St. Teresa of Avila once said, “Whoever has God, lacks nothing; God alone suffices.” When St. Teresa was a teenager, she had convinced herself that she was a miserable sinner, because she had lost her faith in God and fell into worldly temptations. She was quite charming, and this made it very easy for her to make friends with many people. Even though she was surrounded by a big group of friends, she still felt incomplete and not at peace with her life at that moment. Her family had chosen for her to join a convent school which reignited her love for God, and she realized that her calling was to lead a spiritual life. In the light of faith filled introspection, she recognized the sinful state of her soul and felt deeply sorry. She had fallen into the temptation of worldly pleasures and forgotten the most important goal in life which is to reach into the arms of her Heavenly Father.
“Whoever has God, lacks nothing; God alone suffices.”
St. Teresa is easily one of the most inspiring saints for all, especially, since she is the very FIRST woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. As we can see from her many accomplishments, she is strong hearted, brave, and is a spiritual role model for us all. In her books, she addresses the importance of making mental prayer a habit in daily life, “And anyone who has not begun to pray, I beg, for love of the Lord, not to miss such a great blessing.” There was a period in her life where she would only participate in religious community gatherings and abstain from mental prayer because she thought it was a sign of humility. This resulted in her going through a spiritual downfall, and as she slowly started incorporating mental prayers back into her life, she felt a significant difference. She perfectly described mental prayer as “nothing but friendly intercourse, and frequent solitary converse, with Him who we know loves us.” St. Teresa’s beautiful way of thinking can help us grow closer in our relationship with God.
Saint Teresa writes, “Knowing ourselves is something so important that I wouldn’t want any relaxation in this regard, however high you may have climbed into the heavens.” Reading this quote, we can understand that she teaches about the significance of learning our true identity with God. In a world where we are constantly changing and growing and can be influenced by everything, it is important to stay grounded in our faith and identity. St. Teresa of Avila has given us so many life lessons that we can try to implement in our lives during this month of October. Let us ask for her intercession in finding our true Identity through the help of our Father in Heaven.
“Knowing ourselves is something so important that I wouldn’t want any relaxation in this regard, however high you may have climbed into the heavens.”
St. Theresa writes,
“Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
all things will pass away.”
Born: March 28, 1515
Death: October 4, 1582
Patron Saint of Spain
