The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 1
by Otilio Rodriguez, Teresa of Avila
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Book Summary Information
Author: Otilio Rodriguez, Teresa of AvilaTranslator: Otilio Rodriguez
Translator: Kieran Kavanaugh
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1976-07-01
ISBN: 0960087621
Number of pages: 420
Publisher: Ics Pubns
Book Reviews of The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 1
Book Review: Learning from the Doctor of Prayer!
Summary: 5 Stars
The prophet Hosea tells us, "Strive to know the LORD, he will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth" (Hos 6:3). This is a perfect way of introducing the writings Saint Teresa of Avila, in the book that came to be known as The Life of Teresa of Jesus, sometimes simply referred to as "the book of her life."
If we want to respond to the call given to each of us, "to know the LORD," we cannot do better than beginning with the teachings of this woman, the Doctor of Prayer. We all look for the "How do we do this?" or tried and true ways or methods that we can follow. In this regard, Saint Teresa of Avila can deliver! This book is a great introduction to her thought on prayer which is found throughout her works.
From her own experience, like the prophet Hosea, Saint Teresa uses water to describe how we can form a relationship with the Lord through prayer, which she insists is the only way! With her sixteenth century mind, she speaks of four different ways a garden may be watered. 1) We can draw water--go to the well and lower the bucket. 2) We can build a mechanical device that will pump the water--she uses the idea of a waterwheel with buckets. 3) We can develop a method of providing automatic irrigation--fed by a stream or brook. 4) Lastly, it can rain, like the prophet says above! Likening our souls to a garden, and using the above examples, she shows by comparison that there are differing but advanced and superior methods of praying. She describes these as the "Four Degrees of Prayer."
Unless we are in the most advanced stages of prayer, which is rare, Saint Teresa describes certain commitments that fall on us before we can claim the water we need for our garden." For instance, beginners (and sometimes people at all levels) must be willing to go to the well and draw the water. Should we be unwilling, she speaks of our "ruin" even though Jesus has promised an abundance of "living water." This is her First Degree of Prayer, also called the "first water." Formally, it is known as Meditation. This is expected to supply and carry us to the next stage, called Mental Prayer. Lowering the bucket--Saint Teresa says "it is in these early stages that their labor is hardest ... and God grant there may be water in it! But that, at least, does not depend on us: our task is to draw it up."
She teaches us to be recollected people, to train our minds to be "recollected." This is all preparation for advanced stages, so the Lord can do his work. Accordingly, [for] beginners in prayer, Saint Teresa tell us, that "this is a very laborious proceeding, for it will fatigue them to keep their senses recollected, which is a great labor because they have been accustomed to a life of distraction. Beginners must accustom themselves to pay no heed to what they see or hear, and they must practice doing this during hours of prayer; they must be alone and in their solitude think over their past life" and that all, indeed, whether beginners or proficients, must do this frequently.
The saint goes on for eleven chapters, over 60 pages describing these "Four Degrees." Impossible to summarize all of that here, we can reinforce her teaching from other sources, the first being Pope Paul VI. Since many people have long lists of vocal prayers they say every day, he cautioned about these supplanting [Teresa's teaching about] daily meditation and mental prayer. In his Apostolic Letter Ecclesiae Sanctae, #21 to Religious, he said that in order that they "may more intimately and fruitfully participate in the most holy mystery of the Eucharist and the public prayer of the Church, and that their whole spiritual life may be nourished more abundantly, a larger place should be given to mental prayer instead of a multitude of prayers, retaining nevertheless the pious exercises commonly accepted in the Church and giving due care that the members are instructed diligently in leading a spiritual life." If this can be beneficial to them, it can be beneficial to all of us.
Furthermore, Father Thomas Dubay treats this, showing that there can be definite recognizable growth in following Paul VI's advice. He says there are inclinations we may experience at prayer time so that we may not "quench the Spirit!" This all closely follows the advice of Saint Teresa that all prayer, even vocal prayer, should be mental prayer, i.e. a loving conversation with the God who we know loves us. This recognizable growth, which her discourse is all about, can be summarized briefly in the following: 1) In Discursive Meditation, we find a "leading to" or "trying to" talk to the Lord inwardly. 2) Meditation and Mental Prayer: there is a "quest" in your prayer and you feel yourself "desiring" God, though you feel empty and dry. 3) You can be and are "aware" of God in a delightful way--not very long--a few minutes. This can be coupled with distractions.
Other signs are discernable at more advanced stages of prayer, usually called "Contemplation." Better here, however, to simply mention this and to grasp better the above. Thomas Merton, in "Seeds of Contemplation," chapter 19 on "Mental Prayer," begins mentioning "Contemplation" as God work alone, but still we have to prepare for him to do it--all in agreement with Saint Teresa. That is what she is describing here. While we should not avoid learning her extensive treatise, if you can read Merton's valuable concise summary, it can be very practical introduction for any of us to begin to grasp the whole process.
Summary of The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 1
Contains Book of Her Life, Spiritual Testimonies, and Soliloquies.Includes general and biblical index.
This is the second edition of Volume One of The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman doctor of the church. The translators have taken full advantage of all that recent scholarship has contributed to a better understanding of Teresa and her writings. This volume includes her first major work, The Book of Her Life, and two of her shorter works, the Spiritual Testimonies and the Soliloquies. Clear and contemporary, this rendering captures Teresa's spirit while remaining faithful to her thought. Includes general and biblical index.
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