This medal is permanently lasered in full color and is guaranteed for a lifetime
All Religious Medals are Customizable. We can change the spelling, your language, names
etc,
ex: change "Pray for Us" to "Pray For Me". Just let us know in "special instructions"
if you would like it for a charm bracelet, request a split ring instead of a bail in the
"special instructions"
Saint Teresa of vila was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She
was a
reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the
Discalced
Carmelites. In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
The kernel of Teresa's mystical thought throughout all her writings is the ascent of the soul in four stages
(The
Autobiography Chs. 10-22):
The first, or "mental prayer", is that of devout contemplation or concentration, the withdrawal of the soul
from
without and specially the devout observance of the passion of Christ and penitence (Autobiography 11.20).
The second is the "prayer of quiet", in which at least the human will is lost in that of God by virtue of a
charismatic, supernatural state given of God, while the other faculties, such as memory, reason, and
imagination, are
not yet secure from worldly distraction. While a partial distraction is due to outer performances such as
repetition
of prayers and writing down spiritual things, yet the prevailing state is one of quietude (Autobiography 14.1).
The "devotion of union" is not only a supernatural but an essentially ecstatic state. Here there is also an
absorption of the reason in God, and only the memory and imagination are left to ramble. This state is
characterized
by a blissful peace, a sweet slumber of at least the higher soul faculties, a conscious rapture in the love of
God.
The fourth is the "devotion of ecstasy or rapture," a passive state, in which the consciousness of being in the
body
disappears (2 Corinthians 12:2-3). Sense activity ceases; memory and imagination are also absorbed in God or
intoxicated. Body and spirit are in the throes of a sweet, happy pain, alternating between a fearful fiery
glow, a
complete impotence and unconsciousness, and a spell of strangulation, intermitted sometimes by such an ecstatic
flight that the body is literally lifted into space. This after half an hour is followed by a reactionary
relaxation
of a few hours in a swoon-like weakness, attended by a negation of all the faculties in the union with God.
From this
the subject awakens in tears; it is the climax of mystical experience, productive of the trance. (Indeed, she
was
said to have been observed levitating during Mass on more than one occasion.)
Teresa is one of the foremost writers on mental prayer, and her position among writers on mystical theology is
unique. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences, which a deep insight and
analytical gifts enabled her to explain clearly. Her definition was used in the Catechism of the Catholic
Church:
"Contemplative prayer [oracin mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it
means
taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."
Item can be engraved with message, names, dates or monogram.
Engraving doesn't delay your shipment.
Available in Yellow Gold Plated &14K Yellow or White Gold, or Sterling Silver
Is a Chain Included? You can choose which chain to add to your order when checking out
Pendant Bail - fits up to 4mm chain. We can make bail larger, just let us know in the special instructions upon ordering
All Sterling Silver is protected with a tarnish resistance to help it last for years without tarnishing.
