Teresa of Avila had four main books. The first three are her Life, The Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. They are well known and well read. The fourth is much less popular. It is called The Book of the Foundations.
It is a hidden gem. In this book, Theresa tells the fascinating story of the establishing of seventeen new convents between 1567 and 1582. The last was just four months before her death. It was a time of hectic turmoil for the aging nun.
Each new foundation is like a series of soap operas with one more dramatic than the other. The message amid the inevitable struggle for each convent is how Teresa gave expression to her deep spirituality in the midst of the chaos of life. Far from being a dreamy contemplative removed from life, Teresa was a practical politician, a wise decision-maker and relentlessly faithful to her ideals. Poverty came in all different forms. It was embraced wherever it was manifested. The spirit of prayer was pervasive despite the great burdens of petty politicians and church and civil critics along with frequent community opposition to her new convents. Red tape and hidden political agendas in addition to some gross classism and racism were the stuff of her journey to God.
The story of the foundation of the convent in Toledo is a good example of Teresa’s commitment and style. Her Jesuit confessor urged her to take the gift of a rich merchant, Martin Ramirez, to establish a convent in this prosperous city. She reluctantly accepted the call.
She immediately sent notice to a friend and benefactor, Dona Luísa, to seek the obligatory license. This permission needed the approval of both civil and church authorities. Her confidence in Dona Luísa was based on previous support in founding a convent in Malagon.
Shortly before she arrived, she learned two critical facts. Her rich merchant patron Ramirez had died and Dona Luísa had not obtained the all-important license.
Negotiation with the heirs of the merchant quickly led Teresa to resist their controlling demands. She had no hesitation in discarding their support.
The license issue was more complex. In part, Teresa had to maneuver through the dangerous minefield of the opposing aristocracy which, in turn, led to the antagonism of the civil authorities.
- The aristocracy’s resistance was based on the sense of violation of their privilege. They abhorred the thought of a merchant, no matter how wealthy, founding a convent. They claimed this mission as their exclusive right. Therefore, Dona Luis made no effort to obtain the license.
Secondly, the fires of opposition were stirred by racism. The merchant was a Converso, a converted Jew. This made his role as patron unthinkable in the social and political reality of Toledo’s elite.
The bishop of Toledo would have been a powerful ally of Teresa. However, he suffered from one fatal flaw, literally. He came from a poor, peasant family. The priests of aristocratic lineage could not stomach this insult. They created false charges of heresy that led to seventeen years of imprisonment for the poor bishop who died a broken man four days after his release.
Teresa faced three seemingly prohibitive challenges: obtaining the license, getting the money and finding a suitable house. She cut through the obstacles with innate practical expertise and astute political insight while charming her opponents and eventually appeasing the troubled aristocracy. They were happy to build a large chapel for the new convent.
In it all, Teresa and her nuns embraced the severe poverty that her faithful resistance created. They found the struggle a source of grace and life. In fact, the ultimate resolution led to unanticipated prosperity that they found disturbing.
What comes through in the text is a real human being consumed with worry and anxiety. She had plunged into life far removed from any false spiritual escape. Teresa’s struggle unveils firsthand her faith and confidence despite the harshness of her experience. Patience was a driving force in the ups and downs of the conflicts.
Charity and obedience, however, are the crown jewels of Teresa’s efforts. Her strong reluctance to begin the venture showed her obedience. A clear example of her charity is her description of Dona Lisa’s treatment of the nuns.
Here is a verse that reveals the charity to Dona Luisa who played a critical role in undermining all of Teresa’s efforts. Teresa had every right to express some fierce hostility to the deceiving patroness.
Teresa’s deepest disappointment was the fiasco with the license. She fails to attack the devious patroness saying only: “I was saddened more over them not giving the license than the rest.”
While Dona Luisa gave Teresa and her companion hospitality in her luxurious mansion before they entered the new convent, she did not give them a penny of support for the new venture. As a result, Teresa obtained some hay to go along with blankets as their only possessions in the new house. Teresa expresses no rancor when she says: “It will seem impossible that though we had stayed in the house of that lady who loved me so much, we had to enter the new facilities in so much poverty.” (F 15.13)
II
Teresa’s story in the Foundations raises a major issue in the search for a true spirituality. How does one find balance between prayer and action, solitude and involvement? Teresa’s life was constantly trying to balance these elements.In chapter five of Foundations she gives us some wise advice. This counsel leads us to understand the basic issue in all this pursuit for balance. Teresa emphasizes the answer is not in how we feel. Nor is it in continual pious and spiritual thoughts. Teresa states with clarity and force: “How the soul progresses does not lie in thinking much but in loving much.” (F 5.2)
- Where do we find this love that is the answer? Teresa says this love comes from faithfulness to obedience and charity. These are the clearest manifestations of welcoming God’s will. It is not a question of our spiritual delights but the delight of God in our embracing his will. Obedience is the clarifying factor that opens us the way. Charity is an equal partner: “Whatever you do to the least you do for me.” (Mt 25:40) Security in the journey is rooted in this dynamic duo of obedience and charity.
III
In talking about this elusive balance in the search for true holiness, Teresa did not downplay prayer and solitude. At the same time when obedience and charity revealed her responsibilities, Teresa responded with generosity and all her many talents. “My Daughters, don’t be sad when obedience draws you to involvement in exterior matters. Know that if it is in the kitchen, the Lord walks among the pots and pans helping you both exteriorly and interiorly.” (F 5.8.)The highest degree of spirituality does not consist in interior raptures or intense spiritual delights. It is in living God’s will with love. Total withdrawal from the demands of ordinary daily life easily leads to great self-deception. Involvement in the ambiguity of life exposes hidden faults and calls one to a deeper self-knowledge in the give-and-take of our sinful condition.
Teresa returns to her constant theme, humility and self-knowledge. This is her entryway to the mystery of love revealed in Jesus. For her, any responsibility that causes us to face our limits and our weaknesses is a great gift of God. “I consider one day of humble self-knowledge as a greater favor from the Lord, even though the day may have cost us numerous afflictions and trials, than many days of prayer.” (F 5.16.)
Her message is clear. Doing God’s will is holiness. Humility and self-knowledge free one from the many self-deceptions the ego produces in the distortion of true spirituality. Teresa is always highlighting the basics: God’s call in obedience and charity leading to God’s will. Everything else, especially prayer, plays an important supportive role.
IV
I like to use this example as a help in discovering God’s will. Imagine a small table next to your bed. When you wake up, God has a to-do list for today. This list begins with your relationships and responsibilities. Your first task is to bring love to all who are close to you. Your responsibilities demand your generosity and commitment. You are then invited to use your time, talent and treasure to both expand your horizons of involvement and deepen the measure of your love. It all starts at home and grows in expanding circles of love.
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