St. Teresa Of Avil A Feminist Analysis

How Irreconcilable are the Differences?

The idea of being a devout Catholic woman while simultaneously being a proud feminist has always seemed to be a daunting task. Primarily due to the beliefs of both ideals seem to be counterintuitive if you are a member of both parties. Writer of Catholic and Feminist:Can One be Both, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, methodically divulges into the why and the why not of this formidable question. This essay will not only address the clear roadblocks, but will also incorporate the analysis of the scrutiny of the patriarchal nature of Christianity as mentioned by the feminist theologians. Hence, the topic being can Catholics can be feminists and if so - to what degree? Can Catholics be feminists and if so - to

Teresa of Avila is arguably one of the most impactful Saints - female or not. From a previous class, it was acknowledged that after the death of her mother, Teresa strayed from her faith. She instead turned to pastimes such as reading popular fiction and obsessing over her appearance and boys. Her father sent to live with the Augustinian nuns of her province at the age of sixteen where the Sisters helped her to return to her faith. Once she gained more and more of her mystic insight, she became a light to her sisters who needed guidance. It was in chapter 10 of The Way of Perfection that she stressed to her fellow sisters “we ourselves are always the same; unless we take great care and each of us looks well to it that she renounces her self-will, which is the most important business of all, there will be many things to deprive us of the holy freedom of spirit which our souls seek in order to soar to their Maker unburdened by the leaden weight of the earth” (Avila 51). Or in chapter 11 when she instills in them that complaining, if uneccessary, does nothing: "Do not think of complaining about the weaknesses and minor ailments from which women suffer, for the devil sometimes makes you imagine them. They come and go; and unless you get rid of the habit of talking about them and complaining of everything (except to God) you will never come to the end of them" (Avila 54). She may not have been the most devoted as a teenager, but she made up for it with the impact she made as she grew