The Enduring Wisdom of the Spiritual Master - Essay Example

The enduring wisdom of the spiritual master A short biography and significant moments in Teresa of Avila’s growth in holiness The spiritual master in consideration is Teresa of Avila, who was born in in Avila, Spain. She was one of the ten children born to Alphonse Sanchez and his wife, Beatrice de Ahumada, who died when Teresa was aged fifteen years. She was born in 1515. Shortly after her mother’s death, Teresa was responsible for taking care of the Augustinian nuns. During this time, Teresa made up her mind to live religiously, a decision she made after reading St. Jerome’s letters. At the age of 20 years, Teresa became part of the Carmelite Order. During her time in the convent, she contracted a severe illness that left her paralyzed for three years. She attributed her recovery to St. Joseph, to which she remained devoted. However, her life changed after she experienced “the sorely wounded Christ’s” vision. After experiencing the vision, Teresa encountered a number of ecstatic experiences that influenced her into focusing more on the passion of Christ. The visions acted as her impetuous that influenced her into setting herself to the reorganization of her order. She began this reformation by attempting to master herself, as well as adhere to her rule. She tried to create a primitive Carmelite by gathering some of her Sisters in Carmel to concretize her idea of a monastery. She received support from St. Peter of Alcantara, her confessor and a number of learned individuals as she started to work towards the achievement idea. This idea materialized in 1562 after the clothing of the four novices and the opening of St. Joseph Monastery. Teresa’s external activities were adjunct to her internal spiritual graces (Cannata 2). The realization of her idea made her happy, after which she tenaciously resisted several revelations for about two years. Subsequently, she experienced the initial intellectual and non-intellectual visions depicting Christ’s humanity. This humanity became the heart of her loving attention, as well as the source of the intimate graces she was able to enjoy for several years. Her possession of the love of God created in her an enormous desire to see God and to die so that she could see Him. These graces were necessary for sustaining her as she was trying to actualize and reinforce her reformation work. Teresa received confirmation for the will to work courageously for God’s glory since her intention was to save the many souls that were being lost. Upon visiting Avila, John Baptist Rossi authorized Teresa to establish other monasteries of nuns. This authorization led her to institute several monasteries that were inclusive of Medina del Campo, Carmel of Salamanca and Alba de Tormes, among others. Her visions, such as her rising to a spiritual marriage and the Blessed Trinity were phenomenal and were characteristic of the preceding years to the achievement of a communion with God in quiet and peace. Previously, she had the desire and eagerness to die, but the vision provided her with a serene tranquility that was in God’s possession. Her intellectual visions of the humanity of Christ and the continual presence of the Trinity prolonged her spiritual interior conversion and controlled her sovereign peace (Cannata 3). She remained in this state until her death in the year 1582 (Cannata 5). Teresa struggled to set up and broaden the Discalced Carmelites movement. During the 1560s, Teresa wrote The way to perfection as well as the Meditations of the Canticle. In the year 1567, she had a meeting with St. John of the Cross, after which she enlisted him to broaden her reform to the male side of the Carmelite order. In her book, The way to perfection, she leads people along the way to uniting with God through meditation, silence, and prayer. She uses heartfelt and practical words in this book to suggest ways through which readers could seek self-perfection. She also draws these suggestions from her personal experiences. Her writing offers a direct articulation of her theological views. Teresa left to posterity numerous convents that she continued to establish before her demise. An overview of key themes in St. Teresa’s writing and spiritual direction One of the primary themes in Teresa’s writing comprises of the importance of prayer as a major characteristic necessary for the attainment of spiritual heights. In spite of her struggles, she emphasizes on the need to persevere in prayer. In her book, The way to perfection, she indicates that it is vital for individuals to pray with significant determination, and they should not take notice of the devil’s obstacles. She indicates that individuals must “…have a determined determination to persevere until reaching the end” (Teresa of Avila 229). St. Teresa defines prayer as nothing more than an extensive period that an individual spends with another that loves him. People need both vocal and mental prayers, which are their religious duty (Teresa of Avila 231). Teresa refers to the Lord’s Prayer in reference to the subject of writing commentaries divine prayers. She regards Christ as the master, to which she indicates that the master finds it pleasurable when his disciples or pupils are satisfied with his teaching (Teresa of Avila 230). Conversely, she emphasizes on the need for not paying attention to their fears during prayer. In spite of these considerations, Teresa emphasizes on the fact that people should be able to practice prayer to avoid falling into great evils and deviation. Through prayer, God opens up the eyes of an individual to identifying the way to holiness. Some of the clouds that blind individuals from discovering the true way include suggestions from evil people that frequent communion is not good. However, constant communion with Christ through prayer enables the Lord to open up the ground for an individual that was lost. In this case, Teresa stressed the necessity of ignoring the opinions of the crowd since this is not the time to believe what every other person says. Teresa encourages people to be humble, show contempt for everything that is worldly, preserve a pure conscience, and to believe in the convictions of the Holy Mother Church (Teresa of Avila 233). These observances