INFLUENCE ON FORMATION CHURCH’S PERSPECTIVE ON SPIRITUAL FORMATION:

Teresa shapes Formation Church’s vision of formation as an inward journey toward loving union with God. Her metaphor of the soul invites patience and humility in growth.

• Prayer as relational intimacy
• Gradual transformation through grace
• Union producing love and service

Key Works: Interior Castle, The Way of Perfection

Core Teachings:

• Prayer as a gradual journey inward toward union with God.
• The soul as a “castle” with interior rooms—growth moves from effort to grace.
• True mystical experiences produce humility, love, and service.

Signature Themes:

• Interior transformation
• Contemplative prayer
• Ecstatic union with God

Primary Writings & Major Editions:

• Teresa of Ávila, The Interior Castle (El Castillo Interior).
• Teresa of Ávila, The Way of Perfection.
• Teresa of Ávila, The Book of Her Life (Autobiography).
• The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Ávila, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD.