In November of the year 1561 when St. Teresa of Avila was overseeing the construction of her first convent, that of St. Joseph, she asked her Brother-in-law, Juan de Ovalles, to help her do so. Juan agreed and brought his family with him, among whom were his six-year-old son Gonzalo and his pregnant wife, Juana, who was Teresa’s sister.

At one point during the construction of the building, both Juan and his wife accompanied Teresa on a little errand into the village. Gonzalo stayed behind at ‘home’ - the partially-built convent where the de Ovalles were staying until it was completed. When Juan and Juana returned, there was a peasant woman waiting for them just inside the main door. As she had come to speak with Juana, Juan continued on into the convent, leaving his wife and the woman to talk.

Entering one of the rooms, Juan was surprised to find Gonzalo lying on the floor, his eyes closed. Juan leaned over and gently shook his little son, presuming the boy was asleep. The boy did not open his eyes. Frightened, Juan shook Gonzalo again but there was still no movement from the young body, which was extremely pale and beginning to feel a little cold. A strange feeling came over Juan as the inevitable thought entered his mind, "My son is dead!"

After several more frantic but fruitless attempts to revive his child, Juan sent a discreet message to the woman visiting with his wife, telling her to keep Juana occupied. Sometimes, when a pregnant woman goes through a trauma or intense fright, it can bring death to the baby she carries inside of her. Juan knew this and therefore did not want Juana to know about Gonzalo’s death because he feared the shock might harm the unborn child in her womb.

Picking up the lifeless body of his son, Juan quickly carried it to his sister-in-law. Teresa took the little boy in her arms and sat down in a chair, while Juan left the room and joined the frightened servants in the adjoining room. Once alone, Teresa wrapped Gonzalo in her veil and prayed earnestly that God would bring him back to life for the sake of his parents.

Unfortunately, the mother could not be kept distracted any longer. Not suspecting anything, Juana walked into the room where Teresa was silently begging God to hear her prayers and those of the boy’s father. Seeing her sister and son in such unusual positions gave Juana a quiet and uneasy fear. Something terrible must have happened! The mother stepped closer, suddenly afraid.

"What is it?" She asked in alarm. "Oh, Teresa, what is it? What’s wrong?"

Teresa looked up with a smile, shaking her head with a wave of her hand.

"It’s nothing, Juana." Her eyes seemed to say. "Just a game, that’s all."

Seeing such a peaceful look on her sister’s face, Juana was not frightened enough to press the question but not assured enough to leave the room. She merely stood on the threshold and waited to see what would happen next. Teresa knew Juana well enough to realize that Juana was not going to go until she could see clearly that everything was as it should be. In one last plea for God’s mercy, Teresa raised her eyes to Heaven.

She then felt her veil move slightly. Looking down at Gonzalo, Teresa saw him stir a little; then her nephew opened his eyes and looked up at her. With a childish giggle, he lifted his small hand and stroked her cheek. Teresa sighed with relief. Thanks be to God and His mercy! It was a miracle!

But one that Juana would never know about. As Teresa looked back to the boy’s mother, the sisters exchanged a quiet look. But there was such peace in the Saint’s innocent eyes that Juana simply received its happiness - she did not question it. And with a silent and grateful prayer to Heaven, Teresa decided to play the part of the mysterious and playful aunt, and lovingly handed her nephew to his smiling mother.