Way of Perfection

Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515 ? October 4, 1582) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be a founder of the Discalced Carmelites along with John of the Cross. Although she designed her book for her fellow sisters of the Carmelite Order, St. Teresa's Way of Perfection remains accessible to modern readers. In it, she sets out to lead others along the way to union with God through prayer, silence, and meditation. A few of the book's 42 chapters could be called a collection of rules, but the majority of the book more rightly fits the description of advice. As she suggests ways for readers to seek self-perfection, her words are practical, heartfelt, and drawn from personal e xperience. Not only this, but because of the book's less formal and less poetically obscure nature, it offers up a more direct articulation of St. Teresa's theological views than do her autobiography or her most famous work, The Interior Castle.