The Spirit of Saint Teresa

Free eBook Download

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are happy to share with you the free eBook on prayer by St. Teresa of Avila.

This small book, entitled The Spirit of St. Teresa, contains two of the lesser known works of the great Doctor of Prayer and founder of the Carmelite reform, St. Teresa of Avila.

1.) The Exclamations of the Soul to God were written by St. Teresa in the year 1579. They are the outpourings of her soul before God after Holy Communion, and provide deep sustenance for your prayer.

2.) The Directions on Prayer and on the Life of Prayer have been extracted chiefly from L’Esprit de Ste. Therese, published in 1775 by the Superior of S. Sulpice, who selected passages from the various writings of the St. Teresa which, although directly addressed to religious, convey a practical lesson to all of the lay faithful who aspire to a life of close union with God.

3.) The Novena Preparatory to the Feasts of St. Teresa is written by an unknown author. Its dedication to Madame Louise de France, Novice Carmelite, fixes as its date the year 1770, when the daughter of Louis XV left his court for the contemplative solitude of Carmel, and received her father’s conversion as her reward.

Recovered from an old Carmelite library, and typeset as an aid to prayer, the Discalced Hermits of Our Lady Mount Carmel are happy to share it with you for free below: