TERESA OF AVILA

DISCALCED CARMELITES

As the fresh dawn rose over the Spanish hills, all the bells of the many churches and convents of the city began to announce the beginning of the new day. Early risers in the suburb of Saint Roch at the northern fringe of Avila must have heard a startling sound. An unaccustomed tinkling was coming from the doorway of the small house where mysterious activity had lately been reported.

None of the great bells of Avila, not even the grandiose chimes of San Gil, Santa Ana, and Las Gordillas, evoked as much emotion as did the humble bells of San Jose for those who rang them for the first time.

The ceremony followed immediately lest someone interrupt at the last moment. Teresa presented her four candidates to Father Daza, who gave them their habits in the name of the bishop. Father Daza then put on his vestments and began saying mass. At last the Blessed Sacrament was present in the humble abode. As the four novices in their new robes were formally encloistered and given their names in religion, the Discalced Carmelites came into being.

Teresa and her four daughters were alone at last in the blessed solitude they had desired. The prayers of so many days and nights were answered and fulfilled. "In the world you shall have distress, but have confidence: I have overcome the world."

Unwelcome Intrusion

The next day the mayor of Avila, Seņor Suarez, summoned the city council to discuss the disturbance which had the whole town talking. It had become known that certain women claiming to be Carmelite nuns had occupied the house of San Jose. As if Avila needed another convent! Were there not enough monasteries and convents to begin with?

Let no one misunderstand. The people of Avila loved religion. Nearly every important family had one or more members in one of the many religious communities. The people generously supported the religious communities and would never turn their back on a servant of God in need. But Avila was not a wealthy town, and the people could give no more; this new convent was a burden that simply could not be shouldered. The council decided that all the learned men of Avila must be summoned.

In the meantime, the mayor went to the new convent and knocked on the door, demanding to be admitted. A terrified novice spoke through the door, asking what he wanted, while a crowd of officials and townspeople looked on to see what would happen. The mayor replied that the people did not desire another convent in the city; they must leave at once and return to their homes.

"We will leave only by command of our superior, Teresa," said the nun.

"Open the doors or I will break them down!"

In response, the women barricaded themselves in as best they could, using pieces of boards left over from recent repairs. They were determined to resist. The mayor was furious, and would undoubtedly have forced his way in had he not seen the Blessed Sacrament on the altar near the front entrance. Being a good Catholic, he desisted and went away, but not without leaving some parting warnings.

The city council met on Wednesday morning and appointed a delegate to give the bishop an account of the city’s reaction against the new convent. They wanted the bishop to know that they were resolved to appeal to King Philip II and the Royal Council if necessary. On Saturday plans were made to rally the city’s public opinion leaders to come to an assembly at the Council Hall the following day. The bishop was invited to attend, and all the learned men of Avila were summoned.

Avila Outraged

It was a solemn and imposing assembly that came together after mass that Sunday. All the nobility and learned men of Avila were represented in the colorful throng, and at the heart of it all were the city officials in brilliant costumes braided with gold. Indeed, the city could have produced no greater demonstration if menaced by flood, pestilence, or invasion, rather than by five poor women who wanted only to pray and to eat as little as possible.

The mayor was eager to begin; he had an arsenal of arguments prepared. "We are gathered here, illustrious gentlemen, for something which could easily be decided without the opinion of so many eminent people. But I wanted to make use of your presence so that my actions, having the approval of people held in highest esteem, may have greater weight.

"We are all acutely aware of the new convent of Discalced Carmelites. But this is not an ordinary convent: it is an innovation and should make us wary. Such things cause confusion; they disturb the minds of the people; they set tongues in motion, foment murmuring, and engender disorder. This is true of innovations in general; the present one, however, is all the more dangerous since it wears the outward appearance of great piety.

"I submit that in this city it is not only expedient but rather a matter of urgent necessity to prevent new religious foundations. Although Avila is among the noblest cities of Spain, it is by no means among the richest, and it already has as many monasteries and convents as it can prudently support. In the end, what is given to a convent is taken away from the rest of the city. This convent is founded without income, without dowry, and with the presumption that it will never have any.

"Gentlemen, this is nothing other than a compulsory tax. It is certain to take money out of our purses and food from our mouths. What heart could endure to see some poor servants of God perishing of hunger? Would we not be compelled to take bread from our children in order to share it with them?

"Furthermore, if the city is responsible for all its citizens and convents, how is it possible that a foundation is made without approval? What government would endure such contempt for authority?

"Moreover, how do we know that this foundation is not some fraud, or a deceit of the devil? They say that their founder has revelations and a very peculiar spirit. That very fact frightens me, and it ought to make us reflect deeply, since in these times we have seen deceits and illusions among women. In all women it has been dangerous to applaud the notions to which they are inclined.

