The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

Table of Contents

The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus
Overview
Context
About the Author
Explanation and Analysis of the Document
My Soul Was So Distracted by Many Vanities, That I Was Ashamed to Draw Near unto God
They Gave Me as Much Liberty as They Did to the Oldest Nuns . . . and Had Great Confidence in Me
When I Began to Indulge in These Conversations, I Did Not Think . . . That My Soul Must Be Injured
I Had a Very Strong Desire to Further the Progress of Others: A Most Common Temptation
My Father Was Not the Only Person Whom I Prevailed upon to Practise Prayer
This Dominican Father . . . Did Me A Very Great Service; for I Confessed to Him
O My God! If I Might, I Would Speak of the Occasions from Which God Delivered Me
It Is a Great Evil for a Soul to Be Alone in the Midst of Such Great Dangers
Audience
Impact
Document Text

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Abstract

The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus is the title customarily given to the autobiography of Teresa of Ávila. Begun around 1562 and revised a few years later at the urging of her confessors, as a way to examine her spiritual development and to spread the story of God’s work in her life, the book traces her religious experience from early childhood to the time of writing. As such it was both a defense of her orthodoxy and a testimony to the larger Catholic world. The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus deals with some of the writer’s favorite themes, including the importance of strict observance in convents and monasteries and the value and satisfaction of mental prayer. She also records her own mystical experiences as well as the beginning of her reforming career. The book provides an excellent introduction to a study of this remarkable woman.

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