THE WAY OF PERFECTION
NIHIL OBSTAT
DOM EDMUNDUS KENDAL, DD., O.S.B.
Censor DePutatus 1911 NIHIL OBSTAT
F. THOS. BERGH, O.S.B.
Censor Deputatus 1911 IMPRIMATUR
EDM. CAN. SURMONT
Vicarius Generalis
VVESTMONASTERII
DIE 29 JANUARII 1911
NIHIL OBSTAT
DOM MICHAEL BARRETT, O.S.B.
Censor Deputatus 1919 REIMPRIMATUR
^ EDWARDUS Archiep. birminghamiensis die 21 Martii 1919
>K>fcc
THE WAY OF PERFECTION
TRANSLATED FROM THE AUTOGRAPH
OF SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
BY THE BENEDICTINES OF STANBROOK
INCLUDING ALL THE VARIANTS FROM
THE ESCORIAL AND VALLADOLID
EDITIONS
Revised with notes
and an introduction by the Very Reverend
F. BENEDICT ZIMMERMAN
O. C. D. Prior.
SECOND EDITION
WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES
BY THE TRANSLATOR
LONDON : THOMAS BAKER
1919
All rights reserved.
The Benedictines of Stanbroo{ desire to express their gratitude to the V. R. Prior Benedict Zimmerman for his kindness in revising ' The Way of Perfection \ and also for the notes and Introduction which he has added
to it.
StanbrooJ^ Abbey ^ Worcester.
PROTESTATION
In whatever I may say in this book, I submit to what our Mother, the Holy Roman Church, teaches; if I write anything contrary to this, it will be unintentionally. Therefore, I beg of the theologians who are to read it, for the love of our Lord to examine it carefully and to correct any such faults as well as any other defects it may possess. If it has any good in it, may it be for the honour and glory of God and the service of His most holy Mother, our patron and our Lady, whose habit I wear, although most unworthy of it.1
1 This Protestation, although not to be found in her autographs, was written by St. Teresa for the edition published after her death at Evora.
PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION
THEOTONIO DE BRAGANZA, ARCHBISHOP OF EVORA IN PORTUGAL (HOWEVER UNWORTHY) TO THE PIOUS AND DEVOUT MOTHERS, THE NUNS OF THE PRIMITIVE RULE OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL.
HEALTH IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Among many favours I have received from our Lord, not the least was my intimate acquaintance with the very Reverend Mother Teresa of Jesus, I now in glory, because in her I have witnessed the splendour of the gifts of our Lord and of His divine grace. These are evidenced by the convents founded by her according to the primitive Rule of our Lady of Mount Carmel, without any miti- gation, but with as much religious observance and recollection, with such austerity, such unceasing prayer and as much manual labour as our weak human nature is able to bear. She herself was a living example of that manner of life, and she fully trusted that our Lord would grant to His
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servants spiritual and bodily strength to persevere to the end. So great were the charity and fervour of this Mother, such her solicitude for the per- fection of her daughters, that she did not content herself with the good example and the instructions she gave while alive, but wished that, even after her death, her words might remain and continue the work she had begun on earth. As one truly hungering after our Lord, and greatly experienced in all that concerns the religious life, she wrote the advice and the explanations contained in this book, so that the sadness caused to the nuns by her bodily absence might be counterbalanced by her spiritual presence; for indeed she seems living even in the dead letters. This, then, is one of the consolations with which her spiritual daughters may alleviate the sorrow caused by her death; another being the certainty that, where she now is, she will not abandon those whom she so ardently loved, because, so far from being less, charity is much greater in heaven than on earth.
It is no small consolation to see, albeit after her death, her spirit still alive in the doctrine of this book, which she composed through zeal for the spiritual improvement of her daughters, and which she earnestly requested me to get printed.
There being various manuscript copies, it was unavoidable that there should be many passages at variance with what she had written; this could
ti
PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION ix
only be obviated by printing the whole work, and therefore I willingly complied with her request.
In this book, then, she first recommends the practice of prayer and meditation which give a taste of that sweetness reserved by God for those who fear Him, rendering them prompt and ready for all the works of virtue. For, just as Satan, with the allurement of pleasure, leads men to vice, so the Holy Ghost opposes to the sensual a spiri- tual pleasure whereby He inclines them to the practice of virtue.
She further strongly recommends the mortifica- tion of our unruly appetites and our self-will, which is brought about by prayer which softens the heart, and by its sweetness compensates for the bitterness inseparable from mortification. These two virtues might be termed frankincense and myrrh, so often mentioned in the Canticle of Canticles; incense, having the property of rising into the air, represents prayer; and myrrh, which has a bitter taste, mortification.
Moreover, she recommends in this book interior recollection and the withdrawal from conversation with worldly people, were they even our own parents, according to the words of the prophet: ■ Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear; and forget thy people and thy father's house' (Psalm xliv. 1 1 ). She recommends manual labour with a view to lessen such conversations and to
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enable the nuns, who ought to be lovers of the poverty of Christ, to provide for their own needs without having recourse to their families for assistance. St. Paul himself, notwithstanding his care of all the churches, provided by the labour of his hands for his own requirements and those of his companions; how, then, could persons who have no such charge dispense themselves, with a good conscience, from this duty?
She likewise recommends the rigour and the austerity of the monastic life, and this rigour has ever been maintained. For the first obligation of religious persons, who have consecrated their body and soul to Christ their Spouse, is to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, which means to imitate and follow Him, and we know that her whole life was a perpetual bearing of the cross, and that she was exceedingly zealous for the rigour and strictness of the Order, labouring hard that it might ever remain firm and never become weak- ened, for, if the least mitigation were allowed to creep in, relaxation would inevitably follow until the whole edifice came to grief; for our nature has a tendency towards ease, and drags us down. This austerity has a further advantage, inasmuch as those who might choose the religious life, not for the sake of God, but for earthly considerations, could never select a manner of life so entirely at variance with the inclinations of human nature.
PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION xi
Just as the sea casts out dead bodies, so a strict Order frightens away those who, without being called by God, are only guided by human consid- erations. It follows that none will choose it but those ready to give up the world for the sake of Christ, and these, so far from charing under the recollection and austerity of this kind of life, cherish it, and these are precisely the class of persons who maintain the Order in its integrity. This Mother also wished her nuns to be few in number, because small means are large enough for a few, and thus will be warded off the greatest danger that could befall a religious community, namely, that of pay- ing more attention to the dowry than to the spirit and devotion of aspirants; otherwise some persons unfit for the religious life might be admitted. And as they must needs be strict in the choice of those whom they receive, they must be prompt in dis- missing those who have not the required qualities. For this reason she thought it imprudent to receive nuns coming from a great distance, as it might not be convenient to send them back to their homes if the necessity arose.
These are the points, very reverend Mothers, that you will learn from this book, and which I have learnt from the life and the example of your Mother, together with many other particulars about the gifts and virtues with which our Lord had enriched her. One of these was her wonderful
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obedience to her spiritual fathers, which was such that sometimes, when she knew the will of God to be different from theirs, she obeyed them all the same, our Lord approving her manner of acting and testifying that He preferred obedience to confessors and superiors.1
She possessed another special gift of our Lord, namely this, that all the persons dealing with her changed their lives and advanced in virtue, as has been clearly seen in some religious deficient in gravity and learning, and also in many other persons. Not less remarkable was another gift she held from God, which enabled her to lead her visitors to the exercise of prayer and meditation, so that in a very short time and with great facility they even became masters in that art, provided they had the necessary disposition.
Owing to the great desire I have that your Reverences should in all things imitate her and faithftilly guard the treasure entrusted to you, I wished to remind you of these matters, trusting that our Lord, Who hath given you so rich a share of His spirit, will preserve it within you. Thus you will ever advance from virtue to virtue until you attain perfection, and will not be far from the glorious sight of your most sweet Bridegroom, our
1 This applies to the will of God as manifested by visions, locutions etc., not, of course, to any positive command either of Holy Scripture or of the Church. An example is given in note 8, page 192.
PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION xih
Lord. For myself I desire no other reward than that the nuns into whose hands this book may fall should commend me to our Lord, asking Him that, since His Majesty has placed me in this high position, He may also give me the grace so to fill it that after this mortal life I may come to the enjoyment of His glory, which we believe this blessed Mother already to possess. I trust she will not forget those that loved her during life, nor those devoted to her since she has gone.
May Christ ever dwell in the souls of your Reverences with the abundance of His grace.
THEOTONIO, Archbishop of Evora.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction ...... 2
CHAPTER I
The reason why I founded this convent in such austere observance . . . . .
CHAPTER II
That the necessities of the body should be dis- regarded. Of the advantages of poverty
CHAPTER III v
This chapter continues the subject spoken of in the first chapter. The writer exhorts the sisters constantly to beg God to protect those who labour for the Church, and concludes with an ardent appeal to God . . . . .15
CHAPTER IV
An exhortation to obey the Rule. Three very important matters in the spiritual life. One must strive after sublime perfection in order to accomplish so great an enterprise. How to practise prayer ...... 23
xv
xvi CONTENTS
CHAPTER V
PAGE
Continues speaking of confessors: of the import- ance of their being learned and of how we should behave towards them . . . . .32
CHAPTER VI
Returns to the subject of perfect love . . 38
CHAPTER VII
Continues to speak of spiritual love, and gives
advice how to obtain it . . . . .43
CHAPTER VIII
Treats of the great advantage of detaching our- selves from all created things, whether interior or exterior. Of the great benefits gained by those who have left the world by severing them- selves from their relatives, and how they will meet with far truer friendship instead of that which they have given up . . .52
CHAPTER IX
Those who have given up the world benefit by doing so and gain truer friends: this, however, does not suffice unless we forsake ourselves also 55
CHAPTER X
That this abnegation is not enough unless we also are detached from ourselves: how this virtue and humility go together . . . 58
CONTENTS xvii
CHAPTER XI
PAGE
Continues to treat of mortification and explains how to gain it during illness. How little this life should be valued by one who truly loves God 62
CHAPTER XII
That one who truly loves God must care little for life or honour. That one who seeks after per- fection must despise honours ... 67
CHAPTER XIII
Continues the subject of mortification: that a nun must avoid the touchiness and wisdom of the world, in order to attain true wisdom . . 73
CHAPTER XIV
Treats of the great importance of not professing any one of a spirit contrary to the qualifications here described ...... 79
CHAPTER XV
The great advantage of not excusing ourselves
even when unjustly blamed .... 82
CHAPTER XVI
The game of Chess . . . . . .88
xviii CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVII
PAGE
That some souls are not suited to contemplation, and others are long in attaining it. Every one who is truly humble should be content to go by the way our Lord conducts her ... 96
CHAPTER XVIII
Continuation of the same subject. Shows that contemplatives have to bear far heavier crosses than people who lead the active life. This chapter offers great consolation to the latter . 101
CHAPTER XIX
How souls should pray if they cannot make use
of the understanding in prayer . . . 108
CHAPTER XX
Shows how, in one way or another, prayer always brings us consolation. The sisters are advised to speak to one another constantly on this subject 1 20
CHAPTER XXI
The importance of making a firm resolution, from the very first, to persevere in prayer and to heed no obstacles raised against it by the devil .124
CHAPTER XXII
Shows what mental prayer is . . 131
CONTENTS xix
CHAPTER XXIII
PAGE
How important it is that one who has entered on
the way of prayer should not turn back . .137
CHAPTER XXIV
How vocal prayer may be made with perfection.
Its close connection with mental prayer . . 141
CHAPTER XXV
That great profit is reaped by the soul from pray- ing vocally with perfection, and that God then sometimes raises it to a supernatural state . 145
CHAPTER XXVI
Shows how to collect the thoughts, suggesting means of doing so. This chapter is useful for those beginning to practise prayer . .148
CHAPTER XXVII
Speaks of the great love shown us by our Lord in the first words of the Pater Noster. How important it is that those who sincerely desire to be daughters of God should despise all pride of birth . . . . . . -154
CHAPTER XXVIII
Describes the prayer of recollection and lays down rules for practising it. [Escorial: begins to teach how to recollect the mind] . . .158
xx CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXIX
PAGE
Continues the instruction on the prayer of recol- lection. That it is of little consequence whether or no the Prioress likes us . . .167
CHAPTER XXX
The importance of understanding the meaning of our prayers. The words of the Pater Noster: ' Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come.' How these apply to the prayer of quiet, of which the explanation is begun . . .172
CHAPTER XXXI
Continues the same subject and describes the prayer of quiet. Gives advice to souls in that state. This chapter is very noteworthy . .177
CHAPTER XXXII
Explains the words of the Pater Noster: 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' How much is effected by uttering these words with attention, and how richly God rewards us for it 187
CHAPTER XXXIII
How needful it is for us that God should grant our demand in the Pater Noster: 'Give us this day our daily bread' . . . . .197
CHAPTER XXXIV
Continues the same subject. Contains very useful advice for those who have received Holy Com- munion. An explanation of the word 'daily' 202"
CONTENTS xxi
CHAPTER XXXV
PAGE
Continues the foregoing subject. Contains an appeal to the eternal Father. Of the recol- lection which should be practised after Holy Communion . . . . . .213
CHAPTER XXXVI
On the words 'Forgive us our trespasses' . .217
CHAPTER XXXVII
Of the beauties of the Pater Noster and the great
consolation it brings us .... 227
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Treats of the urgent need there is of begging the eternal Father to grant us the petition, 'Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' Enumerates and explains some tempta- tions which come from the devil . . .231
CHAPTER XXXIX
Continues the same subject. A description of different kinds of temptations and of the means of freeing the soul from them . . .240
CHAPTER XL
How, by always living in the love and fear of God, we shall be safe among these temptations. Treats. of fear ...... 245
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XLI
PAGE
Treats of the fear of God, and that we ought to
avoid venial sins . . . . .251
CHAPTER XLII
Treats of the final words of the Pater Noster:
'But deliver us from evil. Amen' . . 258
INTRODUCTION
The convent of St. Joseph at Avila having been inaugurated on August 24, 1562, and the storms occasioned by its foundation having somewhat sub- sided, St. Teresa received permission from the Pro- vincial, Fray Angel de Salazar, to leave the monastery of the Incarnation and join her new community; she crossed the threshold of that 'Pa- radise', as our Lord vouchsafed to call it, about Mid-Lent, 1563, never to leave the enclosure again — as she fervently hoped. She did not know then that God had destined her to more arduous work which would compel her to sally forth and establish convent after convent in distant parts of Spain. Her sojourn at St. Joseph's only lasted four and a half years, but, as she says, it was the happiest time of her life. The convent was small and poor, the observance as stricl: as human nature, strengthened by grace, can bear, but she enjoyed to the full the peace which, after the many struggles graphically described in the Life, had at length been granted her.
The visitor who has the privilege of penetrating
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into the hallowed enclosure will have to reconstruct in his mind the convent as it was in St. Teresa's time. The handsome church was not yet begun, and what is now called the primitive chapel was in reality built at a later period, though undoubt- edly on the original lines. For even now it is only about twelve paces long and eight paces wide, and the sanctuary, the sacristy, and the nuns' choir are of diminutive proportions. The main building of the convent, in the shape of a quadr- angle, is likewise a later addition: in the Saint's time a few old and small houses served for a con- vent, and the kitchen, the refectory, and other dependencies being on a lower level than the sur- rounding land, were both dark and damp. There were then no lay sisters to do the house-work. The few choir nuns took it in turns to see to the washing, the scrubbing, the service in the kitchen and scullery, and Teresa, who had been nominated Prioress by the Bishop, and retained that office until her death (employing a Vicaress during her prolonged absences), took her share, and more than her share, in the common work. Never was the convent so scrupulously clean as when it was her turn to do the scrubbing. Never was the food so tasty as when she did the kitchen, though she might have been seen in an ecstasy, saucepan in hand. The Divine Office was performed with a devotion and a refinement which were at once a
INTRODUCTION xxv
source of edification for the faithful and a revela- tion to the clerics who came to assist at it.
The convent was unendowed, and voluntary alms were anything but abundant; so the nuns spent long hours in spinning in order to earn their livelihood, and we know that Teresa herself was busy with the distaff, not only when alone in her cell but also when in the parlour with visitors. How, after all that, there remained any time for anything else is a wonder; but the facl: is that during these four and a half years she did find the time to write two works which have brought light and peace into the hearts of thousands. She had been advised by Don Francisco Soto y Salazar, the Grand Inquisitor, to write a full history of her life, and to send it to Blessed Juan d'Avila, the man who, since the death of St. Peter of Alcantara, was better able than anybody in Spain to judge about spiritual experiences. She began it probably soon after having taken up her residence at St. Joseph's, and completed it in May or June, or, at the latest, in the course of the summer of 1565. The place where she wrote this marvellous work is still shown to the visitor. The cell inhabited by her has been left exactly as she left it herself when last she bade farewell to the convent. With the exception of a bed it contains no furniture: no table to put her books on, no chair to sit on. When writing she knelt or sat on the floor, the
xxvi INTRODUCTION
paper lying on a small projection of the wall in the window recess. Glass windows would have been too great a luxury for St. Joseph's convent; instead of these the nuns used canvas fixed in a frame and fastened in the open window. Had it not been for the fire burning within her, her fingers must have been nuinbed during the long evenings in cold Avila when she was writing, at a prodigious speed, at a window practically open.
The sisters, though perhaps free from inquisi- tiveness, could not have helped noticing how much their saintly Prioress was writing, and no doubt were told she was composing a work on prayer. Prayer being the very object for which they had joined her, and, at the same time, a sub- ject on which careful and detailed instruction is required, no less than on the most recondite science, they were naturally anxious to read that work. There is so much in it that concerns any one desirous of doing more than merely repeat a set form of prayers. They lived a life of prayer, and they required a guiding hand. However, besides the incomparable treatise on the various phases of the contemplative life, it contains much that is intensely personal, and if Teresa was always anxious to lay bare her innermost soul before those who held the place of God in her respect, she was by no means willing to make known to the world, at least during her life-time, the wonderful graces
INTRODUCTION xxvii
showered on her. As to her failings and short- comings, she was more than ready to proclaim them, even in exaggerated terms; but Divine favours — no! least of all to those over whom she exercised superiority: before these she onlv de- lighted in humbling herself.
However, the nuns would not be put off; they appealed to the confessor, Fray Domingo Banez who commanded the Prioress to write one more book, embodying the homely instructions she was wont to give her daughters. An order coming from God's representative always found readv compli- ance on her part. Thus, no sooner was the Life completed than she took up her pen once more.
