The Interior Castle or The Mansions
S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
Mansion 7 Chapter 4
|
Mansion 7 Chapter 4
Chapter Contents
The Conclusion
■ Sets Forth What Appears To Be
Our Lord's Principal Intention
In Conferring These Sublime Favours
On Souls,
And
■ Explains How Necessary It Is
For Mary And Martha To Go Together.
This Chapter Is Very Profitable.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
1. Vicissitudes of the Seventh Mansion.
2. Humility produced by them.
3. Such souls free
from mortal and
from wilful venial sins.
4. The fate of Solomon.
5. Holy fear.
6. These favours strengthen souls
to suffer.
7. Crosses borne by the saints.
8. Effect of vision of our Lord
on St. Peter.
9. Fruits of these favours.
10. Why the spiritual marriage
takes place.
11. Love for Christ proved by our deeds.
12. True spirituality.
13. Humility and the virtues must combine
with prayer.
14. Zeal of advanced souls.
15. Strengthened by the divine Presence
within them.
16. Examples of the saints.
17. Both Martha and Mary
must serve our Lord.
18. Christ's food.
19. Mary's mortification.
20. Her grief at the Passion.
21. Can we lead souls to God?
22. How to do so.
23. Love gives value to our deeds.
24. Conclusion.
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Mansion 7 Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
1. Vicissitudes of the Seventh Mansion.
1.
You must not suppose, sisters,
that the effects I mentioned
always exist in the same degree
in these souls,
for as far as I remember,
I told you
that in most cases
our Lord occasionally leaves such persons
to the weakness of their nature.
The venomous creatures from the moat
round the castle and the other mansions
at once unite to revenge themselves
for the time
when they were deprived of their power.
2. Humility produced by them.
2.
True, this lasts but a short time
--a day perhaps or a little longer--
but during this disturbance,
which generally arises
from some passing event,
these persons learn
what benefits they derive
from the holy Company they are in.
Our Lord gives them such great fortitude
that they never desert
His service
nor the good resolutions they have made,
which only seem
to gather strength by trial,
nor do their hearts ever turn from them,
even by a slight movement of the will.
This trouble rarely happens;
Our Lord wishes the soul
to keep in mind its natural condition
so that it
- may be humble
and
- may better understand
how much it owes Him,
and
how great a grace it has received,
and
so may praise Him.
3. Such souls free
from mortal and
from wilful venial sins.
3.
Do not fancy
that in spite of
the strong desire
and
the determination of these souls
that they do not
commit imperfections
and
even fall into many sins:
that is, not wilfully;
For such people
are given special grace from God
on this point:
I mean venial sins.
As far as they are aware,
they are free from mortal sins,
although they do not feel certain
they may not be guilty of some
of which they are ignorant.
4. The fate of Solomon.
4.
This grieves their hearts sorely,
as does the sight of the souls
perishing around them;
Although on the one hand
they have strong hopes
of not being themselves
among the number of the lost,
yet remembering
what we are told in Holy Scripture
of the fate of men
who, like Solomon, [437]
seemed the special favourites of God
and
conversed so familiarly with His Majesty,
they cannot help fearing for themselves.
5. Holy fear.
5.
Let that one among you
who
feels most confidence on this point
fear the most,
for:
'Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord,'
as David said. [438]
May His Majesty ever protect us.
Let us beg Him
never to permit us to offend Him:
Therein lies our greatest safety.
May He be for ever praised.
Amen.
6. These favours strengthen souls to suffer.
6.
It would be well to tell you, sisters,
the reason
why God bestows such favours
on souls in this world,
although you must have learned this
by the effects produced
if you have considered the matter.
I return to the matter in order
that none of you may think
it is only for the sake of the pleasure
such persons feel,
which would be a great mistake on your part,
for His Majesty can bestow
no greater favour on us
than to give us a life
such as was led by His beloved Son.
Therefore, as I have often told you,
I feel certain
that these graces are sent
to strengthen our weakness
so that we may imitate Him
by suffering much.
7. Crosses borne by the saints.
7.
We always find
that those nearest to Christ our Lord
bear the heaviest cross:
Think of
what His glorious Mother
and the Apostles
bore.
How do you think St. Paul
went through such immense labours?
[439]
We learn from his conduct
the fruits of genuine visions
and contemplation
which come
from our Lord and
not from
our own imagination,
or the devil's fraud.
Do you suppose
that St. Paul hid himself
to enjoy these spiritual consolations
at leisure
and
did nothing else?
