Holy Whisper
It was an exciting day! I woke up that morning in Avila, Spain, knowing we were going to tread some hallowed ground. Our group of pilgrims headed out the door and onto the ancient cobblestone streets of this walled city. The same streets that Teresa of Avila walked as a child, a young woman, and an adult. Walking through one of the large stone archways in the town walls gives one a sense of literally traveling back in time. Those walls have stood for over one thousand years and were already old by Teresa’s day. Passing under the arch you leave the inner part of the city, protected by those walls, out into the outer parts of the city—less protected, more fragile. You could imagine that felt even more the case five hundred years ago, when armed walls were what protected you from potential raiding bands and enemy cavalry. Those were also the days of the Spanish Inquisition, and a time when treasure from the Americas was making Spain the wealthiest and most powerful empire in the world.
You have to leave the protection of those walls to reach the Monastery of the Incarnation, which is exactly what Teresa did as a young woman back in 1535. She left certainty, protection, and familiarity behind to pursue a sacred call. She had been born into a wealthy family of textile merchants yet left that behind for a life of renunciation as a Carmelite nun. Each step our group of Shalem pilgrims took outside those walls brought us closer to the very place Teresa began her service to God.
We arrived and the large wooden doors opened to a simple stone entry. We were there as pilgrims, knowing we would in time return to our homes. Teresa arrived there to begin her life anew, having left everything else behind. Why did we come all this way? We each had our own reasons: What does it mean for me to serve God in my context? How can God use me in this stage of my life? What is next for me as I contemplate various possibilities? How can ancient spirituality and venerated spiritual practices inform my own practice?
Mirabai Starr asks it this way, “What can Teresa of Avila offer us five hundred years after her death?” No doubt we had each asked ourselves that very question before deciding to head to Spain. Starr says, “Teresa models the living balance between action and contemplation, serving others and developing an interior life, engaging in passionate human relationships and surrendering to the divine mystery.” That kind of life resonates as much today as ever, which made this day of walking into the very monastery she served in, a place where sisters still live and work, still serve God and community, still pray and seek the common good, a day none of us will forget.
As we walked through the various stone rooms, we’d see Carmelite sisters going about their day. We’d learn that “here was the spot Teresa slept,” or here was where she received visitors or met with her spiritual director, here was where she ate her meals, here is the sanctuary in which she worshiped. Each step brought us closer to Teresa. Each step ignited something in me, a realization that the opportunities to serve God and deepen my spiritual practices are right in front of me, every day.
Some might consider going on pilgrimage to be a frivolous or fruitless endeavor. My own experience says that it is as relevant and needed as ever. We, too, are in need of the bravery of a young woman, who left privilege and familiarity behind to follow a holy whisper. Her listening led to profound renewal for the church in Spain, and her voice and words echo to us through the ages. Going on pilgrimage and literally walking in her footsteps has helped me listen for that whisper in my own life. What could be more important than that?
Journey with Shalem to Avila and Toledo, Spain for Walking the Ramparts: A Pilgrimage with Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, June 11-21, 2025. Sign up for a free info session on Zoom, Jan. 13, 7:00 PM ET.