Not much reflection was required about the title of the new work. 'The Way of Perfection ' was a favourite expression of the Saint's. She found it in the Imitation of Christ:1 'Hence it comes to pass that I recognise the wav of perfection'; and also in one of the Meditations of St. Peter of Alcantara:1 'But the servant of God that expect - eth merit and comfort in the way of perfection', while she herself had repeatedly used it in the Life: 'Some of them began to walk in the way of per- fection';5 'it requires greater courage in one not yet perfect to walk in the way of perfection'; 'I
1 Imitation, bk. Hi. ch. lv. 3.
* Meditations of St. Peter of Alcantara, translated by Giles Willoughby, p. 199 (Liverpool, 1843) ; and later by George Seymour Hollings. 3 Life, ch. xxi. 9; xxxi. 19; xxxv. 14.
xxviii INTRODUCTION
cannot understand what it is that makes men afraid of the way of perfection.' It is not the 'way of the perfect' of which the Imitation speaks in an- other place,1 but the road that leads to perfection. Although she never grew tired of praising the perfection of the few nuns gathered around her,* she could not but foresee that others, less advanced, might come in the future, and she desired to ad- dress herself to these no less than to the former. This was all the more necessary as there appears to have been a slight misunderstanding about the title of the newlv established Reform. St. Teresa called herself and her nuns 'Discalced', following in this the example of some other Orders which had been lately reformed and had made barefoot- edness the distinctive sign of the reform, so much so that 'barefooted' and 'Reformed' came to be synonymous terms. But in Rome the new Reform of the Carmelite Order received a different title. The General, John Baptist Rubeo, called the Reformed members of his Order Contemplatives. Thus, in a patent of 1567 he speaks of 'houses and monasteries of contemplative Carmelites',3 and again in 1570 he addresses 'the contemplative Carmelites of the Province of Castile'.4 Both
1 Imitation, bk. iii. ch. xxxii. 3. 1 Foundations, ch. i. iv. sqq.
3 Patent of August 16, 1567: ' casas y monastrrios dr Carmelitas contemplativos. '
4 Patent of" August 8, 1570: 'ad Carmelitas contemplatives provinciee Castella. '
INTRODUCTION xxix
these documents, as well as some others, are of a later date than the first version of the Way of Perfeftion, but the expression may have been used before it was committed to writing. It will be noticed in various passages of the book, especially the second half of it, that some of the nuns seem to have been somewhat alarmed bv that title, thinking perhaps that only those who possessed the supernatural gift of contemplation were called to the life led at St. Joseph's convent. St. Teresa wished to dispel these fears. She repeatedly ex- plains that she is not treating of contemplation, but writes for those who are generously and faith- fully doing their utmost in the service of the Lord, quite independently of the question whether or not they have received that gift; 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. If in " the present life they do not attain perfect contem- plation, their faithfulness in small things will unquestionably lead them to the very highest degree of it in the next life. For those who are already in this world called to contemplation further instructions may be required, and these will be found in the book of her Life, should her confessor think it advisable that they should read it. For the others the present work will suffice, as it teaches that sanctity does not consist in
xxx INTRODUCTION
doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.
This it is that makes the Way of Perfection so useful for people of various conditions, and not only for those who serve God within the walls of an enclosed convent. Many who could not understand the Saint's teaching on mystical theology, and for whom the Life and the Interior Castle would be sealed books, will find in the Way of Perfection practical advice to last them a life-time.
St. Teresa knew this. She could not but notice the progress made by her nuns day by day in consequence of her oral instructions, of which this book is an epitome. She was therefore most anxious that her work should come into the hands not only of her contemporaries, but also of those that were to come in the future.
We do not know when the ^volume was com- pleted. The only allusion to contemporary events refers to the ravages of the heretics in the south of France, of which heart-rending accounts must have reached the Saint. The destruction of Ca- tholic churches, the profanation of the Blessed Sacrament, the pulling down of sacred images, the sacking of convents, and the murder of priests, made a terrible impression on her. One of her biographers also alludes to the destruction of con- vents in England, but that had taken place during
INTRODUCTION xxxi
her early life in the Order; yet perhaps some news may have reached her of the events in Scotland. Be this as it may, her own writings only refer to France. On the other hand, it must be taken for certain that the book was finished before the visit of the General, in April 1567, which led to the foundation of the convent at Medina del Campo and others, and was a land-mark in her life; she would certainly have mentioned it, had she then been engaged on the Way of PerfeBion. She says more than once that her confessor, Dominic Banez, was to examine the book before it could be placed in the hands of the nuns. In fact, both he and Fray Garcia of Toledo read and approved it, though neither has left a written approbation, but there is reason to believe that some passages were deleted by Banez. The original manuscript appears to have remained in the convent of St. Joseph at Avila until, in 1586, four years after the death of St. Teresa, it was lent to Fray Luis de Leon, who had been entrusted with the editing of her works; when he had done with it, it was presented to Philip II. for the royal monastery of the Escorial, where it has remained ever since, and where the present writer was privileged to see it. It is not in the library, but in a small room where some other precious manuscripts, as well as certain relics of saints, are preserved.
But it was not the intention of St. Teresa that
xxxii INTRODUCTION
this book should be the exclusive property of the nuns of St. Joseph's. From August 1567, when she established the convent at Medina del Campo, until a few months before her death, she was engaged on the foundation of numerous convents after the pattern of the first; over a hundred pious women took the habit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and dedicated themselves to a life of inter- cession and vicarious suffering. These, too, stood in need of the instructions contained in the Way of Perfect ion not less than of the regulations laid down in the Rule and Constitutions. Accordinglv St. Teresa undertook to write the whole book over again, paying special attention to the corrections made by the reviser. In addition to these she introduced many changes, aiming at greater pre- cision, rearranging whole chapters and developing some of her thoughts. Neither the date nor the place where this second edition was composed can now be ascertained. The manuscript, with the exception of a few leaves which have been lost or purloined, is preserved at the convent of Valladolid; it is bound in solid silver, and forms one of the chief treasures of that convent. This manuscript was repeatedly copied during the life-time of the Saint. One copy is at Toledo, another at the convent of El Pardo, at Madrid, and a third one at Salamanca: all containing variants in the hand- writing of the Saint, but onlv the second and third
INTRODUCTION xxxiii
bearing the signature of St. Teresa, who testifies to their being faithful copies. One more copy is to be found in the library of the Escorial, agreeing literally with the original of Valladolid. But this probably was not known to the Saint, and may have been made after her death. Other convents may also have procured copies of the book; but, if so, these must have been lost.
In a letter to her brother, Don Lorenzo de Cepeda, dated January 2, 1577, St. Teresa says: * The book which treats of the matter of which I have told vou is the one where I explained the Pater Noster. There you will find considerations on the degree of prayer which you have reached, although the subject is not so fully developed as in the other book (the Life). I think it is in the explanation of these words: Adveniat regnum tuum. Read it again, at least the section on the Pater Noster; perhaps you will find something to satisfy you.' Thus Don Lorenzo must have had access to the work.
But copying a book with the pen was a long process, and there was always a danger of omissions and changes, which could only be obviated by having the whole work printed. To this end, she sent a copy, the one now at Toledo, to Don Teutonio de Braganza, Archbishop of Evora, re- questing him to make the necessary arrangements. The letter is unfortunately not preserved, but in
xxxiv INTRODUCTION
one of July 22, 1 579, she says : ■ Last week I wrote a long letter to your Lordship sending you my little book; I will therefore only write a few words to-<lay, as I forgot to ask your Lordship whether the Life of our Holy Father Saint Albert (which you will find in the same volume as my book) might be printed together with the latter. It would be a great consolation for us all, for that "Life is only to be found in Latin.' It has been translated by a Father of the Order of St. Dominic, one of the most learned men we have in our coun- try, and a great servant of God. He has done it for love of me, not knowing, however, that it was to be published. He has not received permission from his Provincial, neither did he ask for it, but this does not matter much, provided your Lordship is satisfied with the book and undertakes its pub- lication.'
Don Teutonio was not quite satisfied with the manuscript of the Way of Perfection submitted to him. He returned it to the Saint, who in the meantime had gone from Valladolid to Salamanca, where she revised it once more with the assistance of Sister Hieronyma of the Holy Ghost; many passages were recast, and a whole chapter was
1 St. Albert, Carmelite, born in Trapani, in Sicily, about the mid- dle of the thirteenth Century, died at Messina, August 7, 1 306. His life, written by an anonymous author towards the end of the fourteenth Century (cf. Analecta Bolland'iana, 1898, vol. xvii. p. 317) was pub- lished at Venice in 14.99 by Johannes Maria Polutianus de Novarola. The Spanish translation was made by Fray Diego de YangQas.
INTRODUCTION xxxv
omitted.' Don Teutonio granted the permission for printing the volume on October 7, 1580, but unforeseen circumstances must have caused a long delay, for his prefatory letter was only written in 1582, the book appearing the following year, after the death of St. Teresa. This first edition has become exceedingly rare, only three copies being known to exist. But it was so much appreciated that reprints appeared at Salamanca in 1585 and at Valencia in 1587/
Meanwhile Fray Luis de Leon had been en- trusted with the task of editing the complete works of the Saint. All the manuscripts then available were placed in his hand, among them the two autographs and the three copies containing cor- rections in the Saint's own handwriting. Taking the text of Valladolid for his basis, he incorporated with it many of the variants to be found in the other sources, so that his edition, which appeared in 1588, so far from being a reproduction of any one of the authentic texts, was rather a combina- tion of all of them. It has been reproduced, times without number, until recent years; the two English translations, by Abraham Woodhead and his companion, in 1675, and by Canon Dalton in 1852, have followed it, though the
1 See the new French edition, due to the indefatigable labours of the Carmelite nuns of Paris, now at Brussels ; ( (Euzres completes de Sainte Terese, vol. v. Introduction (Paris, 19 10).
'Ibid, p. 16.
xxxvi INTRODUCTION
latter allowed himself to be influenced by the French translation of Robert Arnauld d'Andilly, one, (though, perhaps, the least dangerous) of the Jansenist leaders.
The merit of having returned to one of the ori- ginals, the manuscript of Valladolid, belongs to P. Marcel Bouix, whose French translation appeared in 1856. In 1883, on the occasion of the third centenary of the death of the Saint, Don Fran- cisco Herrera Bayona, treasurer of the Metropolitan church of Valladolid, undertook the publication of a photographic reproduction of St. Teresa's au- tograph, as Don Vicente de la Fuente had already done for the Life and the Book of the Foundations. He was only allowed to photograph the manu- script of the Escorial, but every facility was accorded him to prepare a literal transcript of the one at Valladolid, which he printed in parallel columns with the transcript of the former version. Moreover, he confronted with these texts the three early copies of Toledo, Madrid, and Salamanca, as well as Don Teutonio's edition, adding to the volume a complete apparatus of variants. This edition has been utilised for the present translation, which was ready for the press four years ago, but the publication of which has been delayed owing to a prolonged absence of the present writer.
The question which text to follow in this translation has been carefully discussed by those
INTRODUCTION xxxvii
who were able to form an opinion. The first idea was to choose one of the two original versions, and to supplement it by the variants which would have been added as foot-notes, or at least printed in a different style; but, after various essays, it was found that such an arrangement would prove be- wildering for the generality of readers, while the student, who alone can be interested in the grad- ual evolution of the text, finds the whole material in Don Francisco's edition. It was therefore decided, though not without reluctance, to follow the precedent (but not the text) of Luis de Leon, and to combine once more the various versions, so that this edition should contain everything written by St. Teresa. There are some chapters where the divergence between the versions of the Escorial and of Valladolid is so great that the translation resembles a mosaic composed of a large number of small bits, skilfully combined. But the work has been done most conscientiously, and while nothing has been added to the text of the Saint, nothing has been omitted, except, of course, what would have been mere repetition. No doubt the plan adopted in this translation will not meet with the approval of scholars, but as the translator desired to benefit the souls of the faithful rather than the intellect of the student, no other course could have been .chosen. The present writer has repeatedly compared every word with the originals
xxxviii INTRODUCTION
and can vouch for the accuracy of the translation. A word must be added about another writing frequently attributed to St. Teresa, namely, the Seven Meditations on the Pater Noster,for the Days of the Week. This short work appeared for the rirst time at Antwerp in 1630 and has been frequently reprinted and translated into many languages, including English. But the book is not by St. Teresa. Not one of her biographers knew any- thing about it; it is never alluded to either in her correspondence or in the very numerous and minute depositions made by all sorts and conditions of persons during the process of canonisation, while the Chronicler of the Order distinctly denies its authenticity, giving good reasons for his judgment. It is probably the work of some friar or nun, and deserves respect owing to the pious sentiments it contains. But no one acquainted with the style of St. Teresa could admit its authenticity.
Benedict Zimmerman Prior, O.C.D.
St. Luke's Priory, Wincanton.
October 15, 19 10.
BOOK ENTITLED
THE WAY OF PERFECTION
COMPOSED BY
TERESA OF JESUS
NUN OF THE ORDER OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL. DEDICATED TO THE DISCALCED NUNS OF OUR LADY OF CARMEL OF THE PRIMITIVE RULE.
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE BOOK
JHS
This book contains advice and counsel given by Teresa of Jesus to her sisters and daughters, the religious, of the convents which, with the help of our Lord and the glorious Virgin Mother of God, our Lady, she has founded according to the Primitive Rule of our Lady of Carmel. It is specially dedicated to the sisters of the convent of St. Joseph, Avila, the first of her houses in which, while Prioress there, she wrote this treatise!'
1 This title was written by the Saint herself on the first leaf of the Valladolid edition of the Way of Perfection.
INTRODUCTION
WHICH CONTAINS THE REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK.
The sisters of this convent of St. Joseph, having learnt that my confessor, Father Master Dominic Bafiez, of the glorious Order of St. Dominic, had given me leave to write about prayer,1 of which I appeared capable because of having spoken with so many spiritual and devout persons, have so importuned me that I have decided on complying with their wishes. Faulty and imperfect as my style may be, I know that the sisters' great love for me will give my words more influence with them than that of books far better written by those who know what they are writing about. Therefore I have determined to yield to the nuns' wishes and persuasions. I rely upon their prayers and on humility; perhaps by these means God may give me grace to say something useful concerning the life that ought to be led in this house and helpful to my sisters, and He may teach me, so that I may teach them.
If I fail, Father Master, who is to read these writings first, will either correct them or throw them into the fire: thus I shall have lost nothing
1 Re/, vii. 9. Way ofPerf. ch. xlii. 2
INTRODUCTION 3
by obeying the wishes of these servants of God, and they will discover what I really am when His Majesty does not assist me.
I intend suggesting remedies for certain minor temptations of the devil, which, because they are slight, are often disregarded; also to explain my object in founding this house, namely, to restore the perfect observance of our Rule that had been mitigated elsewhere.2 I will also speak of other matters as our Lord may direct me, and as they occur to my mind. Not knowing of what things I shall treat, I cannot arrange them in proper order. I think, after all, that this is best, as it is quite incongruous for such a person as mvself to speak about such subjects. May our Lord guide me in all I do, that it may be pleasing to His holy will, for this has always been my aim, faulty as my deeds may be!
I know that on my part there is no lack of love for my sisters, nor of a desire to do all I can to help their souls to make great progress in God's service. This affection, my age, and my personal experience in various convents, may assist me to write of such lesser matters better than theologians, whose more important business and powerful minds make them overlook things, insignificant in themselves, yet which may do great harm to such weak creatures as we women are. The devil employs his most subtle wiles against strictly cloistered nuns, for he sees that he requires some new sort of weapon to injure them. Wicked as I am, I have been able to defend myself but ill against him, and I wish my
2 Life, ch. xxxii. I 3, 14; ch. xxxv. 13,14; ch. xxxvi. 27,28.
4 INTRODUCTION
sisters to take warning by me. I shall only speak of what I have learnt by my own experience, have witnessed in others, or that God has shown to me during prayer.
A short time ago I was told to write a history of my life, in which I have also treated of prayer: as perhaps my confessor may not permit you to read it, I shall repeat some of it here, besides adding other things which I believe are requisite. May God direct my work, as I have begged of Him, and may He order it all for His greater glory ! Amen.
CHAPTER I
THE REASON WHY I FOUNDED THIS CONVENT IN SUCH AUSTERE OBSERVANCE
/. Why the Convent of St. Joseph at Avila was founded. 2. Reasons for the corporal austerities of this convent. 3. St. Teresa's grief at sin and the eternal loss of sinners. 4. She begs the nuns to intercede against these evils. 5. This, and not worldly matters, should be the object of our Petitions.
i. This convent was founded for the reasons already given in the work above mentioned,1 and also on account of certain favours that God showed me, in which He revealed that He would be served with great fervour in this house.* I did not at first intend that such rigorous bodily austerities should be practised in it, nor that it should possess no income; on the contrary, I wished it to have sufficient means to prevent the possibility of want; which shows how weak and wicked I am, although I meant rather to do what was right than to seek for self-indulgence.*
2. Just at this time I heard of the miseries France was suffering, of the havoc the Lutherans were making there, and how this wretched seel: was increasing.4 It grieved me bitterly, and as if I could
1 Life, ch. xxxii. 13. Rel. vii. 14.
1 Life, ch. xxxii. 14; xxxv. 13. Qastle, M. vi. ch. vi. 2; M. vii. ch. iv. 21. Foundations, ch. i. 6, 7.
3 Life, ch. xxxiii. 15; xxxv. 2-7.
* Life, ch. xxxii. 9. Rel. ii. 14. Way of Per/, ch. xxxv. 3. Luis de Leon relates that the mere mention of the ravages committed by the heretics on the monasteries of Germany and England so wounded St. Teresa's heart as to cause her constant pain. The first and chief reason for her founding the houses of Discalced Carmelites was to repair, to some extent, these wrongs done by the heretics. (Fuente, vol. vi. 130, n. 19.).
5
6 THE WAY OF PERFECTION' [chap. I
have done anything, or had been of any consequence, I cried to God and begged Him to cure this terrible evil. 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 — indeed, all I cared for then, as I do now, was that, as the enemies of God are so many and His friends so few, these latter might at least be good ones. 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.5 Trusting in the great mercy of God which never fails those who resolve to leave all things for His sake, I hoped that, as my sisters here are all that I ever wished them to be, their virtues would be strong enough to resist the influence of my defects and that I might be able to bring some comfort to our Lord. Thus, being all of us employed in interceding for the champions of the Church and the preachers and theologians who defend her we might, to our utmost, aid this Lord of mine Who is attacked with such cruelty by those on whom He has conferred great benefits that it seems as though they would fasten Him to the Cross again, leaving Him no place to lay His Head.
3. O my Redeemer ! How it wearies my heart6 to think of this ! To what a state have Christians come ! Must those who owe Thee most always
5 Life, ch. xxxv. 13; ch. xxxvi. 26;ch. xxxlx. 14. Found, ch. I. 1-4. Castle, M. v. ch. iv. 5.
6 Psalm cxviii. 53: 'Defectio tenuit me, pro peccatoribus derelin- quentibus legem tuam. '
chap.i] FOUNDATION OF ST. JOSEPH'S 7
treat Thee worst? — those souls to whom Thou hast shown the greatest goodness, whom Thou hast chosen for Thy friends, amongst whom Thou dost dwell, to whom Thou dost give Thyself in Thy Sacraments? Are not Thy torments at the hands of the Jews enough for them? Indeed, my Lord, we forfeit nothing in retiring from the world, for if [Christians] show Thee such disloyalty, what could we hope for? Do we merit better treatment from them? Have we done more for them than Thou hast done, that they should be friends to us? How is this ? What do we hope for — we, who by the mercy of God have escaped this plague-spot? For these men are already the slaves of the devil. They have earned a bitter scourging from the hands of the fiend and have justly bought eternal fire with the pleasures he has given them. That must be their fate, though it breaks my heart to see so many souls lose themselves. Would that the evil were not so great: fain would I not see more and more ruined every day.7
4. O my sisters in Christ! help me to pray to our Lord for this ! This is why we live here to- gether, why the Lord has brought you here; it must be your work, the object of your longings; your tears and prayers must beg for this and not for any worldly matters. I laugh, and yet I grieve, at the intentions recommended to our prayers, — even such matters as to ask His Majesty for success in business matters and lawsuits concerning money, and this from people who I wish would beg God
7 Life, ch. xiii. 14; ch. xxxii. 9. C<utley M. v. ch. ii. 13; M. vii. ch. i. 5,6. Excl. ch. x. 9.
8 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, i
for grace to trample such things under foot. These people mean well; therefore, to tell the truth, I pray for them to God because of their piety in asking for it, although, for my part, I believe that He never listens to such prayers from me.
5. The world is in a fever;8 men wish, as it were, to condemn Christ again, for they suborn a thou- sand false witnesses against Him : they want to level the Church with the ground — and shall we waste our time in petitioning for that which, were it granted, might cost some soul its entrance into heaven? No, sisters, this is no time to ask God for what is of little moment. Were there no need to humour the weakness of human nature, which seeks for help everywhere (and, indeed, it would be well if we could help it in any way), I should wish it to be known that these are not the matters for which God is so fervently entreated within the convent of St. Joseph,
hExcl. ix. 15. 'It may be said that the fever of love or desire is no less a fever than is that of temperature. One heats the soul and the other the body. Avarice is one of our fevers ; impurity is our fever, luxury is another; ambition and wrath are both our fevers'. (S. Atnbros.yHom. in S. Luc. lib. iv. in cap. iv. sub fine).
CHAPTER II
THAT THE NECESSITIES OF THE BODY SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. OF THE ADVANTAGES OF POVERTY.
1. Nuns should leave the care of their health to Christ. 2. Per- petual poverty to be maintained in the Order. 3. Safeguards against loss of poverty of spirit. 4. Advantages of Poverty. 5. Honours and riches are opposed to poverty. 6. Poverty always the badge of the Carmelite Order. 7. The convents, though poor, may possess hermitages. 8. Intercession to be made for benefactors.
I . Do not suppose, my sisters, that because you do not seek favour with the world you will be left to starve ; I can reassure you about that. Never try to sustain yourselves by any human artifice, or you will perish of famine as you would deserve. Look to your Spouse; He must maintain you: if He is pleased with you, those who like you least will give you food even against their will, as you have learnt by experience.1 If when you have done this, you should die of hunger, happy the nuns of St. Joseph! Thus our prayers will be pleasing to God and we shall have carried out what we pro- fessed. For the love of God, do not forget this : as you have given up your revenues, give up the care of your sustenance as well or all will be lost. People whom our Lord wishes to possess incomes are quite right in looking after such matters, for that is their vocation, but it is inconsistent in us. To calculate what we shall receive from others seems to me like reckoning up their riches, and all
xLife, ch. xxxvi. 25. Re/, ii. 2. Qonst. 9. Qoncep. ch. ii. 12; ch. iii. 5.
9
10 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, n
your care will not change their minds nor make them wish to give you alms. Leave your case in the hands of Him Who bends all wills, Who is the Lord of riches and of rich men. We came here at His bidding: His words are sure and cannot fail; heaven and earth will fail first; let us not forsake Him, and never fear that He will forsake us. If at any time He did so, it would be for our greater good, as life forsook the saints when they were slain and beheaded for our Lord, that their glory might be increased by their martyrdom. It would be a good exchange to finish this life quickly so as to enjoy eternal satiety.
2. Be certain, sisters, that this matter will be most important for you when I am dead, therefore I leave it you in writing. While I live, by the grace of God I will remind you of it, knowing by experi- ence how great are its benefits. When I have least I am most free from anxiety, and God knows that, as far as I can tell, it grieves me far more when I am well cared for than- when I am in want.1 I am not sure whether this has happened because I have always found that our Lord supplies our wants at once. We should be deceiving the world if we acted otherwise; if, having embraced poverty, we were not poor in spirit but only in externals. My conscience would prick me, as the expression is; it would seem like rich people asking for alms:
*St. Teresa dearly loved poverty. She was about to make a founda- tion at Toledo with twelve thousand ducats left her by a rich merchant, but for certain reasons she was not able to come to an agreement with the persons responsible for the payment of this sum, at which she was greatly pleased, saying: 'Now that the money-god has been pulled down, I feel more hopeful that the foundation will be made'. {Fuente, vol. vi. 284, n. 15). From the Relation of Mother Mary of St. Joseph.
chap. 11] POVERTY OF THE ORDER 11
God forbid that this should ever be done ! Those who are so over-anxious about what will be given them will, some day or other, out of custom, ask for what they do not want and perhaps from people more needy than themselves. Although the latter will gain rather than lose by this yet we shall be the losers.
3. May God prevent this ever happening, my daughters! If it were necessary, I should prefer your possessing an income. Never let your minds dwell on the subject: I ask this as an alms from you. Let the very last in the community, if she sees such a thing being done, cry out to God against it and go to the Prioress, humbly telling her that she is doing wrong.5 This is so important that other- wise, little by little, true poverty would be lost. I trust in God that it will never happen and that He will not abandon His handmaids: for this alone, if for no other reason, this book that you have bidden me write for you, wretched sinner as I am, may be of use by keeping you on the alert. I believe, my daughters, that it is for your sakes our Lord has taught me some of the benefits to be found in holy poverty, which those will discover who practise it, although perhaps not to the same extent as I have, for not only was I without poverty of spirit, although I had professed it, but I was prodigal in spirit.
4. Poverty includes in itself all the good things of this world and a great part of the advantages of all the virtues as well, I believe. This I dare not assert, not knowing the value of each virtue, so I
* Qastle, M, i. ch. ii. 21. Visit. 20, 21, 22, 34, 36.
12 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, ii
will not discuss what I do not thoroughly under- stand. But, in my opinion, poverty comprises many virtues. It is a vast domain. I affirm that whoever despises all earthly goods holds dominion over them. What are kings and lords to me if I do not want their money, nor seek to please them if by so doing I should displease God in the very least? What care I for their honours, if I know that the honour of a poor man consists in true poverty? It seems to me that honours and riches nearly always go together: he who loves honour never hates riches, while he who hates riches seeks no honours.
5. You must understand this clearly; for I think that a thirst for honour always carries with it some regard for property and money; it is strange to see a poor man honoured by the world, for however much he may deserve it he generally remains unnoticed. True poverty, undertaken for the sake of God, bears with it a certain- dignity in that he who professes it need seek to please no one but Him, and there is no doubt that the man who asks no help has many friends, as events have taught me. Much has been written on this matter that I could not understand, much less explain, but I confess that I was too engrossed by the subject to realise how foolish I was to discuss it. Now I am aware of it, I will be silent. But since I have said it, if it is well said, let it stand.
6. For love of our Lord, since our badge is holy poverty, so highly esteemed and strictly practised at the foundation of our Order by our holy Fathers, that, as I was told by one who knew, they kept no provisions from one day to the other, let us,
chap, n] POVERTY OF THE ORDER 13
now that it is no longer observed so perfectly in exteriors, strive to practise it interiorly.4 Life lasts but two hours: the reward is immense, but, even without that, by following the counsels of our Lord the very imitating His Majesty in any way would be an ample recompense.
This must be the motto embroidered on our banners, which we must try to follow in our house, our clothes, our words, and, what is far more, in our hearts. With God's help while this is done, no fear lest religious observance should decay here for, as St. Clare used to say, poverty is a strong wall.* With this, and with humility, she wished to surround her monasteries. True enough, if poverty is real it guards purity' and all the other virtues better than do fine buildings. Keep to this, I beg of you, by the love of God and by His Blood. If, with a good conscience, I could wish that the day you build a costly dwelling it may fall and kill you all — I say, if I could do so with good conscience — I would wish it and beg God to grant it. It looks very ill, my daughters, to build fine houses with needy men's alms ! God forbid it ! ours should be poor and mean in every way.
4 Life, ch. xi. 3.
5 'St. Clare often taught the sisters that the Order would be pleasing to God while endowed with poverty, and that it would always prosper as long as it was fortified by the tower of strictest poverty.' (Jlcta SS., Aug. 12). While founding the convent of St. Joseph at Avila, St. Teresa tells us: ' St. Clare appeared to me in great beauty and bade me take courage and go on with what I had begun ; she would help me. I began to have a great devotion to St. Clare; and she has so truly kept her word, that a monastery of nuns of her Order in our neighbour- hood helped us to live; and, what is of more importance, by little and little she so perfectly fulfilled my desire, that the poverty which the blessed Saint observes in her own house is observed in this and we are living on alms.' (Life, ch. xxxm, 15.).
14 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, ii
Let us to this extent at least resemble our King. He had no home except the stable of Bethlehem where He was born, and the Cross where He died. Within these houses few luxuries could be found !
7. Those who build large houses have their reasons for doing so and are led by religious motives, but any little corner does for thirteen poor women. If there should be any grounds (as there must be, on account of the enclosure and because they are a help to prayer and devotion), by all means let there be hermitages in which to retire for prayer, for weak human nature requires some indulgence; but let the convents be neither large nor handsome.6 God deliver us from such things ! Remember, they must all fall down at the Day of Judg- ment, and who knows how soon that may be? It would not look well if the house of thirteen poor women made much noise when it tumbled, for the real poor make no commotion — they must be silent or none will pity them.
8. How happy you will feel if some one is saved from hell by means of the alms he gave you !7 This is quite possible, for you are bound to pray constantly for the souls of those who maintain you.8
1 On Hermitages, Rule 2. Qonst. 34. Visit. 13. Found, ch. xiv. 4. Life, ch. xxxvi. 31. Sisters Isabel of St. Dominic and Teresa of Jesus say that the principal hermitages built by St. Teresa at St. Joseph's, Avila, were 1. Christ at the column, with St. Peter shedding tears of repentance; 2. The Annunciation ; 3. St. Catherine of Alexandria; 4. St. Francis of Assisi ; 5. St. Augustine; 6. St. Jerome, (in a subter- ranean grotto); 7. St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Sienna ; 8. St. llilarion; 9. St. Alexis. (QLuvres, Vol. v. p. 42).
7 This happened in the case of Don Hernardino de Mendoza, brother of the Bishop of Avila, and founder of the convent of Valladolid. {Found, ch. x. 2).
b Qonst. 24. Mother Agnes of Jesus says : 'Our holy Mother was so
chap, m] EVILS OF THE TIMES 15
It is the will of God that, although all we have comes from Him, yet we should show gratitude to those through whom He gives it, and by no means must you neglect to do so. I cannot remem- ber what I first began to speak about, for I have wandered from my subject. I think it must have been our Lord's wish as I never intended writing as I have done. May His Majesty always uphold us with His hand, so that we may never give up holy poverty! Amen.
CHAPTER III
THIS CHAPTER CONTINUES THE SUBJECT SPOKEN OF IN THE FIRST CHAPTER. THE WRITER EXHORTS THE SISTERS CON- STANTLY TO BEG GOD TO PROTECT THOSE WHO LABOUR FOR THE CHURCH, AND CONCLUDES WITH AN ARDENT APPEAL
TO GOD.
1. Evils of the times. 2. Difficulties of religious and ecclesiastics who live in the world. 3. The two chief objects for Prayer. 4. An appeal to God the Father on behalf of His Son. 5. Subjects for intercession with God.
i. Let us now return to the reason why our Lord has assembled us in this house, in which I am most anxious that we should please His Majesty. Seeing how great are the disasters of these times1
grateful that she told me she had never, till that day, forgotten to pray for a man who, In some poor village, had given her a cup of water when she was very thirsty'. {Fuente, vol. vi. 271).
1 Extract from a letter from the Saint to Don Lorenzo de Cepeda, January 17, 1570 : 'I think it would be a consolation to me to have you in Spain : I feel so little in anything connected with this world, that perhaps our Lord will grant me this, so that we may work together to promote His honour and glory and to help the salvation of souls. I am deeply grieved at seeing so many lost, and the Indians cost me
16 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap. Hi
(although some persons have imagined that force of arms could stop this great evil), and that no human power can quench the devouring flames of heresy which spread most rapidly, I think we should act as people do when, in time of war, the enemy has overrun the country and the king finds himself hard pressed. He retires into a strongly fortified town from whence he sometimes makes a sortie. The small company with him in the citadel, being picked men, are better than a large army of cowardly soldiers; thus they often come ofT victors, or at least, if not victors, they are not vanquished for there is no traitor in their ranks and famine alone can conquer them. No famine can force us to surrender — it may kill us — it cannot vanquish us ! But why have I told you this? To teach you, my sisters, that we must ask God to grant that, of all the good Christians in this fort, none may desert to the enemy, that no traitor may be found here, and that the captains of this castle, or city — that is, the preachers and theologians — may be pro- ficient in the way of our Lord. Since most of these are religious, you must pray that they may advance in perfection and may follow their vocation more perfectly. This is very necessary, for, as I said, it is the arm of the Church and not of the State which must defend us now. We, being women, can fight for our King in neither way: let us, then, strive so to live that our prayers may avail to help
many tears. May God enlighten them, for there are many miseries both in their country and in our own. I travel to many places and talk to many people, and I can only say that we are often worse than the beasts, for we do not understand the great dignity of our souls and we degrade them with the base things of this world. May God give us light ! '
chap, m] INTERCESSION FOR THE CHURCH 17
these servants of God who have laboured hard to arm themselves with learning and virtue with which to help their Sovereign. You may ask why I insist so much on this, and why I say we must help those who are better than ourselves. I will explain this, as I do not think you realize how much you owe to God for withdrawing you so entirely from all earthly cares, from occasions of sin, and from the society of the world.* This is a very special favour and one not shared in by the men of whom I have been speaking. Indeed, it would be less fitting for them now than ever, for they have to strengthen the weak and to encourage the timid. What a state soldiers would get into without their captain ! These defenders of the Church mustjive amongst men and associate with them, they must frequent the Court, and even at times conform outwardly to its customs.
2. Do you think, my daughters, that it is easy to keep friends with the world, to live in it, to trans- act worldly business, and, as I said, to conform to its usages, and yet, in one's heart, to remain a stran- ger and enemy of this same world, like an exile? In short, not to be men but to be angels? Unless they are all this they do not deserve the name of captains, and may our Lord prevent their ever leaving their cells, for they will do more harm than good. This is no time for defects to appear in the teachers, who, unless they be forearmed by knowing the need of spurning all things earthly beneath their feet, detached from all things transi- tory, and wholly devoted to what is eternal, are
2 Castle, M. vi. ch. vi. 14.
18 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, hi
bound to manifest their imperfections, strive as they may to hide them. For are they not dealing with the world? Do not imagine that it will par- don or fail to observe their shortcomings. Much that is good may pass unnoticed — or even perhaps be considered evil, but no fault or imperfection will ever escape criticism.3
3. I wonder who taught them all about per- fection— not for their own practice, for they think it will suffice to content God if they keep the commandments fairly well, but that they may censure others, while sometimes they take virtue for self-indulgence ? You see that, far from requiring but little help from God during the great struggle in which they are engaged, our defenders need it urgently. I wish you to lead such lives as to merit to obtain these two favours from God. Firstly, that among very learned theologians and religious there may be many with the qualifications I describe, and that our Lord may perfect those who are less fitted, for one who is perfect can do more than many who are imperfect. The other favour is that, when they are engaged in this war (which, as I said, is a fierce one), our Lord may uphold them with His hand and protect them from the many dangers of the world and may stop their ears, in these perilous seas, to the song of the Sirens. If we can prevail with God to grant any of these things, though we are enclosed in this house, we are fighting for Him,4 and I shall think all my pains have been well spent in building this little nook where I also intended that the rule of
1 Found, ch. i. 5, 6. Life, ch. xxxi. 19. 4 Life, ch. xxxvi. 28 and note.
chap, in] CHIEF OBJECTS OF PRAYER 19
our Lady and Empress should be kept with all the perfection of its commencement.5 Do not suppose it is useless to continue these petitions: some peo- ple consider it a hardship not to pray more for their own souls, yet what better prayer could there be? Perhaps you are troubled at thinking that it will not free you from the pains of Purgatory; but this prayer will cancel some of your debt, and if more is owing, never mind that. What does it matter if I stay in Purgatory until the Day of Judgment if my prayers save a single soul? — how much more if they save many and give glory to God? Care nothing for any earthly pain when there is a ques- tion of rendering some greater service to Him Who suffered so much for us. Constantly try to learn what is most perfect; I beg you always to consult those who are learned, and I will tell you why. I entreat you, for the love of God, to beseech His Majesty to hear us in this. Miserable wretch as I am, I beg Him to grant it, for it is for His glory and the good of His Church, which is my only care.6 4. It seems presumption in me to imagine that I have any power to obtain this — I place all my confidence, O my God! in these servants of Thine, who are with me and who, I know, neither desire nor seek to do aught but please Thee. They have left the little they possessed, only wishing they owned more to offer Thee. Thou art not ungrate- ful, O Thou my Creator, that I need fear Thou wilt refuse them what they ask, nor, O Lord of my soul, didst Thou repulse women whilst Thou
3 Way of Per/, ch. i. 4, 5; ch. xx. 2. Found, ch. i. 5. Re/, ii. 13. b Escorial, ch. iv. Treats of three very important matters touching the spiritual life.
20 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, hi
wert in the world, but didst ever favour them and show them tender love and pitiful compassion!7 Thou didst put greater trust in them than in men, for amongst them was Thy most holy Mother whose merits we share, and whose habit we wear, unworthy as we are by reason of our sins. We can do nothing for Thee in public, nor do we dare to tell the truths over which we weep in secret lest Thou shouldst not hear our most just petition. Just and good as Thou art, O Lord! I will not believe that Thou wilt rejedt us. Thou art a just Judge, not like earthly judges who, being sons of Adam and stern men, have no faith in women's virtue. The day will come, my King, when all will be known. I speak not for myself, for all men know of my wickedness and I rejoice that it is made public, but, seeing in what manner of times we are living, it is not right to repulse the good and valiant though they are but women. When we beg of Thee honours, income, riches, any worldly things, do not listen to us, but how shouldst Thou not hear us when we ask for what concerns the honour of Thy Son ? Why, O Eternal Father ! shouldst Thou refuse those who would forfeit a thousand honours and a thousand lives for Thee? Not for our sakes, O God! for we deserve it not, but for the sake of Thy Son and of His merits. O Eternal Father! should such stripes and insults and such bitter torments be forgotten ? How can a heart so loving as Thine, my Creator, endure that what
7 The following passage as, far as 'though they are but women' is not in the MSS. of Valladolid, and even in that of the Escorial it has been scratched out, but has been restored with the exception of two lines which remain illegible.
chap. in] APPEAL TO GOD THE FATHER 21
was instituted with such ardent love by Thy Son for the sake of pleasing Thee (for Thou didst bid Him love us) should be held of so little value as is the Blessed Sacrament in these days by heretics? For they drive It from Its dwelling-place when they destroy the churches. It is not as if He had left undone aught that could please Thee. No, He consummated everything! Was it not enough, O Eternal Father ! for Him to have had no place in which to lay His head while He lived amidst in- cessant toils, that now they must deprive Him of the place to which He invites His friends, seeing that they are fainting and knowing that those who labour need to be supported by this meat? Has He not paid in overwhelming excess for the sin of Adam? Must this most meek and loving Lamb atone anew for every fresh sin we commit? Do not surfer it, my Sovereign King; let Thy Majesty be appeased; look not on our faults but on Thy most holy Son Who has redeemed us; reflect on His merits, on those of His glorious Mother and on those of the many Saints and Martyrs who have died for Thee! But alas, O my God! who am I who have dared to offer Thee this petition in the name of all? My daughters, what a wretched advocate you have to gain a hearing and to present your petition for you ! What if my presumption should anger this supreme Judge, as would be only . right and just? But remember, O my Sovereign and my Lord! that Thou art the God of mercy; do Thou prove it to this poor sinner and worm who is thus bold with Thee. Look, O God! upon my desires and on the tears with which I beg this
22 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, hi
of Thee, and, forgetting my evil actions for Thine own sake, take pity on the many perishing souls and have mercy on Thy Church. Do not permit these evils to increase in Christendom, O Lord! but illuminate its darkness!
