From Ávila, I take with me not even the dirt - Theresa of Avila
Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada (28 March 1515 – 4 October 1582), was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, an author of the Counter Reformation and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be a founder of the Discalced Carmelites along with John of the Cross.
In 1622, forty years after her death, she was canonized by Pope Gregory XV and on 27 September 1970, was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI. Her books, which include her autobiography (The Life of Teresa of Jesus) and her seminal work El Castillo Interior (trans.: The Interior Castle) are an integral part of Spanish Renaissance literature as well as Christian mysticism and Christian meditation practices as she entails in her other important work, Camino de Perfección (trans.: The Way of Perfection).
Pious Catholic beliefs also associate Saint Teresa with the esteemed religious image called Infant Jesus of Prague with claims of former ownership and devotion (Wikipedia).
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The kernel of Teresa's mystical thought throughout all her writings is the ascent of the soul in four stages (The Autobiography Chs. 10-22):
The first, or "mental prayer", is that of devout contemplation or concentration, the withdrawal of the soul from without and especially the devout observance of the passion of Christ and penitence (Autobiography 11.20).
The second is the "prayer of quiet", in which at least the human will is lost in that of God by virtue of a charismatic, supernatural state given by God, while the other faculties, such as memory, reason, and imagination, are not yet secure from worldly distraction. While a partial distraction is due to outer performances such as repetition of prayers and writing down spiritual things, yet the prevailing state is one of quietude (Autobiography 14.1).
The "devotion of union" is not only a supernatural but an essentially ecstatic state. Here there is also an absorption of the reason in God, and only the memory and imagination are left to ramble. This state is characterized by a blissful peace, a sweet slumber of at least the higher soul faculties, or a conscious rapture in the love of God.
The fourth is the "devotion of ecstasy or rapture," a passive state, in which the feeling of being in the body disappears (2 Corinthians 12:2-3). Sense activity ceases; memory and imagination are also absorbed in God or intoxicated. Body and spirit are in the throes of a sweet, happy pain, alternating between a fearful fiery glow, a complete impotence and unconsciousness, and a spell of strangulation, sometimes by such an ecstatic flight that the body is literally lifted into space . This after half an hour is followed by a reactionary relaxation of a few hours in a swoon-like weakness, attended by a negation of all the faculties in the union with God. The subject awakens From this in tears; it is the climax of mystical experience, producing a trance. Indeed, she was said to have been observed levitating during Mass on more than one occasion.
Teresa is one of the foremost writers on mental prayer, and her position among writers on mystical theology is unique. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences. Her deep insight and analytical gifts helped her to explain them clearly. Her definition was used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us." She used a metaphor of mystic prayer as watering a garden throughout her writings (Wikipedia).
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Los Cuatro Postes (The Four Posts)
If you visit the town in the afternoon and, of course, you wish to return to where you set off as you began, you should finish your visit by crossing the bridge over the River Adaja and walking the short distance to the Calvary of Los Cuatro Postes. The view of the town is nothing short of spectacular. And if you go there in the evening, it is particularly magical to see how the town lights up with the walls in the foreground and the Ávila sky changing from blue to black; it is an experience that is not easily forgotten. Seen from here, the cabalistic structure of Ávila, the 'Jerusalem of Castile' as it was called by the poet Avner Pérez, or, if you prefer, the interior Castle of Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, is so visible that it hardly needs explanation.
And what is the story behind Los Cuatro Postes? There are two legends, which are not necessarily incompatible.
First of all, around the year 1157, the town's settlers decided to give thanks for the end of the plague that had taken its toll in Ávila and the surrounding area by organising a pilgrimage to the Chapel of San Leonardo. Everyone wanted to go since no one had escaped from the suffering of the mortal disease and they wanted to give thanks for having been allowed to survive. Ávila was left more or less empty and the Muslims, who were constantly attacking from their positions in the South, took advantage of the situation to enter the town and steal anything of value. When they had finished, they fled with their loot.
When they were told what had happened, the aldermen Nuño Rabia and Gómez Acedo formed a group of men to go after the rogues, separating the group into two to try and surround the thieves. However, the troops that were not under their command retreated to Ávila and shut themselves inside the town. When they had caught the attackers and recovered what had been stolen, they returned to Ávila and found the entrances to the walls closed and the traitors acting as governors. The new rulers demanded part of what had been recovered to free the town.
Royal intercession was soon to arrive and King Sancho III of Castile intervened, entering the town and throwing the traitors out. He ordered that they were to live outside the walls for the rest of their lives and have no privileges. This was apparently the origin of the mediaeval suburbs.
The municipal authorities decided that the original pilgrimage would be repeated each year and the monument known as Los Cuatro Postes was built to make sure that the unfortunate events would not be forgotten.
Another legend has it that it marks the place where, as children, Teresa of Jesus and her brother Rodrigo were caught by their uncle when they were on their way to the south to spread the word of God to the infidels, not concerned by the fact that they might be killed in the attempt since that would turn them into martyrs. They had been so heavily influenced by the adventure books they had read that they wanted to have their own.
Years later, when Teresa was 'expelled' from the town due to her different interpretation of religion, she stopped at the place as she was leaving and, looking back to Ávila, she took off her sandals and knocked the sand off them, saying, "From Ávila, I take with me not even the dirt'". Fortunately, she later reconciled matters with her hometown.
