St. Teresa of Avila
This holy Saint and Doctor of the Church has given us, through her autobiography, writings, and letters, a great opportunity to imbibe and imitate her spirit of holiness and devotion.
Books
A very theological course in devotion as ‘mansions’. It gives instruction on many topics all around spiritual converse with God, with instruction on discernment of inspirations/revelations. Very good for nuns, fairly good for contemplative religious, and also good for lay people.
- Minor Works of St. Teresa of Avila: Conceptions of the Love of God; Exclamations, Maxims and Poems of St. Teresa of Jesus
Also contains a short account of the Saint’s death and canonization, etc., by the translator
This might be missing a fourth volume. I’m not sure. An amazon.com result seems to suggest there is a fourth volume. But I haven’t found one on archive.org yet.
Book Snippets
Life of St. Teresa of Avila written by Herself
p.1 St. Teresa of Avila’s purpose for writing her autobiography
p.2 St. Teresa of Avila’s brief portrait of her holy parents
p.3 A portrait of the hearts of St. Teresa of Avila and her brother as children
p.5 The humility of St. Teresa of Avila in retrospect to her childhood
p.6 St. Teresa of Avila cautions parents about bad books and dressing up
p.10 St. Teresa of Avila recounting being sent to a monastery at about age 16
p.12 St. Teresa of Avila’s lost devotion begins to return during her stay in the monastery
p.14 St. Teresa of Avila begins to see the vanity of the world, and to resolve to be a nun
p.15 St. Teresa of Avila’s various struggles in her resolve to become a nun
p.16 St. Teresa of Avila is filled with an everlasting joy the moment she becomes a nun
p.19 St. Teresa of Avila’s illness leads her to a Book on Prayer and Recollection
p.21 St. Teresa of Avila begins, at 23 years old, to learn and profit from mental prayer
p.24 St. Teresa of Avila’s interior life during her novitiate
p.25 St. Teresa of Avila prays for patience in illness and receives both
p.26 St. Teresa of Avila’s harmful experiences with imprudent and unknowledgeable confessors
p.27 St. Teresa of Avila and a Priest who both needed prudence and purity
p.30 St. Teresa of Avila suffers immensely from an illness and lets it conform her will to God’s
p.31 St. Teresa of Avila nearly falls into Hell during a dangerous illness
p.35 St. Teresa of Avila avoids the sin of detraction and encourages others to do the same
p.36 St. Teresa of Avila lacks resignation to God, and takes St. Joseph as her patron
p.41 St. Teresa of Avila begins to fall through false humility
p.43 St. Teresa of Avila strongly warns of the dangers of lax monasteries and cloisters
p.47 St. Teresa convinces her father to pray, though she does not pray herself
p.53 St. Teresa of Avila recommends befriending those earnestly seeking God also
p.57 St. Teresa of Avila begins to pray after many years of avoiding it
p.60 St. Teresa of Avila reassures us that it’s far better to pray, even when we really don’t want to
p.66 St. Teresa of Avila describes her simple methods of meditation
p.69 St. Teresa of Avila describes being drawn by God away from spiritual dangers
p.70 St. Teresa of Avila explains the mercy of God’s gifts and our true humility in admitting them
p.75 St. Teresa of Avila wishes out of true humility for her writings not to be published except her sins
Minor Works of St. Teresa of Avila