5. For the love of our Lord, I beg of you, my sisters, to intercede for this poor, presumptuous creature, and fulfil your duty by asking Him to give her humility. I do not charge you particularly to pray for kings and prelates of the Church, especially for our own Bishop,8 as I see that you do so diligently, therefore I need not speak of it. But let who will come after me, be sure that if the Superior is holy the community will be the same, therefore ever crave this most important favour from God. If your prayers and desires, your dis- ciplines and fasts are not performed for these intentions, know that you are not doing the work nor carrying out the design for which God placed you here, and I beg His Majesty, for the sake of His Godhead, never to let you forget this.
s Don Alvaro de Mendoza, a member of the family of the Counts of Ribadavia, for some time first chaplain of San Juan de los Reyes at Toledo, was nominated to the See of Avila in 1560, and became very intimate with St. Teresa, whose convent he took under his protection and jurisdiction. In 1577 he was promoted to the See of Palencia, and three years later he, together with the Archbishops of Toledo and Seville, was commissioned by the Pope to watch over the interests of the Discalced Carmelites. He died April 19, 1586, and was buried in the chapel of the convent of St. Joseph at Avila, where his tomb is still preserved. St. Teresa very frequently speaks of him, always in terms of the highest veneration.
CHAPTER IV.1
AN EXHORTATION TO OBEY THE RULE. THREE VERY IM- PORTANT MATTERS IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. ONE MUST STRIVE AFTER SUBLIME PERFECTION IN ORDER TO ACCOM- PLISH SO GREAT AN ENTERPRISE. HOW TO PRACTISE PRAYER.
1. The greatness of the work we have undertaken. 2. Prayer. 3. The three principal aids to prayer. 4. The evils of particular friendships. 5. Special danger of these in a small community. 6. Precautions against them. 7. Mutual charity. 8 Natural and supernatural love. 9. How to regard our confessors. 10. Discretion in our intercourse with them. 11. When a second confessor is needed. 12. Precautions against worldly confessors. 13. Evils caused by unsuitable confessors.
I. You see, daughters, upon how great an enter- prise you have embarked for the sake of the Father Provincial, the Bishop of the diocese, and of your Order, in which all else is included, all being for the good of the Church for which we are bound to pray as a matter of obligation. As I said, what lives are not those bound to live who have had the courage to engage in this design, if they would not be confounded before God and man for their audacity? Clearly we must work hard; it is a great help to have high aspirations: by their means we may cause our actions to become great also, although there are different ways of doing so. If We endeavour to observe our Rule and Constitu- tions very faithfully, I hope that God will grant our petitions. I ask of you nothing new, my daughters, but only that we should keep what we have professed, which is our vocation and our duty,
1 Valladolid edition, ch. iv. ; Escorial, ch. v. 23
24 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, iv
although there are very diverse ways of observing it.
2. The first chapter of our Rule bids us 'Pray without ceasing':2 we must obey this with the greatest perfection possible for it is our most important duty; then we shall not neglect the fasts, penances, and silence enjoined by the Rule. As you know, these are necessary if the prayer is to be genuine; prayer and self-indulgence do not go together. Prayer is the subject of which you have asked me to speak: I beg of you, in return, to practise and to read, again and again, what I have already told you. Before speaking of spiritual matters, that is, of prayer, I will mention some things that must be done by those who intend to lead a life of prayer. These are so necessary that, with their help, a person who can hardly be called a contemplative may make great progress in serving God, but without them none can be a thorough contemplative : any one who imagined that she was so would be much mistaken. May our Lord give me His grace for this task and teach me what to say that may be for His glory. Amen.3
3. Do not fancy, my friends and my sisters, that I am going to lay many charges on you : please God we may fulfil those that our holy Fathers enjoined and practised in our Rules and Constitutions, which include all the virtues, and by performing which our predecessors earned the name of Saints. It would be an error to seek another road or to try
* Rule 5: 'Meditating on the law of the Lord day and night, and watching in prayer.'
3 Escorial edition. I.H.S. Ch. vi. Urges the nuns to practise three things. Speaks of the first, that is, the love of our neighbour and of the evil of particular friendships.
chap, iv] PRAYER AND FRIENDSHIP 25
to learn some other way. I will explain three matters only, which are in our Constitutions: it is essential for us to understand how much they help us to preserve that peace, both interior and exterior, which our Lord so strongly enjoined. The first of these is love for one another: the second, detach- ment from all created things: the other is true hu- mility, which, though I mention it last, is chief of all and includes the rest.4 The first matter, that is, fervent mutual charity, is most important, for there is no annoyance that cannot easily be borne by those who love one another: anything must be very out of the way to cause irritation. If this command- ment were observed in this world as it ought to be I believe it would be a great help towards obeying the others, but whether we ' err by excess or by defect we only succeed in keeping it imperfectly. 4. You may think there can be no harm among us in excessive love for one another, but no one would believe what evil and imperfections spring from this source unless they had seen it for them- selves. The devil sets many snares here which are hardly detected by those who are content to serve God in a superficial way — indeed, they take such conduct for virtue — those, however, who are bent on perfection understand the evil clearly, for, little by little, it deprives the will of strength to devote itself entirely to the love of God. I think this injures women even more than men, and does serious damage to the community. It prevents a nun from
4 Valladolid edition, ch. v. Speaks of the first of these three subjects, namely, the love of our neighbour, and of the evils of particular friendships.
26 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, iv
loving all the others equally, makes her resent any injury done to her friend, causes her to wish she had something to give her favourite, to seek for opportunities to talk to her often, to tell her how much she loves her and other nonsense of the sort, rather than of how much she loves God. These close friendships rarely serve to forward the love of God; in fact, I believe the devil originates them so as to make factions among the religious.
5. When a friendship has the service of God for its object it is at once manifest that the will is not only uninfluenced by passion but is rather helped to subdue the passions. I am much in favour of such friendships in a large community, but in St. Joseph's, where there are and can be no more than thirteen nuns, all must love and help one another. For the love of God, keep free from partialities however holy they may be, for even among brethren they are like poison and I can see no ad- vantage in them, but matters are far worse when they exist between relatives, for then they are a perfect pest, as Joseph's history shows. Believe me, sisters, though I may seem to you severe in excluding these attachments, yet this promotes high perfection and quiet peace, and weak souls are spared dangerous occasions. If we are inclined to care for one person more than another (which cannot be helped, for it is but human, and we often prefer the most faulty if they have more natural charm) let us control our likings firmly and not allow ourselves to be overmastered by our affections.
6. Let us love virtue and holiness and always try to prevent ourselves from being attracted by
chap.iv] PARTICULAR FRIENDSHIPS 27
externals. O my sisters! let us not permit our will to become the slave of any save of Him Who pur- chased it with His Blood, or, without knowing how, we shall find ourselves caught in a trap from which we cannot escape ! Lord have mercy on us ! the childish nonsense that comes from this is untold, and is so petty that no one could credit it who had not witnessed the thing. It is best not to speak of it here, lest women's foibles should be learnt by those who know nothing about them, so I will give no details, although they astonish even me at times. By the mercy of God I have never been entangled in such things myself, but perhaps this may be because I have fallen into far graver faults. However, as I said, I have often seen it, but as I told you, in a Superior it would be ruinous. In order to guard against these partialities, great care must be taken from the very first, and this more by watchfulness and kindness than by severity. A most useful precaution is for the nuns, according to our present habit, never to be with one another nor talk together except at the appointed times, but that, as the Rule enjoins, the sisters should not be together, but each in her own cell.5 Let there be no work-room in St. Joseph's, for although it is a praiseworthy custom, silence is better kept when one is alone. To accustom ourselves to solitude is a great help to prayer, and since prayer is the mortar which keeps our house together and we came here to practise it, we must learn to like what promotes it.6
7. To return to speak of our charity for one
hRule 5. 6 Rule 14. Const. 5.
28 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, iv
another. It seems superfluous to insist on this, for who would be so boorish as not to love those with whom they associate and live, cut off as they are from all conversation, intercourse, and recreation with any one outside the house, whilst believing that they bear a mutual love for God, as He loves all of them, since for His sake they have left every- thing? More especially as goodness always attracts love, and, by the blessing of God, I trust that the nuns of this convent will always be good. There- fore, I do not think there is much need for me to persuade you to love each other. But as regards the nature of this love and of the virtuous love that I wish you all to feel, and the means of knowing whether we possess this greatest of virtues — for it must be a very great virtue since our Lord so often enjoins it on us, as He did most stringently upon His apostles — of this I will speak to you for a short time as well as my inaptitude will allow. If you find the matter explained in any other books, you need not read mine, for perhaps I may not under- stand what I am talking about except when our Lord enlightens me.7
8. I intend treating of two kinds of love: one which is entirely spiritual, free from any sort of affection or natural tenderness which could tarnish its purity, and another which is spiritual but mingled with the frailty and weakness of human nature. The latter is good and seems lawful, being such as is felt between relatives and friends, and is that which I have mentioned. The first of these
7 Qastle, M. v. ch. iii. iz. Escorial edition, ch. vii. Speaks of two kinds of love and the importance of understanding what constitutes spiritual affection.
chap.iv] LOVE FOR CONFESSORS 29
two ways of loving, and the one that I will discuss is unmixed with any kind of passion that would disturb its harmony. This love, exercised with moderation and discretion, is profitable in every way, particularly when borne towards holy people or confessors, for that which seems only natural is then changed into virtue.8 At times, however, these two kinds of love seem so combined that it is difficult to distinguish them from one another, especially as regards a confessor. When persons who practise prayer discover that their confessor is a holy man who understands their spiritual state they feel a strong affection for him; the devil then opens a perfect battery of scruples on the soul, which, as he intends, greatly disturb it, especially if the priest is leading his penitent to higher per- fection. Then the evil one torments his victim to such a pitch that she leaves her director, so that the temptation gives her no peace either in one way or the other.
9. In such a case it is best not to think about whether you like your confessor or not, or whether you wish to like him. If we feel friendship for those who benefit our bodies, why should we not feel as great a friendship for those who strive and labour to benefit our souls ? On the contrary, I think a liking for my confessor is a great help to my progress if he is holy and spiritual, and if I see that he endeavours to profit my soul. Human nature is so weak that this feeling is often a help to our undertaking great things in God's service.
10. If, however, the confessor be a man of
8 Life, ch. xxxvii. 6; ch. xl. 24. Re/, ii. 8.
30 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, iv
indifferent character, we must not let him know of our liking for him. Great prudence and caution are necessary on account of the difficulty of under- standing his disposition : it is best, on this account, to conceal our feelings from him. You should believe that your friendship for him is harmless and think no more about it. You may follow this advice when you see that all your confessor says tends to profit your soul and when you discover no levity in him, but are conscious that he lives in the fear of God: any one can detect this at once unless she wilfully blinds herself. If this be so, do not allow any temptation to trouble you about your liking for him — despise it, think no more about it, and the devil will grow tired and leave you alone. If, however, the confessor appears worldly-minded, be most guarded in every way; do not talk with him even when he converses on religious subjects but make your confession briefly and say no more. It would be best to tell the Prioress that he does not suit your soul and to ask for some one else; this is the wisest course to take if it is possible and can be done without injuring his reputation. I trust in God that it may be feasible for you.
1 1. In these and other difficulties by which the devil may seek to ensnare us, it would be best, when you are doubtful as to what course to pursue, to consult some theologian as the nuns are permitted to do,9 to make your confession to him and to follow his advice in the case, lest some great mis- take should be made in remedying the evil. How many people go astray in the world for want of
* Castle. M. vi. ch. viii. 10, II. Found, ch. xix. I.
chap.iv] WORLDLY CONFESSORS 31
seeking guidance, especially in what affects their neighbours' interests! Some redress must besought, for when the devil starts such works, unless he is stopped at once the matter will become serious; therefore my advice about changing confessors is the best and I trust in God that you will be able to do so.
12. Be convinced of the importance of this: the thing is dangerous, a hell in itself, and injurious to every one. Do not wait until much harm has come of it, but stop the matter at once in every feasible way : this may be done with a clear conscience. I trust, however, that God will prevent those vowed to a life of prayer from becoming attached to any one who does not serve God fervently, as He cer- tainly will unless they omit to practise prayer and to strive after perfection as we profess to do in this house. If the nuns see that the confessor does not understand their language nor cares to speak of God they cannot like him, for he differs from them. If he is of such a character he will have extremely few chances of doing any harm here., and unless he is very foolish he will neither trouble himself about the servants of God, nor disturb those who have few pleasures and little or no opportunity of following their own way.
i 3. Since I have begun speaking on this subject, I may say that this is the only harm or at any rate the greatest harm, that the devil can do within enclosed convents. It takes long to discover, so that great damage may have been wrought to perfection without any one knowing how, for if the confessor is worldly himself he will treat the
32 WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, v
defect lightly in others. Deliver us, O Lord, for thine own sake, from such misfortunes !
It is enough to unsettle all the nuns if their con- science tells them one thing and their confessor another. Where they are allowed no other director I do not know what to do nor how to quiet their minds, for he who ought to bring them peace and counsel is the very author of the evil. There must be a great deal of trouble, resulting in much harm, from these misplaced partialities, as, to my great sorrow, I have seen in certain convents, though not in my own,10 therefore you need not be sur- prised at the pains I have taken to make you understand the danger.
CHAPTER V.'
CONTINUES SPEAKING OF CONFESSORS: OF THE IMPORTANCE
OF THEIR BEING LEARNED AND HOW WE SHOULD BEHAVE
TOWARDS THEM.
/. Advantages of consulting more than one confessor. 2. One priest cannot know everything. 3. Difficulties of guiding souls. 4. No one may usurp the authority of the Prioress.
i. May God in His mercy prevent any one in this house from experiencing this trouble, or being reduced to such misery both of soul and body. I hope it may never happen that the Prioress and confessor are such fast friends that no one dare complain of the one to the other. Hence comes the temptation to omit confessing grave sins for
lu In this as in other places, when St. Teresa alludes to 'her own house' or 'convent' she always refers to that of the Incarnation. 1 Valladolid edition, ch. vi. ; Escorial, ch. viii.
chap.v] CONSULT OTHER CONFESSORS 33
fear lest the unfortunate culprit should get into trouble. God help us! What mischief the devil works in this way; how many a soul he may entrap, and how dear their miserable reserve and regard for honour costs people! Having no other director to consult, they imagine that they are pre- serving religious observance and the reputation of their monastery. Thus Satan schemes to ensnare souls whom he could entrap in no other way. If the poor nuns ask for another confessor they are told at once that this would destroy all religious discipline, and if he should be a priest of another Order, though as holy as St. Jerome, to speak to him is said to be an affront to the whole of their own Order. Thank God, my daughters, for the liberty you are allowed in this matter, for, though you cannot consult a large number of priests, there are some with whom you may confer besides your ordinary confessors and who can give you the requisite light.* For the love of our Lord, I beg the Superior to maintain this holy liberty, and to get permanent leave from the Bishop or Provincial,3 for the nuns to have, besides their ordinary con- fessors, learned priests to whom they may all speak and open their souls,4 especially if their own con- fessors, though holy, are not great scholars. God
2 The holy Mother often charged her daughters, both by word of mouth and in her books, to endeavour to talk to learned and prudent theologians. She recommended the Dominicans for this purpose, on account of the sound doctrine taught by this holy Order. (Fuente, vol. vi. 280, n. 3. From the deposition of Father Giles Gonzalez de Avila.)
''Or of the Provincial' was added afterwards above the line. With the exception of St. Joseph's, Avila, the convents were under the jurisdiction of the Provincial of the Order.
4 Life, ch- xiii. 21, 28.
34 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap.v
forbid that the religious should be directed entirely by one priest if he is ill-instructed, however saintly his spirit may appear, and perhaps may be in reality. Learning gives great light on all points; it is combined with holiness in some men. The greater favours our Lord shows you in prayer, the more need is there that you should be well informed about your devotions, prayer, and all your other duties.
2. You know that the foundation of all must be a good conscience; you ought to make every effort to free yourselves even from venial sin and to do what is most perfect. One would suppose any confessor knew this; however, it is not the case. I had to consult one on matters of conscience who had gone through a whole course of theology, and he did me much harm by telling me certain matters were of no consequence.5 Not that he intended to deceive me, nor had he any motive for doing so, but he knew no better: I have since met with two or three like him. Everything depends on our having light to keep the law of God perfectly; on this basis prayer rests solidly; without this strong foundation the whole building is out of the perpen- dicular. There is need, then, for the nuns to consult men who are both spiritual and learned. 6 If the confessor cannot lay claim to all this, let them occasionally see some one else : if they are forbidden to confess to any one but their regular confessor, let them seek counsel about their souls from such persons as I mentioned. I dare go further and say that the sisters should sometimes go to .
5 Life, ch. v. 6. 6 Life, ch. xxv. 18. Castle, M. vi. ch. viii. io.
chap.v] CONSULT OTHER CONFESSORS 35
some other priest, even if their confessor possesses all these qualities, for he may be mistaken and it would not do for all to be misled by him. No- thing, however, must be done against obedience. Matters can always be arranged, and it is worth any trouble to help one soul — how much more to help a number?
3. All this is said to the Prioress whom I again entreat, for the love of God, to give the sisters this consolation since there are no comforts here except for the soul: God leads people by different ways and the same confessor may not understand them all. I assure you there will always be holy persons ready to guide and to console you if you live as you ought, however poor you may be. God, Who sustains your bodies and supplies them with food,will incite some one with the good will to enlighten your souls, and to bring a remedy for this evil which I fear more than any others. When tempted by the devil to levity or to mislead you on any point the confessor will be more wary and circumspect in his conduct if he knows you will consult some other priest. If the evil one is stopped this entrance into the convent, I trust in God that he will never get in at all. Therefore, for the love of our Lord, I beg the Bishop for the time being to leave liberty on this point to the nuns, who will always be his most obedient children, and, when good and learned priests can be found, not to withdraw the permission. These will soon be known in a little town like this. Even though they may have other confessors, let the Bishop permit the sisters to confess to them and to
36 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap.y
consult them on spiritual matters. I know this is expedient for many reasons and that any drawbacks it may possess are as nothing compared with the serious, hidden, and well-nigh irreparable harm that may otherwise be done. In convents good observance tends to decline quickly if not preserved with great care: evil customs, once begun, are most difficult to eradicate; they soon grow into habits, and the imperfections become a second nature to us. 4. I have both seen and heard of what I have been speaking and have consulted experienced, learned, and holy men who have considered what is best calculated to advance perfection in this house. Among the many dangers which beset us everywhere in this life, we shall find it safest for no Vicar7 to be at liberty to go in or out of the convent or to give such leave to others, nor to give any order: neither shall any confessor hold such power. They are to watch over the religious observance and piety of the house, and its interior and exterior well-being, in order to acquaint the Superior with any fault they may detect, but are not to be superiors themselves. As I said, there are grave reasons why this should be the most prudent regulation. Let the chaplain, if he is fit, be the usual confessor, but when it is clearly needful for a nun's soul she may go to confession to such priests as I have mentioned who are authorised by the Bishop. If his lordship can trust the Prioress in this matter, let him leave it to her discretion. As the community is small, it will not take much time. This is our practice at the present day, not
7 The Vicar, either the Bishop's nominee or the General's.
chap, v] CONFESSOR AND SUPERIOR 37
merely by my advice but by that of the prelate under whose obedience we live, as for many reasons we are not subject to the Order. The Bishop, Don Alvaro de Mendoza,8 is of a noble family, a great servant of God, and highly favourable to all religious observance and holiness. He is a well- wisher of this house, both in spiritual and temporal matters, and esteems it very highly, desiring that the nuns should attain great perfection. Therefore I do not think that our Lord would permit him to be mistaken, as his only objecl: is the glory of God. He assembled a number of men of learning, piety, and experience, who, together with myself, miser- able as I am, after much prayer came to this decision. It is but reasonable that the future Superiors should, by the grace of God, observe this most important decree. It has been resolved on with careful deliberation by holy men, after fervently begging the Almighty to show them what was for the best; which this regulation most certainly is, as far as can at present be known. May God be pleased to promote its observance as may be most to His glory. Amen.
8 Life, ch. xxxiii. 19. Found, ch. xxxi. 1.
CHAPTER Vr
RETURNS TO THE SUBJECT OF PERFECT LOVE
1. Supernatural love. 2. Love for others as felt by perfect souls. 3. Their detachment from seeking the love of others. 4. They realise its worlhlessness. 5. Supernatural friendship.
i. I have wandered far from my subject, but no one will blame me who realises the importance of what I have said. Let us return, my sisters, to speak of the love we ought to feel for others which is lawful for us: that which I call entirely spiritual. I am not sure whether I understand what I am speaking about: at any rate, I think there is no need to say much about this love for I fear very few people possess it: if our Lord has granted it to any one among you she should thank and praise Him fervently, for she must have attained great per- fection, and perhaps we shall profit by her example. I will say something about it, on the chance of its proving useful :2 although the other sort of love is that we generally feel, for the sight of virtue, if we desire to win it, makes us love it. God grant us the grace to understand it and to strive to gain it ! Please God I may even understand it myself, far more that 1 may succeed in explaining it, for I hardly know when love is spiritual and ivhen it is partly sensual, nor how to speak of it. I am like a person who hears a voice in the distance but cannot distinguish the words: for sometimes
I do not understand what I write and vet our Lord
j
1 Valladolid edition, ch. vii.; Escorial, ch. ix. 'Life, ch. vii. 33-37; ch. xvi. 12; ch. xxx. 6. Castle, M. ii. ch. i. 12.
38
chap.vi] SUPERNATURAL LOVE 39
is pleased to grant that it should be correct. At times I may talk nonsense: it is most natural to me to do nothing well.
2. It seems to me that when God has clearly shown the soul what this world is, and that another world exists, and how different the two are — how that one is eternal while the other is but a dream — when the difference is seen between loving the Creator or the creature (which can only be found out by experience, not by holding a mere idea or opinion on the matter but by perceiving and prov- ing what is gained by the one and lost by the other); when the soul understands what the Creator is and what the creature, with many other truths which our Lord manifests with certainty and conviction to those who seek to learn from Him in prayer, or * to whom He chooses to reveal these verities — then that soul loves in a way very different from ours, who have not advanced thus far. It may seem needless to you, my sisters, to speak of this. You will say you know it already. God grant you do; that you know it practically; that it is graven in your hearts, so that you never forget it even for as short a time as a' Memento.' If you know it, you will see that I speak the truth in saying that souls which God has drawn so far feel such a love. These are generous, noble spirits who are not content with loving anything so wretched as a mortal body, whatever beauties and attractions it may possess: that is, with a love that dominates and enslaves them. Though the sight gives them pleasure, and they praise the Creator for it, yet as for dwelling on such qualities — no! I mean by souls
40 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, vi
'dwelling' on them that they should love any one for such things, for this would seem to them loving a nothingness, a shadow: they would feel such shame as not to dare afterwards, without horrible confusion, to tell God that they loved Him.
3. You will declare that such persons do not know how to love or to repay the affection felt for them. At any rate, they care little for the latter; although they naturally feel a momentary pleasure in being loved, yet, returning to their senses, they see this is but folly unless the liking comes from one who can help them by counsel or by prayer.' All other affection wearies them, for they know it cannot profit, but may even injure them. Yet they are grateful for it and requite it by commending their friend to God, thinking her attachment forms a debt laid on them by our Lord from Whom they believe it comes. Seeing nothing amiable in them- selves, they think that others love them for the love of God, and leave His Majesty to reward them as they beg Him to do. Then they feel free from their debt and think no more about it. In my opinion, unless this fondness for us is felt by those who can lead us to perfection, it is often great blindness to wish to be loved.
4. Notice, that when we wish for any one's love it is always for the sake of self-interest or pleasure: those who are perfect, however, have so trodden under-foot all worldly goods, delights, and joys, that, even if they wished, as we might say, they could care for nothing outside God and speaking to others about Him; therefore what gain can
3 Escorial, ch. x. Of the great gain of being loved in such a way.
chap.vi] SUPERNATURAL LOVE 41
human love bring them? They cease to care for it, realising this truth so clearly that they laugh at the thought of how anxious they used to be as to whether their affections were returned or no; for pure as our love may be, it is natural to wish for it to be repaid. Yet this repayment is but a thing of straw, an airy nothing, blown to and fro by the wind, for after we have been dearly loved, what remains to us? Therefore perfect souls care nothing whether they are cherished or no, except it be by those who can profit them, as I said; for human' nature quickly tires of helping those we do not care for. Do you fancy such hearts can love or think of none except God alone? Indeed, they love others far more, with a truer, more generous, and intense affection. In a word, this is true love. These souls are ever more ready to give than to receive,4 even with their Creator. This, I say, merits the name of love, for all other base affections have but usurped the title.
5. You may wonder, if such persons do not love what they see, what it is that they love. They do love what they see, and are drawn by what they hear, but what they see and hear is what is stable. If they care for any one, they do not arrest their eyes on the body but at once look into the soul to see if it contains aught they can love, or if not, whether it has germs or inclinations which show that, by digging deep enough, they will find gold within the mine; loving this soul, no trouble wearies them, no service is too hard for them willingly to render it, for they wish their affection
4 Acts xx. 35: 'Beatius est magis dare quam accipere.'
42 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap.vi
for it to last, which they know is impossible unless their friend possesses virtue and the love of God.5 I say it is impossible, though the other should render them immense services and even seek to die for them, and if she should do them every kindness in her power: though she should possess every natural attraction yet they could not force their wills to love her nor to remain attached to her. They know, and have learnt by experience, what these are worth, and cannot be cheated with false coin: seeing that their minds are not in unison they ' cannot continue to love her, for if their friend does not love God nor keep His law, they fear their attachment must end with this life and they will go to different regions. These souls in which our Lord has instilled true wisdom hold the affection which ends in this world no higher than its proper value — indeed, they hold it cheaper! To those who care for worldly things, such as pleasure, honour, and riches, it is of some worth if their friend be wealthy for the sake of the gaiety and amusement he provides.6 Those who have spurned such things beneath their feet care little or nothing for such friendships. If they have any affection for such a one, it is a longing to bring her soul to love God so that they themselves can love her, for, as I said, they realise that no other sort of fondness can last but will cost them dear. Therefore they make every effort to benefit their friend and would lose a thousand lives to help her in the least. O price- less love, thus imitating the Captain of all love, Jesus, our only good!
4 Castle, M. vi. ch. xi. 10. Life, ch. xxiv. 8. Re/. I. l6j ii. 8. 6 Life, ch. ii. 4; ch. v. 9; ch. xxi. 1. Way of Perf ch. xli. 4, 5.
CHAPTER VIP
CONTINUES TO TREAT OF SPIRITUAL LOVE, AND GIVES ADVICE HOW TO OBTAIN IT.
/. Unselfishness of supernatural love. 2. Zeal for the loved one's eternal interests. 3. Benefits conferred by this love on its object. 4. Hoiv to gain this love for others. 5. The remembrance of our own defects should make us merciful to others. 6. How to practise perfect charity. 7. A good example is the truest sign of charity. 8. Obstacles to charity in communities.
i. It is strange to see how passionate is this tenderness ! What tears, what penances, and prayers it costs ! How urgent is the care to recommend its object to the intercession of all who have power with God ! what constant longing for the progress of its friend, and what disquiet if this be wanting! If the loved one seemed to be advancing and then falls back, the friend who is devoted to her knows no peace in life, and neither eats nor sleeps unhaunted by constant anxiety and dread lest the soul it loves so well should be lost and they two parted for ever. Such people care nothing for the death of the body — they will not attach themselves to what a breath can deprive us of beyond our powers of resistance. As I said, there is no thought of self in this affection; its only wish and care is to see its favourite enriched with divine graces. This is love indeed, not like a miserable earthly affection, even though the latter be not faulty — for from an unlawful attachment may God defend us! We need not tire ourselves with inveighing against
1 Valladolid edition, ch. viii.; Escorial, ch. xi.
43
44 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, vii
what is a perfect hell, the least of whose ills is beyond exaggeration. We must never mention such a love, sisters, nor remember that it exists, nor must we ever hear it named either in jest or in earnest, nor suffer it to be discussed in our presence. It is utterly worthless, and the very mention of it may harm us. But I am speaking of the lawful affection we feel for one another, such as is felt between relations and friends. Our one anxiety is that they may not die; if their heads ache, our souls ache too; if they suffer, we lose all patience, and it is the same in other matters. It is not so with spiritual love, for, though through human weakness those who feel it grieve at their neighbour's trouble for the moment, yet reason resumes its sway; they reflect whether this cross is good for their friend's soul and whether it increases her virtue; they watch how she bears it; begging God to give her patience, that she may merit by her trials. If they see she is resigned they are no longer disturbed* but feel happy and consoled.* Though they would rather suffer the pain them- selves than let her bear it if their merit and benefit could all be transferred to her, yet they feel neither distress nor disturbance.
2. This affection seems exactly like that borne for us by the good Lover, Jesus: this is why it is so beneficial, for it embraces all the suffering for itself, that others without suffering may reap the reward. Even if such souls do not actually perform this, still they strive to lead their friends aright, more
' St. Teresa always looked cheerful, however much the trials of her friends may have grieved her. {Fuente, vol. vi. 310, n. 9). Deposition of Mary of St. Francis.
chap.vii] SPIRITUAL LOVE 45
by actions than by words. I say, ' If they do not actually perform this'; that is, when the thing it- self is impossible, for they strive incessantly to labour for, and to benefit, the one they love. Such an affection is a great blessing to its object, for either the friendship must come to an end or the lover will obtain grace from our Lord that the beloved may travel on the same road as herself, as did St. Monica for St. Augustine. Such a soul will never deal falsely with those it loves nor allow them to err while believing it can hinder them by reproof, which it will never neglect to give them because of its ardent desire to see them rich in virtue. What artifices does it not use in order to gain this end, although it cares for no earthly thing ! It cannot resist doing this, nor can it flatter its friends nor dissemble their faults. Either they must amend or their mutual bond must come to an end, for this soul cannot otherwise endure it, nor ought it to do so, for there can be nothing but war between persons with such different aims. Though such a one may be indifferent to all others and take no heed whether they serve God or not, looking only to herself, yet she cannot act thus with her friends; no fault in them is hidden from her; she sees the smallest mote. I call this indeed a heavy cross to bear. Happy the souls thus loved, and blest the day on which they found such a friend !
3. O my God! of Thy mercy grant that many may feel such love for me. I would far rather win this, O Lord ! than the liking of all the kings and princes of the earth, and rightly so, for such affection
46 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [char yii
labours with all its might to make us such that we may spurn the world under our feet and may hold beneath our sway all that it contains. If you ever meet persons of this kind, sisters, the Mother Prioress should make every effort to bring you together. Love them as much as you will, there are not many such souls, but our Lord always wishes their perfection to be known: people^will tell you that there is no need of such help — God is enough. The company of God's friends is a good way of keeping near Him: it is of the greatest advantage, as I know from experience; for, after God Himself, I owe it to such persons that I am not in hell. I was most anxious that they should intercede for me with God, and used to beg them to do so. But let us return to our subject.
4. This is the kind of affection I wish we all possessed.3 Although in the beginning our love may be defective, yet our Lord will correct it. Let us consider the way to obtain perfect love. Although at first we mingle some tenderness with it, no harm will be done as long as it does not amount to particular friendship. It is necessary at times to show some tenderness in our love4 and even to feel it; we must sympathise with many of our sisters' trials and weaknesses, insignificant as they may be.5 Sometimes a trifling matter gives as
3 Life, ch. vii. 32-37 ;ch. xvi. 12 ; ch. xxx. 6. Castle, M. ii. ch. i. 12.
4 Castle, M. v. ch. iii. 1 1.
5 'No one was in the company of this glorious Mother without receiving some consolation. All found solace from her in their crosses ; she felt a deep compassion for the trials of the weak, whom she upheld by her words and prayers when she could do no more for them.' (Statement made by Father Peter of the Purification: Relaciones his- toricas de los sighs xvi. y xvii. publicadas por la Sociedad de Bibliofilos esj>anoles7 vol. xxxii. p. 30^. Madrid, 1896).
chaf.vii] INDULGENCE FOR OTHERS 47
much pain to one person as a heavy cross would cause another. Sensitive natures feel very keenly slight troubles at which others would laugh. If you are stronger-minded, still, pity your neighbours and do not be astonished at them. Perhaps the devil has taken more trouble to wound their feelings thus than he has to grieve you by severe trials and crosses. It may be that our Lord spares us these sufferings to give us trials of other kinds, when perhaps what seems, and is indeed a heavy cross to us, will appear but a light one to our sisters.
5. We must not judge others by ourselves in such cases, nor compare ourselves to them at a time when, perhaps through no effort of our own, our Lord has given us greater fortitude; rather let us estimate ourselves by our weakest moments. There is need for this if we would know how to condole with our neighbours' griefs. Especially is this ne- cessary for more courageous souls who as they long for crosses, make little of their troubles. These should remember what they used to feel while they were still weak, and should reflect that if they have improved it is not their own doing. Other- wise, the devil may gradually cool our charity for others and lead us into mistaking an error for perfection. Constant care and vigilance are needed; Satan never sleeps, and is always especially wide awake when he watches more perfect souls; then his temptations are more subtle than ever, for he dare use no others; and unless we are very cautious the mischief is done before we know it.
6. In short we must always watch and pray,6 for
6 St. Luke xxi. 36: ' Vigilate itaqae omni tempore.'
48 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap.vii
prayer is the surest way to discover the devil's snares and make him reveal himself. Be cordial with your sisters when they take their needful recreation,7 and stay with them the whole of the appointed time, although it may not suit your taste.8 I in- tended saying much of the other kind of love, but on second thoughts I do not think that it can flourish here, considering what life we lead^ there- fore I leave the subject alone, hoping that, with the help of God, there will be no danger of there being any less supernatural affection among those in this house, although the sisters may not always be quite perfect. It is right for the nuns to compassionate one another's needs, but beware lest this pity should be indiscreet, or contrary to obedience. Let no one know if the orders given by the Prioress seem harsh to you, unless you humbly say so to her yourself, otherwise you will do much harm. Make sure when it is right for you to sympathise with and to pity your sisters; you must always feel sorry for any conspi- cuous fault you see in one of them; charity is proved and tested in such acase by keeping patience and by not being shocked.9 Others bear thus with your faults, both those of which you are
7 Const. 27, 28. Life, ch. xiil. I. Sister Frances of Jesus says: 'Our holy Mother was so fond of giving pleasure to the nuns that one night, when she had retired to her cell at recreation time, on my asking her: "Isn't your Reverence coming to us?" (we had been told that she would be absent), she answered laughingly: "Do you wish it, daugh- ter ? Well, let us go together," and she came and was very merry.' (Fuente, vol. vi. 290, n. 5).
* Escorial edition, chap. xii. Of the great advantage of detaching ourselves from all interior and exterior things.
9 Castle, M. iii. ch. ii. 19; M. i. ch. ii. 20, 21.
chap.vii] GOOD EXAMPLE 49
conscious, and the many more of which you are ignorant. Pray constantly to God for your sister, and endeavour to practise perfectly the virtue contrary to her fault. Force yourself to do this, for you may thus teach her by deed, what by words, or or even by punishment, she could never attain to: whereas the sight of this virtue in another would make a great impression on her. This is good advice: do not forget it.
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, and which are not, and must not, be used in this house; such as : * My life, my soul, my darling ! ' and other expressions people use to one another. Keep endearing words for your Spouse; you will often be alone with Him and will need them all, since His Majesty permits their use. However much you may repeat them to Him, they will not make you sentimental, and there is no need to address them to any one else. Such expressions are very womanish, and I do not wish you to be so nor appear so in any way, but rather, valiant and manly. 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 !
8. It is a great sign of love to relieve others of their labour in the offices of the convent" and to
10 Castle, M. vii. ch. iv. 22.
11 Life, ch. xxxi. 27. The Saint used to fold up the mantles of the nuns of the Incarnation.
50 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, vn
take it on ourselves, also to rejoice and to thank God for our sisters' spiritual progress as if it were our own.12 All these things (omitting the great good they bring with them), greatly conduce to peace and concord among the nuns, as by God's grace we have learned by experience. May His Majesty be pleased to increase this good feeling; it would be terrible were it otherwise and insuffer- able for so small a number to disagree with one another — God forbid it! But all the good that has been established here by the grace of God must be destroyed, or such a misfortune can never occur. If one of you should take offence at some hastily spoken words, let her at once atone for it and pray fervently on the subject, as also against any habitual fault, or grudge, or particular friendship, or desire of precedency, or regard for honour.'3 My blood seems to freeze in my veins while I write this, at the thought that such a thing may be felt by any nun, for it is the special bane of convents. If it should really occur, give yourselves up for lost: know that you have driven your Spouse from the house and that, in a way, you have forced Him to seek some other home, since you have turned Him out of His own. Cry for aid to His Majesty, for, if your frequent confessions and communions do not prevent such ills, take heed lest there be some Judas among you. Let the Prioress be most watchful on this point; let her prevent all chance of its occurring and stop it from the very first, for here lies all the mischief and its remedy. If gentleness will not suffice, let her inflict severe
18 Life, ch. xxxiv. 9 sqq. concerning Fr. Garcia de Toledo. 18 Castle, M. v. ch. iii. n.
chap.vii] OBSTACLES TO CHARITY 51
punishment. Should one of the nuns be found to be seditious, let her be sent to some other con- vent— God will provide her dowry. Drive away this pestilence: cut off the branches as best you can ; or if this is not enough, pull up the roots. If this cannot be done it were far better that such a person were imprisoned than that the whole community should be infected with such an incur- able plague. What a terrible evil it is! God deliver us from a convent where this enters ! I would rather it caught fire and burnt us all alive. But as I intend speaking more of this later on, on account of its great importance, I will only say I should prefer that the sisters loved one another tenderly, with a demonstrative affection, if it were felt for all alike, although not with the perfect love I have described, than that they should disagree. May our Lord, being Who He is, never permit this ! Amen.
CHAPTER VIII.1
TREATS OF THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF DETACHING OUR- SELVES FROM ALL CREATED THINGS, WHETHER INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR. OF THE MANY BENEFITS GAINED BY THOSE WHO HAVE LEFT THE WORLD BY SEVERING THEMSELVES FROM THEIR RELATIVES, AND HOW THEY WILL MEET WITH FAR TRUER FRIENDSHIP INSTEAD OF THAT WHICH THEY HAVE GIVEN UP.