provide confidence that an individual is on the right path towards holiness. The other theme covered in Teresa’s writing includes the idea of love. In this case, the ideal love that individuals should have should be one that is purely spiritual (Teresa of Avila 85). Teresa acknowledges the fact that few individuals possess a purely spiritual love, subsequently emphasizing that such individuals have achieved the highest perfection. She continues to say that when God provides some individuals with definite knowledge about love, they express the love in a much different way than those who have not received this knowledge. In this case, love refers to an individual’s desire to see other souls receive abundant heavenly blessings. For this reason, she likens spiritual love to the love that Jesus had for people, to which she desires for the Sisters to obtain. Even though it might be difficult to perfect such love from the beginning, she provides an assurance that the Lord will improve it gradually (Teresa of Avila 98). Teresa also covers the aspect of individuals loving one another. In this regard, she advocates the character of virtue since virtue inspires love. She refers to neighborly love as one that involves recreation with one another outside the house of the Lord. Even though she does not recommend this type of love, her prayer to the Sisters is that each one of them, in the different monasteries, would be virtuous with the assistance from God (Teresa of Avila 68). Her lack of recommendation for this type of love is presumably because her preference lies in the attainment of spiritual love. However, she wanted people to practice the virtuous love in the monasteries for it was a recommendation of the Lord to His apostles (Teresa of Avila 68). To Teresa, spiritual love stirs the sensuality of individuals, which affects the tenderness of human nature for its purification. For this reason, she indicates that love between relatives and a friend is licit (Teresa of Avila 68). The other primary highlight in Teresa’s spiritual masterpiece is that of conversion and reformation. Teresa serves as an appropriate example of the determination of the need for reformation since she was the primary instrument chosen by God to reform the order of the Carmelite. Teresa was aware that an individual has to convert him or herself in order to save others. For this reason, she worked on converting herself to spiritual perfection, which was a way through which she could identify what was necessary for converting other people. Teresa emphasizes that the sisters should become individuals whose prayers can assist God’s people to learn the good life (Teresa of Avila 54). Teresa informs the Sisters that they are privileged persons, whose presence in the monasteries is essential since they are no longer exposed to occasions of sin that is brought about by worldly occupations. The Sisters’ withdrawal from sinful experiences is one of the ways through which they could assist in stopping “the fire that is ravaging the church” (Teresa of Avila 60). She indicates that Christians should struggle spiritually to attain perfection. Through the fight, they can identify that the people of the world learn about perfection only to condemn others. In the light of the identification, she emphasizes the power of prayer, through which the nuns could use to detach themselves from worldly allurements. Conversion and reformation focus on the attainment of the correct path to spiritual life, to which she advocates detachment. The only concern that the sisters have in the monasteries is to surrender entirely to God. For this reason, they have adequate time to do little things that they can in order to take a defense in the battle against the world and demons. An application of Teresa’s themes to contemporary spirituality The church, in modern society, acclaims Teresa as one of the principal teachers of prayer. The dynamism of prayer is the foundation of a Christian’s growth to perfection. Teresa’s relates the aspect of prayer as a way through which individuals express their love for Christ. In contemporary society, mental prayer is not restricted to the internal act or petition, but holds on to any internal act of faith, charity and hope. The internal actions refer to every thought of Christ, with the objective being to serve Him and to foster charity, among other virtues. Teresa regards mental prayer as fruitful when an individual searches for God and is willing to spend time alone with Him (Teresa of Avila 242). Conversely, the person has to look upon the Lord, who is omnipresent. The application of the fruitfulness of mental prayer in contemporary society relates to the need for meditation, which is an exercise towards the achievement of a perfect spiritual life. For this reason, Teresa’s attitude towards prayer leaves no doubt that mental prayer is contemplative and meditative in nature. In the modern world, numerous articles try to provide explanations for the various ways of prayer. Perhaps the publications are well documented, but they lack personal experiences of what is prayer. For this reason, the documents sway people from realizing the essence of prayer. However, for Teresa, prayer is simply a growing friendship between an individual and God. In this regard, an individual might assume that contemporary society focus more on theoretical conviction rather than experimental. Creating room for silence and solitude, which is characteristic of mental prayer, is challenging in the fast progressing technological world. Crowded living conditions that are a derivative of the urbanization process, as well as the constant communication through technological media create insurmountable difficulties for solitude with God. In the midst of the numerous activities in contemporary society, the human spirit longs for solitude since it provides an avenue through which individuals can encounter God in depth. This understanding emanates from the fact that prayer is a state of being. In this case, the human spirit moves towards participating in God’s life. It is impossible to force a relationship with God. However, obtaining a relationship with God is possible through its acceptance as a precious gift. God’s relationship to His people relates to the aspect of