From Ávila, I take with me not even the dirt - Theresa of Avila
Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada (28 March 1515 – 4 October 1582), was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, an author of the Counter Reformation and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be a founder of the Discalced Carmelites along with John of the Cross.
In 1622, forty years after her death, she was canonized by Pope Gregory XV and on 27 September 1970, was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI. Her books, which include her autobiography (The Life of Teresa of Jesus) and her seminal work El Castillo Interior (trans.: The Interior Castle) are an integral part of Spanish Renaissance literature as well as Christian mysticism and Christian meditation practices as she entails in her other important work, Camino de Perfección (trans.: The Way of Perfection).
Pious Catholic beliefs also associate Saint Teresa with the esteemed religious image called Infant Jesus of Prague with claims of former ownership and devotion (Wikipedia).
----
The kernel of Teresa's mystical thought throughout all her writings is the ascent of the soul in four stages (The Autobiography Chs. 10-22):
The first, or "mental prayer", is that of devout contemplation or concentration, the withdrawal of the soul from without and especially the devout observance of the passion of Christ and penitence (Autobiography 11.20).
The second is the "prayer of quiet", in which at least the human will is lost in that of God by virtue of a charismatic, supernatural state given by God, while the other faculties, such as memory, reason, and imagination, are not yet secure from worldly distraction. While a partial distraction is due to outer performances such as repetition of prayers and writing down spiritual things, yet the prevailing state is one of quietude (Autobiography 14.1).
The "devotion of union" is not only a supernatural but an essentially ecstatic state. Here there is also an absorption of the reason in God, and only the memory and imagination are left to ramble. This state is characterized by a blissful peace, a sweet slumber of at least the higher soul faculties, or a conscious rapture in the love of God.
The fourth is the "devotion of ecstasy or rapture," a passive state, in which the feeling of being in the body disappears (2 Corinthians 12:2-3). Sense activity ceases; memory and imagination are also absorbed in God or intoxicated. Body and spirit are in the throes of a sweet, happy pain, alternating between a fearful fiery glow, a complete impotence and unconsciousness, and a spell of strangulation, sometimes by such an ecstatic flight that the body is literally lifted into space . This after half an hour is followed by a reactionary relaxation of a few hours in a swoon-like weakness, attended by a negation of all the faculties in the union with God. The subject awakens From this in tears; it is the climax of mystical experience, producing a trance. Indeed, she was said to have been observed levitating during Mass on more than one occasion.
Teresa is one of the foremost writers on mental prayer, and her position among writers on mystical theology is unique. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences. Her deep insight and analytical gifts helped her to explain them clearly. Her definition was used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us." She used a metaphor of mystic prayer as watering a garden throughout her writings (Wikipedia).
----
Los Cuatro Postes (The Four Posts)
If you visit the town in the afternoon and, of course, you wish to return to where you set off as you began, you should finish your visit by crossing the bridge over the River Adaja and walking the short distance to the Calvary of Los Cuatro Postes. The view of the town is nothing short of spectacular. And if you go there in the evening, it is particularly magical to see how the town lights up with the walls in the foreground and the Ávila sky changing from blue to black; it is an experience that is not easily forgotten. Seen from here, the cabalistic structure of Ávila, the 'Jerusalem of Castile' as it was called by the poet Avner Pérez, or, if you prefer, the interior Castle of Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, is so visible that it hardly needs explanation.
And what is the story behind Los Cuatro Postes? There are two legends, which are not necessarily incompatible.
First of all, around the year 1157, the town's settlers decided to give thanks for the end of the plague that had taken its toll in Ávila and the surrounding area by organising a pilgrimage to the Chapel of San Leonardo. Everyone wanted to go since no one had escaped from the suffering of the mortal disease and they wanted to give thanks for having been allowed to survive. Ávila was left more or less empty and the Muslims, who were constantly attacking from their positions in the South, took advantage of the situation to enter the town and steal anything of value. When they had finished, they fled with their loot.
When they were told what had happened, the aldermen Nuño Rabia and Gómez Acedo formed a group of men to go after the rogues, separating the group into two to try and surround the thieves. However, the troops that were not under their command retreated to Ávila and shut themselves inside the town. When they had caught the attackers and recovered what had been stolen, they returned to Ávila and found the entrances to the walls closed and the traitors acting as governors. The new rulers demanded part of what had been recovered to free the town.
Royal intercession was soon to arrive and King Sancho III of Castile intervened, entering the town and throwing the traitors out. He ordered that they were to live outside the walls for the rest of their lives and have no privileges. This was apparently the origin of the mediaeval suburbs.
The municipal authorities decided that the original pilgrimage would be repeated each year and the monument known as Los Cuatro Postes was built to make sure that the unfortunate events would not be forgotten.
Another legend has it that it marks the place where, as children, Teresa of Jesus and her brother Rodrigo were caught by their uncle when they were on their way to the south to spread the word of God to the infidels, not concerned by the fact that they might be killed in the attempt since that would turn them into martyrs. They had been so heavily influenced by the adventure books they had read that they wanted to have their own.
Years later, when Teresa was 'expelled' from the town due to her different interpretation of religion, she stopped at the place as she was leaving and, looking back to Ávila, she took off her sandals and knocked the sand off them, saying, "From Ávila, I take with me not even the dirt'". Fortunately, she later reconciled matters with her hometown.