Life of St Teresa of Jesus - Teresa of Avila (classic books for 11 year olds TXT) 📗
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3. See Book of the Foundations, ch. iii.
4. In the copy kept in Toledo, the day is Tuesday after the
Assumption (De la Fuente).
5. Ch. xxvii. § 10.
6. St. John xiv. 23: “Ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud
eum faciemus.”
7. See § 6.
8. Titus ii. 5: “Sobrias, domus curam habentes.”
9. This took place in 1571, when the Saint had been appointed
prioress of the monastery of the Incarnation at Avila; the very
house she had left in order to found that of St. Joseph, to keep
the rule in its integrity.
10. See Book of the Foundations, ch. xxviii.
11. Cant. v. 1: “Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum,
et comedat.”
12. A.D. 1572.
13. Maria de Velasco y Aragon, Countess of Osorno (Ribera,
lib. iii. c. 1).
14. See Relation iv. § 2.
15. The monastery of the Incarnation, Avila (De la Fuente).
16. St. John of the Cross, at the instance of the Saint, was sent
to Avila, with another father of the reformed Carmelites, to be
confessor of the nuns of the Incarnation, who then disliked the
observance of the primitive rule.
17. 2 Cor. xi. 27: “In labore et ærumna, in vigiliis multis.”
18. St. Matt. xvii. 2: “Et transfiguratus est ante eos.”
19. St. John xiii. 16: “Non est servus major domino suo.”
Relation IV.
Of the Graces the Saint Received in Salamanca at the End of
Lent, 1571.
1. I found myself the whole of yesterday in great desolation,
and, except at Communion, did not feel that it was the day of the
Resurrection. Last night, being with the community, I heard
one [1] of them singing how hard it is to be living away from
God. As I was then suffering, the effect of that singing on me
was such that a numbness began in my hands, and no efforts of
mine could hinder it; but as I go out of myself in raptures of
joy, so then my soul was thrown into a trance through the
excessive pain, and remained entranced; and until this day I had
not felt this. A few days previously I thought that the vehement
impulses were not so great as they used to be, and now it seems
to be that the reason is what I have described; I know not if it
is so. Hitherto the pain had not gone so far as to make me
beside myself; and as it is so unendurable, and as I retained the
control of my senses, it made me utter loud cries beyond my power
to restrain. Now that it has grown, it has reached this point of
piercing me; and I understand more of that piercing which our
Lady suffered; for until to-day, as I have just said, I never
knew what that piercing was. My body was so bruised, that I
suffer even now when I am writing this; for my hands are as if
the joints were loosed, and in pain. [2] You, my father, will
tell me when you see me whether this trance be the effect of
suffering, or whether I felt it, or whether I am deceived.
2. I was in this great pain till this morning; and, being in
prayer, I fell into a profound trance; and it seemed to me that
our Lord had taken me up in spirit to His Father, and said to
Him: “Whom Thou hast given to Me, I give to Thee;” [3] and He
seemed to draw me near to Himself. This is not an imaginary
vision, but one most certain, and so spiritually subtile that it
cannot be explained. He spoke certain words to me which I do not
remember. Some of them referred to His grace, which He bestows
on me. He kept me by Him for some time.
3. As you, my father, went away yesterday so soon, and I consider
the many affairs which detain you, so that it is impossible for
me to have recourse to you for comfort even when necessary,—for
I see that your occupations are most urgent,—I was for some time
in pain and sadness. As I was then in desolation,—as I said
before,—that helped me; and as nothing on earth, I thought, had
any attractions for me, I had a scruple, and feared I was
beginning to lose that liberty. This took place last night; and
to-day our Lord answered my doubt, and said to me “that I was not
to be surprised; for as men seek for companions with whom they
may speak of their sensual satisfactions, so the soul—when there
is any one who understands it—seeks those to whom it may
communicate its pleasures and its pains, and is sad and mourns
when it can find none.” He said to me: “Thou art prosperous now,
and thy works please Me.” As He remained with me for some time,
I remembered that I had told you, my father, that these visions
pass quickly away; He said to me “that there was a difference
between these and the imaginary visions, and that there could not
be an invariable law concerning the graces He bestowed on us; for
it was expedient to give them now in one way, now in another.”