"It is not my object to accuse these religious of fraud. Nevertheless, I would advise against admitting innovations, letting convents multiply, and allowing them to be established without the permission and knowledge of the city. We have a right to inquire from experts whether it is a question of the Lord’s service. This is my opinion; I hope that it will be approved by all the learned and experienced men that are here assembled."

When the mayor finished, the bishop’s representative rose to address the assembly. He informed them that the foundation had been made with the consent of His Excellency and then read the document of Pope Pius IV under which the consent had been given.

It was certainly a blow to the mayor’s case, but he stood his ground and asked for other opinions. The people remained in agreement with him, and one speech followed another. The Inspector of Wells testified that material damage would be done to the whole community, for the convent shut off the sunlight from a small arched structure which sheltered several springs for public use. With the sunlight blocked, the water would freeze in winter and be of no use.

As the proceedings continued, the general indignation against the five Carmelites mounted in a violent crescendo. When Teresa heard about it later, she was surprised that the angry mob had not gone then and there to demolish her house.

A Single Supporter

There was only one man who dared to speak out against the hysteria of the community: thirty-four year old Fr Baņez.

"It may seem rash to oppose so many illustrious personages whose arguments and reasonings are so well thought-out, but my own conscience urges me to support the new convent of Discalced Carmelites. My words are free from passion and are unbiased, for I have never spoken with nor met the founder, nor discussed her foundation in any way.

"I admit that a convent such as this is a novelty, and as such it has produced the effects that innovations usually do among the multitude. But this is no reason why it should produce these same effects in grave and prudent councils, for not every new thing deserves our censure.

"Consider the immense good done for society by the great religious orders; were they founded any other way? Did not every reform have a similar beginning? Surely nothing could be improved if we all surrendered to a cowardly fear of everything new. What is introduced for the greater glory of God and the reform of morals should not be labeled innovation or invention, but rather the renewal of virtue, which never changes.

"If the trees are new when they are seen in spring, and the sun is new when it rises each morning, is it such a great problem that religious orders also renew themselves from time to time? Which is worse: that they lose their ancient splendor or that they rejuvenate it?

"I do not approve of the rash multiplication of religious orders, but let us not make this our sole criterion for judgment. The cities are full of lost people; the streets swarm with insolent and lazy men, and with boys and girls given over to vice. Is our nation so greatly injured and burdened by a few nuns tucked away in a hole-in-a-corner commending themselves to God? Allow me to say that the prestige of such an important city as this one seems lessened when it holds so solemn a meeting for so light a reason."

But the council was already resolved, and voted to send a proposal to the bishop asking that the Blessed Sacrament at the convent be consumed and the place closed.

The bishop stood by Teresa. He sent Father Daza to represent him at a yet another meeting to remind the city that the convent had been established with papal and episcopal permission. Fr Daza added that he himself had presided at the opening ceremonies and had said the first mass.

The leaders of the opposition were still dissatisfied, and the city council sent a delegate to Madrid to complain to the Royal Council.

A Tempting Compromise

Summer was turning to autumn, and still the conflict raged. At last, the city council agreed to allow the convent to remain on the condition that Teresa have it endowed. It was an excruciating temptation. She had not wanted any monetary endowments so as to live the vow of poverty more perfectly.

On the other hand, she was weary from months of anxiety and trouble, sorry for her friends who had endured so much, and concerned that perhaps she was being misled by pride. Her friends argued that if she accepted an endowment, she could easily give it up later and return to the original plan. Teresa was prepared to accept the city’s reasonable compromise and sign a contract the next day.

Teresa awoke the next morning and changed her mind. She immediately told her lawyer to continue with the lawsuit. Her perplexed friends kept trying to work out a solution, but Teresa stubbornly refused every offer of compromise.

Her friends were bewildered. "What has gotten into her head all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean—she’s just being her old capricious self. She’s far too proud to change her mind now."

"It’s enough to try the patience of a saint! I went to so much trouble to arrange that compromise. The sheer ingratitude is what bothers me most."

The lawsuit dragged on through the long winter. But at last, a turning point was reached when Father Pedro Ibaņez arrived in town. It was he who had first written to Rome for the bull of authorization.

Father Ibaņez was universally loved and respected in Avila. When it became known that he was on the side of the new convent, the opposition began to melt away. By spring it had dwindled to nothing.

Teresa was not being as unreasonable as it seemed. The night before she was going to sign the contract, Our Lord appeared to her in a dream, telling her not to do it; if she began with an endowment, she would be unable to renounce it later. It turned out that the convent of San Jose did not take anything away from Avila either spiritually or financially, as the flocks of pilgrims that visit each year still testify. And from that time on, the name of Avila has been inseparably linked to a woman called Teresa.

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