The Way of Perfection

In this famous spiritual classic the great St. Teresa of Avila comes down from the heights of contemplation that she described in her Autobiography. In The Way of Perfection, she starts at the beginning in the matter of prayer, teaching a simple form of mental prayer by which one may progress far in a short time. In the first half of the book, St. Teresa gives many fascinating insights into the spiritual life regarding relatives, confessors, health, the snares of Satan, supernatural vs. natural love, and other subjects-especially as lived in a convent. In the second half, she teaches how to begin a life of prayer. She explains what contemplation is and how it differs from ordinary mental prayer and from vocal prayer. In the process, she analyzes the Pater Noster or "Our Father" phrase by phrase, showing its hidden meanings and explaining how to transform our vocal prayer into mental prayer. St Teresa assures us that those who practice this simple mental prayer may well hope that God will grant them the "prayer of quiet," which is the beginning of contemplation and of God's heavenly "Kingdom" enjoyed even on this earth. The Way of Perfection shows St. Teresa's wonderful combination of common sense, strong Catholic faith and amazing spiritual energy and penetration. In this book, she shares her own ardent spirit, encouraging us in our efforts to serve God and assuring us that these efforts will be rewarded far beyond what we might ever deserve or can possibly imagine.

St. Teresa of Avila was born in 1515 at Avila, Spain, and her mother Beatriz was determined to bring her up as a good Christian. She attempted to find martyrdom by running away from home when she was seven, but was promptly stopped by her uncle. She later became a Carmelite nun and began to experience, while suffering from sickness, spiritual ecstasy as a result of reading Francisco de Osuna’s Third Spiritual Alphabet. In 1599 she was convinced that she was actually seeing visions of Christ, which continued often for two years.

Teresa of Avila founded a good many convents, including at Andalusia, Palencia and Soria. She is also the author of The Interior Castle, The Way of Perfection, and an Autobiography. She died in 1582 at the age of 67, and was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. Her feast is celebrated on October 15.