“Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything (Coraevans 2020).” This quote from the wonderful Saint Teresa of Avíla is certainly a very inspirational one. It summarizes what she learned from her life as a saint, and how everyone should always try to have patience and try to fix whatever is blocking the way. Saint Teresa of Avíla was a martyr, meaning she lost her life for the faith.
Saint Teresa of Avíla is technically also a saint, whom are those declared to be in heaven by the Catholic Church (Ellis and Ramsey 2015). She was born on March 28, 1515, in Avíla, Spain. During her lifetime, she was a Catholic with a strong faith, who later became one of the great spanish mystics. Saint Teresa of Avíla spent most of her life in her hometown, hence her name stating “of Avíla.” To be recognized as one of the great spanish mystics, she had to do something of great importance, and she certainly did. After her mother died in 1529, Saint Teresa of Avíla became a nun. She became a nun, but she did so without her father’s consent.
Her father absolutely did not want her to become a nun. Her father thought it was too religiously overboard, and did not want her daughter to enter, but she did anyways. She entered the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation at Avíla in 1535. She thrived for two years, but then she later encountered a downpoint. Her health collapsed two years later and she became an invalid, which is a person who was very weak from illness. She was removed from the Convent, due to their guidelines against illnesses.
Although she became weak physically, she became very strong in faith. She was in love with mental prayer during her times of illness, and as a result, she was growing in faith. After she recovered she thought almost as if she didn’t need God anymore. Her faith dropped like a falling elevator, and was at rock bottom. Not much had changed until 1555. This was when Saint Teresa of Avíla experienced a great religious awakening. She slowly got back on the rails of the Catholic faith. By 1558, she was fully back in the game. Saint Teresa of Avíla realized how she really did need God. She thought deeply about her childhood, and how she was interested in Saints and Martyrs.
Also in 1558, Saint Teresa of Avíla decided to restore her Carmelite life to its original state, like it was before she fell into illness. Her faith rose like a rocket soaring through the atmosphere, until it reached something amazing. This is when she received permission from Pope Pius IV to open the first Carmelite Reform Convent. Since Saint Teresa of Avíla insisted on living in poverty and living off of government funds. Many disagreed with this decision of hers, some even were hostile.
Living off the government seemed to anger a great quantity of people, because they did not agree on the idea of only taking, and not giving. Later, John Baptist Rossi, the Carmelite Prior General from Rome, was very kind and came to Avíla, Italy to save the day. He approved of her convent and was no longer met with hostility, and directed her into starting even more convents. She never stopped from this point on, just kept trying and trying to spread the word to the people. The only roadblock she encountered after that was death. She was fatally stricken by her illness. This occured when she finally arrived at Alba de Tormes, and was struggling to stay alive.
Her illness kept coming back, until she died on October 4, 1582, in Alba de Tormes, Spain. She was canonized as a saint in 1622, and her feast day was set to October 15. She is now the patron saint of headaches, as she suffered from them throughout her life (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2019). Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church for her efforts to dedicate her life to the faith, her devotion to being a great nun despite her father’s opinions, and her willingness to put her life on the line for the faith.
First, Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church for her efforts to dedicate her life to the faith. Her efforts to spread the faith cost her life, and that really tells something very important about her. Saint Teresa of Avíla completed an autobiography soon before her death, talking about many aspects of her life. She mentions their parents, and gives a description of each one. She described them as “virtuous parents who lived in the fear of God.” Her parents did not understand God fully.
At the same time, she had a brother named Rodrigo. Rodrigo was about her age at the time, so they frequently went on little adventures by themselves. One day, Saint Teresa of Avíla was seven years old, she and Rodrigo went on an interesting adventure, in the hopes that they would get to Africa. This meant that the two young children tried to run away to Africa. They thought if they got there, they would be beheaded by the Infidel Moors, and then would achieve martyrdom. That obviously isn’t how it works, so it was a very foolish decision to go to Africa. They left in secret. Their plan was to beg their way into Africa, like the poor friars at the time.
That didn’t work out so well for them, as one day they were escorted back to their parents after being met by an uncle mid-way. This example in her early life clearly showed that Saint Teresa of Avíla was very adventurous, and wanted to be like the other saints and martyrs. In this example, she really wasn’t spreading the word of God, she was just trying to become a martyr and potentially inspire others to do the same. This is because she admired individuals who sacrificed their lives for the Lord and she was hoping to do the same.
As she grew older, Saint Theresa of Avilia began to learn more about martyrdom and the importance of spreading the faith to others. Her later life that took place after her religious awakening is when she really begins to spread the word of God. Her father did not want her to become a nun, but she could become a nun after he died. Saint Teresa of Avíla was in a kind of internal conflict because she loved her father dearly and did not agree with how he thought about her eventually becoming a nun. She still wanted to devote her life to the Lord, yet did not want to go against him.
This is because she loved both very dearly. In order to follow a path of faith, she went to the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation, which was a little outside the town of Avíla. At the same time, she did so in secret.This is the second time she leaves the town without permission. She stated in her autobiography that she faced great pain every time she came home. The pain of going against the individuals she loved the most. This is incredibly important because this is where she shows that she really wants to spread the word out there through being a nun, while still being loyal to her parents.
