Teresa of Ávila

Life

Teresa was born on March 28, 1515, in Ávila in central Spain, two years before Martin Luther issued his Ninety-five Theses; she was thus a contemporary of the Reformation. She entered the Carmelite Order in 1535. After a long illness and a series of mystical experiences, she undertook a reform aimed at restoring the strict observance of the order's early religious life. She died in Alba de Tormes in 1582. Because the Gregorian calendar took effect that year, with October 15 immediately following October 4, her date of death is sometimes given as October 15. She was beatified in 1614 and canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622.

Ministry and Achievements

Reform of the Carmelite Order

In 1562 she founded the Convent of St. Joseph in Ávila, the first reformed convent. The community that began there became the Discalced Carmelites; the word "discalced" (barefoot) symbolizes poverty and simplicity of life. She went on to found convents throughout Spain and, in partnership with John of the Cross, extended the reform to the male branch of the order.

Writings

She wrote several books at the request of her confessors and for the instruction of her nuns. Her principal works are her Life (autobiography); The Way of Perfection, which teaches prayer; and the Book of the Foundations, which records the establishment of her convents. The Interior Castle, written in 1577, likens the human soul to a castle with seven dwellings and describes the journey, through prayer, toward union with God, who dwells in the innermost chamber. She called this union "spiritual marriage."

Proclamation as Doctor of the Church

On September 27, 1970, Pope Paul VI proclaimed her the first woman Doctor of the Church, a title the Catholic Church confers on those whose teaching it officially recognizes as eminent. On that occasion her designation as "Teacher of Prayer" was also emphasized.

Influence on the Korean Church

In the Korean Catholic Church she is known as "Teresa of Jesus," "Teresa of Ávila," or "Teresa the Great," the last distinguishing her from Thérèse of Lisieux ("Little Teresa"). Korean Catholic media regularly present her as a teacher of prayer.

Among Korean Protestants, since contemplative prayer (prayer that minimizes words and focuses on God in silence) and the Renovaré movement were introduced in the 2000s, her name has often been cited as representative of the Catholic contemplative tradition. Several denominations have taken positions on the matter.

• The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) resolved at its 96th General Assembly in 2011 that members should refrain from and reject involvement with contemplative prayer. Its theology department reported that contemplative prayer contains elements of unsound mysticism, religious pluralism, and pagan influence.
• The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapShin) is also reported to have resolved that same year to prohibit participation in the contemplative prayer movement.

These resolutions addressed the modern contemplative prayer movement as a whole, including practices such as centering prayer, and did not pass separate judgment on Teresa herself.

Assessment

The Catholic Church honors her as a saint and Doctor of the Church and venerates her as one of the patron saints of Spain.

Among Protestants, opinions are divided. Reformed critics object to contemplative prayer: Professor Lee Seung-goo of Hapdong Theological Seminary has argued that it is rooted in the Catholic concepts of purification, the infusion of grace, and union with God, and is therefore theologically erroneous. Those who embrace contemplative prayer, by contrast, maintain that it is a prayer tradition long preserved by the Western church and that, once its dangerous elements are filtered out, it can benefit the life of faith.