You know
that he never took a day's rest
so far as we can learn,
nor could he have slept much
since he worked all night to get his living.
[440]
8. Effect of vision of our Lord on St. Peter.
8.
I am delighted with St. Peter,
who when fleeing from prison
was met by our Lord,
Who told him He was going to Rome
to be crucified again.
I never recite the Office
in which this is commemorated
without feeling a special joy. [441]
What effect did this vision have on St. Peter,
and
What did he do?
He went at once to meet his death
-- and our Lord did him no small favour
in finding him an executioner!
9. Fruits of these favours.
9.
Oh, my sisters,
How forgetful of her ease,
How unmindful of honours,
and
How far from seeking men's esteem
should she be
whose soul God thus chooses
for His special dwelling-place!
For if her mind is fixed on Him,
as it ought to be,
she must needs forget herself:
All her thoughts are bent on
- how to please Him better and
- when and how she can show the love
she bears Him.
10. Why the spiritual marriage takes place.
10.
This is the end and aim of prayer,
my daughters;
This is the reason of the spiritual marriage
whose children are always good works.
Works are the unmistakable sign
which shows these favours come from God,
as I told you.
It will do me little good
to be deeply recollected when alone,
making acts of the virtues,
planning and promising to do wonders
in God's service,
if afterwards,
when occasion offers,
I do just the opposite.
I did wrong in saying,
'It will do me little good,'
for all the time we spend with God
does us great good.
Though afterwards we may weakly fail
to perform our good intentions,
yet some time or other
His Majesty will find a way for us
to practise them
although perhaps much to our regret.
Thus when He sees a soul very cowardly,
He often
sends it some great affliction,
much against its will,
and
brings it through this trial
with profit to itself.
When the soul has learnt this,
it is less timid in offering itself to Him.
11. Love for Christ proved by our deeds.
11.
I ought to have said,
'will do us little good'
in comparison with
the far greater good we can gain
when our works fulfil
our aspirations
and
our promises.
She,
that cannot do all this at once,
should do it little by little,
gradually dominating her will,
if she wishes to gain fruit from prayer.
Even in this little nook
she will find many a chance to praise this.
Remember,
this is of far more importance
than I know how to express.
Fix your eyes on the Crucified One,
and all will seem easy.
If His Majesty proved His love for us
by such stupendous labours and sufferings,
how can you seek to please Him
by words alone?
12. True spirituality.
12.
Do you know what it is to be truly spiritual?
It is for men to make themselves
the slaves of God
-- branded with His mark,
which is the cross.
Since they have given Him their freedom,
He can sell them as slaves
to the whole world,
as He was,
which would be doing them no wrong
but the greatest favour.
Unless you make up your minds to this,
never expect to make much progress,
[442]
for as I said
humility is the foundation
of the whole building
and
unless you are truly humble,
our Lord,
for your own sake,
will never permit you to rear it very high
lest it should fall to the ground.
13. Humility and the virtues
must combine with prayer.
must combine with prayer.
13.
Therefore, sisters,
take care to lay a firm foundation
by seeking to be
the least of all
and
the slave of others,
watching how you can please and help them,
for it will benefit you more than them.
Built on such strong rocks,
your castle can never go to ruin.
I insist again:
Your foundation must not consist
of prayer and contemplation alone:
unless you
acquire the virtues
and
practice them,
you will always be (impeded) ;
And please God
no worse may befall you
than making no progress,
for you know that to stop is to go back
-- if you love,
you will never be content
to come to a standstill.
14. Zeal of advanced souls.
14.
Perhaps you think
that I am speaking of beginners
and
that one may rest later on,
but, as I told you,
the rest, that such souls feel,
is within them:
They have less outwardly
nor do they wish for it.
Why, do you think,
does the soul send from its centre
these inspirations, or rather aspirations,
(the messages of which I spoke),
to the dwellers in the precincts of the castle
and
to the surrounding mansions?
To send them to sleep?
No, no, no!
The soul wages a fiercer war from thence
to keep the powers, senses
and the whole body
from being idle,
than ever it did
when it suffered in their company.
Formerly it did not understand
the immense benefit its afflictions brought,
though indeed they may have been the means
though indeed they may have been the means
God used to advance it to this state.
15. Strengthened by the divine Presence
within them.
15.
Besides,
the company it enjoys
gives it far greater strength
than ever before.
