms/mansions, identifies the first three stages of prayer to the ascetical phase of spiritual life. The last four stages of prayer represent the various degrees of mystical prayer.
(The author is based at Avila Jyoti Carmelite Seminary, Peddem, Mapusa)
