The early death of her mother cut deeply into Teresa’s youth. She was then thirteen years old.
She herself says about it, “I threw myself down in despair before an image of the Mother of God. With many tears, I implored the Holy Virgin to become my mother now. Uttered with the simplicity of a child, this prayer was heard. From that hour on, I never prayed to the Virgin in vain” [The Book of Her Life, 1:7].
The young person certainly surmised that she needed special protection, having lost her mother just when she especially needed her.
Saint Edith Stein
Love for Love: The life and works of St. Teresa of Jesus (excerpt)
Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Saint Teresa’s Vision of the Collar was executed in oil on canvas in 1642 by Andrea Vaccaro (Italian, 1604–1670). Originally a prized possession of the Discalced Carmelita friars of San Hermenegildo, Madrid, it was acquired by the Marquis of Astorga in 1786 and donated by him to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1818. Image credit: Royal Academy / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Carmelite Quotes 
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