Christ Has No Body

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I was excited to receive your letter and I am equally thrilled to respond to your request. For thousands of years mankind has conflicted against the power of evil in order to reach a state of harmony with God. The many different views of each religion seem to have compounded the issue of who may be right and who may be wrong. Regardless of our personal beliefs, our goal seems to always remain the same, to be united with Christ in heaven. The poems of St. Teresa of Avila, My Beloved One is Mine and Christ Has No Body, are illustrative of the thoughtful and emotional impact Christ had on the life of St. Teresa of Avila, and also illuminate various catholic beliefs. The goal of the poems is to allow the reader to become closer to God, although as a Lutheran, my interpretation of each poem may perhaps be distinct from your own.

The poems by St. Teresa of Avila are simply extraordinary. St. Teresa seems to bring to life her deep relationship with God. In the poem, My Beloved One Is Mine, she appears to explain how her "lot" was changed because she gave herself to "Love Divine" (“My Beloved One” np). Evidently, St. Teresa experienced a life altering event the moment she gave her life to God. She speaks of God as her Divine love which she has seemingly strived to reach her entire life. She described God as her beloved, or perhaps, betrothed lover as she entered into “the ecstasy of the ‘spiritual marriage’” (Blackwell np). She elucidates, "At last I am surely His," in an attempt to identify with the struggle she had faced to become one with God (“My Beloved One” np). Her description of God as a "sweet Huntsman" is interesting as it signifies a relationship in which both parties are actively engaged and seeking each other. ...

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...s somewhat differently, I pray that the end result, perhaps the one wish of St. Teresa of Avila, remains the same, that we each find a lasting union with God for eternity. May God Bless You!

Works Cited

Blackwell, Amy. "Counter-Reformation." World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.

De Cepeda Y Ahumada, Teresa. “Christ Has No Body.” Journey with Jesus. Dan Clendenin. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.

De Cepeda Y Ahumada, Teresa. "My Beloved One Is Mine." Poetry Chaikhana. Ivan M. Granger. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.

Kinnaman, Scot A. "Lutherans Do Good Works" Lutheranism 101. 3 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Mar. 2012.

"transubstantiation." World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.

Vandermast, Roberta. Part 2: Reformation and Counter Reformation. Reformation and Counter Reformation. Web. 3 Mar. 2012.

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