If, as David says:
With the holy, thou shalt be holy,' [443]
doubtless
by its becoming one with the Almighty,
by this sovereign union
of spirit with spirit,
of spirit with spirit,
the soul must gather strength,
as we know the saints did,
to suffer and to die.
Beyond doubt,
with the force thus gained,
the soul succours all within the castle
and
even the very body itself,
which often seems to have no feeling
left in it.
The vigour the soul derives from the wine
'drunk in the cellar' [444]
( into which the Bridegroom brought her
and would not let her go )
overflows into the feeble body,
just as the food we eat nourishes
both the head and the whole frame.
16. Examples of the saints.
16.
Indeed the body suffers much while alive,
for whatever work it does,
the soul
has energy for far greater tasks
and
goads it on to more,
for all it can perform,
appears as nothing.
This must be the reason
of the severe penances
performed by many of the saints,
especially the glorious Magdalen,
who had always spent her life in luxury. [445]
This caused
- the zeal felt by our Father Elias
for the honour of God, [446]
and
- the desires of St. Dominic, [447]
and St. Francis [448]
to draw souls to praise the Almighty.
I assure you that,
forgetful of themselves,
they must have passed through no small trials.
17. Both Martha and Mary
must serve our Lord.
17.
This, my sisters,
is what I would have us strive for --
to offer our petitions
and
to practise prayer,
not for our own enjoyment
but to gain strength to serve God.
Let us seek no fresh path;
we should lose ourselves in ways of ease.
It would be a strange thing to fancy
we should gain these graces
by any other road
than that by which Jesus and all His saints
have gone before.
Let us not dream of such a thing:
Believe me,
both Martha and Mary must
entertain our Lord
and
keep Him as their Guest,
nor must they be so inhospitable
as to offer Him no food.
How can Mary do this
while she sits at His feet,
if her sister does not help her? [449]
18. Christ's food.
18.
His food is
that in every possible way
that in every possible way
we should draw souls to Him
so that they
may be saved
and
may praise Him for ever.
You may offer two objections --
first,
that I said
that Mary had chosen the better part, [450]
for she had already done Martha's work
by waiting on our Lord,
by washing His feet
and
by wiping them with her hair.
19. Mary's mortification.
19.
Do you think it was a small mortification
for a woman of rank,
as she was,
to go through the street,
perhaps by herself,
for in her zeal she never thought
of how she went?
Then she
entered a house
where she was a stranger
and
had to bear
the railing of the Pharisee
and
many other trials. [451]
It was strange to see such a woman
as she had been
thus publicly change her life.
With a wicked nation like the Jews,
the sight of her love for our Lord
Whom they hated so bitterly
was enough to make them
cast in her face her former life
and
taunt her with wanting to become a saint.
Doubtless,
she must have changed her rich robes
and all the rest.
Considering how men talk now
of people, far less known than she was,
what must have been said of her?
20. Her grief at the Passion.
20.
I assure you, sisters,
she won the better part
after many crosses and mortifications.
Must not the mere sight
of men's hatred of her Master
have been an intolerable trial?
Then, think of what she endured afterwards
at our Lord's death!
I believe, myself,
that she did not suffer martyrdom
because she was
already a martyr by grief
already a martyr by grief
at witnessing the crucifixion. [452]
Then what terrible pain His absence
must have caused her [453]
during the long years afterwards!
You see,
she was not always enjoying contemplation
at the feet of our Saviour!
21. Can we lead souls to God?
21.
Secondly,
you may say that you have
neither the power
nor the means
to lead souls to God;
Though you would willingly do so,
you do not know how,
as you can neither teach nor preach
as did the Apostles.
I have often written an answer
to this objection
though I cannot tell
whether I have done so in connection
with the Castle.
However,
as the difficulty probably
often crosses your minds
on account of the desires our Lord gives you
of serving Him,
I will now speak of it again. [454]
I told you elsewhere
how the devil frequently fills our thoughts
with great schemes,
so that instead of putting our hands
to what work we can do
to serve our Lord,
we may rest satisfied with wishing
to perform impossibilities.
22. How to do so.
22.
You can do much by prayer;
and then,
do not try to help the whole world,
but principally your companions;
This work will be all the better
because you are the more bound to it.
Do you think it is a trifling matter
that
that
- your humility and mortification,
- your readiness to serve your sisters,
- your fervent charity towards them,
and
- your love of God,
should be as a fire to enkindle their zeal,
and
that you should constantly incite them
that you should constantly incite them
to practise the other virtues?
