Christ Has No Body – St. Teresa of Avila

About this Christ Has No Body Poem

The prayer (or poem) Christ Has No Body is attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, although it is not found in her writings.

St. Teresa of Avila

Teresa lived in the 16th century in Spain, and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.  She entered the Carmelite order, where she struggled to stay away from attachments to worldly desires. She eventually fell ill and her struggle continued.  Later however, her prayer life improved and she found delight in it.  Eventually she sought to found a new convent founded on poverty and prayer. She was met with opposition, but eventually was able to found a new monastery named St. Joseph’s.  She was a prolific writer, and she also promoted many reforms in the religious orders of the time. Her writings largely focus on prayer, especially mental prayer. She is a founder of the Discalced Carmelites.

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
Compassion on this world
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good
Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world
Yours are the hands
Yours are the feet
Yours are the eyes
You are His body
Christ has no body now on earth but yours

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