4. After Communion, I saw our Lord most distinctly close beside
me; and He began to comfort me with great sweetness, and said to
me, among other things: “Thou beholdest Me present, My
daughter,—it is I. Show me thy hands.” And to me He seemed to
take them and to put them to His side, and said: “Behold My
wounds; thou art not without Me. Finish the short course of thy
life.” By some things He said to me, I understood that, after
His Ascension, He never came down to the earth except in the most
Holy Sacrament to communicate Himself to any one. He said to me,
that when He rose again He showed Himself to our Lady, because
she was in great trouble; for sorrow had so pierced her soul that
she did not even recover herself at once in order to have the
fruition of that joy. By this I saw how different was my
piercing. [4] But what must that of the Virgin have been?
He remained long with her then because it was necessary to
console her.
5. On Palm Sunday, at Communion, I was in a deep trance,—so much
so, that I was not able even to swallow the Host; and, still
having It in my mouth, when I had come a little to myself, I
verily believed that my mouth was all filled with Blood; and my
face and my whole body seemed to be covered with It, as if our
Lord had been shedding It at that moment. I thought It was warm,
and the sweetness I then felt was exceedingly great; and our Lord
said to me: “Daughter, My will is that My Blood should profit
thee; and be not thou afraid that My compassion will fail thee.
I shed It in much suffering, and, as thou seest, thou hast the
fruition of It in great joy. I reward thee well for the pleasure
thou gavest me to-day.” He said this because I have been in the
habit of going to Communion, if possible, on this day for more
than thirty years, and of labouring to prepare my soul to be the
host of our Lord; for I considered the cruelty of the Jews to be
very great, after giving Him so grand a reception, in letting Him
go so far for supper; and I used to picture Him as remaining with
me, and truly in a poor lodging, as I see now. And thus I used
to have such foolish thoughts—they must have been acceptable to
our Lord, for this was one of the visions which I regard as most
certain; and, accordingly it has been a great blessing to me in
the matter of Communion.
6. Previous to this, I had been, I believe, for three days in
that great pain, which I feel sometimes more than at others,
because I am away from God; and during those days it had been
very great, and seemingly more than I could bear. Being thus
exceedingly wearied by it, I saw it was late to take my
collation, nor could I do so,—for if I do not take it a little
earlier, it occasions great weakness because of my sickness; and
then, doing violence to myself, I took up some bread to prepare
for collation, and on the instant Christ appeared, and seemed to
be breaking the bread and putting it into my mouth. He said to
me: “Eat, My daughter, and bear it as well as thou canst.
I condole with thee in thy suffering; but it is good for thee
now.” My pain was gone, and I was comforted; for He seemed to be
really with me then, and the whole of the next day; and with this
my desires were then satisfied. The word “condole” made me
strong; for now I do not think I am suffering at all.
1. Isabel of Jesus, born in Segovia, and whose family name was
Jimena, told Ribera (vide lib. iv. c. v.) that she was the
singer, being then a novice in Salamanca.
2. See Fortress of the Soul, vi. ch. xi.
3. See Relation, iii. § 16.
4. See above, § 1.
Relation V.
Observations on Certain Points of Spirituality.
1. “What is it that distresses thee, little sinner? Am I not thy
God? Dost thou not see how ill I am treated here? If thou
lovest Me, why art thou not sorry for Me? Daughter, light is
very different from darkness. I am faithful; no one will be lost
without knowing it. He must be deceiving himself who relies on
spiritual sweetnesses; the true safety lies in the witness of a
good conscience. [1] But let no one think that of himself he can
abide in the light, any more than he can hinder the natural night
from coming on; for that depends on My grace. The best means he
can have for retaining the light is the conviction in his soul
that he can do nothing of himself, and that it comes from Me;
for, even if he were in the light, the instant I withdraw, night
will come. True humility is this: the soul’s knowing what itself
can do, and what I can do. Do not neglect to write down the
counsels I give thee, that thou mayest not forget them.
Thou seekest to have the counsels of men in writing; why, then,
thinkest thou that thou art wasting time in writing down those I
give thee? The time will come when thou shalt require them all.”
On Union.
2. “Do not suppose, My daughter, that to be near to Me is union;
for they who sin against Me are near Me, though they do not wish
it. Nor is union the joys and comforts of union, [2] though they
be of the very highest kind, and though they come from Me.
These very often are means of winning souls, even if they are not
in a state of grace.” When I heard this, I was in a high degree
lifted up in spirit. Our Lord showed me what the spirit was, and
what the state of the soul was then, and the meaning of those
words of the Magnificat, “Exultavit spiritus meus.” He showed me
that the spirit was the higher part of the will.
3. To return to union; I understood it to be a spirit, pure and
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