This would be
a great work
and
one most pleasing to our Lord:
by thus doing
all that is in your power,
all that is in your power,
you would prove to His Majesty
your willingness to do still more
and
He would reward you
as if you had won Him many souls.
Do you answer:
'This would not be converting my sisters,
for they are very good already?'
What business is that of yours?
If they were still better,
the praise they render God
would please Him more
and
their prayers would be more helpful
to their neighbours. [455]
23. Love gives value to our deeds.
23.
In short, my sisters,
I will conclude with this advice;
Do not build towers
without a foundation,
for our Lord does not care so much for
▪ the importance of our works
as for
▪ the love with which they are done.
When we do all we can,
His Majesty will enable us
to do more every day.
If we do not grow weary,
but during the brief time this life lasts
( and perhaps it will be shorter
than any of you think)
we give our Lord
every sacrifice we can,
every sacrifice we can,
both interior and exterior,
His Majesty will unite them
with that He offered to His Father
for us on the Cross
so that they may be worth the value
given them by our love,
however mean the works themselves may be.
24. Conclusion.
24.
May it please His Majesty,
my sisters and my daughters,
that we may all meet together
where we may praise Him for ever,
and
May He give me grace to practice
something of what I have taught you,
by the merits of His Son,
Who liveth and reigneth for ever!
Amen.
I assure you
that I am filled with confusion at myself
and
I beg you,
for the sake of the same Lord,
not to forget this poor sinner in your prayers.
Foot Notes:
[437]
III. Reg. xi.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #4's
Footnote reference #437
"we are told in Holy Scripture
of the fate of men
who, like Solomon, [437]
seemed the special favourites of God"
III. Reg. xi.
4 And when he was now old,
his heart was turned away...
to follow strange gods:
and
his heart was not perfect
with the Lord his God,
6 And Solomon did that
which was not pleasing before the Lord,
and
did not fully follow the Lord,
as David his father
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon,
because his mind was turned away
from the Lord
the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice,
11 The Lord therefore said to Solomon:
Because thou
hast done this, and
hast not kept my covenant,
and my precepts,
which I have commanded thee,
I will divide and rend thy kingdom...
[ 3 Kings ]
_____________________
[438]
Ps. cxi. 1.
Beatus vir qui timet Dominum.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #5's
Footnote reference #438
" ' Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord,'
as David said. [438] "
Ps. cxi. 1.
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord:
He shall delight exceedingly
in his commandments.
[ Psalm 111:1 ]
_____________________
[439]
Though thou shouldst have been rapt up
to the third heaven with Saint Paul,
thou art not thereby secured
that thou shalt suffer no adversity.
I,' said Jesus, will shew him
how great things he must suffer
for My name's sake'
(Acts. ix. 16).
'To suffer, therefore,
is what waits for thee,
if thou wilt love Jesus
and constantly serve Him
For our merit and the advancement
of our state
consist not
in having many sweetnesses
and consolations,
but rather
in bearing great afflictions
and tribulations'
(Imitation, bk. ii. ch. xii. 12).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #7's
Footnote reference #439
"those nearest to Christ our Lord
bear the heaviest cross:
Think of
what His glorious Mother
and the Apostles
bore.
How do you think St. Paul
went through such immense labours?
[439] "
_____________________
[440]
I Thess. ii. 9.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #7's
Footnote reference #440
"St. Paul...never took a day's rest
so far as we can learn,
nor could he have slept much
since he worked all night
to get his living. [440]"
I Thess. ii. 9.
For you remember, brethren,
our labour and toil:
working night and day,
lest we should be chargeable to any of you,
we preached among you the gospel of God.
[ 1 Thessalonians 2: 9 ]
_____________________
[441]
The Antiphon of the Magnificat
at first Vespers
of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul,
June 29,
in the Carmelite Breviary
used by St. Teresa is:
Beatus Petrus Apostolus vidit
sibi Christum occurrere.
Adorans eum ait:
"Domine, quo vadis?" --
"Venio Romam iterum crucifigi."
The Blessed Apostle, Peter, saw Christ
come to meet him.
Adoring Him, he asked
"Lord, where art Thou going?"--
"I go to Rome to be crucified anew."
The saint at once
returned to Rome and
was taken by the soldiers and crucified.
See Letter of Jan. 17. 1577,
note 4. Vol. II.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #8's
Footnote reference #441
"I am delighted with St. Peter,
who when fleeing from prison
was met by our Lord,
Who told him He was going to Rome
to be crucified again.
I never recite the Office
in which this is commemorated
without feeling a special joy. [441] "
For example,
An Antipon of the Magnificat
for Vesper I was:
"Thou art Shepherd of the sheep,
and Prince of the Apostles;
and unto thee are given the keys
of the kingdom of heaven."
_____________________
[442]
"If thou
wilt stand upon self and
wilt not offer thyself freely
to My will,
thine offering is not perfect,
nor will there be entire union
between us.'
(Imitation, bk. iv. ch. viii. 2.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #12's
Footnote reference #442
"It is for men to make themselves
the slaves of God
-- branded with His mark,
which is the cross.
Since they have given Him their freedom,
He can sell them as slaves
to the whole world,
as He was,
which would be doing them no wrong
but the greatest favour.
Unless you make up your minds to this,
never expect to make much progress,
[442]"
_____________________
[443]
Ps. xvii. 26:
Cum sancto sanctus eris.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #15's
Footnote reference #443
"the company it enjoys
gives it far greater strength
than ever before.
If, as David says:
With the holy thou shalt be holy,'
[443]
doubtless
by its becoming one with the Almighty,
by this sovereign union
of spirit with spirit,
the soul must gather strength,
as we know the saints did,
to suffer and to die. "
Ps. xvii. 26
2 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:
3 The Lord is my firmament,
my refuge, and my deliverer.
My God is my helper,
and in him will I put my trust.
My protector and the horn
of my salvation,
and my support.
16 Then the fountains of waters appeared,
and
the foundations of the world
were discovered:
17 He sent from on high, and took me:
and received me out of many waters.
26 With the holy, thou wilt be holy
32 For who is God but the Lord?
or who is God but our God?
33 God who hath girt me with strength;
and made my way blameless.
34 Who hath made my feet
like the feet of harts:
and who setteth me upon high places.
[ Psalm 27 ]
_____________________
[444]
Cant. ii. 4.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #15's
Footnote reference #444
"The vigour the soul derives from the wine
'drunk in the cellar' [444]
( into which the Bridegroom brought her
and would not let her go )
overflows into the feeble body"
Cant. ii. 4.
He brought me into the cellar of wine,
he set in order charity in me.
[ Canticles 2: 4 ]
_____________________
[445]
'St. Mary Magdalen gave herself up
to penance and contemplation
in a deep excavation of the rocks
at La Baume, near Marseilles.
In this wild spot there was
neither bread, water,
nor even herbage.
Thus she lived for more
than thirty-two years
without any kind of nourishment
but that which was celestial,
performing meanwhile
most severe penances.'
(St. Vincent Ferrer.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #16's
Footnote reference #445
"the soul
has energy for far greater tasks
and
goads it on to more,
for all it can perform,
appears as nothing.
This must be the reason
of the severe penances
performed by many of the saints,
especially the glorious Magdalen,
who had always spent her life in luxury.
[445] "
_____________________
[446]
III Reg. xix. 10.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #16's
Footnote reference #446
"This caused
- the zeal felt by our Father Elias
for the honour of God, [446]"
III Reg. xix. 10.
8 And he arose, and ate, and drank,
and walked in the strength
of that food forty days and forty nights,
unto the mount of God, Horeb.
9 And when he was come thither,
he abode in a cave: and
behold the word of the Lord
came unto him,
and he said to him:
What dost thou here, Elias?
10 And he answered:
With zeal have I been zealous
for the Lord God of hosts...
11 And he said to him:
Go forth, and stand upon the mount
before the Lord...
the Lord is not in the wind,
and after the wind an earthquake:
the Lord is not in the earthquake.
12 And after the earthquake a fire:
the Lord is not in the fire,
and after the fire a whistling
of a gentle air.
13 And when Elias heard it,
he covered his face with his mantle, and
coming forth stood in the entering in
of the cave,
and behold a voice unto him, saying:
What dost thou here, Elias?
And he answered:
14 With zeal have I been zealous
for the Lord God of hosts:
_____________________
[447]
'There was one sentiment within him
to which may almost be given
the name of passion:
it was his ceaseless burning thirst
for the salvation of souls.
As his Divine Master had come
into the world
to save sinners
and loved them even unto death,
so he, too, gave up all
that was most dear to him in his life
to win souls to Christ.
He was always giving himself:
it was the very key-note of his existence.
He would have sold himself as a slave,
he would have been cut to pieces
by the heretics,
he would spare himself neither
by day nor by night,
if by any means he might save some.'
