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Let Nothing Disturb You: A Journey to the Center of the Soul With Teresa of Avila
Each book in the Thirty Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.
In Let Nothing Disturb You readers discover the timeless spiritual counsel of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, in an easily accessible format. Selections from Teresa's writings have been carefully chosen and arranged for morning and evening meditation.
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
188 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Teresa de Ávila
573 books510 followersSaint Teresa of Jesús, also called Saint Teresa of Ávila, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada Borned in Ávila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children. Shortly after this event, Teresa was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Teresa resolved to enter a religious life. In 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. She spent a number of relatively average years in the convent, punctuated by a severe illness that left her legs paralyzed for three years, but then experienced a vision of "the sorely wounded Christ" that changed her life forever.
From this point forward, Teresa moved into a period of increasingly ecstatic experiences in which she came to focus more and more sharply on Christ's passion. With these visions as her impetus, she set herself to the reformation of her order, beginning with her attempt to master herself and her adherence to the rule. Gathering a group of supporters, Teresa endeavored to create a more primitive type of Carmelite. From 1560 until her death, Teresa struggled to establish and broaden the movement of Discalced or shoeless Carmelites. During the mid-1560s, she wrote the Way of Perfection and the Meditations on the Canticle. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582.
St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents, which she continued founding up to the year of her death. She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of St. Teresa of Ávila.
Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada Borned in Ávila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children. Shortly after this event, Teresa was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Teresa resolved to enter a religious life. In 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. She spent a number of relatively average years in the convent, punctuated by a severe illness that left her legs paralyzed for three years, but then experienced a vision of "the sorely wounded Christ" that changed her life forever.
From this point forward, Teresa moved into a period of increasingly ecstatic experiences in which she came to focus more and more sharply on Christ's passion. With these visions as her impetus, she set herself to the reformation of her order, beginning with her attempt to master herself and her adherence to the rule. Gathering a group of supporters, Teresa endeavored to create a more primitive type of Carmelite. From 1560 until her death, Teresa struggled to establish and broaden the movement of Discalced or shoeless Carmelites. During the mid-1560s, she wrote the Way of Perfection and the Meditations on the Canticle. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582.
St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents, which she continued founding up to the year of her death. She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of St. Teresa of Ávila.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 17, 2024
Without a doubt, my favorite Catholic prayers are, “The Our Father”, “Hail Mary” and “The Glory Be”. Add this one: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things, whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.”
This book revolves around the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila, “Let Nothing Disturb You”. It’s supposed to be read for thirty consecutive days. I’m not a fan of reading a book that way so I read it in a day. Since then I’ve been reading it on and off. Very powerful and spiritual.
Would definitely recommend.
This book revolves around the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila, “Let Nothing Disturb You”. It’s supposed to be read for thirty consecutive days. I’m not a fan of reading a book that way so I read it in a day. Since then I’ve been reading it on and off. Very powerful and spiritual.
Would definitely recommend.
December 31, 2012
I like the structure of this book for a daily devotional. Its divided into 30 small sections, one for each day. Each day starts with a prayer-poem for you to begin the day with; then you get a 1-2 line sentence to repeat throughout the day, followed by another prayer-poem for evening. Really convenient.
My only complaint is that the prayer-poems make for bad poetry. I don't know if they were originally poems in Teresa's writing, but in this english form, they don't feel right.
That being said, it's Teresa of Avila, so the content is great. Here's one of the sections, day seventeen:
MY DAY BEGINS
How is it, O God,
that even when we are determined to love you,
we do not rise immediately
to the perfect love that is our goal?
It is because while we think
we are surrendering all to God,
we are in fact giving up
only the profits of our endeavors,
the extras,
what is left over from our daily needs.
We keep ownership of the land itself.
We resolve to become poor,
and it is a great thing to do.
But we take great care never to be in want,
not just of what is necessary,
but of what is superfluous.
We give up our search for honor.
But the moment our honor is in danger,
we forget that we have given it to God.
We would take back our gift,
snatching it, as it were,
from the hands of the one to home we claim
to have surrendered our will.
So it is in so many things.
