Some children are compliant; others are strong-willed. Teresa of Avila (1515-1578) must have been a classic strong-willed child. At seven years of age, she convinced her young brother to join her in running away from home to seek Christian martyrdom until an uncle turned them aside from their perilous quest. She joined the Carmelite order of women committed to prayer early in life against her father’s wishes. She soon discovered that her Carmelite sisters had become lax about the practice of prayer. They lived in a suite of rooms with servants and pets, devoting inordinate amounts of time to socializing and entertaining visitors. Teresa succumbed to its corrosive influence and acknowledged later in her autobiography that her early years in the convent were wasted as she lost her fervor for prayer. This spiritual mediocrity, what she called “lukewarmness,” lasted seventeen years. At age thirty-nine, she had a series of mystical visions and resolved to live a more prayerful life. She founded a monastic order that became more intentional about living the contemplative life who became known as Discalced Carmelites, meaning barefoot Carmelites. They went barefoot or wore sandals, the customary footwear of the poor.
Her autobiography, The Story of My Life, was completed in 1565 to defend her theological orthodoxy against those who regarded her visions and raptures as suspicious. She also wrote to counsel younger sisters in the faith. She said of prayer that it requires a “determined determination.” This doubling of words was common in her writing. Cultivating a prayer life requires perseverance and firm resolve. What good counsel for us who seek to be faithful in prayer. There are times when we become weary and lose interest in prayer. Teresa counsels us to push through the resistance and persevere. One of her prayers from The Story of My Life leads us to pray:
Teresa of Avila
Oh, how infinitely good you are, my God! It seems that in our encounter, I see both you and myself. O Delight of the Angels! When I think of you, I long to be completely consumed by you…Oh, what a good friend you make, my Lord! How you bear and comfort us. You patiently wait for us to rise to our true nature, and in the meantime, you accept us as we are. You take into account, my Lord, all the times we have loved you, and in one moment of atonement, you let all our transgressions go…You, Beloved, defend us against the onslaught of evil spirits, diminishing their strength every day. Finally, you give us sweet victory. And so, O Life of all that lives, you do not sacrifice anyone who trusts in you and longs to be your friend. You sustain the health of our bodies and give vitality to our souls.
Teresa of Avila, The Book of my Life, (Boston, New Seeds, 2007), 53–54.
Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, Chapter 21.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.