1. Detachment. 2. Human affection for our relatives.
i. Now we will consider what is the detachment which we are bound to feel: if this be perfect it will include everything else. I say 'it will include everything else' because, if we cling to our Creator alone and care nothing for created things, His Majesty will infuse the virtues into us, so that, doing by degrees all that is in our power, we shall have little left with which to struggle, for our Lord will defend us against the devils and the whole world as well. Do you think that it is a small gain to give ourselves entirely to Him, keeping nothing for ourselves, since in His goodness all is contained as I told you? Be very grateful to Him, sisters, for bringing us here together where this is all that we care about.1 I cannot tell why I am speaking about it to you, all of whom are capable of teaching me on the subject, for I own that, in this respect, I am not as perfect as I wish and as I know I ought to be; indeed, I am the most imperfect of you all.5
1 Valladolid edition, ch. ix. ; Escorial, ch. xiii. * Castle, M. vi. ch. vi. 14. Way of Per/, ch. ii. 8. 3 Life, ch. xviii. 6. Found, ch. i. 4.
52
chap, viii] DETACHMENT 53
I have to say the same with regard to all the virtues and other matters which I treat of here, for it is easier to write of them than to practise them. Indeed, I may often fail even to write well of them, for sometimes one can only speak correctly of such things by experience, so that if I do succeed it must be by describing them as the opposite of my own qualities.4 However, at your request, I will mention some matters which occur to me. It is clear that our lives are cut off from all out- ward things here: our Lord seems to wish to de- prive us of all that would hold us captive to this world, so that He may, without impediment, draw us to Himself. O my Creator and my Sovereign! how have I deserved this great honour? Thou seemest to have sought for means whereby Thou couldst come nearer to us. By Thy mercy, permit us not to lose Thee. O my sisters! for the love of God consider what a signal grace our Lord has shown to those whom He has brought here. Let each of you realise it for herself, since of the twelve nuns His Majesty has chosen her for one. And how many, what a multitude, better than myself do I know of who would joyfully accept my place ! Yet our Lord has bestowed this favour on me who so ill deserve it. Blessed be Thou, O my God! and may the angels and all creatures praise Thee, for I have as little merited this favour as I have the many others which Thou hast shown me. The vocation of a nun was an immense grace, yet I have been so wicked that Thou couldst not trust me, Lord. Among a number of people my guilt would
4 Const. 1 6.
54 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, viii
not have been so noticeable during my life-time and I should have hidden it as I did for so many years; but Thou, O Lord! hast brought me to where there are so few others that it seems impos- sible for my sins to remain unnoticed. That I might lead a better life, Thou hast removed me from all chance of evil. Therefore ^confess, O Lord ! that there is no excuse for my delinquencies and I have but greater need of Thy mercy to pardon me.
2. Remember, sisters, we are far more to blame than others if we are not so good, therefore, I earnestly beg her who feels beforehand that she has not fortitude of soul to observe what is practised here, to say so before her profession. There are other convents where, perhaps, our Lord may be served as well. Let her not disturb the small community which His Majesty has brought to- gether here. There are many houses in which a nun is allowed to enjoy the society of her kindred: here, if relations are admitted, it is only for their own sake.5 The sister who wishes, for her personal pleasure, to see her relatives and who does not weary of their society on their second visit unless they are spiritual persons who help her soul, must recognise that she is imperfect and not detached — she is not well, and will not obtain liberty of spirit nor perfect peace — she needs a physician. I affirm that unless she changes and is cured she is unfit for the house. As far as I know, the best remedy is that she should have no interviews with her rela- tions until she feels emancipated from this bond,
5 Const. 14, 15.
chap, ix] AFFECTION FOR RELATIVES 55
having obtained the grace from God by many prayers. When receiving her kindred has become a cross to a nun,6 by all means let her see them sometimes for their own good, as she will certainly profit them and do herself |no harm; but if she is very fond of them, if their troubles affect her deeply, and if she is delighted at their success in the world, let her be sure that she will injure her- self and do them no good.
CHAPTER IX.1
THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN UP THE WORLD BENEFIT BY DOING
SO AND GAIN TRUER FRIENDS: THIS, HOWEVER, DOES NOT
SUFFICE UNLESS WE FORSAKE OURSELVES ALSO.
1. Harm done by seeing much of our relations. 2. Detachment from them. 3. God will supply us with the friends we need, 4. Spiritual and corporal detachment.
I. Oh, if we religious only understood the harm it does us to see much of our relations, how we should shun them ! I cannot see what pleasure it can give us, for, setting aside the mischief done by it to our spiritual life, what comfort or solace can it obtain for us? We cannot share their amuse- ments, nor would it be lawful for us; but we grieve over their unhappiness which often afflicts us more than it does them. I assure you that the soul and poverty of spirit pay dearly for any comfort that the body may gain. You are free from this evil here, for as everything is in common and no one may receive any private gift, all alms being given
6 Life, ch. ii. 6; ch. vii. io, 12; ch. xxiv. 8. Re/, i. 6; ibid. x. 1 Valladolid edition, ch. x. ; Escorial, ch. xiv.
56 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, ix
to the community -in general,2 there is no obligation to repay your kindred for what they bestow, and, as you know, our Lord provides for us all together. 2. It.astonishes me to see what harm the society of our kindred does us. It is incredible, save to those who have witnessed it for themselves; yet how this perfection seems forgotten by religious of the present day! at least by the greater number of them, although all the saints remembered it and wrote a great deal about it. I cannot tell what it is that we leave in this world, we who say we leave all for God, if we do not forego the chief thing of all — the society of our relatives. Things have come to such a pass that it is considered a defect in religious not to be fond of their kindred nor to see a great deal of them. They will tell you so, and allege their reasons for it. In this house, my daughters, we must pray a good deal for our relatives after having interceded for the Church, as I told you: this is only right; but having done this, we must blot them out of our memory as far as possible, because it is natural to us to fix our affection on them in preference to others. My relations were extremely fond of me, people say, and I loved them so much that I would not allow them to forget me. Yet I have learnt from experi- ence, both in my own case and that of others, that (with the exception of parents, who only in very rare cases refuse succour to their children), when I have been in need my own kith and kin have helped me least of all, and it has been the servants of God who have come to my aid. It is right,
' Const. I o. On gifts, 3 1 .
chap, ix] DETACHMENT FROM RELATIVES 57
however, when our father and mother require comfort from us that we should not hold ourselves aloof from them: this is consistent with perfect detachment. The same applies to our brothers and sisters.
3. Believe me, sisters, if you serve God as you ought you will find no better kindred than those servants of His whom He will send you. I am convinced of the truth of this, and if you do what you know to be right (for to take any other course would be to fail in your duty to your true Friend and Spouse), you may be sure that in a very short time you will gain this liberty of spirit. Those who love you for His sake alone, who are more to be relied on than all your relatives, will never desert you, and you will find fathers and brothers where you never looked for them. For these latter help us because they wait for their reward from God, while the former, as they expect repayment from us, when they see our poverty and helpless- ness soon weary of assisting us. Though this does not always happen, yet it is the rule in this life; in short, it is the way of the world! If any one tells you it is a virtue to act in a contrary manner, do not believe him. It would take me a long time to tell you all the harm that results from such a course; as others who know better than I do have written on the subject, this will suffice. If, in spite of all my imperfections, I understand this so well, how far better more spiritual persons must realise it ! As I said, much has been written elsewhere on this matter, many books treating of little else. There is no doubt that the saints do right in advising
58 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, x
us to fly from the world. Believe what I said to you — the thing that clings closest to us and is most difficult to shake off is the love of our kindred. 4. Those do right, therefore, who quit their country if it helps this detachment which I find consists not so much in bodily separation as in the spirit's resolutely embracing the good Jesus, our Lord, and forgetting all else since it possesses all things in Him. But it is a great help to keep apart from our relations until we are convinced of this truth. Later on, perhaps, it may be God's will that we should be in their society; we may then find our cross where we used to find our joy.
CHAPTER X.*
THAT THIS ABNEGATION IS NOT ENOUGH UNLESS WE ALSO
ARE DETACHED FROM OURSELVES: HOW THIS VIRTUE AND
HUMILITY GO TOGETHER.
1. Detachment from self-will. 2. Humility ami mortification. 3. Their effects. 4. Indifference to our health the first step to mortification. 5. Mortification and anxiety about health. 6. Relaxation of the Rule in convents.
i. Separated from the world and our own kin- dred, in a state of absolute poverty, and enclosed in this convent under the conditions I have described, it would seem that we have done all and that there is nothing left to contend with. Ah, sisters, do not feel too secure, nor settle yourselves to sleep! You would be like a man who goes peacefully to rest after having bolted his doors securely against the
1 Yalladolid edition, ch. xi.; Escorial, ch. xv. Treats of the humility accompanying the two virtues of detachment and the perfect love already described,
chap.x] DETACHMENT FROM SELF-WILL 59
robbers already inside them. Have you not heard that the thief who lives in the house is the worst thief of all?4
Our natures are always the same, and unless we use the greatest care and each one of us makes it her most urgent business constantly to cross her self-will, many things will keep us from the holy liberty of spirit which we seek in order that our souls may rise to their Creator, unimpeded by any earthly, leaden weight.
2. A valuable aid towards this is the constant remembrance of the vanity of all things and of how quickly they pass away, that we may with- draw our affections from what is worthless and fix them on what is eternal. Though this means seems inefficient, yet I assure you it gives great strength to the soul. We must keep watch over ourselves carefully in the most insignificant matters: when we are attached to anything we must turn our thoughts from it and fix them on God. His Majesty will help us to do this, and it is a great grace from Him that, in this convent, the chief part of this is already done for us.3 As this detach- ment from ourselves and crossing our own wills is a hard matter, the union being so close and self- love being very strong,4 humility will now find its place.5 This virtue and abnegation seem to me always to accompany one another; they are two
*St. Matt. x. 36: ' Inimici hominis domestici ejus.'
3 St. Teresa practised strict poverty and disliked the nuns' becoming attached to any little article given them for their use. She therefore often made them change cells, breviaries, etc. {Fuente, vol. vi. 310, n. 16.) Deposition of Mary of St. Francis.
4Escorial edition, ch. xvi. Of mortifying ourselves during sickness.
"Life, ch. xxxi. 23 sqq.
60 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, x
sisters who cannot be separated. These are not the kindred I advise you to forsake: embrace and love them, and never be seen without them.
3. O sovereign virtues ! rulers of all created things; queens of the world; our deliverers from all the snares and traps of the devil, dearly loved as you were by our Teacher, Jesus Christ, Who never for a moment lived without you ! Those who possess you may sally forth and fight with all hell and the whole world and its temptations ! Let them not be afraid, for 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven':6 they have no cause for dread for they care not if all be lost — nor do they count it loss — their sole fear is lest they should offend their God; they im- plore Him to preserve these virtues in their souls lest by their own fault they should lose them. It is true that these virtues have the property of hiding themselves from their owner's sight, so that he never believes he possesses them, whatever he may be told to the contrary. Yet he esteems them so highly that he is always striving to gain them and thus grows more perfect in them. The possessor of these virtues soon unwittingly reveals them to those who talk to him.
4. But what presumption for me to praise humility and mortification which have been so extolled by the King of Glory and exemplified by all His toils and sufferings ! These are the virtues that you must labour to obtain in order to escape from the Land of Egypt. My daughters, when you possess them, you will find the manna7: then all things will taste sweet to you: however bitter
6 St. Matt. iii. 3: 'Quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum.' 7Apoc. ii. 17. Castle, M. ii. ch. i. 13.
chap.x] ANXIETY ABOUT HEALTH 61
the world may find them, to you they will be delicious. Our first effort must be to cease loving our bodies;8 some of us are naturally self-indulgent, therefore this is no easy work. Considering that we are nuns, it is surprising what a struggle these two things cost us, just as they do other people. Some of us seem to think we only entered the convent in order to keep ourselves alive and to nurse and pamper our bodies as well as we can, and this constitutes our principal pleasure. To tell the truth, there is very little opportunity of practising this here, but I do not want you even to wish for such a thing. Be convinced, sisters, that you came here to die for Christ, not to indulge yourselves for Him. The devil suggests that we need to take care of ourselves in order to observe the Rule. Such nuns are so exceedingly anxious to preserve their health so that they may be able to obey the Rule that they die without ever having observed it for a month, or perhaps even for a single day. If good health is our object in life, I do not know why we came here. There is no fear lest we should fail in discretion on this point, for our confessors at once take fright lest we should kill ourselves with penances; and I wish our other faults of observance were as odious to us as is such want of prudence.
5. I know that those who practise the contrary will pay no attention to what I am writing, nor do I care if they say that I judge others by myself, which is true enough. I am sure that there are more who behave as I do, than there are nuns who
''Castle, M. i. ch. ii. 14 ; M. iii. ch. ii. 9. Concep. ch. ii. 20. Const. 21.
62 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap.x
are offended at my words because they never themselves act in such a way. I believe that this is why our Lord permits us to have delicate con- stitutions; at least, He has^shown me great mercy in doing so in my case, for as I was sure to pamper myself He wished me to have some excuse for it.9 It is amusing to see how some worry themselves about this. At one time they have a mania for doing penances without either moderation or dis- cretion : I0 this lasts for a day or so and then the devil puts it into their heads that penance makes them ill, so henceforth they never perform any more even when the Rule enjoins it, as they have found it injures them." We do not obey even the least points of the Rule, such as silence, which could do us no harm. Directly we fancy our head aches, we stop away from choir which would not kill us either. One day we are absent because it aches, the next because it has ached, and three more lest it should ache again ; but we love to invent penances for ourselves, so that we end by doing neither the one nor the other. Sometimes we feel stronger yet we think we are not obliged to mortify ourselves, but that by having obtained leave we are hence- forth dispensed from everything.
6. You may ask why the Prioress gives these dispensations. If she could see into the state of your body perhaps she would refuse, but you tell her there is need of them and the doctor supports your cause, while a friend or relation stands by weeping, and though the poor Prioress sometimes sees that
9 Life, ch. xxiv. z. Re I. xi. i.
10 Castle, M. i. ch. ii. 19. Way ofTerf. ch. xxxix. 4. " Castle, M. iii. ch. ii. 11. Const. 21.
chap, xi] ILLNESS 63
too much is asked for, yet what is she to do? She feels a scruple lest she should be wanting in charity and would rather you erred than that she should, while it seems unjust to judge you harshly. Oh these complaints! God help us, among nuns\ May He forgive me for saying so, but I believe it has already become the custom. I once saw a case of this kind: a nun said she had a headache, and com- plained of it a great deal. When it came to be inquired into, she felt no pain at all in her head, but suffered in some other part of her body. Such things may occur here at times, so I warn you against them now, for if the devil once begins to daunt us with the fear of losing our health we shall never do anything. May God give us light to accomplish all our duties! Amen.
CHAPTER XI.1
CONTINUES TO TREAT OF MORTIFICATION AND EXPLAINS
HOW TO GAIN IT DURING ILLNESS. HOW LITTLE THIS LIFE
SHOULD BE VALUED BY ONE WHO TRULY LOVES GOD.
1. How a religious should behave during illness. 2. Sufferings endured by those living in the world. 3. How to master our bodies. 4. Strong resolution needed.
i. To be continually bewailing our slight ailments appears to me, sisters, to be a very great imper- fection. Say nothing about them if you can help it. When the illness is severe it is self-evident — this is quite another sort of complaining, which at once makes itself known. Remember, you are few
'Valladolid edition, ch. xii.; Escorial, ch. xvii.
64 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xi
in number, and if any of you has this habit she will weary all the rest if love and charity reign among you. If the indisposition is real, speak about it and take the necessary remedies1: if you have lost self-love, you will so dislike indulgence that there will be no fear of your wanting more than necessary, nor of your complaining without good cause. When there is a genuine reason you do right in mentioning it: this is far better than taking any- thing extra without leave and it would be very wrong of your sisters not to pity you. I am confident that, wherever prayer and charity prevail in how- ever small a degree, the nuns will notice each other's wants and the needful remedies and care will never be wanting.3 As for the little indisposi- tions women may suffer from — do not think of complaining of them: very often they are only fancies suggested by the devil, which come and go, and if you do not get rid of the habit of speaking about them (except to God), there will never be an end to them.4
2. I insist on this because I think it very important for us, and one of the things which greatly tend to relax discipline in monasteries. The body possesses this defect — the more you give it, the more it requires. It is wonderful how fond it is of comfort, and what pretexts it will offer to
* Const. 22. Visit, io.
3 The first thing that St. Teresa did on arriving at a convent was to visit the Blessed Sacrament. Then, if any of the nuns were ill, she went at once to see them, performing many deeds of charity on their behalf. She charged the Prioresses to take great care of the invalids when it was requisite. {Fuente, vol. vi. 308. n. 2.) Deposition of Catherine of the Holy Angels.
<Concep. ch. ii. 17-20.
chap.xi] SUFFERINGS 65
obtain it, however little needed; it deceives the unfortunate soul, and prevents its making progress. Remember how many poor people are ill and have no one to complain to — poverty and ease do not go together. Think, too, what a number of married women there are, many of them, as I know, of good position in life, who, lest they should annoy their husbands, dare not speak of the serious maladies and poignant trials from which they suffer. Sinner as 1 am, no ! we did not come here to be better treated than they are. How free you are from the great troubles of the world; learn, then, to suffer some little thing for the love of God without every one's knowing it. When a woman has made an unhappy marriage she does not say so, nor lament about it for fear her husband should know: she is very wretched but confides in no one: shall not we, then, keep secret between God and ourselves some of the ills He sends us for our sins? all the more because speaking of it does not lighten our load.
3. What I have said does not apply to serious ill- ness attended with high fever, although, even then, I beg of you to be reasonable and patient ;s but I allude to slight ailments with which we can go about without troubling other people concerning them. But what will happen if this is read by any one outside the convent? What will all the nuns say of me? How willingly I would bear this if I could help any one to improve! If a nun con- stantly complains, at last her sisters will not believe any one else who says she is really ill, even though
lRel iii. 2.
66 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xi
the doctor may confirm her words. However, as I am only speaking to my daughters they will forgive me for what I have written. Let us re- member our holy Fathers, the ancient hermits, whose lives we profess to imitate: what sufferings they bore, what solitude, what cold and hunger, what scorching sunshine and heat, with no one to complain to but God. Do you think they were made of iron?6 They were made of flesh and blood like ourselves. Believe me, daughters, when once we begin to subdue our wretched bodies, they do not trouble us so much. It is enough for you to see to what is needful. Do not desire anything extra, unless it is absolutely necessary.
4. Unless we resolve, once for all, to resign our- selves to death and ill-health, we shall never do anything. Endeavour to lose all fear of them and to leave everything in God's hands, come what may. What does it matter if we die ? How many times have not our bodies mocked us ! Let us mock them for once. Trust me, this resolution is more important than can be realised, for by keep- ing faithfully to it and practising it little by little until it becomes a habit, with the grace of God we shall vanquish the flesh, and you will experience the truth of what I say. Victory over such an enemy goes far to carry us through the battle of life. May God grant it to us, since He has the power, and we need His grace in all things: may He bring it to pass for His own sake ! I am certain
B Imitation, bk. i. ch. xviii. 2. St. Teresa knew the Imitation of Christ under the title of Contcmptus Mtindi, translated, by Luis de Granada, and printed at Seville in 1536, and again at Lisbon 1544 and Alcala 1548. There exists an earlier Spanish translation printed in 1490.
chap, xii] SELF-ABNEGATION 67
that only those who rejoice in this conquest can estimate its value which is so great that I believe no one will regret any sufferings that have been endured in order to gain such peace and self- command.
CHAPTER XII.*
THAT ONE WHO TRULY LOVES GOD MUST CARE LITTLE FOR
LIFE OR HONOUR. THAT ONE WHO SEEKS AFTER PERFECTION
MUST DESPISE HONOURS..
1. Having, renounced all else, religious must renounce themselves. 2. The religious life a martyrdom. 3. Joy brought by mortification. 4. Contemplation incompatible ivith a desire for honour or riches. 5. Forsaking all things. 6. Humility. 7. Proud thoughts corrected by outward acts of humility. 8. Evil arising in convents from a regard for honour. 9. Wrong done by taking offence.
i. Let us now speak of other small matters which are very important, insignificant as they may appear. All this seems an enormous work, as indeed it -is, being a warfare carried on against self; yet, when once we begin it, God so works in our souls, bestowing on them numerous graces, that all we can do in this life seems but a trifle. We nuns have done the greater part of our task; we have given up our liberty for the love of God and placed it in the power of another. We endure so much in our labours,2 fasts,3 silence,4 enclosure,5 attendance at choir,6 that, however strongly we may wish for our ease, we can rarely enjoy it,7 and perhaps, among the many convents I have visited, I may
1 Valladolid edition, ch. xiii.; Escorial, ch. xviii.
2 Rule, 13. Const. 23. Visit. 11. 3 Rule, 10. Const. 11.
4 Rule, 14. Const. 5. 5 Const. 13. Found, ch. xxxi. 42. Life, ch. vii. 5.
''Rule, 6. Const. 1-6. 7 Life, ch. xiii. 30.
68 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap.xii
be the only nun ^ho tries to obtain it ! Why then do we draw back from interior mortification, which is the mainspring of all the rest, by which they become more meritorious and perfect and are finally performed with sweetness and peace?
2. This interior mortification, as I said, is ac- quired little by little through never following our own will or liking even in the most trifling matters, until we have subdued the body to the spirit. I repeat, that this is entirely or at least mainly accomplished by renouncing all care for ourselves and our own pleasure. If we have really begun to serve our Lord, the least we can offer Him is our life, after having yielded our will to Him. What is there to fear in this? Whoever is a true religious, or is genuinely devoted to prayer and aspires to enjoy divine consolations, should be convinced that she must not recoil from wishing either to die,8 or to suffer martyrdom for His sake.9 Do you not know, sisters, that the life of a good religious, and of one who wishes to be among the most intimate friends of God, is one long martyrdom? 'Long,' because, compared to decapitation, which lasts but an instant, it may be termed long-, but a whole life-time is short, and sometimes very short indeed.
8 'Either to die or to suffer,' the genuine form of St. Teresa's motto, which occurs also in an undated letter to a Carmelite nun {circa 1578). The usual wording, 'To suffer or to die,' is nowhere to be found in the Saint's writings. Life, ch. xl. 27. 3 sqq.
9 One of the nuns asked our holy Mother how to become a saint. She answered: 'Daughter, we are soon going to make a foundation; then you will learn the way.' They went, and the sister met with a great many trials: she told them to the Saint, who replied: 'Daughter, did you not ask me to teach you how to become a saint ? This is the way' — meaning that sanctity lay in suffering for God. (Furritr, vol. vi. 318, nn. 20, 21. Deposition of Isabel of Jesus.)
chap, xn] MARTYRDOM 69
How do we know but that ours may not be so short as to end in an hour, or even in a moment, after we have determined to give ourselves entirely to God? It is quite possible, for we cannot depend on anything that passes away, much less on life, on which we must not reckon for a single day. Who, thinking each hour to be his last, would not spend it in labour?
3. Trust me, this is the safest view to take, there- fore we must learn to cross our will in everything; although we may not succeed at once, yet little by little, by the help of prayer, as I said, without knowing how, we shall reach the summit. But how rigorous it sounds to say that we must never please ourselves, unless we are told of the conso- lation this self-denial brings with it, and of the security it obtains during this life ! But, as you all practise it here, the principal part is already done : each one is urging her sisters on, and strives to excel the rest. Be most watchful over your secret feelings, especially such as concern precedence.10 God deliver us, for the sake of His Passion, from saying, or from deliberately thinking, 'I am her senior in the Order': *I am older than she': *I have done more work': 'She is better treated than I am.'
4. When such thoughts arise in your minds, you must suppress them at once: if you dwell upon them or give them utterance they will prove con- tagious and will give rise to great evils in a religious house. Should your Prioress allow anything of this kind, however slight it may be, you must be-
lu Life, ch. xxi. 12; ch. xxvii. 16. Re/, i. 28. Castle, M. v. ch. iii. IO-12. Concef>. ch. ii. 15.
70 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xii
lieve that God has permitted her to hold that office in punishment for your sins, and that it is the beginning of your ruin. Cry to Him for aid and let all your prayers be directed to obtain a remedy, for you are in danger. A religious, or a person who practises prayer with the genuine resolution of obtaining the graces and joys God grants to souls, is bound to this detachment from everything."
5. You may think I insist too much on this, and that I treat it with excessive severity, as God bestows His consolations on souls wanting in this detachment. Doubtless this is the case, for in His infinite wisdom He knows they can be thus drawn to forsake all things for His sake. By 'forsaking all things'" I do not necessarily mean entering religion, for there may be obstacles preventing this, and in every state perfect souls may be detached and humble; however, this is more difficult whilst living in the world, for our surroundings influence us strongly. But rest assured of this — people mav desire honours or possessions in monasteries as well as outside them (yet the sin is greater as the temptation is less), ,J but such souls, although they may have spent years in prayer, or rather in specu- lations (for perfect prayer eventually destroys these vices), will never make great progress nor enjoy the real fruit of prayer.
6. Ascertain, sisters, whether you care for these trifles, for you came here that you might spurn
11 Escorial edition, ch. xix. That care for honour and for the wisdom of this world must be avoided in order to arrive at true wisdom.
"St. Matt. xix. 27. St. Mark, x. 28. St. Luke xviii. 28: ' Reli- quimus omnia, et secuti sumus Te.'
liConcep. ch. ii. 30, 32, 33. Way of Per/, ch. xxxvi. 2-7.
chap.xii] FORSAKING ALL THINGS 71
them. They give you no increase of honour, and you miss advantages which would have brought you more honour in the end; so discredit and loss are here combined. Let each one examine whether she is truly humble, and she will learn what pro- gress she has made. I do not think the devil would dare to tempt a lowly heart with even the suggestions of a wish for precedence, for he is sagacious enough to fear the wound he would receive.
Such a temptation of the evil one can only strengthen and increase this virtue in a truly humble heart, which will reflect upon its former life, the little service it has rendered to our Lord compared with what it owed Him, and the wonders He per- formed in abasing Himself to give us an example of lowliness: it will recall its sins, and remember that it has deserved hell in return for them. These reflections so benefit the mind that Satan dares not return next day, for fear of getting a broken head.
7. Take this advice from me and do not forget it — that not only should you gain the victory within your own heart (where it would be very wrong not to benefit by the temptation ), but even outwardly you ought to let your sisters be the gainers by its means if you would be avenged on the devil and escape from the repetition of such thoughts. As soon as they arise, tell the Prioress of them and ask her to give you some very mean employment, or else of your own accord do any sort of work of the kind. Meanwhile, study how to subdue your will in the things you are most averse to (our Lord will show you many ways of doing'this), and perform some public penances such as are usual
72 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xii
in the house.11 Thus the temptation will quickly vanish. God deliver us from people who try to serve Him yet who care for their honour or fear disgrace. What we gain by this only does us harm: as I said, honour is lost by those who seek it; above all by religious, especially in the matter of rank, for no poison in the world is so fatal to perfection.
8. You may say that this is a trifling fault and only human nature; that it is of no importance. Do not hold it lightly; it spreads in monasteries as quickly as foam gathers on the sea; nothing can be called trifling in so great a danger as these points of honour and sensitiveness about affronts. Would you like to know the chief reason — not to speak of other causes? Some slight annoyance, hardly worth mentioning, is offered you, and the devil instigates one of your sisters to consider it a grave insult: she even thinks it a charity to tell you of it and to ask you how you could bear such an injury: she says she begs God to grant you patience; she should offer it up to Him, for a saint could bear no more.
9. In short, the evil one makes mischief through another's tongue: so that although you are resolved to suffer meekly you are tempted to vainglory on account of what you have not borne as well as you ought to have done. Human nature is so weak that though we overcome the temptation by telling ourselves there is no cause for annoyance, yet we think we have done something praiseworthy and feel we have been injured — how much more when others agree with us ! This makes the trouble worse; we hold that we are in the right; our souls lose an occasion of gaining merit and are left
14 Const. 25.
chap, xm] POINTS OF HONOUR 73
weaker than before, while a door is opened to Satan by which he can return another time to tempt us more severely. It may even happen that, when you are willing to bear an injury, some one may come and ask you : ' Are you to be treated like a dog? surely every one ought to have some self- respecT:!' Oh! for the love of God, sisters, never show such indiscreet sympathy with one another respecting mere fancied injuries, which is like that shown to holy Job by his wife and friends.
CHAPTER XIII.'
CONTINUES THE SUBJECT OF MORTIFICATION : THAT A NUN
MUST AVOID THE TOUCHINESS AND WISDOM OF THE WORLD
IN ORDER TO ATTAIN TRUE WISDOM.
1. We must imitate our Lord by suffering unjustly. 2. The evil of. bad example. 3. One who is punctilious about honour is unsuited to the religious life. 4. A mortified spirit essential for a Carmelite. 5. Essentials of a Carmelite vocation.
I. I often tell you, sisters, and now I leave it to you here in writing, that not only those dwelling in this house but all who aspire after perfection must fly a thousand leagues away from saying, *I was in the right', it was not right for me to suffer this, they had no right to do such a thing to me!'4 Now God deliver us from such wrong rights ! Do you think that there was any question of rights when our good Jesus suffered the injuries which were so unrighteously inflicted on Him? I do not know what any person is doing in a monastery
l\ alladolid edition, ch. xiv. ; Escorial, continuation of ch. xix.
i 'Const. 30.
74 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xii
who will only bear a cross which people have a perfect right to lay upon her — let her go back to the world where people care nothing for such rights. Is it possible for you to suffer so much that you ought not to suffer any more? What rights have you in this? I do not know of them. When we receive honours or affection or kind treatment let us think what right have we to them, for cer- tainly we have no right to them in this life; but when wrong is done to us we call it so, though it does us no wrong — I do not know why we should ever speak of it. Either we are brides of this great King or we are not. If we are, what faithful wife does not share her husband's disgrace, even against her will? In short, they share both honour and shame together. To seek to share in His kingdom and to enjoy His presence, and yet to shun all part in His ignominy and His toils, is incompatible. God preserve us from such a wish ! Let her who believes that her sisters hold her the last of all think herself the most fortunate, as indeed she is if she bears it as she ought, and she will not fail to be honoured for it, both in this world and in the next: you may trust my words.3
2. But what presumption for me to write * You may trust my words' when He Who is true Wisdom tells us so, as does the Queen of Angels! Let us, my daughters, imitate, however feebly, the
3 ' In order to profit and advance by means of persecutions and injuries we meet with, it is well to reflect that God has been offended by them before I have — when the blow strikes me, He has already been affronted by the sin. The soul that truly loves its Spouse ought to have already pledged itself to be entirely His, and if He supports the insult, why should we resent it ? ... Die or suffer — this should be our wish. ' (See ch, xii. note 8).
chap.xiii] PUNCTILIOUSNESS 75
most holv Virgin, whose habit we wear. Indeed, we feel ashamed to number ourselves among her nuns, because, however deeply we seem to humble ourselves, we are most unworthy to be called the daughters of such a mother, and the brides of such a Spouse, even if we copy her humility in any wav — 'in any way', I say. However, though we may all abase and humble ourselves, no one is so bound to do this as myself, who for my sins deserve to be insulted and despised by the devils themselves. Yet, although others may not have committed so many faults, it will be wonderful if they have done nothing that deserves hell. Therefore, I repeat, you must not consider the defects I have spoken of as insignificant, for, if you do not check them carefully, what seems a trifle to-day will become a venial sin to-morrow; this is a thing of such evil growth that if left alone it will spread and is most injurious in communities. We must be very watchful in such matters lest we injure those who are trying to help us and to give us a good example. If we only realised the immense harm that is done by introducing the bad habit of touchiness about honour, we should die a thousand times rather than be the means of doing so. That would be only the death of the body, but the loss of souls is a terrible one and seems never-ending, for when one generation dies, others succeed it, and perhaps they will all be influenced more by the one bad custom we began 4 than by the many virtues they see prac- tised, for the devil takes care the evil habit is kept up, while the infirmity of human nature destroys our virtues.5
4 Found, ch. i. 3. Castle, M. vii. ch. iv. 22. 5 Const. 5.
76 fHE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xm
3. What genuine charity, and how true a service to God would it be, if the novice who sees that she cannot conform to the customs of this convent would acknowledge it and go away before being professed, thus leaving the nuns in peace. Other monasteries (if they will take my advice) will not keep her, nor allow her to take the vows without giving her several years' probation, to learn whether she will improve. I do not mean one who cannot bear penances and fasting, for, though this be a fault, it does not cause so much harm, but I am speaking of those who wish to be esteemed and respected; who see others' faults but never know their own, and who possess other defects of the same kind, which all take their origin from a want of humility. If God does not favour such a character with a great deal of light and under- standing, so that she amends in the course of years, may He prevent you from retaining her in your community; for, be assured that she will never be at rest herself nor leave others at peace. As you do not require dowries, God preserves you from many dangers, for I pity the monasteries which, for the sake of not returning the dowry or out of regard for her relations, keep a thief who robs them of this treasure."
4. In this convent you have abandoned and lost the honour of this world, for the poor are not honoured; nor should you honour others at so dear a cost to yourselves. Our honour, sisters, is to serve God; 7 whoever should hinder this had better
6Escorial edition, ch. xx. The great importance of refusing to profess any one whose character is opposed to the virtues I have described. 7 Life, ch. xi. 4.; ch. xx. 34..
chap.xiii] INTERIOR MORTIFICATION* 77
remain at home with her honour. It was to test the disposition of novices that our Fathers ordered a year's probation for them8 (which in our Order may be prolonged to four years),9 and I wish that they were not professed for ten years, because a humble nun would care little for the delay, know- ing that if she were good she would not be sent awav, and if she were not, whv should she wish to
J ' 'J
stay and damage Christ's community? By not being 'good' I do not mean an attachment to worldly vanities, for, by the mercy of God, I believe that those in this house are far from anything of the sort, but I mean a want of mortification, self- esteem, or a care for human respecl: and self, of the kind mentioned. Let her who knows that she is not very mortified believe what I say, and not make her profession unless she wishes to live in a very hell in this life — and God grant she may not find herself in another hell in the next world — for there is much in such dispositions to make one fear such a fate for her, though perhaps neither she herself nor the nuns understand her case as I do. Trust my words, otherwise you will learn this truth in the future. The spirit of our Order bids us not only to be nuns but hermits, like our holy Fathers in times past; therefore we must be detached from all created things. This grace of detachment is to be found in any one to whom God has given
s Visit. 24,25,42. Const. 17,41.
9'Four years' probation.' There appears to be no record of such a custom, so that the thought presents itself that this was arranged between the Saint and the Bishop of Avila, who at that time was Superior of the convent of St. Joseph. It is certain that St. Teresa acted on this principle, because Maria de San Jose (Maria Davila), one of the first four Novices, was only professed on July 2, 1566, nearly four years after her entrance.
78 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xiii
our vocation, and although at first she may not pos- sess it in perfection, yet we know that she has it by her joy at seeing she is cut off from the world, and her delight in all the practices of the religious life.10
5. I repeat that any one who is worldly .and who does not improve is not fit for our convents : she should go somewhere else if she wishes to be a nun — if not, she will see what will happen. Let her not complain that it is my fault because I founded this house, and that I do not warn her. This convent is a paradise (if paradise can exist on earth) for any one who finds her sole happiness in pleasing God," and who cares nothing for her own comfort: such a person leads a very happy life here, but, if she seeks for anything more, she will lose all the rest because nothing else is to be had. A discontented mind resembles a man suffering from violent nausea, whose stomach rejects all food however good it may be while loathing the meat which others relish. Any one with the character I have described may save her soul more easily elsewhere than here, and may by degrees attain the perfection which she could not gain in this Order, because here the mortifications must be accepted at once; for although time is allowed for attaining total interior detachment and morti- fication, these virtues must soon be practised outwardly because of the harm their absence may do to others. If seeing them performed by all the nuns and living among good companions should not improve the new-comer in a year, or in six
wFound. ch. xxviii. 37.
11 Castle, M. v. ch. iv. 5. Found, ch. i. 3. Life, ch. xxxv. 13.
chap, xiv] RELIGIOUS SPIRIT 79
months, I fear she will never make much progress either in many years or in few. I do not say she must be as perfect in these qualities as the rest of the nuns, but she must make visible progress towards the recovery of her spiritual health, as she soon will do if the disease is not mortal.
CHAPTER XIV.1
TREATS OF THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF NOT PROFESSING
ANY ONE OF A SPIRIT CONTRARY TO THE QUALIFICATIONS
HERE DESCRIBED.
1. Qualifications requisite for a Carmelite nun. 2. On admitting novices to profession. 3. Responsibility of admitting novices.
I. I believe that God gives great grace to any one who is resolved to do right, therefore you must examine into what is the intention of a person entering the convent. She must not come here to find a home, as often happens nowadays, although if she has good sense our Lord may perfect even this intention. If she is wanting in sense, on no account receive her, for she will not know why she enters nor will her Superiors ever be able to teach her afterwards. As a rule, those who are defective in this way think they know, better than the wisest, what is good for them. I believe this ill is incurable, for it is seldom without some malice. Among a number of religious and in a large convent it may be borne with, but in our small community it would be intolerable. Good sense, when it once begins to see what is right,
1 Valladolid edition, ch. xv. ; Escorial, ch. xxi.
80 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xiv
clings firmly to it, convinced that this is the safest course, and although this may not lead to great spirituality, still such a person is useful when prac- tical advice is required and in many other ways, and is not a burden to any one, but rather a help by her cheerfulness. Ho vever, I cannot see of what service in a community a person wanting in sense can be, though she may do much harm.1 This defect, and the others I spoke of,3 are not known at first, for many people speak well and understand ill, while others' speech is short and unpolished but they are at home with God. They are simple, holy souls who know little of this world's work and manners, but are apt for prayer.4 Therefore inquiries must be made before receiving a novice, and a long probation given her before her
2 Ribera says in his life of St. Teresa : ' She was singularly fond of intelligent people. Next to their having a vocation, what she cared for most in those she received as novices, even if only lay sisters, was a good understanding. People who knew her holiness and love of prayer were careful to praise the fervour and prayerfulness of the candidates they brought her, thinking this would make her accept them. But she only seemed to care to know whether they were sensible and apt. I myself was among their number, and, being greatly surprised, I asked her the reason. She answered : ' Father, our Lord will give her devo- tion when she enters, and we will teach her prayer. As for those who have practisca prayer outside, we very often have to teach them to forget all they have learnt — but as for intelligence, we cannot give it to them. Besides, a devout, good nun, if she has no brains, is only of use to herself. But I can put a sensible nun at the head of the house and trust her with any of the offices' {Ribera, bk. iv. ch. xxiv.).