In everything
we look for pleasant ways of serving God.
And because we do not give up ourselves
wholly and at once,
so the treasure of God's gifts to us
are not given at once.
Heavenly Father,
even as we measure out our lives to you
a bit at a time,
we must be content
to receive your gifts drop by drop,
until we have surrendered our lives wholly to you.
ALL THROUGH THE DAY
Patience gains all things.
MY DAY IS ENDING
Let nothing, O Lord,
disturb the silence of this night.
Let nothing make me afraid.
Let my fears give way
to quiet rest,
and my timidity to generosity of heart.
As much as I say that
I wish to give myself wholly to you,
the truth is
that I measure out the gift of my life
a drop at a time,
hoping however vainly
to find some pleasant, easy,
less than wholehearted way
of coming to know, love, and serve you.
I keep taking back the gift I offer.
Replace, I pray you, my stinginess of heart
with a reflection of your generosity.
You will reward my every gift,
no matter how small,
with the unlimited gift of yourself.
And if I have you, God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.
My only complaint is that the prayer-poems make for bad poetry. I don't know if they were originally poems in Teresa's writing, but in this english form, they don't feel right.
That being said, it's Teresa of Avila, so the content is great. Here's one of the sections, day seventeen:
MY DAY BEGINS
How is it, O God,
that even when we are determined to love you,
we do not rise immediately
to the perfect love that is our goal?
It is because while we think
we are surrendering all to God,
we are in fact giving up
only the profits of our endeavors,
the extras,
what is left over from our daily needs.
We keep ownership of the land itself.
We resolve to become poor,
and it is a great thing to do.
But we take great care never to be in want,
not just of what is necessary,
but of what is superfluous.
We give up our search for honor.
But the moment our honor is in danger,
we forget that we have given it to God.
We would take back our gift,
snatching it, as it were,
from the hands of the one to home we claim
to have surrendered our will.
So it is in so many things.
In everything
we look for pleasant ways of serving God.
And because we do not give up ourselves
wholly and at once,
so the treasure of God's gifts to us
are not given at once.
Heavenly Father,
even as we measure out our lives to you
a bit at a time,
we must be content
to receive your gifts drop by drop,
until we have surrendered our lives wholly to you.
ALL THROUGH THE DAY
Patience gains all things.
MY DAY IS ENDING
Let nothing, O Lord,
disturb the silence of this night.
Let nothing make me afraid.
Let my fears give way
to quiet rest,
and my timidity to generosity of heart.
As much as I say that
I wish to give myself wholly to you,
the truth is
that I measure out the gift of my life
a drop at a time,
hoping however vainly
to find some pleasant, easy,
less than wholehearted way
of coming to know, love, and serve you.
I keep taking back the gift I offer.
Replace, I pray you, my stinginess of heart
with a reflection of your generosity.
You will reward my every gift,
no matter how small,
with the unlimited gift of yourself.
And if I have you, God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.
July 20, 2016
Loved this book although I didn't follow it daily. I read each passage just on the perfect day that I needed to read it. I will be buying more of these beautiful books!
May 18, 2022
I loved this prayer book of 30 days. (of course it took me about 150 to get through but....). There is a morning and evening reflection from Teresa of Avila. The evening ones I especially enjoyed, basically a reminder to be peaceful. I have several more in this series and l look forward to starting them.
February 21, 2025
This is the third volume in the Great Spiritual Teachers series I have read, Last year I read Born to Do This: 30 Days with Joan of Arc by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, and loved it and the concept of the series. I have read much by and about Teresa of Avila and was excited to work my way through this volume. I picked this as the third in the series to read because of an already growing devotion to Saint Teresa.
The description of this volume states:
“Discover the timeless spiritual counsel of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, in an easily accessible format. In Let Nothing Disturb You, selections from Teresa's writings have been carefully chosen and arranged for morning and evening meditation.”
About the series we are informed:
“Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.”