(From the History of St. Dominic,
by Augusta Theodosia Drane.
London, 1891, p. 256).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #16's
Footnote reference #447
" - the desires of St. Dominic, [447]
to draw souls to praise the Almighty."
_____________________
[448]
'St. Francis of Assisi,
at the very beginning of his Order,
when he had only seven followers,
said to them:
"Consider, my brethren,
what is our vocation.
It is not only for our own salvation
that the mercy of God has called us,
but for the salvation of many other souls.
It is that we may go forth
and exhort all men
rather by our example
than by our words,
to do penance
and keep the divine commands."'
( The Life of St. Francis of Assisi,
by a religious of the Order of Poor Clares,
London, 1861, p. 32).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #16's
Footnote reference #448
"the desires of ...St. Francis [448]
to draw souls to praise the Almighty. "
_____________________
[449]
St. Luke x. 39, 40.
Life, ch. xvii. 6.
Rel. viii. 6.
Way of Perf. ch. xxxi. 4.
Concep. ch. vii. 4.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #17's
Footnote reference #449
"Believe me,
both Martha and Mary must
entertain our Lord
and
keep Him as their Guest,
nor must they be so inhospitable
as to offer Him no food.
How can Mary do this
while she sits at His feet,
if her sister does not help her? [449]"
St. Luke x. 39, 40.
38 Now it came to pass as they went,
that he entered into a certain town:
and a certain woman named Martha,
received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary,
who sitting also at the Lord's feet,
heard his word.
40 But Martha was busy
about much serving.
Who stood and said:
Lord, hast thou no care
that my sister hath left me alone to serve?
speak to her therefore, that she help me.
41 And the Lord answering, said to her:
Martha, Martha, thou art careful,
and art troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is necessary.
Mary hath chosen the best part,
which shall not be taken away from her.
[ Luke 10 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life, ch. xvii. 6.
~ In that prayer (of quiet),
the soul,
- which would willingly
neither stir nor move,
- is delighting in the holy repose
of Mary;
~ but in this (3rd state of) prayer
- it can be like Martha also.
Accordingly,
the soul is, as it were,
- living the
-- active
and
-- contemplative
life at once,
and
- is able to apply itself to
-- works of charity and the
-- affairs of its state, and to
-- spiritual reading.
Still, those who arrive at this state,
- are not wholly masters
of themselves,
and are well aware
- that the better part of the soul
is elsewhere"
...
So the soul
- has no satisfaction in the world, and
- seeks no pleasure in it then;
because it has in itself
that which gives it a
-- greater satisfaction,
-- greater joys in God,
-- longings for the satisfaction
of its longing to have a deeper joy
in being with Him--
this is what the soul seeks.
[ Life: Ch. 17: # 6 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rel. viii. 6.
the soul is aware
that the will alone is in union;
...
The will is wholly intent upon God, and
the soul sees
that it has no power
to rest on,
or do, anything else;
and at the same time
the two other faculties
are at liberty
to attend to other matters
of the service of God,
--in a word,
Martha and Mary are together.
[ Relation 8: #6 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Way of Perf. ch. xxxi. 4.
They are conscious
that their attention is not entirely given
to what ever they may be doing,
but that the chief factor
that is, the will is wanting.
I believe that it is united to God,
leaving the other powers free to attend
to His service.
The latter are more apt than ever for this
but are dull ....concerning worldly affairs.
God grants a great favour to these souls,
for the contemplative and active life
are here combined.
Thus the whole being serves Him,
for the will, while rapt in contemplation,
works without knowing how, and
the other two powers share Martha's labour
thus Martha and Mary toil together.
[ Way of Perfection: Ch. 31: #4 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Concep. ch. vii. 4.
I understand by this that the Bride is begging
that she may perform great works
in the service of God and her neighbour,
for the sake of which she gladly forfeits
her own joys and consolations.
This appears proper rather to the active
than to the contemplative life, and
apparently she would lose rather than gain
by her prayer being granted ;
Yet, when the soul has reached this state,
Martha and Mary always act together,
as we may say.
For the soul takes its part
in the outward actions
which seem merely exterior, and
which, when they spring from this root,
are lovely, odoriferous flowers
growing on the tree of a love for God
solely for His own sake,
unmixed with self-interest.
The perfume of these blossoms is wafted
to a distance, blessing many souls,
and it is lasting, for it does not pass away
without working great good.
