Teresa of Avila, doctor of the Church
It has always been a special joy for me to dedicate October to St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, and patron saint of my alma mater, St. Theresa’s College. St. Teresa of Avila, my favourite saint, was the most audacious of women, even during her time. She was said to have complained to God about the difficulties He was sending her, Who replied that He did that to His friends. Her reply? “No wonder you have so few friends!” Such familiarity could only come from a close and intimate relationship with the one Love whom she called “His Majesty.”
In the Catholic Church, the title “Doctor of the Church” is given to a saint from whose writings and life, “eminent learning” and “great sanctity” are attributed. The honor is given rarely, and only posthumously, and only after being canonized. The proclamation is issued by the Pope. Throughout the 2000-year history of the Church, there have only been 33 doctors proclaimed, of which only three are women – St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Therese of Lisieux. St. Teresa and St. Therese were both Discalced Carmelites. It was Pope Paul VI who in 1970, proclaimed St. Teresa as one of the first two women doctors, the other being St. Catherine of Sienna. St. Therese of Lisieux was proclaimed Doctor in 1997 by Pope John Paul II.
This extraordinary and indefatigable woman was beset with numerous challenges both within the Church and in her own religious order, which she tried to reform, renew, reorganize in the face of great controversies and hardships. Teresa felt the need for more dedicated and consecrated efforts to live out one’s religious vows with prayer and sacrifice and for the building up of the church and individual sanctity. Despite temptations to give up and rest, what with her having so many illnesses and having to contend with many jealous people who tried to undermine her efforts, destroy her reputation, a victim of intrigues, she never let up. She went on journey after journey, founding her convents, and single-handedly reformed the Order of Mount Carmel, called the Discalced Carmelites
St. Teresa is known as the Doctor of Prayer. Her writings on this subject are unsurpassed. Her writings, the most well-known of which are The Interior Castle, Foundation, and The Way of Perfection are classic, and applicable in any age, including our time. We might think that we could not possibly identify with her because we are now in another millennium. But the time in which she lived was one marked by political intrigue, addiction to power and wealth, heresy, revolt against the teachings of the Church, violence and turbulence – no different from our times! Her writings are said to be “primordial – concerned with fundamental human questions...(and)...perennial.” and are thus as relevant today as they were in her own time, and shall continue to be in the future.
Teresa was a wise and practical woman who was greatly gifted in the explanations of the highest degrees of prayer and union with God. She was humble and detached, was also extraordinarily kind and filled with tremendous charity. Her writings tell us that it is within ourselves that we will discover the meaning of Jesus’ words, “My house will be called a house of prayer.” And in her book, The Interior Castle, she wants us to know, appreciate, and savour that the kingdom of Christ the King dwells within each creature in their interior “mansion.” She depicts prayer as taking place in the interior of the soul – the castle – and the different parts of the castle or mansion as the various stages of prayer.
Teresa’s insights into prayer are unparalleled.To St. Teresa, “prayer was the magic of the moment and the moment of magic.” Both, time set aside for prayer and spiritual dialogue, offered her unlimited access to the Kingdom, ruled by her majestic Master who dwelt in her mansion and called her into conversation and friendship. To her, it did not matter if the prayer was vocal, mental or contemplative – it was all the same: sacred, unique and special. One of her favourite prayers was the Our Father, through which she was often raised to the heights of contemplation. Like other saints and Doctors through the ages, Teresa found in this most perfect of prayers, as we also should, everything we ever want to know about God. We can always fall back on this prayer in “dry” times.
God increased Teresa’s confidence to achieve things that were most uncommon for a woman ever to imagine. Women, and especially nuns, were supposed to stay in their places, but Teresa felt called to do more. During this time, male domination was rife in and outside the Church. She has been described as a “strong man”, enjoying the fullness of man-womanhood. She had no time for simpering femininity, but neither was she a feminist male basher. Teresa was a lover and friend, giving us a remarkable portrait of the primacy of friendship along the spiritual path.
I can only praise God for this remarkable saint and doctor of the Church, who is the patron of St. Theresa’s College. Would that we, her spiritual daughters, be like her! Charismatic. Indefatigable. Steadfast. Resolute. Courageous. Reform-minded. Gentle. Caring. Passionate. Women of substance.
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