"Vivo sin vivir en mí, y tan alta vida espero, que muero porque no muero." 'Vivo sin vivir en mi' is a famous mystical religious poem by Teresa of Ávila, written near the end of the XVI century. The work is noteworthy due to its mastery of Baroque poetic techniques, as well as due to the pathos latent within its religious yearning. The title references one's unsatisfied desire to know the Creator, and as such, the dichotomy that is born from one's life without full spiritual realization—almost like an unrealized death. This theme is established within the first three lines, and the eight stanzas which trail it deepen the exploration of this paradox of the journey of faith. Teresa de Jesús (1515–1582), perhaps better known as Saint Teresa of Ávila, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents as well as a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the 'Way of Perfection (1565) and the 'Interior Castle' (1588). She also left an autobiography, 'The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself' (1565). In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI. Notas de Edición: Este libro ha sido convertido a formato digital por una comunidad de voluntarios. Puedes encontrarlo gratis en Internet. Comprar la edición Kindle incluye la entrega inalámbrica.
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Saint Teresa of Jesús, also called Saint Teresa of Ávila, 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. Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada Borned in Ávila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children. Shortly after this event, Teresa was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Teresa resolved to enter a religious life. In 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. She spent a number of relatively average years in the convent, punctuated by a severe illness that left her legs paralyzed for three years, but then experienced a vision of "the sorely wounded Christ" that changed her life forever. From this point forward, Teresa moved into a period of increasingly ecstatic experiences in which she came to focus more and more sharply on Christ's passion. With these visions as her impetus, she set herself to the reformation of her order, beginning with her attempt to master herself and her adherence to the rule. Gathering a group of supporters, Teresa endeavored to create a more primitive type of Carmelite. From 1560 until her death, Teresa struggled to establish and broaden the movement of Discalced or shoeless Carmelites. During the mid-1560s, she wrote the Way of Perfection and the Meditations on the Canticle. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582. St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents, which she continued founding up to the year of her death. She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of St. Teresa of Ávila.
