There’s a statue I was shown in art class many years ago back when I was an aspiring art student, The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. It has made a permanent impression on me because of how emotionally charged it is and I still think about it. Created by Bernini in the 17th century, the sculpture depicts a mystical vision St. Teresa experienced, often referred to as her Transverberation (meaning “piercing through”). She later described the vision, writing in her autobiography that an angel pierced her heart repeatedly with a fire-tipped spear. The piercing allowed her to share the pain of Christ’s pierced heart and it left her “all on fire with a great love of God.” Years after her death, her incorrupt heart was exhumed and it still had the small wound caused by the spear. The vision, it turns out, was very real. Bernini’s statue, once you see it, is hard to forget because Read More…

What the famous sculpture of Saint Teresa teaches about desire