I believe there are 15 volumes in this series currently in print, and a number that are currently out of print, The oldest I have seen are from the mid 90’s and it looks like they went through a rebranding and format change in the mid 00’s, and they have undergone yet another rebranding in the 2020’s including some new titles available in the series. I must admit I do not recall running across this series prior to that first volume on Joan. I have however added a number of them to my ‘to be read list’. I love the most recent rebranding, and hope Ave Maria completes the rebranding across all volumes. But back to this work.
While reading this I only highlighted a few passages, they were:
“Amystical renaissance is at work in our world. Like a subtle field of grace that surrounds our world, individuals everywhere are exploring the seductive invitation to develop a joyful and intimate relationship with God. In keeping with the nature of this mystical awakening, more and more people are discovering the need to develop a more refined spiritual path. This new path that so many are drawn to today embodies characteristics once so familiar to the great mystics of the medieval and Renaissance eras. These mystics, our great spiritual teachers, include Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Francis of Assisi, St. John the Evangelist, Meister Eckhart, Francis de Sales, Catherine of Sienna, Thérèse of Lisieux, Evelyn Underhill, and Mother Teresa in modern times.”
“Simply described, these mystics drew their strength from a devotion to prayer, contemplation, and self-reflection. They knew that a daily practice of time alone with God was required to review the day and reflect upon the well being and harmony of their souls. Today, we are rediscovering the way in which they knew God. For all their differences, the common ground these mystics shared was a devotion to prayer and an unyielding faith in their mystical relationships with God.”
“The writings of Teresa and other mystics are alive and full of grace in this series—30 Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher. To read one of their prayers is to read about their experiences of God. Take this grace into you and let it take you away from the here and now of your life. Let the wisdom of these teachers hover over your life. Make contact with your own eternal self.”
A sample reflection is:
“DAY THIRTEEN
MY DAY BEGINS
The Lord said to me:
“Very few there are who love me in truth.
For to love me in this way is to know
that everything that is not pleasing to me
is a deception.
But if you love me in truth
I will not hide anything from you.”
I see now that it is a great blessing
to set no store by anything that is not true,
anything that is not pleasing to my Lord.
I now look upon anything
that is not directed to the service of God
as vanity and deception.
I have become firmly resolved
to carry out with all my might
even the smallest detail of divine scripture.
I have come to believe
that there is no obstacle that I cannot overcome
in my desire to live in the truth,
to speak only of things that are true,
that is, things that bring us closer to God,
that go far beyond any worldly wisdom.
The Lord has invited us to walk in truth
in the presence of Truth itself.
The truth of which the Lord speaks,
is Truth without beginning or end.
Upon this Truth all other truths depend,
just as all other loves depend on this Love,
and all other greatness upon this Greatness.
For it comes down to this:
The Lord is Truth itself.
All else is a lie.
ALL THROUGH THE DAY
There is no obstacle that I cannot overcome.
MY DAY IS ENDING
Let nothing, O Lord,
disturb the silence of this night.
Let nothing frighten me.
Grant me rest
in the knowledge
that there is no obstacle
to your love
that cannot be overcome,
if I only accept your invitation to walk in truth
in the presence of you who are Truth itself.
Upon you all other truths depend,
just as all other loves depend on your love,
and all other greatness upon your greatness.
As darkness descends
grant me a quiet night.
Place your truth on my lips and in my heart.
For it comes down to this:
You, Lord, are Truth itself.
All else is a lie.
If I speak your truth, O Lord God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.”
I must admit I engaged much more deeply with the first volume I read in this series than the next 2 I read. I have at least a half dozen other books in this series I want to read. I will likely do a volume a month over the next year. I did enjoy this volume. I just did not add any of the prayers to my daily prayers.
This is a great volume that any Catholic would benefit from reading. I can easily recommend this volume and look forward to reading others in the series.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
The description of this volume states:
“Discover the timeless spiritual counsel of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, in an easily accessible format. In Let Nothing Disturb You, selections from Teresa's writings have been carefully chosen and arranged for morning and evening meditation.”
About the series we are informed:
“Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.”