love since forced love is bound to break or fail. Teresa indicates that when a friendly intercourse reaches the highest point, it reaches a point of love that is beyond expression. An act towards the achievement of perfect spirituality involves the practice of a virtuous love. Contemporary society focuses more on individuality, which is an indication that not many people practice virtuous love. Such a practice is indicative of the fact that neighborly love flourishes slightly. For this reason, the purification of human nature, which emanates from the tenderness derived from spiritual love, is harder to achieve than it was in the past. Modern culture that emphasizes on individuality creates considerable challenges to the achievement of spiritual love, which prevents people from moving towards the realization of perfect spirituality. In order for an individual to progress towards the achievement of perfect spirituality, he or she ought to withdraw from sinful experiences through conversion and reformation. Conversion and reformation exist in the realm of an individual’s emotions or personal habits. Teresa serves as an appropriate example of the determination of the need for reformation since she was the most important instrument chosen by God to reform the order of the Carmelite. For this reason, a period of praying and fasting is an avenue through which a person can fulfill spiritual results towards achieving God’s direction. Teresa emphasizes the need for people to become less worried about the needs of the body (Teresa of Avila 43), which is inclusive of not worrying about dying of hunger. Conversely, through fasting and praying, Christians can reveal some of the things that control them. Consequently, it would be possible for them to avoid sinful practices of the world. Even though the discipline of fasting and praying is not the answer to perfect spirituality, it leads Christians to attaining spiritual growth. However, in contemporary society, people focus more on giving as a way of sacrificing for the achievement of spiritual growth than fasting and praying. Teaching is a form of an ecclesiastical jurisdiction set forth as an expression of Christ. Teaching is a hierarchical function that assumes the reception of Christ’s mission by the apostles, who transmitted the message to their successors. For this reason, the Lord will find it pleasurable when people derive satisfaction from the teachings they receive from people doing God’s work. St Paul mentions that women comprise of the lay people that could carry out the jurisdiction of teaching or edification through prophetic claims (1 Corinthians 11:15). With the consideration of Teresa’s voice regarding the movement towards spirituality, women are currently moving towards the assumption of roles as guardians of morality and piety. In contemporary society, the representation of female piety occurs through steadfast commitment to domestic stability in an attempt to the achievement of social cohesion. This consideration relates to the fact that one of the direction to spirituality focuses is in the social and apostolic order. In modern life, a number of proposals have come up in support of the idea that it is essential to admit women to the priesthood. This proposal is a derivative of modern life, where women have gained leadership in a number of fields. However, considering St. Teresa’s primitive order, which led to the creation of several monasteries, it is possible to identify the greatness of women’s mission to the society and the church, in particular. The awareness is necessary for the humanization and renewal of the community, as well as for the rediscovery of Christ’s countenance by believers. However, the inequalities, of which contemporary society regard women as victims, still exist. A personal reflection on the writing of St. Teresa and my prayer and spiritual journey It is commonplace to hear several people in the current society indicating that they fear the uncertain. The fear originates from the numerous reasons, some of which relate to people thinking that the Lord abandons people when they need Him. However, the humans abandon the Lord, to which Teresa emphasizes that people should do whatever it takes to avoid sin. Indeed, the society is full of sin, but there is hope to anyone determined to prevent damnation since God does not change. In this case, avoiding damnation involves doing things that encourage the movement towards achieving spiritual perfection. God is always present and is ready to accept his people with love, and mercy. For this reason, as Teresa emphasizes, people should not be afraid of anything, and instead, trust in Him by striving to grow spiritually. As mentioned in the writing, trusting in the Lord is safe since He is trust, which is a provision that discredits any form of doubt that an individual might be having towards Him. St. Teresa shares a landscape that guides believers in their spiritual journey. One of my favorite sections in the journey relates to the manner in which she reflects on the Lord’s Prayer one thoughtful phrase at a time. My prayer in my spiritual journey is dependent on the unchanging nature of God. Since He is the same this day and forever, I pray that whenever I spend time in solitude to pray, he may hear me. Conversely, I pray that He may provide answers to the questions I might be having regarding my spiritual journey. I call upon the Lord to open His merciful arms as I call out to Him. Teresa received confirmation for the will to work courageously for God’s glory since her intention was to save the many souls that were being lost. Conversely, I ask Him to confirm me in my faith, which is necessary for guarding me against the distractions evident in this passing life. His protection is essential for the preparation needed for the life in heaven, where people shall live eternally under His wings. Granted these requests, it will not only be possible to live a virtuous life, but it will enable me to teach others of His mercy and favor to His people. Works cited Cannata, Peter. Teresa of Avila, (1515-1582) Saint, reformer of Carmel. Teresa of Avila. (1980). The Way of Perfection. Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh & Otilio Rodriguez. Washington, D.C.: ICS, 2013. Print. Read More