St. Teresa of Avila – Patron Saint of Headache Sufferers

“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in Heaven.” (Matthew, Ch. 5., v. 10-v. 12.)

 

Biography of St. Teresa of Avila

Saint Teresa of Avila, the great reformer of the Carmelite Order and renowned mystic of the Church, was born and worked in Spain in the sixteenth century. In fact her life spanned the greater part of that century, a period of time when her country was in the ascendancy among the nations of the world. During this era, Spain was not only the dominant country of Europe, but the was a leader in the Americaa, Africa and India. It should be remembered that Spain, geographically speaking, is nearer the Americas, than is England or France, and it actually adjoins Africa. This position, naturally, gave Spain a great advantage during the great period of colonization.

In the year 1580, two years before the death of Teresa of Avila, Spain and Portugal were united into one kingdom. It was the Golden Age of Spanish culture and wealth. How much of this wealth had been obtained from the conquest of South America has already been indicated in the previous chapter. It was also a time of great religious fervor in Spain, and that country, virtually one out of every five men and women were in some religious order or had taken sacred orders. It was also the country which gave the world Ignatius of Loyola, the great saint who tried to bring unity again to Christendom from the chaos of the Protestant revolt.

Teresa Sanchez, was born at Avila in old Castile in 1515. Her father, Alphonse Sanchez, married twice, having three children by his first wife and nine children by his second wife, seven sons and two daughters. Teresa was the eldest of these two daughters by the second marriage. Teresa’s mother was a rather romantic type of wom an and the young Teresa had a very strong affection for her. She died when Teresa was twelve years of age, and this caused the young girl much grief and unhappiness.

Teresa was very close to her brother Rodriguez, and they used to read and pray together frequently. They became enamored of the Crusades to the Holy Land, a project which fired the imagination of all Christendom in those days. On one occasion, in their desperate schemes to convert the non-believers, they set out together for the Moorish settlements, resolved if necessary to die for the Faith. Fortunately for themselves and for the Faith, however, they were found outside the town by an uncle and brought home. Teresa studied for a while with the Augustinian nuns of Avila, and finally, against her father’s wishes, she entered the Carmelite Order at Avila where she made her profession in her twentieth year.

 

St. Teresa & St. John of the Cross

Before continuing Teresa’s life and her works, it would be well at this point to explain that during the sixteenth century, largely through the efforts of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, there was a great reform of ecclesiastical and monastic life bringing about the strict cloister as we know it today, particularly for the Carmelite Order for Women. Both Teresa and John of the Cross were members of the Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, a religious order which had been founded in 1206 on Mt. Carmel in Palestine.

 

St. Albert, the Patriarch of Jerusalem gave the Carmelite Order its first monastic rule. During the thirteenth century, when the Carmelites made their first appearance in Europe, they tried to combine the rigorous rule of the hermits of the east with the active and Apostolic missionary zeal of the mendicant orders such as the Franciscans and the Dominicans. As a proposed solution to this conflict, in 1432, the original rule of St. Albert was relaxed or mitigated, as it were, by Pope Eugenius.

 

The whole purpose of St. Teresa’s life and, that eventually of St. John of the Cross, was to register a protest against this relaxation of the ancient Carmelite discipline, and an attempt on their part to bring about the restoration of the austere cloistered contemplative life. Needless to say they encountered many obstacles and extreme opposition over a long period of time.

 

The Carmelite convent where Teresa lived, and the others in her area, were all of the Mitigated Rule. Many ladies from the upper class of society had entered religion and there were not a few dubious vocations. The nuns wore silken habits, had their own quarters with the usual comforts of life and could receive as well as entertain visitors and relatives in the parlors of their respective con vents. It was more of a “salon-like” existence with erudite conversations on abstruse theological points or political gossip of the day, rather than a cell like” manner of life, with the emphasis on prayer, seclusion, and meditation. Certainly the Carmelite convent for women in those days was a far cry the strict enclosure we know today.

 

St. Teresa of Avila Patron Saint of those who suffer Headaches and Migraines

Today, the Catholic Church regards St. Teresa of Avila as the patron saint of all of those who suffer from headaches and migraines. Throughout her entire life, St. Teresa of Avila suffered from numerous illnesses. St. Teresa offered up the sufferings of as an act of love and devotion to God.