I believe there are 15 volumes in this series currently in print, and a number that are currently out of print, The oldest I have seen are from the mid 90’s and it looks like they went through a rebranding and format change in the mid 00’s, and they have undergone yet another rebranding in the 2020’s including some new titles available in the series. I must admit I do not recall running across this series prior to that first volume on Joan. I have however added a number of them to my ‘to be read list’. I love the most recent rebranding, and hope Ave Maria completes the rebranding across all volumes. But back to this work.
While reading this I only highlighted a few passages, they were:
“Amystical renaissance is at work in our world. Like a subtle field of grace that surrounds our world, individuals everywhere are exploring the seductive invitation to develop a joyful and intimate relationship with God. In keeping with the nature of this mystical awakening, more and more people are discovering the need to develop a more refined spiritual path. This new path that so many are drawn to today embodies characteristics once so familiar to the great mystics of the medieval and Renaissance eras. These mystics, our great spiritual teachers, include Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Francis of Assisi, St. John the Evangelist, Meister Eckhart, Francis de Sales, Catherine of Sienna, Thérèse of Lisieux, Evelyn Underhill, and Mother Teresa in modern times.”
“Simply described, these mystics drew their strength from a devotion to prayer, contemplation, and self-reflection. They knew that a daily practice of time alone with God was required to review the day and reflect upon the well being and harmony of their souls. Today, we are rediscovering the way in which they knew God. For all their differences, the common ground these mystics shared was a devotion to prayer and an unyielding faith in their mystical relationships with God.”
“The writings of Teresa and other mystics are alive and full of grace in this series—30 Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher. To read one of their prayers is to read about their experiences of God. Take this grace into you and let it take you away from the here and now of your life. Let the wisdom of these teachers hover over your life. Make contact with your own eternal self.”
A sample reflection is:
“DAY THIRTEEN
MY DAY BEGINS
The Lord said to me:
“Very few there are who love me in truth.
For to love me in this way is to know
that everything that is not pleasing to me
is a deception.
But if you love me in truth
I will not hide anything from you.”
I see now that it is a great blessing
to set no store by anything that is not true,
anything that is not pleasing to my Lord.
I now look upon anything
that is not directed to the service of God
as vanity and deception.
I have become firmly resolved
to carry out with all my might
even the smallest detail of divine scripture.
I have come to believe
that there is no obstacle that I cannot overcome
in my desire to live in the truth,
to speak only of things that are true,
that is, things that bring us closer to God,
that go far beyond any worldly wisdom.
The Lord has invited us to walk in truth
in the presence of Truth itself.
The truth of which the Lord speaks,
is Truth without beginning or end.
Upon this Truth all other truths depend,
just as all other loves depend on this Love,
and all other greatness upon this Greatness.
For it comes down to this:
The Lord is Truth itself.
All else is a lie.
ALL THROUGH THE DAY
There is no obstacle that I cannot overcome.
MY DAY IS ENDING
Let nothing, O Lord,
disturb the silence of this night.
Let nothing frighten me.
Grant me rest
in the knowledge
that there is no obstacle
to your love
that cannot be overcome,
if I only accept your invitation to walk in truth
in the presence of you who are Truth itself.
Upon you all other truths depend,
just as all other loves depend on your love,
and all other greatness upon your greatness.
As darkness descends
grant me a quiet night.
Place your truth on my lips and in my heart.
For it comes down to this:
You, Lord, are Truth itself.
All else is a lie.
If I speak your truth, O Lord God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.”
I must admit I engaged much more deeply with the first volume I read in this series than the next 2 I read. I have at least a half dozen other books in this series I want to read. I will likely do a volume a month over the next year. I did enjoy this volume. I just did not add any of the prayers to my daily prayers.
This is a great volume that any Catholic would benefit from reading. I can easily recommend this volume and look forward to reading others in the series.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
July 20, 2012
This book is from the series "30 Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher." Reading a section per day with an emphasis on a theme was a helpful way to wrap up the day--the goal is to read in the morning, to think about a simple phrase presented throughout the day, and then to reflect on that phrase in the evening.
April 17, 2013
I love the works of Teresa of Avila. This is a very helpful format to use as a daily meditation. Looking forward to trying others is this series
January 16, 2013
Wonderful
March 24, 2014
Loved this book. It is one that can be used over and over again. I will place it with my resource library for spiritual direction, and recommend to others.
