Teresa of Ávila presents herself to us as a woman originally caught between her passion for the things of the world and an equal passion for God. Born to a marginalised family in sixteenth-century Spain, at the age of 20 she entered a Carmelite convent, surrendering totally to God and pursuing a life of contemplative prayer and intimate union with God. Teresa understood prayer as a living relationship with God, and wrote several books describing her discoveries and revelations about the Christ-centred life, including her Life and The Way of Perfection, from which the readings in this...