 

Prior to her entrance into religious life and her profession at the age of twenty years, Teresa had suffered from an undetermined illness which now increased in its severity. She suffered heart attacks and violent fainting spells which very often deprived her of her senses. As already noted, the Carmelites were not then in strict enclosure, so her father persuaded Teresa’s physician to have her removed from the convent for more particular treatment.

 At the end of a first year in the convent, her condition became so grave that she was actually thought to be dead. Funeral arrangements were made and she was almost buried alive until her father noted some signs of life. Teresa eventually returned to the convent at Avila where she continued to suffer from this strange sickness. It was almost three years before she fully recovered, and during this time she was so crippled that she was completely bent over.

St. Teresa is believed to have suffered from a variety of health issues throughout her life, including headaches, and she is said to have offered her sufferings to God as a means of uniting herself more closely to him. She is also believed to have had the gift of healing, and it is said that she was able to pray for those who were suffering from headaches and other ailments, and that her intercessions were often effective in bringing about relief.

As a result of her experiences of suffering and her gift of healing, St. Teresa of Avila is considered to be a patron saint of those who suffer from headaches, and many people turn to her for intercession and support when they are experiencing head pain.

 

The Visions of St. Teresa of Avila

Even in this condition, however, she continued to work and never once lost her spirit of endurance and kindly humor. After her recovery, Teresa began to experience more and more a complete union with God. She was favored with many visions of the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and other saints. It is related by herself, and verified by her contemporaries that she frequently experienced ecstatic trances in her mystical union with God. She received the gift of levitation, and during these times, according to very reliable witnesses, her body would actually rise from the ground, in spite of her pleas to have others hold her down.

 

This would often happen during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or when she was about to receive Holy Communion. In spite of her illness and her unusual life, however, Teresa did not forget her great aim, and in the year 1562, she set out to effect the reform of the Carmelite Order.

 

Many journeys were made and many disappointments were encountered at the hands of disapproving superiors who regarded Teresa as a religious fanatic. As much as she suffered, however, Teresa never regarded herself as a martyr. She had an extraordinary dry sense of humor, and could laugh things off, a virtue of her life which our age of tension could well imitate. She wrote: “As to the evil speaking directed against me, which is considerable and highly injurious to me and done by many, I find myself herein also very much the better. I think that what they say makes scarcely any more impression me than it would upon an idiot.“

 

Teresa suffered a great deal during her years of attempted reformation, but following the advice a Confessor whose counsel had helped draw her away from frivolities and into a more interior life, Teresa continued to say the “Veni Creator” every day in order to obtain light and strength from the Holy Ghost, to Whom she had great devotion. Her motto was: “to die or to suffer,” and she suffered much hardship with a supreme resignation. The Mitigated Carmelites, her opponents, even thought of having her sent to the Indies to get her out of circulation. Calumnies were spread about herself and Father Gratian.

 

St. Teresa & St. John Reform the Carmelites

When Teresa was elected as Prioress of the Incarnation convent at Avila, there was a great up roar, and the new provincial excommunicated the fifty-five nuns who had voted for her and continued to persecute them for several months. St. John of the Cross, their saintly confessor, who was working with Teresa, hand-in-glove, towards reformation in the Carmelite monasteries for men, was imprisoned by the Mitigated Carmelites and suffered many indignities at their hands. Through all of this, however, Teresa maintained her composure and firm determination, following her own maxim: “Receive reprimands with outward and interior humility, and pray for your admonisher.”

 

Finally after superhuman efforts, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Teresa succeeded in her project. She set up a small convent with a few sisters and there they observed the original strict rule of the Carmelite Order. She lived to established in Spain sixteen convents of the Reformed or Strict Observance for Women, and fourteen monasteries for the Carmelite Friars, founded with the aid of St. John of the Cross. By a Brief from Rome in 1577, during the life of both Teresa and John, the separation was sanctioned, and the result of this reform was the establishment of the Carmelites into two separate divisions, the Calced or “the Mitigated”, and the Discalced or the “Carmelites of the Strict Observance”.

 

St. Teresa offered her sufferings to God

In personal appearance, Teresa of Avila, we are told, was a striking individual. Ribera, her confessor and biographer, speaks of her beautiful face with her “complexion of lilies and roses”, of her kind but subtle mouth, and of her keen dark eyes that pierced men to the soul. She is described by her contemporaries as a robust, jolly sort of person, who travelled constantly in her endeavor to fulfill her measures of reform.