[ Minor Works of St. Teresa
Exclamations, Maxims And Poems
Of Saint Teresa Of Jesus
Conceptions Of The Love Of God
Ch. 7: # 4
Translation:
The Benedictines Of Stanbrook ]
_____________________
[450]
Ibid. x. 42:
Maria optimam partem elegit.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #18's
Footnote reference #450
"I said
that Mary had chosen the better part,
[450]"
Ibid. x. 42:
But one thing is necessary.
Mary hath chosen the best part,
which shall not be taken away from her.
[ Luke 10: 42 ]
_____________________
[451]
Ibid. vii. 37.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #19's
Footnote reference #451
"Then she
entered a house
where she was a stranger
and
had to bear
the railing of the Pharisee
and
many other trials. [451] "
Ibid. vii. 37.
36 And one of the Pharisees desired him
to eat with him.
And he went into the house of the Pharisee,
and sat down to meat.
37 And behold a woman that was in the city,
a sinner,
when she knew that he sat at meat
in the Pharisee's house,
brought an alabaster box of ointment;
38 And standing behind at his feet,
she began to wash his feet, with tears, and
wiped them with the hairs of her head, and
kissed his feet, and anointed them
with the ointment.
39 And the Pharisee, who had invited him,
seeing it, spoke within himself, saying:
This man, if he were a prophet,
would know surely who and what
manner of woman this is that toucheth him,
that she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering, said to him:
Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee.
But he said: Master, say it.
41 A certain creditor had two debtors,
the one who owed five hundred pence, and
the other fifty.
42 And whereas they had not wherewith to pay,
he forgave them both.
Which therefore of the two loveth him most?
43 Simon answering, said: I suppose
that he to whom he forgave most.
And he said to him: Thou hast judged rightly.
44 And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon:
Dost thou see this woman?
I entered into thy house,
thou gavest me no water for my feet;
but she with tears hath washed my feet,
and with her hairs hath wiped them.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss;
but she, since she came in,
hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint;
but she with ointment hath anointed my feet.
47 Wherefore I say to thee:
Many sins are forgiven her,
because she hath loved much.
But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.
48 And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee.
49 And they that sat at meat with him
began to say within themselves:
Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And he said to the woman:
Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.
[ Luke 7 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
See aso John 12
Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch,
came to Bethania,
where Lazarus had been dead,
whom Jesus raised to life.
2 And they made him a supper there:
and Martha served:
but Lazarus was one of them
that were at table with him.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment
of right spikenard, of great price,
and anointed the feet of Jesus,
and wiped his feet with her hair;
and the house
4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot,
he that was about to betray him, said:
5 Why was not this ointment
sold for three hundred pence,
and given to the poor?
6 Now he said this,
not because he cared for the poor;
but because he was a thief, and having the purse,
carried the things that were put therein.
7 Jesus therefore said:
Let her alone, that she may keep it
against the day of my burial.
8 For the poor you have always with you;
but me you have not always.
[ John 12 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
See aso Mark 14
3 And when he was in Bethania,
in the house of Simon the leper,
and was at meat, there came a woman
having an alabaster box of ointment
of precious spikenard:
and breaking the alabaster box,
she poured it out upon his head.
4 Now there were some that had indignation
within themselves, and said:
Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For this ointment might have been sold for
more than three hundred pence, and
given to the poor.
And they murmured against her.
6 But Jesus said: Let her alone,
why do you molest her?
She hath wrought a good work upon me.
7 For the poor you have always with you:
and whensoever you will,
you may do them good:
but me you have not always.
8 She hath done what she could:
she is come beforehand to anoint my body
for burial.
9 Amen, I say to you,
wheresoever this gospel shall be preached
in the whole world,
that also which she hath done,
shall be told for a memorial of her.
[ Mark 14 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
See Also Matthew 26
6 And when Jesus was in Bethania,
in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came to him a woman having
an alabaster box of precious ointment,
and poured it on his head as he was at table.
8 And the disciples seeing it, had indignation,
saying: To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this might have been sold for much,
and given to the poor.
10 And Jesus knowing it, said to them:
Why do you trouble this woman?
for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For the poor you have always with you:
but me you have not always.
12 For she in pouring this ointment
upon my body,
hath done it for my burial.
13 Amen I say to you, wheresoever this gospel
shall be preached in the whole world,
that also which she hath done,
shall be told for a memory of her.
