The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our Lady of CarmelTeresa, of Avila, Saint
Religion
The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel
Teresa, of Avila, Saint
Avila (Spain) -- Biography; Christian saints -- Spain -- Avila -- Biography; Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582
1. In the same year St. Philip was born in Florence. St. Teresa
died in 1582, and St. Philip in 1595; but they were canonised on
the same day, with St. Isidore, St. Ignatius, and St. Francis
Xavier. The three latter were joined together in the three final
consistories held before the solemn proclamation of their
sanctity, and St. Teresa and St. Philip were joined together in
the same way in the final consistories held specially, as usual,
for them.
2. This must be an error. See ch. i. § 7, note 7.
3. There is a difficulty about this. The Bollandists maintain
that she went to the monastery of the Incarnation in the year
1533. On the other hand Ribera, her most accurate
biographer--with whom Fra Jerome agrees,--says that she left her
father's house in 1535, when she was more than twenty years of
age; Yepes, that she was not yet twenty; and the Second Relation
of the Rota, that she was in her twentieth year. The Bull of
Canonisation and the Office in the Breviary also say that she was
in her twentieth year, that is, A.D. 1534. The Chronicler of the
Order differs from all and assigns the year 1536 as the year in
which she entered the monastery.
The Life
of the
Holy Mother Teresa of Jesus.
Written by Herself.
Prologue.
As I have been commanded and left at liberty to describe at
length my way of prayer, and the workings of the grace of our
Lord within me, I could wish that I had been allowed at the same
time to speak distinctly and in detail of my grievous sins and
wicked life. But it has not been so willed; on the contrary, I
am laid herein under great restraint; and therefore, for the love
of our Lord, I beg of every one who shall read this story of my
life [1] to keep in mind how wicked it has been; and how, among
the Saints who were converted to God, I have never found one in
whom I can have any comfort. For I see that they, after our Lord
had called them, never fell into sin again; I not only became
worse, but, as it seems to me, deliberately withstood the graces
of His Majesty, because I saw that I was thereby bound to serve
Him more earnestly, knowing, at the same time, that of myself I
could not pay the least portion of my debt.
May He be blessed for ever Who waited for me so long! I implore
Him with my whole heart to send me His grace, so that in all
clearness and truth I may give this account of myself which my
confessors command me to give; and even our Lord Himself, I know
it, has also willed it should be given for some time past, but I
had not the courage to attempt it. And I pray it may be to His
praise and glory, and a help to my confessors; who, knowing me
better, may succour my weakness, so that I may render to our Lord
some portion of the service I owe Him. May all creatures praise
Him for ever! Amen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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