Doctors of the ChurchSt. Teresa of AvilaSpanish nun and mystic. First female doctor. Co-founder of the Discalced Carmelites together with Saint John of the Cross. Religious order: Carmelites. (1515-1582)S. Teresa of Avila was born on 6 December 1515 in Gotarrendura, Ávila, Crown of Castile (now Spain). Two years after Teresa's birth, Luther had begun the Protestant Reformation. After all this change, Teresa showed the way from external turmoil to internal peace. When Teresa was 39 years old, she began to have vivid experiences of God's presence within her. Some of Teresa's friends, such as Gaspar Daza and Francisco de Salcedo, thought that her blessings were works of the devil. Others, like Diego de Cetina, brought Teresa comfort by encouraging her to continue her mental prayer and also think about the humanity of Christ. A priest who acted as her confessor told her that it was only the devil at work in the vision she had repeatedly had of Christ and commanded Teresa to laugh at the vision, forget about it, and make the sign of the cross. She apologized to God for following the confessor's orders, but God did not fail to comfort her. Teresa's greatest flaws came from her friendships. Although she had not sinned, she was still very attached to all her friends until God said to her, “I no longer want you to converse with human beings, but with angels.” Instantly she was given the freedom she couldn't have through all her years of striving. After this God came first in his life. In Teresa's books he interpreted and anatomized the mystical experiences he lived. Teresa had never seen these gifts as a reward from God, but the way he disciplined her. The more love he endured, the more… middle of paper… he escaped by unscrewing the lock on the prison door and crawling past the guard. Without even knowing where he was, he let a dog lead him to civilization. Saint John hid in a convent where he read his poems to the nuns. From then on, his life was dedicated to sharing and explaining all his experiences of God's love. You would think that his hard life of poverty and abuse might have made him a more bitter person, but instead he only produced a more compassionate spiritual man, who would live by these beliefs "who ever saw people persuaded to love God by harshness?" and “Where there is no love, put love and you will find love.” He left behind many of his books full of practical advice on spiritual growth and prayer that are as relevant today as they were then. Some of his writings included The Dark Night of the Soul and The Ascent of Mount Carmel.