2. Saint Teresa…
She was also known as Saint Teresa
of Jesus.
Saint Teresa was born on March 28th
1515 in Avila Spain, and died, aged 67
on October the 4th 1582.
She was a Roman Catholic Saint and
had many notable religious feats
throughout her lifetime.
3. In 1622 she was named a saint, forty
years after her death.
Also in 1970 Saint Teresa was named
Doctor of the Church as she was
regarded with great importance and
because of her contribution to
theology.
She was one of the first women to of
gained the title.
4. Her Family and Early Life…
Her Grandfather was originally Jewish
though converted to Christianity,
however he was condemned for
supposedly returning to the Jewish faith.
Both her mother and her father were
Christian.
Teresa is said to of experienced religious
ecstasy, this is probably a factor towards
the inspirations of her theoretical work of
expressing life through mental prayer.
5. Throughout her life she embodied
mystical works such as „Third Spiritual
Alphabet‟ which focussed on
examinations of principles and for
spiritual self concentration and inner
contemplation.
Various friends suggested her views
were diabolical not revolutionary. So
she began to inflict mortification of the
flesh.
7. Particular Inspirational Visions…
During one of her visions Teresa became
convinces Jesus presented herself to
him in bodily form, though invisible.
Another vision a seraph drove the point
of a golden lance repeatedly through her
heart causing spiritual bodily pain.
This initiated a motto which was related
with her “Lord, either let me suffer or let
me die.”
8. Reforming the Carmelites…
Around 1560 she resolved to find a
reformed Carmelite convent, as
throughout the 14th and 15th centuries
the movement had severely relaxed.
Her reform required utter withdrawal so
that the nuns could meditate on divine
law and, through a prayerful life of
penance.
In 1562, Pope Pius IV‟s authorised St.
Teresa to open the first convent of the
Carmelite Reform.
9.
10. In 1575 while she was at the Sevilla a
dispute erupted between the reformed
friars of the Carmelites, and the
Calced Carmelites.
St Teresa‟s attempts to prevent the
dispute were unsuccessful.
This caused her t be ordered to retire
to a convent and to stop founding
more convents.
11. Her Death…
St. Teresa died on October 4th 1582,
after a lifetime of ill-health.
A fellow sister describes the hours just
before the death of St Teresa.
Saint Teresa was a Spanish mystic and writer of many religious works such as the Counter Reformation; she was also a Carmelite nun and theologian.
Read slide aloud.
Read slide aloud.
At an early age Teresa became fascinated with stories of Saints and religion itself. With the religious input from her parents and her fascination is likely to be the fuel for her dedication towards theology and the Catholic faith.Religious Ecstasy is an expanded mental and spiritual awareness which cause intense visions. Perception of time and space may strongly change or disappear during the experience.
Through reading works such as ‘Third Spiritual Alphabet’ and her visions Teresa said she became increasingly aware of “her own natural impotence in confronting sin” furthering her dedication. Mortification of the flesh is when a person attempts to repent their sins through “Putting the flesh to death”.An example is imitating Jesus’s suffering during his crucifixion.This vision lasted more than two years.(Second Episode) This episode was said to of caused inspiration for the rest of her life and motivated her life-long imitation of the life and suffering of Jesus.
She was the originator of the Carmelite reform, which aimed to restore traditional Carmelite life and beliefs. (Last …) John Baptist Rossi, a very important bloke of the time, went to Ávila in 1567 and approved the reform, directing Teresa to found more convents and to establish monasteries.
Pictures of St. Teresa’s first reformed Carmelite convent.She continued to reform 16 more convents throughout Spain, changing the Carmelite way of life, all through her life.
Through the influences of the King of Spain, who admired Teresa, solved the dispute through giving the reformed Carmelites an independent jurisdiction. This caused Teresa to begin her work again.
“She remained in this position in prayer full of deep peace and great repose. Occasionally she gave some outward sign of surprise or amazement. But everything proceeded in great repose. It seemed as if she were hearing a voice which she answered. Her facial expression was so wondrously changed that it looked like a celestial body to us. Thus immersed in prayer, happy and smiling, she went out of this world into eternal life.”