 

Teresa was equally at home with the poor and with the wealthy,—with lay person, bishop, nobleman, or religious. She was honest, frank and outspoken, and a woman who trusted completely in Cod. She tried her han at everything, from helping to repair a makeshift wall of a convent to cooking for the nuns under her care. She had a man’s fortitude and courage, and as one Spaniard said of her during her lifetime: “I fear only two men in Spain,… the King and Teresa!”

 

Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew, who knew Teresa better than anyone else, tells us that the Saint of Avila was not a gloomy person, and did not want others to be gloomy or morose in her presence. She used to say: “May God deliver me from surly saints!“.

 

By the same token, recreation for the nuns in Teresa’s convents was never boring, and Teresa herself, even in later years, always joined in the amusement. One day when Teresa was going to her cell, in a very tired and feverish state, it happened to be recreation time. A young novice saw her slipping away, and she persuaded the saint to go to recreation, where Teresa, in spite of her physical indisposition, sang and danced with tambourine and castanets for the other nuns.

 

“A strange sort of mother foundress!” some of them thought. But to a few strait-laced sisters who were shocked, like many of the kill-joys we encounter in this life, Teresa said pointedly: “All this is needed to make life endurable.” Certainly the people of the theatre, who follow the tradition that the “how must go on”, in spite of illness or personal sorrows, can find their inspiration in St. Teresa, and we can find fitting example in the same spirit which tells us that the show of life must go on, in spite of headaches and heartaches.

How did St. Teresa of Avila Die

Teresa of Avila, the indefatigable reformer, finally ended her great mission upon earth, when she died in ecstasy on the night of October 4, 1582, at the age of sixty-seven, in the convent at Alba.

 

For the duration of her life she had been revered and respected throughout all of Spain, even though maligned by many, and after her death she became known throughout the entire Christian world. St. Teresa is especially known for for her autobiography and spiritual writings which are among the most outstanding in the Church. From those writings, and from her life, which Almighty God chose to enrich with such rare mystical gifts, thereby manifesting His approval of her behavior, it becomes apparent that He did not intend saints, or those who strive to imitate them, to be sour and dreary with a built-in persecution complex.

 

Christ, Himself tried to teach us that in the midst of all sickness, sorrows, disappointments and adversities, that must befall each and every one of us in this vale of tears, we must learn to smile through those tears. Although His own life was filled with sorrow and suffering, He constantly spoke of joy as St. Teresa emulated in her own life.

 

Lessons Learned from the Life of St. Teresa of Avila

Of the many spiritual benefits we can derive from the life of this exceptional saint, one great lesson stands out above all the others. That lesson is the practice of the two spiritual works of mercy: to bear wrongs patiently, and to forgive all injuries. Teresa of Avila showed us how to do this by practicing in a heroic degree the virtues of fortitude and patience, and by manifesting in all her dealings with other people a real sense of humor in the Christian meaning of the word. In this well-balanced attitude of sensible spirituality, she became not only a magnificent model for all women religious and religious superiors, but she gave to women of every generation the secret of sanctity.

 

Teresa knew the spiritual value of forgiving one’s injuries. She once wrote: “To ensure that persecution and insults should bear good fruit and profit the soul, it is well to consider that they are done to God before they are done to me, for the blow aimed at me has already been aimed as His Majesty by sin.”

 

Again, she wrote some sage advice to her own nuns, when she said: “I often tell you sisters and now I leave it to you in writing, that not only those dwelling in this house, but all who aspire after perfection must fly a thousand leagues from saying: “I was right; it was not right for me to suffer this; they had no right to do such a thing to me! Now God deliver us from such wrong rights!“

 

Another time she wrote: “Should the fault be laid on me, it will not be the first time. I have been blamed when innocent, but experience has taught me that when Our Lord is pleased, He smooths the way.“

 

What a tremendous philosophy this saint possessed, a philosophy of patience! This philosophy was summed up in the profound prayer that was her way of life: “Let nothing disturb thee, nothing affright thee. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience gains all things. Who has God wants nothing. God alone suffices.“

Reflection on the Life of St. Teresa

Yes, Teresa practiced these words. Patience in her adversities; patience in her bodily ailments; patience in her for grievances of the misguided actions of others. This was the guiding light of Teresa’s life-the patience with a smile that made her a saint and can bring sainthood to her twentieth century counterparts. How often do we, ourselves, and how frequently do our acquaintances, particularly those endowed with the feminine gender, like to talk of bodily ills, and bore others with all the details of the latest operation, even if it be of a very minor nature!

