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Teresa
was born in Castile, Spain, in the sixteenth century. As a young
girl she ran away from home with the intent to be martyrized.
An uncle retrieved her and brought her home. She grew into a
typical teenager obsessed with fashion and perfumes, so much
so that her father sent her to a convent (but then reproached
her decision to marry Christ). She was plagued by visions, but
was uncertain whether they were from God or the Devil. She became
a renowned mystic, experiencing ecstasies to the point of levitation.
She wrote several autobiographies in which she said she could
taste God in her mouth, and told of a vision in which an angel
appeared with a flaming arrow. She wrote that he plunged the
arrow into her breast, and that she could feel the fire in her
bowels. In fact, her heart (which is on display at the convent
in Avila) has the scar of a wound. Although known for her charm
and wit, “God preserve us from stupid nuns” was
her response to being cloistered so closely to her Carmelite
sisters. In 1970, she became the first woman ever to be named
“Doctor” of the Church. Teresa is also the patron
of Spain; and she's invoked against headaches and heart disease.
Her feast day is October 15. |
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| St.
Teresa of Avila
Patron St. of
Writers |
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