November 30, 2020
It's difficult to find the exact words to describe a book like this. I truly liked the format. It's broken down into daily readings, morning & evening, with a short message to remember, jot down, or ruminate with all through the day. In a busy world, it made me stop & listen, & I believe I will try to do so more often now. I could read this over & over, which I rarely do even with a devotional or prayer guide. The writings were a gentle reminder in many ways that I needed at this time. I highly recommend it.
December 10, 2022
Lovely spiritual book full of prayers of St. Teresa of Avila. I'm not Catholic, but these prayers are universal. It's amazing to think that the words written by a person over 500 years ago could carry such impact in today's world, but this book does. It is written as a 30-day study with a morning prayer, a mantra or thought for the day and then an evening prayer. Great way to start and end your day.
October 9, 2025
While this is supposed to be a 30 Day Devotional, it took me about 5 months to get through it because of the busyness of life... so id meditate on one day every week during adoration most times... 30 Days would definitely be the most beneficial but I did find the weekly basis to still be fruitful! Each devotion is so lovely and deep. Really opens up the heart and helps realize what is most important.
July 7, 2018
This is a fantastic little book which has been in my bag and given me spiritual strength in many places - from the benefits office, to grieving personal loss, to a humanitarian crisis situation. I have taken much longer than 30 days over it - several months, in fact. Thank you so much for this book.
January 28, 2023
A Great and Sincere Teacher
From her own deep relationship with God, Teresa touches our soul and shares her light. There is a sweetness I feel in her as she strives to live in Oneness also deal with her humaness. I cherish the great spiritual teachers across the ages and their gifts to us all.
From her own deep relationship with God, Teresa touches our soul and shares her light. There is a sweetness I feel in her as she strives to live in Oneness also deal with her humaness. I cherish the great spiritual teachers across the ages and their gifts to us all.
December 25, 2017
I love this little book. I read it once a month.
November 3, 2018
This book should be on every shelf.
August 26, 2020
Nice daily devotional.
September 22, 2021
I am enjoying making my way through this series of books. I like the format of having a prayer for the morning, a reflection to focus on throughout the day, then another prayer for the evening.
June 12, 2023
A deeply faithful book that I must read again!
January 12, 2024
Excellent devotional book. We did read it at church as a weekly devotion and discussed each day extensively.
August 14, 2024
Great structure for a 30 day devotional read.
April 11, 2025
Humbling and inspiring. A beautiful bedside nightly reader to start and end your day.
June 9, 2025
Always use Catholic devotionals, retreats and other resources to deepen my spituality though not Catholic. This book did not disappoint. Hope it does same for others!
July 16, 2025
A truly marvelous daily prayer devotional.
December 31, 2020
Reading over and over!
April 20, 2022
This is one of a series of books that are in a devotional format designed for reading over a thirty day period. In this volume, Teresa of Avila’s writings are used to lead the reader into a life infused with the peace of God. The reading choices are good. I liked the organization. In the end, though, I don’t much like devotional books. I would much prefer just reading Teresa’s writings in their fuller context of what she intended. It’s a good book for what it is.
November 15, 2023
Each book in the 30 Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.
In Let Nothing Disturb You readers discover the timeless spiritual counsel of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, in an easily accessible format. Selections from Teresa's writings have been carefully chosen and arranged for morning and evening meditation.
#Bookstagram #TeresaOfAvila
In Let Nothing Disturb You readers discover the timeless spiritual counsel of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman Doctor of the Church, in an easily accessible format. Selections from Teresa's writings have been carefully chosen and arranged for morning and evening meditation.
#Bookstagram #TeresaOfAvila
November 16, 2017
I have a re-read every few months
September 16, 2021
Daily reflection book by St Teresa of Avila. Very good. Great spiritual guidance on everyday living.
April 7, 2017
Very playful and thought provoking
This, for all of its short daily readings is very deep. So much can slip last you. I plan to re-read this book right away.
This, for all of its short daily readings is very deep. So much can slip last you. I plan to re-read this book right away.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews