The Intimate Sharing of Friends: Saint Teresa of Ávila on Prayer

The Intimate Sharing of Friends Saint Teresa of Ávila on Prayer Mark O'Keefe, O.S.B. St. Teresa of Ávila is the Doctor of Prayer. This special title—given to her when she was declared the first female Doctor of the Church—signifies that her teaching on prayer is to be universally cherished among the eminent doctrines of the Catholic Church. The cornerstone of Teresa’s teaching is her profound discovery that prayer “is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends.” The spiritual life is demystified when we understand our lifelong journey in prayer as the deepening of our relationship “with Him who we know loves us” (Life 8.5). In The Intimate Sharing of Friends, Father O’Keefe presents an overview of St. Teresa’s teaching on prayer while emphasizing its relational aspect. For Teresa, the spiritual life consists of the degrees to which we are attentive and receptive to God’s presence within us. Like all relationships, this supernatural friendship profoundly changes us. O’Keefe g