St. Teresa of Avila was a Spanish Carmelite nun and mystic. She was born in Avila Spain on March 28, 1515, one of ten children. Her mother died when Teresa was 15.
Invoked against bodily ills, headaches, and sickness, St. Teresa was canonized a Saint by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Avila is celebrated on October 15.
Saint Teresa of Ávila was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI on 27 September 1970.
St. Teresa has written many books. These include: The Interior Castle, The Life of Teresa of Jesus, and The Way of Perfection. Her spirituality has led many to a much deeper prayer life.
Reflecting on the life of this Carmelite nun, let’s ponder her many quotes which reveal her spirituality.
1. Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass away. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. He who has God, finds he lacks nothing. God alone suffices.
St. Teresa of Avila
2. Leave it all to God and leave your interests in His hands. He knows what is fitting for us.
St. Teresa of Avila
3. Often, the Lord allows a fall so that the soul will be more humble, and when it returns to the right way of acting and grows in self-knowledge, it advances further in the service of our Lord, as we see among many saints.
St. Teresa of Avila
4. We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.
St. Teresa of Avila
5. True humility consists in our being satisfied with what is given us.
St. Teresa of Avila
6. Tear your heart away from everything else, then seek God and you will surely find him.
St. Teresa of Avila
7. There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.
St. Teresa of Avila
8. Hope, O my soul, Hope! You know neither the day, nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience turns a very short time into a long one.
St. Teresa of Avila
9. The chief object of the devil’s work on earth is to fill us with pride.
St. Teresa of Avila
10. You pay God a great complement by asking great things of Him.
St. Teresa of Avila
11. Prayer is an act of Love, words are not needed.
St. Teresa of Avila
12. Be gentle to all and stern with yourself.
St. Teresa of Avila
13. To have courage for whatever comes in life…everything lies in that.
St. Teresa of Avila
14. The measure in which you desire God, is the measure in which you will find Him!
St. Teresa of Avila
15. Remember, that you have only one soul: that you have only one death to die: that you have only one life…if you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.
St. Teresa of Avila
16. Truth suffers, but never dies.
17. It is love alone that gives worth to all things.
St. Teresa of Avila
18. When we accept what happens to us and make the best of it, we are praising God.
St. Teresa of Avila
19. In this life our lot is not to enjoy God, but to do His Holy Will.
St. Teresa of Avila
20. Look for Christ Our Lord in everyone and you will then have respect and reverence for all.
St. Teresa of Avila
21. The smallest thing when done for the love of God is priceless.
St. Teresa of Avila
22. Life is to live in such a way that we are not afraid to die.
St. Teresa of Avila
23. The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.
St. Teresa of Avila
24. Learn to suffer for Jesus Christ without letting others perceive it.
St. Teresa of Avila
25. Christ has no body on earth but yours. no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless others.
