Edward Yee
St. Teresa of Avila is most renowned for her mystical experience and her teaching on prayer and spiritual life. One might easily be misled into thinking that the saint lived and promotes a life distancing itself from the world, something like a “forever retreat” in our time. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. In St. Teresa’s letters, we find all sorts of daily chores and administrative matters: finances, house repairs, travel plans, locating sites for new foundations, family matters, everyday joys and frustrations, etc. St. Teresa founded all 17 communities within Spanish urban areas rather than in remote deserts. This week, let us explore how St. Teresa’s core spirituality traces back to the ancient monastic tradition of solitude while emphasizing the importance of community life. Such a balanced model forms the foundation of her spirituality and prayer life, which characterize Carmelite spirituality to this day.
Back to the Monastic Tradition
St. Teresa of Avila has always insisted on returning to the traditional way of Carmelite contemplative life, adhering to the Rule of St. Albert (circa. 1206-1214). Many scholars consider the 14th-century The Book of the Institution of the First Monks to have inspired St. Teresa’s ideal religious life, which is close to ancient monasticism. St. Teresa urges her sisters to “fix your eyes always on the ancestry from which we have come” (F 29.33), living like those holy fathers who lived on Mount Carmel “in such great solitude and contempt for the world”. (IC V.1.2) In St. Teresa’s The Way of Perfection, she urges her nuns that they “must pray without ceasing…with all the care possible – for unceasing prayer is the most important aspect of the rule – the fasts, the disciplines, and the silence that the order commands will not be wanting.” (WP 4.2) This is in line with the traditional Albert’s Rule that requires the hermits to reflect upon the Scripture and pray “day and night unless attending to some other duty” (par. 10). Solitude and contemplation are central elements in St. Teresa’s ideal.
Solitude Balanced with Communal Life
However, solitude does not mean distancing oneself from others. St. Albert, striking a balance between personal and communal life, requires hermits to live in a communal life vital to their spiritual growth. The Rule requires “an oratory should be built as conveniently as possible among the cells, where…you are to gather each morning to hear Mass” (par. 14) and “on Sundays, or other days if necessary, you should discuss matters of discipline and your spiritual welfare.” (par. 15) Later, the Rule was slightly modified and promulgated by Pope Innocent IV in 1247, which St. Teresa understood as the “original”, included paragraphs that imply daily community gathering rather than on weekends only (cf. par. 5), eating together rather than in one’s cell (cf. par. 7), and the need for begging for food while they are away from their monastic cells. (cf. par. 17) Aside from St. Albert’s Carmelite tradition, St. Teresa was influenced by St. Jerome’s writings from a young age. During her serious illness for three months, she read some good books, including St. Jerome’s letters. His letters impacted St. Teresa, which “gave me such courage…to speak to my father” about her intention to enter religious life. (L 3.7) Regarding the solitary life versus communal life, St. Jerome wrote that “for [his] part [he] should like you to have the society of holy men so as not to be thrown altogether on your resources.” (Letters, 125.9) St. Jerome considers solitary life the “rough training of the desert”, which requires proper training and guidance through a monastic community. Simply put, St. Jerome believes in a balance between solitary and communal life for spiritual growth.
Spiritual Heights: Work and Prayer Together
St. Teresa never considers attaining spiritual heights to mean hiding oneself from world affairs. What is striking in her teaching is that the more advanced one is in the road of prayer, the more one can be taken up in one’s service and duty to God, even at the perfect stage of union in spiritual marriage:
“You may think that as a result the soul will be outside itself and so absorbed that it will be unable to be occupied with anything else. On the contrary, the soul is much more occupied than before with everything pertaining to the service of God; and once its duties are over it remains with that enjoyable company.” (IC VII.1.8)
“All its concern is taken up with how to please Him more and how or where it will show Him the love it bears Him. This is the reason for prayer, my daughters, the purpose of this spiritual marriage: the birth always of good works, good works…” (IC VII.4.6)
St. Teresa understands very well that no man is an island. “[H]uman needs human support.” (L 22.9) Living in a community, however small, impacts the individual’s spiritual life. The soul cannot progress in its spiritual life by its own effort alone, but with God’s help, and good spiritual companions are one of God’s tools in our transformation journey:
“For this reason I would advise those who practice prayer, especially at first, to cultivate the friendship and company of others who are working in the same way. This is a most important thing, because we can help one another by our prayers, and all the more so because it may bring us even greater benefits.” (L 7.22)
Spirituality is Not a Call to Loneliness
Surely, prayers require quietness and solitude. Yet, God does not call us to be alone (Gen. 2:18). As a great exemplar, St. Teresa has shown us that spiritual growth requires both communal and contemplative life. In fact, Catholic spirituality is the application of faith, our practice of Christ’s love and teaching to the world, not just certain beliefs or affections within ourselves. At this point, one might ask: how can prayer and work possibly be at the same time? It leads to the crux of St. Teresa’s teaching in prayer: what does St. Teresa consider as prayer? What are the key elements in meditation? We will explore this important topic further next time.
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