Saint Teresa of Ávila was born on March 28, 1515 in the Castilian city of Ávila. At the age of 20, she entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation at Ávila, a large religious community with nearly 200 sisters. She began a fervent life of prayer through the inspiration of Francisco Osuna’s Third Spiritual Alphabet and St. Augustine’s Book of Confessions.

One of her most important works is the Book of Life. On one hand, she speaks candidly about the exterior life: referring to the historical details of her childhood, to her entrance into the Carmelite Order, up to her first reformed convent, St. Joseph’s in Ávila. On the other hand, she meditates on the interior life, referring to the details of her prayer life and mystical experiences.

Saint Teresa explains that prayer and spiritual growth is akin to cultivating a garden – the garden or the soil being a symbol for the soul (Life 112ff). There are different ways of watering a garden: each one corresponds to the stages of prayer and spiritual growth. When a person begins to pray, he or she must work hard to pull the weeds, water, and sow the seeds of the garden. The result is the blooming of flowers - a symbol for virtues – the perfume of which pleases the Lord. She says that “with the help of God we must strive like good gardeners to get these plants to grow and take pains to water them so that they don’t wither but come to bud and flower and give forth a most pleasant fragrance to provide refreshment for this Lord of ours”(Life, 113).

Teresa goes on to list four methods this garden of the soul can be watered. First, the water can be drawn from a well; this way, she says, “is for us a lot of work.” Secondly, the water can be obtained using a water wheel and an aqueduct. Turning a crank on the water wheel, the water is obtained with greater ease. “I have drawn this way sometimes,” she says, “...the method involves less work than the other, and you get more water.” Thirdly, the water may come from a stream or river. This is even more effective. “The garden is watered much better by this means because the ground is more fully soaked, and there is no need to water so frequently – and much less work for the gardener.” The Fourth way is the result of rain fall. This last way is free of work. “For the Lord waters the garden without any work on our part – and this way is incomparably better than all the others mentioned.”

The water analogy provides a logical unity among the various degrees of prayer. When Saint Teresa speaks about prayer using the water analogy, she teaches us to remember there is only one water and not four. The Water is always the same: Jesus is the Spring of Eternal Water. The purpose of prayer is to converse with whom we know loves us eternally. Only with the properties of His Water can we can engage in serious contemplative prayer.