The Life of Holy Mother
Teresa of Jesus
The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel
Chapter 40
Continuation of
- the same subject of great mercies God
has shown her.
From some of these
- very good doctrine may be gathered, and
- this, as she declares, was,
besides compliance with obedience,
her principal motive (in writing this book),
namely to enumerate such of these mercies
as would be instructive to souls.
This chapter brings
- the history of her Life,
written by herself, to an end.
May it be for the glory of God. Amen.
- Visions, Revelations, and Locutions.
______________________
Topics/ Questions
to keep in mind
as we read along:
1). St. Teresa described visions
by which she was granted
spiritual wisdom and Truth.
What did St. Teresa say ?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 13, 21]
2). St. Teresa taught that it is
"more fruitful...to look upon our Lord
as being in the innermost part
of their soul.
than as (being) external to us"
Regarding this, she described
the soul as a mirror.
What did St. Teresa say regarding this?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 ]
3 ). How does St. Teresa discuss
the results of deep trance?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11, 13
Ch. 37: #12 ]
4). What did St. Teresa say
regarding Spiritual Direction?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #12 ]
5). What encouragement does
St. Teresa give regarding
our changeable
emotions and devoutness ?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #23 ]
6). St. Teresa discussed
attachment to persons.
What did she say?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 24, 25
Ch 37: # 4, 5 ]
7). What did St. Teresa say about suffering?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 27 ]
8). What did St. Teresa say regarding
this writing of the account of her life?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 28, 29, 30, 32, 33,
Epilogue: Letter to the Confessor
to whom "The Life" was addressed ]
___________________________________
Chapter 40
1. One day, in prayer,
the sweetness of which was so great
that, knowing how unworthy I was
of so great a blessing,
I began to think
how much I had deserved to be
in that place which I had seen
prepared for me in hell,
-- for, as I said before, [603]
I never forget the way
I saw myself there, --
as I was thinking of this,
my soul began to be
more and more on fire,
and I was carried away in spirit
in a way I cannot describe.
It seemed to me
as if I had been
absorbed in, and
filled with,
that grandeur of God
which, on another occasion,
I had felt. [604]
In that majesty
it was given me to understand
one truth,
which is the fulness of all truth,
but I cannot tell how,
for I saw nothing.
It was said to me,
I saw not by whom,
but I knew well enough
it was the Truth Itself:
"This I am doing to thee
is not a slight matter;
it is one of those things
for which thou owest Me much;
for all the evil in the world
comes from ignorance
of the truths of the holy writings
in their clear simplicity,
of which not one iota shall pass away."
[605]
I thought
that I had always believed this, and
that all the faithful also believed it.
Then he said,:
"Ah, My daughter,
they are few who love Me in truth;
for if men loved Me,
I should not hide My secrets from them.
Knowest thou what it is
to love Me in truth?
It is to admit
everything to be a lie
which is not pleasing unto Me.
Now thou dost not understand it,
but thou shalt understand it
clearly hereafter,
in the profit it will be to thy soul."
2. Our Lord be praised,
so I found it;
for after this vision
I look upon everything
which does not tend
to the service of God
as vanity and lies.
I cannot tell
how much I am convinced of this,
nor how sorry I am
for those
whom I see living in darkness,
not knowing the truth.
I derived other great blessings
also from this,
some of which I will here speak of,
others I cannot describe.
3. Our Lord at the same time
uttered a special word
of most exceeding graciousness.
I know not how it was done,
for I saw nothing;
but I was filled, in a way
which also I cannot describe,
with exceeding strength and
earnestness of purpose
to observe with all my might
everything contained
in the divine writings.
I thought
that I could rise above
every possible hindrance put in my way.
4. Of this divine truth,
which was put before me
I know not how,
there remains imprinted within me
a truth
-- I cannot give it a name --
which fills me
with a new reverence for God;
it gives me a notion
of His Majesty and power
in a way which I cannot explain.
I can understand
that it is something very high.
I had a very great desire
never to speak of anything
but of those deep truths
which far surpass
all that is spoken of here in the world,
-- and so the living in it
began to be painful to me.
5. The vision left me
in great tenderness, joy, and humility.
It seemed to me,
though I knew not how,
that our Lord now gave me great things;
and I had no suspicion whatever
of any illusion.
I saw nothing;
but I understood
how great a blessing it is
to make no account of anything
which does not lead us nearer unto God.
I also understood
what it is for a soul
to be walking
in the truth,
in the presence of the Truth itself.
What I understood is this:
that our Lord gave me to understand
that He is Himself the very Truth.
6. All this I am speaking of
I learnt
at times
by means of words uttered;
at other times
I learnt some things
without the help of words,
and that, more clearly than
those other things
which were told me in words.
I understood exceedingly deep truths
concerning the Truth,
more than I could have done
through the teaching of many learned men.
It seems to me
that learned men never could have
thus impressed upon me,
nor so clearly explained to me,
the vanity of this world.
7. The Truth of
which I am speaking, and
which I was given to see,
is Truth Itself, in Itself.
It has neither beginning nor end.
All other truths depend on this Truth, as
all other loves depend on this love, and
all other grandeurs on this grandeur.
I understood it all, notwithstanding
that my words are obscure
in comparison with
that distinctness with which
it pleased our Lord to show it to me.
What think you
must be the power of His Majesty,
seeing that in so short a time
it leaves
so great a blessing and
such an impression on the soul?
O Grandeur! Majesty of mine!
what is it Thou art doing,
O my Lord Almighty!
Consider who it is
to whom Thou givest blessings so great!
Dost Thou not remember
- that this my soul has been
an abyss of lies and
a sea of vanities, and
- all my fault?
Though Thou hadst given me
a natural hatred of lying
yet I did involve myself
in many lying ways.
How is this, O my God?
how can it be
that mercies and graces so great
should fall to the lot of one
who has so ill deserved them
at Thy hands?
8. Once, when I was
with the whole community
reciting the Office,
my soul
became suddenly recollected, and
seemed to me
all bright as a mirror,
clear behind, sideways,
upwards, and downwards;
and in the centre of it
I saw Christ our Lord,
as I usually see Him.
It seemed to me
that I saw Him distinctly
in every part of my soul,
as in a mirror,
and at the same time
the mirror was all sculptured
-- I cannot explain it --
in our Lord Himself
by a most loving communication
which I can never describe.
I know that this vision
was a great blessing to me, and
is still
whenever I remember it,
particularly after Communion.
9. I understood by it,
that, when a soul is in mortal sin,
this mirror becomes
clouded with a thick vapour,
utterly obscured,
so that our Lord is
neither visible
nor present,
though He is always present
in the conservation of its being.
In heretics,
the mirror is, as it were,
broken in pieces, and
that is worse than being dimmed.
There is a very great difference
between
seeing this and
describing it,
for it can hardly be explained.
But it has done me great good;
it has also made me very sorry
on account of those times
when I dimmed the lustre of my soul
by my sins,
so that I could not see our Lord.
10. This vision seems to me
very profitable to recollected persons,
to teach them
to look upon our Lord
as being
in the innermost part of their soul.
It is a method
of looking upon Him
- which penetrates us more thoroughly, and
- is much more fruitful,
than that of looking upon Him
as external to us,
as I have said elsewhere, [606]
and as it is laid down in books on prayer,
where they speak of
where we are to seek God.
The glorious St. Augustin, [607]
in particular, says so,
when he says that
neither in the streets of the city,
nor in pleasures,
nor in any place whatever
where he sought Him,
did he find Him
as he found Him within himself.
This is clearly the best way;
we need not go up to heaven,
nor any further than our own selves,
for that would only
distress the spirit and
distract the soul, and
bring but little fruit.
11. I should like to point out
one result of a deep trance;
it may be that some are aware of it.
When the time is over
during which the soul was in union,
wherein all its powers were wholly absorbed,
-- it lasts,
as I have said, [608]
but a moment, --
the soul continues still to be recollected,
unable to recover itself
even in outward things;
for the two powers
the memory and
the understanding
are, as it were,
in a frenzy, extremely disordered.
This, I say, happens occasionally,
particularly in the beginnings.
I am thinking
whether it does not result from this:
that our natural weakness
cannot endure the vehemence of the spirit,
which is so great, and
that the imagination is enfeebled.
I know it to be so with some.
I think it best for these
to force themselves to
give up prayer at that time, and
resume it afterwards,
when they may recover
what they have lost, and
not do everything at once,
for in that case
much harm might come of it.
I know this
by experience,
as well as
the necessity of considering
what our health can bear.
12. Experience is necessary throughout,
so also is a spiritual director;
for when the soul has reached this point,
there are many matters
which must be referred to the director.
If, after seeking such a one,
the soul cannot find him,
our Lord will not fail that soul,
seeing that He has not failed me,
who am what I am:
They are not many, I believe,
who know by experience so many things,
and without experience
- it is useless to treat a soul at all, for
- nothing will come of it,
save only trouble and distress.
But our Lord will take this also into account,
and for that reason
it is always best
to refer the matter to the director.
I have already more than once said this, [609]
and even all I am saying now,
only I do not distinctly remember it;
but I do see
that it is of great importance,
particularly to women,
- that they should go to their confessor, and
- that he should be
a man of experience herein.
There are many more women
than men
to whom our Lord gives these graces;
I have heard the holy friar Peter of Alcantara
say so,
and, indeed, I know it myself.
He used to say
that women made greater progress
in this way
than men did;
and he gave excellent reasons
for his opinion,
all in favour of women;
but there is no necessity
for repeating them here.
13. Once, when in prayer,
I had a vision, for a moment,
-- I saw nothing distinctly,
but the vision was most clear,--
- how all things are seen in God and
- how all things are comprehended
in Him.
I cannot in any way explain it,
but the vision
remains most deeply impressed
on my soul, and
is one of those grand graces
which our Lord wrought in me, and
(is) one of those which put me
to the greatest shame and confusion
whenever I call my sins to remembrance.
I believe,
if it had pleased our Lord
- that I had seen this at an earlier time, or
- if they saw it who sin against Him,
we should have
neither the heart
nor the daring to do so.
I had the vision, I repeat it,
but I cannot say that I saw anything;
however, I must have seen something,
seeing that I explain it by an illustration,
only it must have been in a way
so subtile and delicate
that the understanding is unable to reach it,
or I am so ignorant in all
that relates to these visions,
which seem to be not imaginary.
In some of these visions
there must be something imaginary, only,
as the powers of the soul
are then in a trance,
they are not able afterwards
to retain the forms,
as our Lord showed them to it then, and
as He would have it rejoice in them.
14. Let us suppose
the Godhead to be
a most brilliant diamond,
much larger than the whole world, or
a mirror like that to which
I compared the soul in a former vision,
[610]
only in a way so high
that I cannot possibly describe it;
and that all our actions are seen
in that diamond,
which is of such dimensions
as to include everything,
because nothing can be beyond it.
It was
a fearful thing for me
to see, in so short a time,
so many things together
in that brilliant diamond, and
a most piteous thing too,
whenever I think of it,
to see such foul things as my sins
present in the pure brilliancy
of that light.
15. So it is, whenever I remember it,
I do not know how to bear it, and
I was then so ashamed of myself
that I knew not where to hide myself.
Oh, that some one could make this plain
to those
who commit most foul and filthy sins,
that they may remember
- their sins are not secret, and
- that God most justly resents them,
seeing that they are wrought
in the very presence of His Majesty, and
that we are demeaning ourselves
so irreverently before Him!
I saw, too,
how completely hell is deserved
for only one mortal sin, and
how impossible it is to understand
the exceeding great wickedness
of committing it in the sight
of majesty so great, and
how abhorrent to His nature
such actions are.
In this we see more and more
of His mercifulness,
who, though we all know His hatred of sin,
yet suffers us to live.
16. The vision made me also reflect,
that if one such vision as this
fills the souls with such awe,
what will it be in the day of judgment,
when His Majesty will appear distinctly,
and
when we too shall look on the sins
we have committed!
O my God, I have been, oh, how blind!
I have often been amazed
at what I have written;
and you, my father,
be you not amazed at anything,
but that I am still living,
-- I, who see such things,
and know myself to be what I am.
Blessed for ever be He
who has borne with me so long!
17. Once, in prayer,
with much recollection, sweetness,
and repose,
I saw myself,
as it seemed to me,
surrounded by angels, and
was close unto God.
I began to intercede with His Majesty
on behalf of the church.
I was given to understand
the great services
which a particular Order
would render in the latter days, and
the courage with which its members
would maintain the faith.
18. I was praying
before the most Holy Sacrament one day;
I had a vision of a Saint,
whose Order was in some degree fallen.
In his hands he held a large book,
which he opened, and
then told me to read certain words,
written in large and very legible letters;
they were to this effect:
"In times to come
this Order will flourish;
it will have many martyrs." [611]
19. On another occasion,
when I was at Matins in choir,
six or seven persons,
who seemed to me to be of this Order,
appeared and stood before me
with swords in their hands.
The meaning of that, as I think,
is that they are to be
defenders of the faith;
for at another time,
when I was in prayer,
I fell into a trance, and
stood in spirit on a wide plain,
where many persons were fighting;
and the members of this Order
were fighting with great zeal.
Their faces were beautiful, and
as it were on fire.
Many they laid low on the ground defeated,
others they killed.
It seemed to me to be a battle with heretics.
20. I have seen
this glorious Saint occasionally, and
he has
told me certain things, and
thanked me for praying for his Order, and
he has promised to pray for me to our Lord.
I do not say which Orders these are,
-- our Lord, if it so pleased Him,
could make them known, --
lest the others should be aggrieved.
Let every Order, or
every member of them by himself,
labour,
that by his means
our Lord would so bless his own Order
that it may serve Him
in the present grave necessities
of His Church.
Blessed are they
whose lives are so spent.
21. I was once asked by a person
to pray God to let him know
whether his acceptance of a bishopric
would be for the service of God.
After Communion our Lord said to me:
"When he shall
have clearly and really understood
that true dominion consists
in possessing nothing,
he may then accept it."
I understood by this
that he who is to be in dignity
must be very far
from wishing or desiring it,
or at least
he must not seek it.
22. These and many other graces
our Lord
has given, and
is giving continually,
to me a sinner.
I do not think it is necessary
to speak of them,
because the state of my soul
can be ascertained
from what I have written;
so also
can the spirit
which our Lord has given me.
May He be blessed for ever,
who has been so mindful of me!
23. Our Lord said to me once,
consoling me,
that I was not to distress myself,
-- this He said most lovingly, --
because in this life
we could not continue in the same state.
[612]
At one time
I should be fervent,
at another not;
now disquieted,
and again at peace,
and tempted;
but I must hope in Him,
and fear not.
24. I was one day thinking
whether it was
a want of detachment in me
to take pleasure in the company of those
who had the care of my soul, and
to have an affection for them, and
to comfort myself with those
whom I see to be
very great servants of God. [613]
Our Lord said to me:
"It is not a virtue in a sick man
to abstain from
thanking and
loving
the physician who seems
to restore him to health
when he is in danger of death.
What should I have done
without these persons?
The conversation of good people
was never hurtful;
my words should always be
weighed, and holy;
and I was not to cease my relations
with them,
for they would do me good
rather than harm."
25. This was a great comfort to me,
because, now and then,
I wished to abstain from converse
with all people;
for it seemed to me
that I was attached to them.
Always, in all things,
did our Lord console me,
even to the showing me
how I was to treat
those who were weak, and
some other people also.
Never did He cease to take care of me.
I am sometimes distressed to see
how little I do in His service, and
how I am forced to spend time
in taking care of a body
so weak and worthless
as mine is,
more than I wish.
26. I was in prayer one night,
when it was time to go to sleep.
I was in very great pain, and
my usual sickness was coming on. [614]
I saw myself
so great a slave to myself, and,
on the other hand,
the spirit asked for time for itself.
I was so much distressed
that I began
to weep exceedingly, and
to be very sorry.
This has happened to me
not once only,
but, as I am saying,
very often;
and it seems to make me weary of myself,
so that at the time
I hold myself literally in abhorrence.
Habitually, however,
I know
that I do not hate myself, and
I never fail to take
that which I see to be necessary for me.
May our Lord grant
that I do not take more than is necessary!
--I am afraid I do.
27. When I was thus distressed,
our Lord appeared unto me.
He comforted me greatly,
and told me
I must do this for His love,
and bear it;
my life was necessary now.
And so, I believe,
I have never known real pain
since I resolved
to serve my Lord and my Consoler
with all my strength;
for though he would leave me
to suffer a little,
yet He would console me in such a way
that I am doing nothing
when I long for troubles.
And it seems to me
there is nothing worth living for
but this,
and suffering is
what I most heartily pray to God for.
I say to Him sometimes,
with my whole heart:
"O Lord, either to die or to suffer!
I ask of Thee nothing else for myself."
It is a comfort to me
to hear the clock strike,
because I seem
to have come a little nearer
to the vision of God,
in that another hour of my life
has passed away.
28. At other times
I am in such a state
that I do
not feel that I am living,
nor yet do I desire to die
but I am lukewarm, and
darkness surrounds me on every side,
as I said before; [615]
for I am very often in great trouble.
It pleased our Lord
that the graces He wrought in me
should be published abroad, [616]
as He told me some years ago
they should be.
It was a great pain to me, and
I have borne much on that account
even to this day,
as you, my father, know,
because every man explains them
in his own sense.
But my comfort herein is
that it is not my fault
that they are become known,
for I was extremely cautious
never to speak of them
but to my confessors, or to persons
who I knew had heard of them from them.
I was silent, however,
not out of humility,
but because, as I said before, [617]
it gave me great pain
to speak of them
even to my confessors.
29. Now, however,
--to God be the glory!--
though many speak against me,
but out of a zeal for goodness, and
though some are afraid
to speak to me, and even
to hear my confession, and
though others have much to say about me,
because I see that our Lord willed
by this means
to provide help for many souls,
-- and also because I
see clearly and
keep in mind
how much He would suffer,
if only for the gaining of one, --
I do not care about it at all.
30. I know not
why it is so,
but perhaps
the reason may be
in some measure
that His Majesty has placed me
in this corner out of the way,
where the enclosure is so strict, and
where I am as one that is dead.
I thought
that no one would remember me,
but I am not so much forgotten
as I wish I was,
for I am forced to speak to some people.
But as I am in a house
where none may see me,
it seems as if our Lord had been pleased
to bring me to a haven,
which I trust in His Majesty will be secure.
Now that I am out of the world,
with companions holy and few in number,
I look down on the world
as from a great height, and
care very little
what people say or know about me.
I think much
more of one soul's advancement,
even if it were but slight,
than of all that people may say of me;
and since I am settled here
it has pleased our Lord
that all my desires tend to this.
31. He has made my life to me
now a kind of sleep;
for almost always what I see
seems to me to be seen as in a dream,
nor have I any great sense
either of pleasure or of pain.
If matters occur
which may occasion either,
the sense of it passes away so quickly
that it
astonishes me, and
leaves an impression
as if I had been dreaming,
-- and this is the simple truth;
for if I wished afterwards
to delight in that pleasure, or
be sorry over that pain,
it is not in my power to do so:
just as a sensible person feels
neither pain
nor pleasure
in the memory of a dream that is past;
for now our Lord has roused my soul
out of that state which,
because I was
not mortified
nor dead
to the things of this world,
made me feel as I did,
and His Majesty does not wish me
to become blind again.
32. This is the way I live now,
my lord and father;
do you, my father, pray to God
that He would
take me to Himself, or
enable me to serve Him.
May it please His Majesty
that what I have written
may be of some use to you, my father!
I have so little time, [618] and
therefore my trouble
has been great in writing;
but it will be a blessed trouble
if I have succeeded in saying anything
that will cause one single act
of praise to our Lord.
If that were the case,
I should look upon myself
as sufficiently rewarded,
even if you, my father,
burnt at once what I have written.
I would rather it were not burnt
before those three saw it,
whom you, my father, know of,
because they
are, and
have been, my confessors;
for if it be bad,
it is right they should lose the good opinion
they have of me;
and if it be good,
they are good and learned men,
and I know they will
recognise its source, and
give praise to Him
who hath spoken through me.
33. May His Majesty
ever be your protector, and
make you so great a saint
that your spirit and light
may show the way to me
a miserable creature,
so wanting in humility and
so bold as to have ventured
to write on subjects so high!
May our Lord grant
I have not fallen into any errors
in the matter,
for I had
the intention and
the desire
to be accurate and obedient,
and also
that through me
He might have glory,
in some measure,
-- because that is
what I have been praying for
these many years;
and as my good works are inefficient
for that end,
I have ventured to put in order
this my disordered life.
Still, I have
not wasted more time,
nor given it more attention,
than was necessary for writing it;
yet I have put down
all that has happened to me
with all the simplicity
and sincerity possible.
34. May our Lord,
who is all-powerful, grant
-- and He can if He will --
that I may attain to
the doing of His will
in all things!
May He never suffer this soul to be lost,
which He so often,
in so many ways, and
by so many means,
has rescued from hell and
drawn unto Himself!
Amen.
__________________
Epilogue
[ St. Teresa's Letter to her Confessor
to whom "The Life" was addressed ]
I.H.S.
The Holy Spirit be ever with you,
my father. [619]
Amen.
It would not be anything improper
if I were to magnify my labour
in writing this,
to oblige you to be very careful
to recommend me to our Lord;
for indeed I may well do so,
considering what I have gone through
in giving this account of myself, and
in retracing my manifold wretchedness.
But, still, I can say with truth
that I felt it
more difficult
to speak of the graces
which I have received from our Lord
than to speak of my offences
against His Majesty.
You, my father,
commanded me to write at length;
that is what I have done,
on condition that you will do
what you promised,
namely, destroy everything in it
that has the appearance of being wrong.
I had not yet read it through
after I had written it,
when your reverence sent for it.
Some things in it
may not be very clearly explained, and there
may be some repetitions;
for the time I could give to it
was so short,
that I could not stop to see
what I was writing.
I entreat your reverence to
correct it and
have it copied,
if it is to be sent on
to the Father-Master, Avila, [620]
for perhaps some one may recognise
the handwriting.
I wish very much you would order it
so that he might see it,
for I began to write it
with a view to
that I shall be greatly comforted
if he shall think
that I am on a safe road,
now that, so far as it concerns me,
there is nothing more to be done.
Your reverence will do in all things
that which to you shall seem good, and
you will look upon yourself
as under an obligation
to take care of one
who trusts her soul to your keeping.
I will pray for the soul of your reverence
to our Lord, so long as I live.
You will, therefore,
be diligent in His service,
in order that you may be able to help me;
for your reverence will see
by what I have written
how profitable it is to give oneself,
as your reverence has begun to do,
wholly unto Him
who gives Himself to us
so utterly without measure.
Blessed be His Majesty for ever!
I hope of His mercy
we shall see one another one day,
when we, your reverence and myself,
shall see more clearly the great mercies
He has shown us, and
when we shall praise Him
for ever and ever.
Amen.
_____________________
This book was finished in June, 1562.
"This date refers to the first account
which the holy Mother Teresa of Jesus
wrote of her life;
it was not then divided into chapters.
Afterwards she
made this copy, and
inserted in it many things
which had taken place
subsequent to this date,
such as the foundation
of the monastery of St.Joseph of Avila,
as in p. 169. [621]
- Fr Domingo Banez."
__________________________
Foot Notes
[603] [444]Ch. xxxii. § 1.
[604] [445]Ch. xxviii. § 14.
[605] St. Matt. v. 18:
"Iota unum aut unus apex
non praeteribit a lege."
[606] [446]Ch. iv. § 10.
[607] "Ecce quantum spatiatus sum
in memoria mea quaerens Te, Domine;
et non Te inveni extra eam. . . .
Ex quo didici Te, manes in memoria mea,
et illic Te invenio cum reminiscor Tui
et delector in Te"
(Confess. x. 24).
See Inner Fortress, Sixth Mansion, ch. iv.
[608] [447]Ch. xx. § 26.
[609] [448]Ch. xxv. § 18,
[449]ch. xxvi. § 4.
See St. John of the Cross,
[450]Mount Carmel, bk. ii. ch. xxii.
[610] [451] § 8.
[611] Yepez says
that the Order here spoken of
is the Carmelite,
and Ribera understands the Saint
to refer to that of St. Dominic.
The Bollandists, n. 1638--1646,
on the whole,
prefer the authority of Ribera
to that of Yepez
and
give good reasons for their preference,
setting aside as insufficient
the testimony of
Fray Luis of the Assumption,
who says he heard himself
from the
Venerable Anne of St. Bartholomew
that the Order in question is
the Order of our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Don Vicente, the Spanish editor,
rejects the opinion of Ribera,
on the ground that it could not have been
truly said of the Dominicans
in the sixteenth century
that the Order was in "some degree fallen,"
for it was in a most flourishing state.
He therefore was inclined to believe
that the Saint referred to the Augustinians
or to the Franciscans.
But, after he had printed this part of his book,
he discovered among the MSS.
in the public library of Madrid
a letter of Anne of St. Bartholomew,
addressed to Fray Luis of the Assumption,
in which the saintly companion of St. Teresa
says that the "Order was ours."
Don Vicente has published the letter
in the Appendix, p. 566.
[612] Job xiv. 2:
"Nunquam in eodem statu permanet."
[613] See [452]ch. xxxvii. §§ 4,
[ 453]6.
[614] See [454]ch. vii. § 18.
[615] [455]Ch. xxx. § 10.
[616] [456]Ch. xxxi. § § 16, 17.
[617] [457]Ch. xxviii. § 6.
[618] See [458]ch. xiv. § 12.
[619] This letter,
which seems to have accompanied the "Life,"
is printed among the other letters
of the Saint, and
is addressed to her confessor,
the Dominican friar, Pedro Ibanez.
It is the fifteenth letter in the first volume
of the edition of Madrid;
but it is not dated there.
[620] Juan de Avila, commonly called
the Apostle of Andalusia.
[621] I.e. of the MS.
See [459]p. 337 of this translation.
~ End of Chapter 40 ~ |
| The End The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel ~ Discussion Follows ~ |
~ Discussion of Ch. 40 ~ The Life of Teresa of Jesus Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila |
The Life of Holy Mother
Teresa of Jesus
The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel
Discussion of Chapter 40
Continuation of
- the same subject of great mercies God
has shown her.
From some of these
- very good doctrine may be gathered, and
- this, as she declares, was,
besides compliance with obedience,
her principal motive (in writing this book),
namely to enumerate such of these mercies
as would be instructive to souls.
This chapter brings
- the history of her Life,
written by herself, to an end.
May it be for the glory of God. Amen.
- Visions, Revelations, and Locutions.
______________________
Discussion Topics/ Questions
1). St. Teresa described visions
by which she was granted
spiritual wisdom and Truth.
What did St. Teresa say ?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 13, 21]
2). St. Teresa taught that it is
"more fruitful...to look upon our Lord
as being in the innermost part
of their soul.
than as (being) external to us"
Regarding this, she described
the soul as a mirror.
What did St. Teresa say regarding this?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 ]
3 ). How does St. Teresa discuss
the results of deep trance?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11, 13
Ch. 37: #12 ]
4). What did St. Teresa say
regarding Spiritual Direction?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #12 ]
5). What encouragement does
St. Teresa give regarding
our changeable
emotions and devoutness ?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #23 ]
6). St. Teresa discussed
attachment to persons.
What did she say?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 24, 25
Ch 37: # 4, 5 ]
7). What did St. Teresa say about suffering?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 27 ]
8). What did St. Teresa say regarding
this writing of the account of her life?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 28, 29, 30, 32, 33,
Epilogue: Letter to the Confessor
to whom "The Life" was addressed ]
_____________________________________
1). St. Teresa described visions
by which she was granted
spiritual wisdom and Truth.
What did St. Teresa say ?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 13, 21]
St. Teresa described:
~ God as Truth, itself
◊ St. Teresa "...carried away in spirit"
was absorbed in, and filled with,
that grandeur of God"
"In that majesty, it was given me
to understand one truth,
which is the fulness of all truth,
...it was the Truth Itself"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #1 ]
◊ "I also understood
what it is for a soul
to be walking
in the truth,
in the presence of the Truth itself
What I understood is this:
that our Lord gave me to understand
that He is Himself the very Truth"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #5 ]
◊ "The Truth of
which I am speaking, and
which I was given to see,
is Truth Itself, in Itself.
It has neither beginning nor end.
All other truths
depend on this Truth, as
all other loves depend on this love,
and
other grandeurs on this grandeur.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #7 ]
~ Truth: In Attachment to God
Not in attchment to the world
◊ "for after this vision
I look upon everything
which does not tend
to the service of God
as vanity and lies.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #2 ]
"they are few who love Me in truth
for if men loved Me,
I should not hide My secrets
from them.
Knowest thou what it is
to love Me in truth?
It is to admit
everything to be a lie
which is not pleasing unto Me.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #1 ]
"I saw nothing;
but I understood
how great a blessing it is
to make no account of anything
which does not lead us
nearer unto God"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #5 ]
"the vanity of this world"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #6 ]
"Dost Thou not remember
- that this my soul has been
an abyss of lies and
a sea of vanities, and
- all my fault?
Though Thou hadst given me
a natural hatred of lying
yet I did involve myself
in many lying ways.
...mercies and graces so great
should fall to the lot of one
who has so ill deserved them
at Thy hands"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #7 ]
"Once, when in prayer,
I had a vision,
- how all things
are seen in God and
- how all things
are comprehended in Him.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #13 ]
"After Communion our Lord said...
'When he shall have...understood
that true dominion consists
in possessing nothing,
he may then accept'
( office and honored position
in this example, she referred
to the position of Bishop)
I understood by this
that he who is to be in dignity
must be very far
from wishing or desiring it,
or at least
he must not seek it."
[ Life: Ch. 40: #21 ]
~ Truth of the Holy Scripture
God spoke to St. Teresa:
◊ "...all the evil in the world
comes from ignorance
of the truths of the holy writings
in their clear simplicity,
of which not one iota
shall pass away."
[ Life: Ch. 40: #1 ]
[605] Mt 5:18
"Iota unum aut unus apex
non praeteribit a lege."
Mt 5:18 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you untruly for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law till all be fulfilled. |
"I know not how it was done,
for I saw nothing;
but I was filled...
with exceeding strength and
earnestness of purpose
to observe with all my might
everything contained
in the divine writings"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #3 ]
I had a very great desire
never to speak of anything
but of those deep truths
which far surpass
all that is spoken of here
in the world,
-- and so the living in it
began to be painful to me.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #4 ]
_____________________________
2). St. Teresa taught that it is
"more fruitful...to look upon our Lord
as being in the innermost part
of their soul.
than as (being) external to us"
Regarding this, she described
the soul as a mirror.
What did St. Teresa say regarding this?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 ]
St. Teresa wrote:
~ Regarding the soul
as the place where God dwells
"This vision seems to me
very profitable to recollected persons,
to teach them
to look upon our Lord
as being
in the innermost part of their soul.
It is a method
of looking upon Him
- which penetrates us more thoroughly,
- is much more fruitful,
than that of looking upon Him
as external to us"
[ Life: Ch. 40: #10 ]
"...books on prayer...they speak of
where we are to seek God
...St. Augustin says that
neither in the streets of the city,
nor in pleasures,
nor in any place whatever
where he sought Him,
did he find Him
as he found Him within himself
This is clearly the best way;
we need not go up to heaven,
nor any further than our own selves,
for that would only
distress the spirit and
distract the soul, and
bring but little fruit.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #10 ]
~ Regarding the soul as a mirror
through which to see God
Once, when...reciting the Office,
my soul became recollected,
and seemed to me
all bright as a mirror...
and in the centre of it
I saw Christ our Lord,
as I usually see Him.
It seemed to me
that I saw Him distinctly
in every part of my soul,
as in a mirror..."
[ Life: Ch. 40: #8 ]
~ Regarding the soul as a mirror
which is dimmed and clouded by sin
"I understood by it,
that, when a soul is in mortal sin,
this mirror becomes
clouded with a thick vapour,
utterly obscured,
so that our Lord is
neither visible
nor present,
though He is always present
in the conservation of its being.
In heretics,
the mirror is, as it were,
broken in pieces, and
that is
worse than being dimmed.
But it has done me great good;
it has also made me very sorry
on account of those times
when I dimmed
the lustre of my soul
by my sins,
so that I could not see our Lord.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #9 ]
~ Similarly, the Godhead as a
"a most brilliant diamond,...or
a mirror like that
to which I compared the soul"
which reflects the state of the soul
(its actions and sins)
"Let us suppose the Godhead to be
a most brilliant diamond,
much larger than the whole world, or
a mirror
like that to which
I compared the soul
in a former vision...
and that all our actions are seen
in that diamond,
which is of such dimensions
as to include everything,
because nothing can be beyond it.
It was
- a fearful thing for me
to see...so many things together
in that brilliant diamond, and
- a most piteous thing too,
to see such foul things
as my sins
present in the pure brilliancy
of that light.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #14 ]
...whenever I remember it,
I do not know how to bear it, and
I was then so ashamed of myself
that I knew not where
to hide myself.
...to those who commit
most foul and filthy sins,
that they may remember
- their sins are not secret, and
- that God most justly
resents them,
seeing that they are wrought
in the very presence
of His Majesty, and
that we are
demeaning ourselves
so irreverently before Him!
how impossible it is
to understand
the exceeding great wickedness
of committing it
in the sight
of majesty so great, and
how abhorrent to His nature
such actions are.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #15 ]
The vision made me also reflect,
that if one such vision as this
fills the souls with such awe,
what will it be
in the day of judgment,
when His Majesty
will appear distinctly, and
when we too shall look
on the sins
we have committed!
[ Life: Ch. 40: #16 ]
_______________________
3 ). How does St. Teresa discuss
the results of deep trance?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11, 13
Ch. 37: #12 ]
St. Teresa described
some aspects of trance
in this way:
"I should like to point out
one result of a deep trance..."
~ During the trance:
- "during which the soul was in union,
- ...all its powers were wholly absorbed
(faculties: understanding,
imagination, memory )
- ...it lasts, but a moment (in duration)
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11 ]
~ After the trance:
- the soul continues still to be recollected,
- unable to recover itself
- the memory and
the understanding...
are in a frenzy, extremely disordered.
- This... happens occasionally,
particularly in the beginnings.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11 ]
"When the time is over
during which the soul was in union,
wherein all its powers
were wholly absorbed,
-- it lasts...but a moment
the soul continues still
to be recollected,
unable to recover itself
even in outward things;
for the two powers
the memory and
the understanding
are, as it were, in a
frenzy,
extremely disordered.
This...happens occasionally,
particularly in the beginnings."
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11 ]
"In some of these visions
there must be
something imaginary, only,
as the powers of the soul
are then in a trance,
they are not able afterwards
to retain the forms,
as our Lord showed them
to it then, and
as He would have it rejoice
in them.
[ Life: Ch. 40: #13 ]
~ Her counsel for one who experiences
these continued effects after a trance:
- Why it happens:
The human condition is enfeebled
by so great a spiritual experience.
The soul sees its own powerlessness
and its dependence on God.
"I am thinking
whether it does not result from this:
that our natural weakness
cannot endure the vehemence
of the spirit,
which is so great, and
that the imagination is enfeebled.
I know it to be so with some".
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11 ]
Our Lord, it may be,
takes away from the soul
the power of praying,
that it may
- betake itself
to something else, and
- learn by experience
how little it can do
in its own strength.
[ Life: Ch. 37: #12 ]
- Her Recommendations:
If they are not able to pray,
don't force self to pray.
Instead do what one is able to do.
"I think it best for these
to force themselves to
give up prayer at that time, and
resume it afterwards,
when they may recover
what they have lost, and
not do everything at once,
for in that case
much harm might come of it.
I know this
by experience,
as well as
the necessity of considering
what our health can bear."
[ Life: Ch. 40: #11 ]
"I believe
that now the best course is to be
- absolutely resigned,
- confessing
that we can do nothing, and so
- apply ourselves...
to something else
which is meritorious".
[ Life: Ch. 37: #12 ]
___________________________
4). What did St. Teresa say
regarding Spiritual Direction?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #12 ]
Regarding Spiritual Direction, St. Teresa said:
~ The importance of Experience
~ The importance of the guidance
of a Spiritual Director
"Experience is necessary throughout,
so also is a spiritual director;
for when the soul
has reached this point,
there are many matters
which must be referred to the director.
If, after seeking such a one,
the soul cannot find him,
our Lord will not fail that soul,
seeing that He has not failed me,
who am what I am:
They are not many, I believe,
who know by experience
so many things,
and without experience
- it is useless to treat a soul at all, for
- nothing will come of it,
save only trouble and distress.
But our Lord will take this
also into account,
and for that reason
it is always best
to refer the matter to the director.
that it is of great importance,
particularly to women,
that
- they should go to their confessor,
and
- that he should be
a man of experience herein.
There are many more women
than men
to whom our Lord
gives these graces;
I have heard the holy friar,
Peter of Alcantara, say so,
and, indeed, I know it myself.
He used to say
that women made greater progress
in this way
than men did"
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 12 ]
__________________________
5). What encouragement does
St. Teresa give regarding
our changeable
emotions and devoutness ?
[ Life: Ch. 40: #23 ]
St. Teresa said:
"Our Lord said to me once,
consoling me,
that I was
not to distress myself,
-- this He said most lovingly, --
because in this life
we could not continue in the same state.
At one time
I should be fervent,
at another
not (fervent);
now disquieted,
and again
at peace,
and
tempted;
but I must
hope in Him, and
fear not.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 23 ]
_________________________
6). St. Teresa discussed
attachment to persons.
What did she say?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 24, 25
Ch 37: # 4, 5 ]
~ Regarding those
whom she liked or liked her:
"I had one very grievous fault,
which was the source of much evil;
namely, whenever I found anybody
well disposed towards myself, and
I liked him,
I used to have such an affection
for him as compelled me always
- to remember and
- to think of him and...
of his good qualities.
though I had no intention
of offending God:
All this was so hurtful,
that it brought my soul
to the very verge of destruction.
[ Life: Ch.37: # 4 ]
- Its Resolution:
"But ever since I saw
the great beauty of our Lord,
I never saw any one
who in comparison with Him
-- seemed even endurable, or
-- that could occupy my thoughts.
For if I but turn mine eyes inwardly
for a moment to the contemplation
of the image
which I have within me,
I find myself so free,
that from that instant
everything I see is loathsome
in comparison with
the excellences and graces
of which I had a vision in our Lord.
Neither is there any sweetness,
nor any kind of pleasure,
which I can make any account of,
compared with...
but one word
from His divine mouth.
[ Life: Ch.37: # 5 ]
~ Regarding those holy and learned persons
who were her Confessors or
Spiritual Directors
"I was...thinking whether it was
a want of detachment in me
- to take pleasure in the company of those
who had the care of my soul, and
- to have an affection for them, and
- to comfort myself with those
whom I see to be
very great servants of God
- How it was Resolved:
"Our Lord said to me:
'It is not a virtue in a sick man
to abstain from
thanking and
loving
the physician who seems
to restore him to health
when he is in danger of death.
'What should I have done
without these persons?
The conversation of good people
was never hurtful;
my words should always be
weighed, and holy;
and I was not
to cease my relations with them,
for they would do me good
rather than harm.'
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 24 ]
This was a great comfort to me,
because, now and then,
I wished to abstain from converse
with all people;
for it seemed to me
that I was attached to them.
~ Regarding the weak
or those who needed her help
(St. Teresa did not specify here what
the counsel was that she received
regarding the weak or needful.
But by her other writing, we know
she would not abstain from
comforting or assisting them
in accordance with her rule. )
"Always, in all things,
did our Lord console me,
even to the showing me
how I was to treat
those who were weak, and
some other people also.
Never did He cease
to take care of me.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 25 ]
__________________________
7). What did St. Teresa say about suffering?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 27 ]
St. Teresa talked about the value of suffering:
"our Lord...comforted me greatly,
and told me
I must do this for His love,
and bear it;
my life was necessary now.
And so, I believe,
I have never known real pain
since I resolved
to serve my Lord and my Consoler
with all my strength;
for though he would leave me
to suffer a little,
yet He would console me in such a way
that I am doing nothing
when I long for troubles.
And it seems to me
there is nothing worth living for
but this, and
suffering is
what I most heartily pray to God for.
I say to Him sometimes,
with my whole heart:
"O Lord, either to die or to suffer!
I ask of Thee nothing else for myself."
It is a comfort to me
to hear the clock strike,
because I seem
to have come a little nearer
to the vision of God,
in that another hour of my life
has passed away.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 27 ]
________________________
8). What did St. Teresa say regarding
this writing of the account of her life?
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 28, 29, 30, 32, 33,
Epilogue: Letter to the Confessor
to whom "The Life" was addressed ]
St. Teresa said:
~ Regarding the intention and reason
for the writing:
- In obedience to the request
of her Confessor to write regarding
her experience in prayer
and the state of her soul
- For the honor and glory of God
- To strive for accuracy and sincerity
"May our Lord grant
I have not fallen into any errors
in the matter,
for I had
the intention and
the desire
to be accurate and obedient,
and also
that through me
He might have glory,
in some measure,
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 33 ]
yet I have put down
all that has happened to me
with all the simplicity
and sincerity possible.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 33 ]
But, still, I can say with truth
that I felt it
more difficult
to speak of the graces
which I have received
from our Lord
than to speak of my offences
against His Majesty.
You, my father,
commanded me to write
at length;
[ Life: Epilogue
Letter to the Confessor
to whom "The Life"
was addressed ]
- An additional intention was that
that others may be assisted by her experiences.
that others may be assisted by her experiences.
~ Regarding any intention
toward publication / dissemination
"It pleased our Lord
that the graces He wrought in me
should be published abroad,
as He told me some years ago
they should be.
But my comfort herein is
that it is not my fault
that they are become known,
for I was extremely cautious
never to speak of them
but to my confessors, or to persons
who I knew had heard of them
from them.
I was silent, however,
not out of humility,
but because...
it gave me great pain
to speak of them
even to my confessor
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 28 ]
~ Regarding possible benefits of
its distribution to others
◊ Help for the advancement of souls:
- "I see that our Lord willed
by this means
to provide help for many souls,
- She was mindful how much
Our Lord suffered for all souls.
She also, if God willed, would suffer
criticism for her writings, if by them,
even one soul could advance toward God.
- I see clearly and keep in mind
how much (God) would suffer,
if only for the gaining of one (soul)"
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 29 ]
- I think much more
of one soul's advancement,
even if it were but slight,
than of all
that people may say of me;
and since I am settled here
it has pleased our Lord
that all my desires tend to this.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 30 ]
◊ For the greater honor of God
my trouble
has been great in writing;
but it will be a blessed trouble
if I have succeeded
in saying anything
that will cause
one single act
of praise to our Lord.
If that were the case,
I should look upon myself
as sufficiently rewarded,
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 32 ]
◊ Assistance to her Confessor
for whom she wrote this account
in obedience
"do you, my father, pray to God
that He would
take me to Himself, or
enable me to serve Him.
May it please His Majesty
that what I have written
may be of some use to you,
my father!
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 32 ]
for your reverence will see
by what I have written
how profitable it is
to give oneself,
as your reverence has
begun to do,
wholly unto Him
who gives Himself to us
so utterly without measure.
[ Life: Epilogue
Letter to the Confessor
to whom "The Life"
was addressed ]
~ Regarding possible disadvantages
of its publication:
(She had already asked that the book be destroyed
if her Confessor and/or the Consultants
found her writings to be in error.)
(She had already asked that the book be destroyed
if her Confessor and/or the Consultants
found her writings to be in error.)
- Misinterpretation
It was a great pain to me, and
I have borne much on that account
even to this day,
because every man explains them
in his own sense.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 28 ]
~ Regarding any criticism of herself:
"though many speak against me,
but out of a zeal for goodness, and
though some are afraid
to speak to me, and even
to hear my confession, and
though others have much to say
about me,
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 29 ]
(because her experiences
may help others, she said:)
I do not care about (criticism) at all.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 29 ]
I... care very little
what people say or know about me.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 30 ]
I think
much more
of one soul's advancement,
even if it were but slight,
than of all
that people may say of me;
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 30 ]
~ Regarding critique of the book:
- If the Confessor thought
the book was bad:
"I would rather it were not burnt
before those three saw it,
whom you, my father, know of,
because they
are, and
have been, my confessors;
for if it be bad,
it is right
they should lose the good opinion
they have of me;
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 32 ]
"...to write at length;
that is what I have done,
on condition that you will do
what you promised,
namely, destroy everything in it
that has the appearance
of being wrong.
[ Life: Epilogue
Letter to the Confessor
to whom "The Life"
was addressed ]
- If the Confessor
and other past or present Confessors
thought the book was good:
"and if it be good,
they are good and learned men,
and I know they will
recognise its source, and
give praise to Him
who hath spoken through me.
[ Life: Ch. 40: # 32 ]
~ End of Discussion of Chapter 40 ~ The was the Last Chapter of this Book |