 

Some people can’t tolerate a passing headache, often brought about by their own negligence or over indulgence, and they will rave about a severe tooth ache, rather than betake themselves to the nearest dentist. Such people seem to thrive on being miserable, and if they have no real ailment they become dramatic hypochondriacs. If other people will not grovel in continued sympathy with these perpetual moaners of bad health, they feel they are being persecuted, forgetting that their audience have ills of their own, which they are trying patiently to endure.

 

As the poet says: “Some people upon plaintive strings, publish their wistfulness abroad. I have not spoken of these things save to one man and to God.” These chronic complainers lack any Christian patience, who have the permanent look of having just eaten a lemon, are the people to whom Teresa referred when she quoted such individuals as saying: “… it was not right for me to suffer this; they had no right to do this to me!“

 

St. Teresa, herself, certainly did not enjoy good health, as we have already seen from her life, but she didn’t constantly groan about her bad fortune. Her stamina, moral courage, and general jocose frame of mind about such things, can be shown from the words she once wrote to her brother Alonzo: “I don’t think I have been well for as long as six weeks to gether”. She then went on to list her various illnesses, more as an entertaining litany, rather than a dreary dirge, such ailments as quinsy, a face-ache, a constant pain in her side.

 

After this, however, in a typical Teresian statement she said: “It makes me laugh sometimes to think that in spite of this, I am able to do all the things I have to do.” One wonders how many people today with the ills of normal living and with all the new medical remedies at their disposal, possess this same sane outlook of this great Spanish saint!

 

How to emulate the life of St. Teresa in our own life

Just as Our Divine Lord and Teresa of Avila had a definite mission to accomplish upon earth, so do we. Both she and Our Divine Lord gave us magnificent examples of how we must learn to take the bitter with the sweet. This does not mean that we must become door mats for other people to tread upon. Neither Christ nor Teresa did this.

 

Christ lashed out against the Pharisees and unbelievers when occasion demanded it, and with divine wrath drove the money-changers from the temple. Teresa, too dealt strongly with others when a matter of principle of morality was involved, and she knew the technique of the “velvet glove”. She felt strongly about what she firmly believed, and she knelt strongly in prayer, when others sought to blacken her name or question the sanity of her motives.

 

She typifies for the modern Catholic woman, the motto “service with a smile”, service for Almighty God, salted with the virtues of Christian patience and fortitude which tell us to do unto others, what they very often do not do unto us. Her life, and a summary of what she tried to teach us, might be found in the short but meaningful adage of Alcoholics Anonymous which says: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.“

 

St. Teresa of Avila had great devotion to the Holy Spirit, Who strengthens all men at the time of Confirmation. One of the gifts of the Holy Ghost is fortitude, and one of the fruits of the Holy Ghost is patience. We should use these to obtain sanctity and happiness, when he tells us to say the following prayer each day, as Teresa might have prayed: “O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul I adore Thee; enlighten, guide, strengthen, and console me; tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to be submissive in everything that Thou shalt ask of me, and to accept all that Thou permittest to happen to me, only show me what is Thy will.“

 

St. Theresa of Avila patron saint of those who suffer illness, pray for us.

 

PRAYER TO ST. TERESA OF AVILA:

O St. Teresa, seraphic Virgin, beloved spouse of the crucified Lord, thou who on earth didst burn with a love so intense toward thy God and my God, and now de glow with a purer and brighter flame in Paradise: obtain for me also, I beseech thee a spark of that same holy fire which shall cause me to forget the world, all things created, and even myself; for thou didst ever desire to see Him loved by all men; Grant that my every thought and desire and affection may be continually employed in doing the will of God, the supreme Good, whether I am in joy or in pain, for He is worthy to be loved and obeyed ever. lastingly. Obtain for me this grace, thou who art so powerful with God; may I be all on fire like thee, with the holy love of God, Amen.

(Prayer by St. Alphonsus M. Liguori, taken from The Raccolta. An Indulgence of 300 days. A Plenary Indulgence on the usual conditions, if this prayer is said devoutly every day for a month-S.C. Ind., April 22, 1898 and S.P. Ap., Feb. 12, 1934.)

 

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Lord, grant that I may always allow myself
to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honour.
May Your Will be done in time
and in eternity by me, in me, and through me. Amen.

 

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Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things are passing away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

   Prayer to St. Teresa of Avila

Dear St. Teresa of Avila, you were a woman of great faith and devotion, who lived a life dedicated to the Lord. I turn to you today, seeking your intercession and guidance as I strive to grow in my own relationship with the Lord.

Help me to deepen my own faith and to live a life that brings glory to the Lord. May I always be guided by His light, and may I have the courage and determination to follow His will, even when it is difficult. Amen.

A prayer for the Intercession of St. Teresa of Avila

Dear St. Teresa of Avila, I turn to you today in need of your intercession. You were known for your deep devotion to the Lord and your unwavering faith, and I ask that you intercede for me and for all those in need of your help.

Please pray for those who are struggling in their faith, that they may find comfort and hope in their trials. Pray for those who are seeking a deeper relationship with God, that they may find what they are looking for. And pray for all of us, that we may grow in our faith and deepen our own relationships with the Lord. Amen.

A prayer for the Inspiration of St. Teresa of Avila

Dear St. Teresa of Avila, I seek your inspiration today as I strive to live a life that is true to my faith. May I always be guided by your example and your deep devotion to the Lord, and may I have the courage to follow His will, even when it is difficult.

And may I always be filled with a sense of peace and joy, knowing that I am walking in the footsteps of the Lord, and that I am doing His will. Amen.

St. Teresa of Avila: Patron Saint of Headaches, Seekers of God, and the Spanish People

St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th century Spanish mystic, is recognized as the patron saint of headaches, seekers of God, and the Spanish people.

Patron Saint of Headaches: St. Teresa of Avila is known to have suffered from chronic headaches and is thus considered the patron saint of those suffering from headaches. It is believed that praying to her and invoking her intercession can bring relief from the pain of headaches.

Patron Saint of Seekers of God: St. Teresa of Avila was a devout Catholic who dedicated her life to God. She founded the Discalced Carmelite order and wrote several books about her mystical experiences and spiritual journey, including “”The Interior Castle”” and “”The Way of Perfection.”” These works have inspired many people on their own spiritual journeys and made her a popular saint among those seeking a closer relationship with God.

Patron Saint of the Spanish People: St. Teresa of Avila was born in Avila, Spain and lived there for much of her life. She is considered a national symbol of Spain and is revered by the Spanish people for her contributions to Spanish spirituality and culture. In 1970, she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI, making her one of only four women to be given this title.

In summary, St. Teresa of Avila is the patron saint of headaches, seekers of God, and the Spanish people due to her own personal struggles with headaches, her devotion to God and her writings that have inspired others on their spiritual journeys, and her cultural significance as a Spanish national symbol.

Reflection on the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila

The feast day of St. Teresa of Avila is on October 15th.

As we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, we are called to reflect on the life and legacy of this remarkable woman, who is remembered for her deep faith, devotion, and commitment to God. Born in the 16th century, St. Teresa is known for her contributions to the Catholic Church as a mystic, writer, and reformer.

One of the most striking aspects of St. Teresa’s life is her deep devotion to God. She had a profound spiritual experiences throughout her life, which she wrote about in her famous book, “”Interior Castle.”” Through her writings, she shared her insights on the spiritual journey and the profound joy that can be found in a close relationship with God.

St. Teresa was also a strong advocate for reform in the Church. She founded the Discalced Carmelites, a monastic order dedicated to a life of poverty and simplicity, and she worked tirelessly to promote the ideals of contemplative prayer and solitude. Her efforts helped to renew the Church and bring it back to its spiritual roots.

As we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, let us be reminded of the power of faith and devotion in our own lives. Let us strive to follow her example, dedicating ourselves to God and to the pursuit of a deeper spiritual life. May her writings and her legacy continue to inspire us on our own journey towards holiness.

In conclusion, St. Teresa of Avila’s feast day is a reminder of the power of devotion and faith in our lives. Her deep spirituality, writings and her commitment to Church reform continues to inspire us today. May her example and intercession guide us to deepen our own relationship with God and bring us closer to holiness.

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You may also be interested in reading the Biography of St. Therese of Lisieux. St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux are both notable Carmelite saints known for their mystical writings and spiritual insights. Next up: Biography of St. Theodora

 

Also check out our handmade St. Teresa of Avila Medal and St. Teresa of Avila Rosary and St. Teresa of Avila Rosary Bracelet .