Prayer as a Process of Surrender
Keywords:
Carmelite life, Teresa of Jesus, Carmelite nuns, Contemplative lifeAbstract
The Carmelite life, according to Teresa of Jesus, is a life lived purely out of the love of Christ or God. The“perfection” the Carmelite nuns have to strive for is therefore not to be sought in faultless conduct, but in the unconditionality of their surrender to this divine love.Contemplative life and prayer are very simple, since their purpose is directing the person towards God and placing trust in Him alone. Because the Lord’s Prayer is conducive to a process of surrender, it is elaborated in detail as the “Way of Perfection”. Teresa prompts to the complete gift of self to the Creator, the surrender of the human will to His will, and detachment from creatures. The Lord’s Prayer presents therefore the perfect model of spiritual transformation and contemplative life as it is leading to a process of surrender
References
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Pablo Maroto, D. de (1973), Dinámica de la Oracion. Acercamiento del orante moderno a Santa Teresa de Jesús, Madrid: Editorial de Espiritualidad.
