Santa Teresa de Jesus : Su mundo, sus monjas, y yo : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

My senior thesis focuses on Saint Teresa of Avila, a nun and mystic who reformed the Carmelite order in sixteenth-century Spain. I have read several of her works, including her autobiography, her poetry, and Way of Perfection. Based on the worldview these works offer, I have written an academic paper in which I examine the dualisms St. Teresa presents, such as life vs. death and action vs. contemplation. I conclude that the initial distinctions are not as absolute as they first appear, for the opposing terms gradually blend together to offer a comprehensive understanding of the world. In addition, my thesis includes a brief essay over the continuing importance of St. Teresa's spirituality in the lives of Carmelite nuns today. My observations are based on five days I spent in a Carmelite convent in Indianapolis. The third written part of my thesis takes the form of a personal letter to St. Teresa in which I offer my own reactions to her works and explore my personal spiritual growth. Finally, my thesis also includes a small bilingual book of quotations taken from St. Teresa's works.