Back at Christian History, we were working for a while on getting a series of “Christian History Minutes” together for airing on a certain network of Christian radio stations. The deal never went down, but today I stumbled across the small series of “minutes” that I wrote at that point as a demonstration of what we might do. Here’s one of those, on a celebrated woman in Christian history:
Looking back, Theresa of Avila might have said it was a cry for God’s attention.
I’m Chris Armstrong, editor of Christian History magazine.
Theresa was a headstrong girl. Born in 1515 in Catholic Spain, her greatest desire was to get on God’s good side.
So one day she ran away to Muslim territory. She hoped the Moors would find her and martyr her for Christ.
Returned by her uncle, young Theresa soon ran off again—this time to a convent, where she denied herself diligently.
In the end, though, Theresa decided we don’t need heroic deeds or self-denying discipline to get God’s attention. Here’s what she said:
“We have no need to go to heaven in order to speak to the eternal Father or to enjoy His company. . . . Nor do we need to raise our voice to address Him, for He hears every whisper, however low.”
For more stories from our spiritual heritage, visit www.christianhistory.net or read Christian History magazine.
Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians
Grateful to the dead 