3Ch. xiii. 3; ch. v. 24. Const. 13, 17,41.
4 When St. Teresa set out for Soria she chose Catherine of Christ, of the convent of Medina del Campo, as Prioress of the new founda- tion. ' But she reads only with difficulty, and does not even know how to write,' remarked some one. 'She is a saint,' said the foun- dress, 'and that is enough to make a good Prioress of her.' On June 27, 1 58 1 , she had occasion to write to Fr. Gracian: 'The Prioress fills her place admirably.'
chap, xiv] PROFESSION 81
profession. If the world once understands that you are free to send away new-comers (as there is often good reason for doing in a convent where austerities are practised), no one will feel offended by your doing so.
2. I say this because these times are so disastrous and our weakness is so great that the rules of past generations do not suffice to make us disregard all pretences about dignity; that is, that we must not, because of a consideration for the feelings of a novice's relations or for fear of giving some slight offence, allow the former good customs of the convent to be forgotten. God grant that those who receive unsuitable candidates may not suffer for it in the next world ! there is always some slight pretext for thinking we may admit them, though in a case of such importance no excuse is valid.
3. I believe that when the Prioress is uninfluenced by affection or prejudice, and only seeks the welfare of the house, God will not permit her to fall into error. When, however, she is swayed by regard for other people's feelings or the demands of etiquette, she will be sure to make some mistake. Each one of us must consider the matter for her- self and pray about it and must encourage the Prioress when she feels misgivings. The affair is of the utmost consequence, therefore I beg God to enlighten the nuns about it. You do well in taking no dowries: it sometimes happens that, for the sake of not repaying money which they have not in hand, religious keep in their house a thief who
82 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xv
robs them of their treasure, to their great misfor- tune. Never receive dowries in this convent, for what seems a gain will prove to be a great loss.*
CHAPTER XV.1
THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF NOT EXCUSING OURSELVES EVEN WHEN UNJUSTLY BLAMED.
1. Submitting to unjust blame. 2. A Penance that all may Practise. 3. A prayer to share our Lord's obloquy. 4. Benefits of bearing with false accusations. 5. Liberty of spirit thus gained.
I. I am overwhelmed with confusion at speaking on this subject, and I do not know how to fulfil my task. The fault is yours, sisters, for you bade me undertake the work — you must read it as best you can since I do my best to write it and you must not criticise its shortcomings. Such a book requires leisure: as you know, I have so little that I have been unable to go on with it for a week, and I forget both what I have already written and how I intended to continue. I can do nothing but blame myself for my failings, and beg you not to imitate me by excusing yourselves as I am doing here. Not to exculpate ourselves when unjustly accused is^a sublime virtue,2 and very edifying and merito- rious; but, although I have often taught it you, and by the mercy of God you practise it, yet His
5 When making a fresh foundation, St. Teresa always admitted two or three good, but poor, young girls without dowry, and she said they were a great comfort to her. {Fuente, vol. vi. 317, n. 12.) Deposition of Isabel of Jesus.
1 Valladolid edition, ch. xvi.; Escorial, ch. xxii.
'Const. 30,47.
chap.xv] UNJUST BLAME 83
Majesty has never given me the grace to do so myself — may He grant that I do before I die! Yet there always seems to me some good reason for thinking it would be better to make some ex- cuse for myself. This is often lawful, indeed, some- times it would be wrong to omit it, yet I have not sufficient discretion — or rather, humility — to know when it should be done. For indeed it requires great humility to see oneself blamed without cause, and to be silent; we thus imitate our Lord, Who freed us from our sins. Be most careful to act in this way, sisters; it does us great good, while I can see no use in our exculpating ourselves, unless, as I said, when we might cause offence or scandal by not telling the truth. Any one who is more prudent than I am will easily understand this. I think it is a great gain to accustom oneself to practise this virtue, and to endeavour to obtain from God the true humility that must be the result. Whoever is really humble ought to wish sincerely to be despised,3 persecuted, and condemned for serious offences without any just cause.4 If you seek to follow our Lord, in what better way can you do so? No bodily strength is needed here, nor the help of any one save of God.
2. I wish these great virtues, my sisters, to be both our study and our penance. You know that
3 Found, ch. xxvii. 19, 20. Life, ch xix. 12; ch. xxxi. 13-17, 25. Re I. ii. 4. Castle, M. vi. ch. i. 7-1 1.
4 Saint John of the Cross gives these three rules for mortifying the desire of honour. 1 . Do those things which bring thee into contempt, and desire that others also may do them. 2. Speak disparagingly of thyself, and contrive that others may do so too. 3. Think humbly and contemptuously of thyself, and desire that others may do so also, {Ascent of Mount Carmel, bk. i. ch. xiii. 8.)
84 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xv
I restrain you from other severe and excessive austerities, which if performed imprudently might injure your health. Here, however, there is nothing to fear; for however great the interior virtues may be, they do not weaken the body so that it cannot keep the Rule of the religious life. These strength- en the soul, and, as I have often told you, by constantly conquering yourselves in little things you may train yourselves to gain the victory in great matters. But — how well I have written this, and how badly I practise it! — indeed, I have never been tried thus in any important affair, for I never heard any ill spoken of me that did not fall far short of the truth, if not in that particular matter, yet often enough in similar things: only too often in other ways have I offended our Lord God, and I thought people showed me a great kindness in not speaking of these.5 I always prefer that they should find fault with what I have not done, for the truth is very painful to hear; but for a false accusation, however grave, I care nothing, and in minor mat- ters I follow my natural bent without thinking of what is most perfect. For this reason, I wish you to understand from the first, and I desire each one of you to consider, how much is gained by this habit of not excusing yourselves.6 I think it can
5 Castle, M. vi. ch. i. 12. Way of Per/, ch. xvii. 4.
6 St. Teresa was wonderfully patient under persecution. Sometimes I used to speak to her of the calumnies uttered against her. She would answer with perfect simplicity and sweetness : 'Whoever has said any harm against me has done me a great favour.' One day she said to me : ' I assure you, Father, that whenever I hear that people have spoken ill of me, I always pray to God for them. I beg Him to preserve their heart, their lips, and hands from all offence i ; I do not look upon them as ill-intentioned, but I see in them the ministers of Jesus Christ, in-
chap, xv] UNJUST BLAME 85
never do any harm, while its chief advantage is that we thus, to a certain degree, imitate our Lord. I say, 'to a certain degree', for we are never wholly innocent when blamed but are always guilty of many sins, for 'the just man falleth seven times a day',7 and 'if we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us';8 therefore, though we may not be guilty of this particular fault, yet we are never altogether free from offence as was the good Jesus.
3. O my Lord, when I remember in how many ways Thou didst suffer, Who yet in no way didst deserve it, I know not what to say for myself, nor of what I am thinking when I shrink from suffer- ing or defend myself from blame ! Thou knowest,
0 my only Good! that if there is aught that is right in me it comes from Thy hands. Why shouldst Thou not give me much instead of little? If it is because I do not deserve it, neither have I deserved the graces Thou hast already bestowed on me. Can it be that I should wish men to think well of
struments used by the Holy Ghost to do me good and to further my salvation. Believe me, Father,' she added, 'the best and most efficient means of winning heaven is patience during trials ; this makes man master and ruler of himself, as our Lord told His Apostles.' I remember that sometimes, when I spoke to her about scandals that had been spread about her, she used to laugh and say : ' I should have done far worse things if our Lord had not upheld me. What we must fear and what I feel the most, is the harm the soul does to itself by such slander:
1 should be willing to suffer not only all kinds of insults, but any tor- tures, to prevent an offence against God, and to deliver that soul from sin. As for the person who is slandered, the only harm she suffers is to have an opportunity of gaining merit.' (Deposition of Father Peter of the Purification, Discalced Carmelite: Las Relaciones h'utoricas de hs sighs xvi. y xvii. publicadas por la Sociedad de Bibliofilos espaholes, vol. xxxii. 309. Madrid, 1896).
' Prov. xxiv. 16: 'Septies enim cadet Justus, et resurget.' b I John. i. 8 : 'Si dixerimus quoniam peccatum non habemus, Veritas in nobis non est,'
86 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xv
a thing so vile as. I am, when they said such evil things of Thee, Who art above every other good ? Do not permit this: forbid it, O my God ! nor let me wish that anything displeasing to Thine eyes should be found in me, Thy handmaiden. See, O my Lord! I am blind and I care but little for the light. Enlighten me and make me sincerely desire that all men should hate me, since I have so often abandoned Thee Who lovest me so faithfully. Why do we act thus, O my God? What joy do we think to find by pleasing creatures? What does it matter of what guilt they accuse us if we are guiltless before Thee, O Lord?
4. Ah, my sisters, how far we are from grasping this truth! We shall never reach the summit of perfection unless we come to understand what is the great reality, and what is of no account.9 Were there no other gain but the shame felt by your accuser at seeing that you permit yourselves to be unjustly condemned, it would be very great, for to witness such an action sometimes benefits a soul more than listening to ten sermons. We must all strive to preach by our deeds since the Apostle and our own incapacity forbid our doing so, by word of mouth.10 Do not imagine that either the good or the ill you do will be concealed, however strict your enclosure may be. And can you fancy that if you do not defend vourselves, no one else will take your part? See how our Lord answered for the Magdalen in the house of the Pharisee," and when
9 Escorial edition, ch. xxiii. Continues the same subject.
10 I Cor. xiv. 34 : ' Mulieres in ecclesiis taceant.
11 St. Matt. xxvi. 10: 'Quid molesti estis huic mulieri?'
chap, xv] OBLOQUY 87
her sister blamed her.'2 Pie will not treat you with such rigour as He kept for Himself. He did not permit even the thief to speak in His defence until He hung upon the cross.1* When there is need, His Majesty will find you an advocate: if not, it will be because you do not require one.
5. I know that this is true, for it has been fully proved to me by experience. Yet I do not wish you to reckon on it: I would rather have you rejoice at being accused. Time will show you how your soul will benefit by this: you will gradually gain liberty of spirit and will not care whether you are well or ill spoken of; you will feel as if the matter concerned some one else, or as if two peo- ple were holding a private conversation in which you do not want to take part. It is the same here : we have grown so accustomed to returning no answer that it does not seem as if any one had spoken to us. People who are unmortified and very sensitive may think this impossible. Though difficult at first, I know that this liberty of spirit, abnegation, and detachment may, by the grace of God, gradually be obtained.
12 Life, xxvii. 7. Excl. v. 2, 3. Castle, M. vii. ch. i. 14. M. vi. ch. xi. 12. Re/, vii. 26.
13 St. Luke xxiii. 40: ' Neque tu times Deum, quod in eadem dam- natione es?'
CHAPTER XVI.*
THE GAME OF CHESS.
1. The game of chess. 2. Meditation and contemplation. 3. Diffi- culties of rising to contemplation. 4. The virtues usually required for it. 5. Sufferings borne for us by Christ. 6. Why God some- times raises imperfect souls to contemplation. 7. Abandonment to God's care. 8. That all should aim at sanctity.
i. Do not imagine that a great part of my work is done. No, I have only been 'placing the board' for the game. You asked me to teach you the foundation of prayer, my daughters, although God did not establish me on this foundation, for I am almost destitute of these virtues; yet I know no other. But, be sure that any one who does not understand how to set the pieces in the game of chess will never be able to play well, nor, if he does not know how to give check, will he ever succeed in effecting checkmate. You may blame me for speaking of a game, for such things are neither played nor permitted in our convent.1 This will show you what a mother God has given you, skilled even in such vanities as this ! Still, they say that sometimes the game is lawful, and how well it would be for us to play it, and if we practised it often, how quickly we should checkmate this divine King so that He neither could, nor would, move out of our check! The Queen is His strongest opponent in the game, and all the other pieces help her. No queen can defeat Him so soon as can
xFuente, ch. xvi. This chapter is omitted in the Valladolid edition as far as paragraph 3. Continuation of ch. xxiii. in Escorial. 'Const. 27.
88
chap.xvi] CONTEMPLATION S9
humility.' It drew Him from heaven into the Virgin's womb,4 and with it we can draw Him by a single hair5 into our souls. And doubtless, the greater our humility, the more entirely shall we possess Him, and the weaker it is, the more reluctantly will He dwell within us. For I do not and I cannot understand how humility can exist without love, or love without humility,6 nor can either of these virtues be held in their perfection without great detachment from all created things. 2. 7 Perhaps you ask me, my daughters, why I speak to you of these virtues: they are taught in plenty of books and you only wish me to write about contemplation. If you had asked me about meditation, I could have instructed you, and I ad- vise every one to practise it8 even though they do not possess the virtues, for this is the first step to obtain them all : it is most essential for all Chris- tians to begin this practice. No one, however desperate his case may be, ought to neglect it if God incites him to make use of it. I have written this elsewhere, as have other people who under- stand the subject, which, as God knows, I certainly do not. Contemplation, however, is quite another thing, daughters. We fall into a mistake on this point, so that if any one thinks about his sins every day for a certain time (as he is bound to do if he is
3 Castle, M. iv. ch. ii. 8. Life, ch. xxii. 16.
4< Non horruisti Virginis uterum ' Te Deum. Castle, M. i. ch. ii. 9; M. ii. ch. i. 1 3 ; M. iii. ch. i. 1 5 ; ch. ii. 3,8; M. iv. ch. ii. 8.
°Cant. iv. 9: ' Vulnerasti cor meum ... in uno crine colli tui.'
6 Life, ch. x. 2; ch. xix. 2.
' Escorial, ch. xxiv. Shows how necessary the foregoing explanations were as an introduction to the treatise on prayer.
% Life, ch. iv. 1 1 ; ch. xi. 20. Found, ch. v. 2, 3. Castle, M. ii. ch. i. 19,20; M. vi. ch. vii. 12.
90 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chaf.xvi
a Christian in aaything but name), we at once call him a great contemplative, and expecl: him to possess the sublime virtues proper to such a state: he even thinks so himself; but he is quite wrong. He has not yet learnt how to 'plaCe the board,' but thinks he can effect checkmate simply by knowing the names of the pieces — in this he is deceived ; this King will not let Himself be taken except by one who is entirely given up to Him.9
3. Therefore, daughters, if you wish me to tell you the way to attain to contemplation you must allow me to speak at length on certain matters, although to you they may seem unimportant. I think that they are important, and unless you intend learning and practising them, continue your mental prayer all your life; for I assure you, and all others who aspire to this state, that you will never other- wise attain to genuine contemplation. I may be deceived about this, but I judge from my own experience; and I have been striving to become a contemplative for the last twenty years.
4. I will now describe mental prayer, as perhaps some of you do not understand what it is. God grant that we practise it as we ought, but I am afraid this can only be done by a great effort un- less we possess the virtues, although they are not here necessary in so high a degree as for contem- plation. The King of glory will not come into our
9 Valladolid edition, ch. xviii. Escorial, ch. xxv. On the difference between contemplatives and those who content themselves with mental prayer. That it is possible for God to raise a worldly soul to perfect contemplation occasionally, and the reason why He does so. This chapter must be carefully noted as well as the following. [By an error of calculation this chapter is counted xviii. instead of xvii. in the Valladolid manuscript. J
chap.xvi] QUALIFICATIONS 91
souls, so as to be united to them, unless we strive to obtain the highest virtues. I will explain this, for if once you found me out in an untruth you would believe me no longer — as would be only right if I told one purposely; but God preserve me from any falsehood! my error would come either from ignorance or want of understanding. I wish you to know that He sometimes shows great favour to people whose souls are in an evil state, that by this means He mav snatch them out of the devil's grasp. I do not mean persons who are in mortal sin, but those who are very faulty : our Lord may permit them to behold some very high vision in order to turn their hearts to Him.10 I cannot, how- ever, believe that He would actually raise them to contemplation, for this is a divine union in which our Lord takes His delight in the soul while the soul rejoices in Him, and there is no way in which heavenly purity can take pleasure in what is im- pure, nor can He Who is 'the Joy of the Angels' find His happiness in one who is not His own. We know that those in mortal sin are the slaves of Satan and must find their joy in him, since they have gratified him; the pleasures he gives are, as we know, nothing but ceaseless torment even in this life. Still, without taking those who are not His, yet His Majesty will do what He has often done — snatch them out of the hand of the enemy and make them His own.
5. O my God, how often do we force Thee to struggle with the devil on our account! Was it not enough that Thou didst suffer him to bear
10 Life, ch. xxii. 22, 23. Castle. M. iv. ch. 1.3. Concep. ch. v. 3. Way o/Terf. ch. xli. 2.
92 THE WAY OF PERFECTION [chap, xvi
Thee in his arms to the pinnacle of the Temple," to teach us how to vanquish him? What a sight, daughters, to see this Sun encompassed with dark- ness, and what terror that wretch must have felt although he did not know the reason why, for God did not permit him to understand it ! Blessed be such immense pity and mercy ! How ashamed we Christians ought to feel, as I said above, at constraining our Lord to combat daily this unclean beast ! There was need for Thine arms to be so strong, O Lord! but how was it that they were not weakened by the many tortures Thou didst endure upon the cross? Oh, how soon all hurts borne with love are healed ! I believe that if Thy life had lasted longer, the love Thou hast for us would have healed Thy wounds without need of any other medicine. O my God! who will apply such a lotion to all the trials which give me pain and trouble? How eagerly I should desire them, if they were to be cured by such a health-giving ointment ! It seems extravagant for me to speak thus, as my actions are in such contrast to it, yet divine love does greater things than this. But lest I should seem fond of what is sensational (as indeed I am), and that I may not set you a bad example, I will not tell you about them."
6. But, to return to what I was saying — God knows that He can attract certain souls to Himself by means of divine favours: He sees thev are on
11 St. Matt. iv. 5 : 'Tunc diabolus statuit eum super pinnaculum templi.'
" Escorial edition, ch. xxvi. God can sometimes raise a worldly soul to perfect contemplation, and the reasons for His doing so. This chapter is very noteworthy.
chap.xvi] IMPERFECT SOULS 93
the way to be lost, but He does not wish it to happen through any fault of His, therefore, though they are in a bad case and are lacking in goodness He gives them consolations, delights, and tender- ness of devotion which begin to excite their desires; He even sometimes raises them to contem- plation, although but rarely and for a very short time. This is to prove whether such a grace will induce them to prepare themselves to enjoy His favours more often.'3 But if they do not respond to Thee, and are unwilling to pardon their enemies, then pardon us, O Lord ! for it is a terrible misfor- tune for a soul which Thou hast thus drawn to Thee to become attached afterwards to any earthly thing. I feel sure there are many souls which our Lord God puts to this proof, but few who corre- spond rightly to the favour, for when He acts thus, unless we offer any hindrance, I am convinced that He never ceases bestowing His graces until He has brought us to a very high state of prayer. If we do not yield ourselves to Him as entirely as He gives Himself to us'4 He does what suffices by leaving us to mental prayer and visiting us now and then, as servants working in His vineyard. But the other souls are His beloved children whom He will not allow to quit His side, nor will He leave them, since they do not wish to forsake Him. He seats them at His table and ministers to them so farIS that (as they say) He takes the meat from His own mouth to feed them with.16
n Castle, M. iv. ch. iii. 9, 10; M. v. ch. i, 2,3; ch. ii. 4, 5; ch. iii. 2,6, 12.
u Castle, M. v. ch. i, 3. Life, ch. xi. 2-4; ch. xxii. 18, 19.
1-1 St. Luke xii. 37 : 'Et transiens ministrabit illis.'
)S Psalm liv. 15: 'Qui simul mecum dulces