In a world chasing power, he found strength in stillness—and from that stillness, an entire city was born.
Around the year 550, a young Irish monk named Gall left his homeland with Columbanus—who later became a saint—to bring faith to Europe. They preached across wild lands, clashed with kings, and lived with almost nothing.
When his mentor was exiled, Gall stayed behind near Lake Constance. He was sick, tired, and alone—but instead of returning home, he built a small cell beside a stream. No grand church, no crown, just prayer and silence.
People found him anyway. The sick, the poor, the confused—they came to this quiet man in the woods who listened more than he spoke. That little hermitage became a gathering place, and long after he died around 645, it grew into something vast: the Abbey of St. Gall, one of Europe’s great centers of learning.
He never ruled armies or built monuments. Yet his stillness shaped a city, his humility built a culture, and his silence spoke for centuries. Saint Gall never sought glory—but glory quietly found him.
She prayed not with rules but with love—teaching that silence, honesty, and friendship lead to God.
Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), known in religion as Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and mystic who turned ordinary prayer into friendship with God. She entered the Carmelite convent in 1535 and spent nearly fifty years deepening the life of prayer she later taught to the world. For her, prayer was not about duty—it was about love. She believed that when you pray, you don’t just speak to God—you walk with Him.
The Five Principles of Her Prayer Life
💬 1. Prayer as Friendship
“Prayer,” she said, “is an intimate sharing between friends.” For Sister Teresa, prayer wasn’t about sounding holy or saying perfect words. It was about being honest before Someone who already loves you. You can come to God tired, confused, or quiet—He listens to it all.
🌿 2. Mental Prayer — Talking with Jesus Beside You
This was her way. Sister Teresa didn’t worry about technique—she simply loved. She would imagine Jesus sitting beside her and spoke to Him as a friend. Sometimes she talked, sometimes she listened, and sometimes she simply sat in silence, aware that He was near.
🔥 3. Silence that Becomes Fire
Sister Teresa taught that true prayer begins with words, deepens in silence, and ends in love. At first, you speak. Then you listen. And finally, words fade away—not because God has left, but because His presence fills everything. That silence is not emptiness; it is fire.
🏰 4. The Soul as a Castle
She imagined the soul as a castle with seven rooms. The outer rooms are filled with noise and distraction. The inner rooms grow quieter, brighter, closer to peace. At the center is God Himself—where love and will are one. Every prayer is a journey through those rooms until your heart reaches His.
❤️ 5. Keep Praying Even When It’s Dry
There were days Sister Teresa felt nothing—no light, no comfort. But she stayed. “It’s not thinking much but loving much that pleases God,” she said. Even when prayer feels empty, stay. Because love is tested in the waiting, and faith grows in the silence.
Saint Teresa believed that the goal of prayer is not knowledge but transformation. The more you pray, the more you love. And the more you love, the more you become who God created you to be.
