Teresa of Avila - Spain - 16th Century

Avila is a wonderland, circled by a rosary of ninety castle towers .A Silver River embroiders its loveliness .Here Teresa danced, sang, played music. liked perfume, and became God’s great lover .Before entering religious life, when a man admired her neat feet, she said ‘take a good look, you won’t have a chance again’.

Avila makes one dream .Those mighty rock boulders of Roman days. what stories they could tell...and those strong ramparts have secret messages. In the midst of this awesome grandeur I noticed a frail little girl with her dog, searching through the refuse for some food. In a wonderful world too Teresa saw wounds that needed healing and love, and she did not pass by. From silly devotions and sour faced saints, she prayed, deliver us, O Lord ....Better no convents, than melancholic people, she said .

The holier you are the more sociable you should be . She hated business and money dealings, but took it on for love’s sake .In her later years she like to compliment people, rather than find fault .She wondered whether this was virtue or laziness.