She manages to keep the fact that she is part of the convent a secret for another year, until later she confessed. She becomes a nun in secret, and is one until she falls ill once again. She struggled with the psychological pain of going against the ones she loved the most. (Eternal World Television Network 2019). Overall, Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church for her efforts to spread the word of the Lord to others.
Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church for her devotion to being a great nun despite her father’s opinions. Saint Teresa of Avíla was somewhat rebellious when she was younger, as seen in previous examples.
This is because she went on several adventurous journeys without her parents’ knowledge, and was stopped mid-journey every time. During her lifetime, her interest for saints and martyrs grew.Eventually, she became a nun despite her father’s opinions. She followed God’s path as she knew this choice was best for both her and the faith. God wanted her to become a nun, whilst her father did not.
This was an immensely impactful decision she had made in her life. Saint Teresa of Avíla was sacrificing her parental trust for being more consecrated to God. This is because she wanted to be more like God, and have God enter her life. By going against her parents’ will, she proved that she really was willingly consecrating her life to the Lord. Not many have the courage or will to do such, but she did, and she did it well. “Anyone who truly loves God travels securely (BrainyQuote 2017).” This wonderful quote from Saint Teresa of Avíla informs us of how much she trusted in God.
She believed no one would stop her from being what she loved, and doing what she loved. If someone truly loves God with the entirety of their hearts, they shall not be disappointed. This is because God is always out there to help all those who trust in Him, and He will be there when they need it (Eternal World Television Network 2019). Overall, Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church because of her devotion to being a great nun, despite the opinions of her father.
Lastly, Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church for her willingness to put her life on the line for the faith. Saint Teresa of Avíla’s life ended in martyrdom, as she wanted it to from when she was a child.. From a young age, she had a history of being ill, and that illness kept coming back and slowing her down. Her last obstacle in life was this illness, which resulted in her death on October 4, 1582. She kept trying and trying to fulfill her duties as a member of the convent, and died doing it.
Every time she fell ill, she would continue until someone stopped her. She would just keep going. At the very end, on her way to Alva de Tormez to meet an old friend, she fell ill for the last time. That friend was Anne-of-Saint Bartholomew. When she finally arrived at the convent, she was exhaustedly ill. She then passed away in the hands of her friend. Saint Teresa of Avíla could have taken a break from actively going from convent to convent so she could recover, but she kept going until she died.
Thus, making her a martyr in the Catholic faith. Saint Teresa of Avíla left the world with a mark that would go on for centuries. Today, she still inspires people to this day, from her wise words and actions. Saint Teresa of Avíla was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, and will be remembered for many more centuries, maybe even millenia. (Eternal World Television Network 2019).
Saint Teresa of Avíla’s father was the most important person in the world to her, and when she had to go against him for the faith, she felt mortified inside. Her father meant her life, and by going against him and creating her own convent, she was giving up her life as she once knew it.
This decision made Saint Teresa of Avíla’s live treacherous for a while, until she finally revealed her secret. Saint Teresa of Avíla was willingly putting her life on the line for the faith, in several ways. She put her father’s trust on the line, which was basically her life. She also put her life on the line by not giving up and continuing to go to her convents, to the point that she eventually died.
Through visions and locutions, Saint Teresa of Avíla became more and more aware of God in her life. She began to let God enter, and she was willing to give her life for him, as if nothing really mattered, and reaching heaven was all that life was about (NewAdvent 2020). In the end, all of this made her one of the great martyrs of the Catholic church.
Saint Teresa of Avíla has been declared a martyr by the Catholic Church for her efforts and desire to dedicate her life to God, her act of becoming a nun despite her father’s opinions, and her willingness to put her life on the line for God.
Saint Teresa of Avíla was a very special person. She did what most wouldn’t do for God. Saint Teresa of Avíla gave up everything for God, and for her, God was all that mattered. She didn’t have anything to worry about, because she knew God would keep her safe for the entire time. What she did should inspire us to become more dedicated to the faith. She didn’t stop until she died, and this really tells us something about her. She completely consecrated her life to God, an immensely great sacrifice.
Saint Teresa of Avíla is a great inspiration to me and to many others because of her courageous act of going against her father’s will to do something right. Sometimes the authorities aren’t the wisest ones, and you will have to step it up to make a change. Many others have done similarly to Saint Teresa of Avíla. One great example would be Martin Luther King Jr, as he stepped up for the African Americans and equality between races. What Saint Teresa of Avíla did was of great impact on my life, and I hope it is impactful to others, too.
Another great impactful act Saint Teresa of Avíla did was that she made her own religious convent, which requires a lot of dedication. Starting an organization is often not the easiest thing to do in the world, and it really requires some hefty work. Saint Teresa of Avíla is an inspiration to keep going, and whatever dreams you have, you should try and pursue them as much as possible. Her convent clearly left a mark on the world, as it still stands strong in Avíla as a tourist destination.
Overall, Saint Teresa of Avíla is an inspiration to step up with what you believe in, even if the people in higher rank of you don’t agree, and an inspiration to fulfill your dreams and desires. Of course, you don’t want to be committing crime and saying it is your “dream” to do such. Remember to chase your dreams, but not to chase dreams that will hurt you or others, or that is sinful. Saint Teresa of Avíla is an amazing and very inspiring martyr, and if you ever feel like you need some motivation, read her autobiography, it should help you out.