[ Matthew 26 ]
_____________________
[452]
Marginal note in the Saint's handwriting.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #20's
Footnote reference #452
( Mary Magdalen )
"that she did not suffer martyrdom
because she was already a martyr by grief
at witnessing the crucifixion. [452]"
_____________________
[453]
Life, ch. xxi. 9.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #20's
Footnote reference #453
"Then what terrible pain His absence
must have caused her [453]
during the long years afterwards! "
Life, ch. xxi. 9.
if we were utterly detached,
if we never placed our happiness
in anything of this world,
how the pain,
caused by living always
(separated) away from God,
would temper the fear of death
with the desire of enjoying the true life!
Sometimes I consider,
if a person like myself ...
whose love is so cold, and
whose true rest is so uncertain,
for I have not deserved it
by my works
frequently feels her banishment so much,
(then imagine) what the feelings
of the Saints must have been.
What must St. Paul and the Magdalene,
and others like them,
have suffered,
in whom the fire of the love of God
has grown so strong?
Their life must have been
a continual martyrdom.
[ Life: Ch. 21: 9 ]
_____________________
[454]
Way of Perf. ch, i. 1.
Found, ch. i, 6, 7.
Supra, M. vi ch. vi, 2.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #21's
Footnote reference #454
"you may say that you have
neither the power
nor the means
to lead souls to God...
...the desires our Lord gives you
of serving Him,
I will now speak of it again. [454]"
Way of Perf. ch, i. 1.
"...on account of certain favours
that God showed me, in which He revealed
that He would be served with great fervour
in this house. (convent)
...
I meant rather to do
what was right than to seek
for self-indulgence."
[ Way of Perfection: Ch. 1: # 1 ]
"writes for those who are generously and faith
fully doing their utmost
in the service of the Lord,
... she wishes to put them
on the road towards perfection, leaving it to Him
Who alone can dispense heavenly favours
to complete the work begun in their hearts."
[ Way of Perfection: Introduction ]
Just at this time I heard of the miseries
France was suffering, of the havoc
(those who left the church)
making there,
It grieved me bitterly, and as if I could
have done anything,
or had been of any consequence...
I felt that I would have laid down
a thousand lives to save one
of the many souls perishing there.
Yet, as I am but a woman, feeble and faulty,
it was impossible for me to serve God
in the way I wished ...
Therefore I determined to do
what little was in my power,
which was to follow the Evangelical counsels
as perfectly as I could and to see
that the few nuns here should do the same...
[ Footnote:..."Luis de Leon relates...
The first and chief reason for her founding
the houses of Discalced Carmelites was
to repair, to some extent, these wrongs...
(Fuente, vol. vi. 130,11.19.). ]
[ Way of Perfection: Ch. 1: # 2 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Found, ch. i, 6, 7.
"...weeping much,
and cried unto our Lord,
beseeching Him to show me...
- how I might do something
to gain a soul for His service, and
- how I might do something by prayer
now that I could do nothing else,
I envied very much those
who for the love of our Lord
could employ themselves
in this work for souls,
though they might suffer a thousand deaths.
...reading...in the lives of the saints
how they converted souls...
for this is an attraction
which our Lord has given me;
[ Foundations: Ch 1: # 6 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supra, M. vi ch. vi, 2.
God bestows on such people
so intense a desire
neither ever to displease Him
in however small a matter,
nor to commit
any avoidable imperfection,
they seek to live amidst men
in the hopes of helping
if but one soul to praise God better.
[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6: Ch. 6: # 2 ]
_____________________
[455]
Way of Perf. ch. vii. 7.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #22's
Footnote reference #455
"If they were still better,
the praise they render God
would please Him more
and
their prayers would be more helpful
to their neighbours. [455] "
Way of Perf. ch. vii. 7.
Oh ! what an excellent and sincere love
does that nun show
Who sacrifices her own interests
to that of her sisters;
who makes great progress in all the virtues
and in the perfect observance of the Rule !
There is more true friendship in this than
in all the tender speeches that can be uttered...
If you do your best,
God will make you so strong
that men will wonder at you.
How easy this is to His Majesty
Who created us out of nothing !
[ Way of Perfection: Ch. 7: # 7 ]
|
End of
Mansion 7 Chapter 4
The Interior Castle
or
The Mansions
S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
|
Note:
Attempt was made to display the quotes
of the other books being cited
by the editor's foot notes.
But, they may not be the actual intended passages
that were cited by the editor
since the editions/translations used by the editor
may have different paragraph numbering
than those available to this blog. |
