NIHIL OBSTAT

Dom. Edmundas K endal, O.S .E. Censor

deputalus.

IMPRIMATUR

Dom . A idanus Gasquet, O .S .E . Cong. Angliae

A bbas Praeses .

N IHIL OBSTAT

F RANC ISCUS CANON ICUS WYNDHAM , O .S.C.

IMPRIMATUR

EDM . CAN . SURMONT.

WESTMONASTERII ,

D IE 28 Ju n 1913 .

M NORWORKS OFST. TERESA

CONCEPT IONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD

EX CLAMAT IONS , MAX IMS IAND POEMS

SA INT TERESA OF JESUS

TRANSLATED F ROM THE SPAN ISH BY THE

BENED ICT INES O F STA NBROOK

REV XSED W ITH NOTES AND AN INTRODUCT ION

BY TH E REVEREND

F ATHER BENEDICT Z IMMERMANO . C .D. O F W INCANTON PRIORY

ALSO A SHORT ACCOUNT O F THE SA INT ’S DEATH AND

CANON ISAT ION, ETC , BY THE TRANSLATOR

LOND O N

T H OM A S BA K E R

MCMXI I I

F ROM THE ADDRESS BY H IS HOLINESS POPELEO XI I I . TO THE REV . MARCEL BOUIX

,

MARCH I 7, 1 883 .

SAINT TEREsA’

s writings contain a p ower rather

heavenly than human,which is marvellously efficacious

in re form ing m en’

s lives,so that her b ooks can b e read

with b enefit , not only b y those engaged in the direction

o f souls, or by those who asp ire to em inent sanctity of

life,b ut also by everyone who takes any serious interest

in the du ties and Virtues of a Christian—that is to say ,in

the salvation of his own soul.

C ON T E N T S

INTRODUCTION BY REV . BENED ICT Z IMMERMAN

POEMS :

I . SELF-OBLATION

2 . THE SOUL ’ S DES IRE . FIRST VERS ION

3 . THE SoUL’

s DES IRE . SECOND VERS ION

4 . THE SOUL’ S EX ILE

5 . SELF-SURRENDER

6 . D IVINE BEAUTY

7 . THE COMPACT

8 . ON THE TRANSVERBERAT ION OF THE SA INT ’ S

HEART

9 . ASPIRATIONS

I O . SOUL,THOU MUST SEEK THYSELF IN ME

I I . THE DY ING SAINT TO HER CRUCIFIX

1 2 . NUNs OF CARMEL

I 3 . THE WISE V IRG IN

I 4 . T'

HE REFRAIN OF A SONG FOR A CLOTH ING

THE HOLOCAUST

1 6 . THE BR IDE OF CHRIST

1 7 . THE SHEPHERD ’ S BR IDALS ’

viii CONTENTS .

PAGE

1 8 . THE CLO ISTER

1 9 . THE STANDARD O F THE HOLY CROSS

20 . GREETING TO THE CROSS

2 1 .PROCESSIONAL F OR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY

CROSS

22 . THE LAMB OF GOD

23 . THE ANGELS ’ SUMMONS TO THE SHEPHERDS

24 . THE SHEPHERDS AT THE CRIB

25 . CHRISTMAS DAY

26 . THE SHEPHERDS ’ CAROL FOR THE CIRCUM

C ISION

27 . SAME SUBJECT

28 . THE SHEPHERD AND THE THREE KINGS

29 . TO ST . ANDREW

30 . TO ST . CATHERINE THE MARTYR

3 1 . ST . H ILARION

32 . RHYMED MAX IMS

33 . SA INT TERESA ’ S BOOKMARK

34 . THE SOUL ’ S DETACHMENT

35 . SONNET TO JESUS CRUCIFIED

36 . SONG OF S ISTER ISABEL OF JESUS

PRAYER OF ST . TERESA

NOTES ON THE POEMS

EXCLAMAT IONS , OR MEDITATIONS OF THE SOUL ONITS GOD

EXCLAMATION I

CONTENTS . ix

PAGE

EXCLAMATION I I .

EXCLAMATION I I I .

EXCLAMAT ION IV .

EXCLAMATION V .

EXCLAMAT ION V I .

EXCLAMAT ION V I I .

EXCLAMAT ION V I I I .

EXCLAMAT ION I X .

EXCLAMATION X .

EXCLAMATION X I .

EXCLAMAT ION X I I .

EXCLAMAT ION X I I I .

EXCLAMATION X IV .

EXCLAMAT ION XV .

EXCLAMAT ION X VI .

CONCEPT IONS OF THE LOVE OF GOD

SAINT TERESA ’ S INTRODUCTION

I . OF THE D IFF ICULTY OF UNDERSTANDING

THE MEAN ING OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES,

ESPECIALLY THE CANT ICLE OF CANTICLES

IL OF FALSE PEACE

I I I . OF TRUE PEACE

IV . OF THE LOVE OF GOD,AND THE PRAYER OF

QU IET

V . O F THE LOVE OF SOULS PROTECTED BENEATH

THE SHADOW OF GOD

X CONTENTS .

PAGE

VI . OF THE ECSTASY O F LOVE,AND RAPTURES 1 70

VII . GREAT DEEDS DONE AND HEAVY CROSSES

BORNE F OR THE LOVE O F GOD

MAX IMS OF ST . TERESA

M ISCELLANEOUS

PAPERS FOUND IN ST . TERESA ’S BREV IARY

THE LAST DAYS OF ST . TERESA

ST . TERESA ’ S-MAN IFESTATIONS AFTER DEATH

ADD ITIONAL MAX IMS

CANON ISATION OE . ST . TERESA

BULL OF GREGORY X V . FOR THE CANON ISATION

OF ST . TERESA

INDEX

I NT R O DU C T I O N .

THE M inor Writings of St. Teresa—Minor b ecausethey occup y b ut little sp ace in p rint , although as

a revelation of the b eauty and grandeur of her

s oul they equal the Life and the I nterior Castle,

comp rise the Poems,the Conceptions of the Love

of God,the Exclamations and certain M axims .

While the Exclamations and the M axims are fairly

well known to English readers,the Poems and

the Conceptions will p rob ab ly com e as a surp rise

to m any of them . It is necessary to Say a few

words by way of Introduction .

POEMS .

I know one , says the Saint in her Life, ev i

dently Sp eaking of herself, who,though she was

not a p oet , yet com p osed ,W ithou t any p rep ara

tion ,certain stan zas

,full of feeling ,

m ost e xp res

SiVe o f her p ain they w ere no t the work o f her

own understanding b u t in order to have a

greater fruition o f that b liss which so swee t a

p ain occasioned her , She com p lained . of it in that

way to God .

” 1 This was when She had reached

1 Life, ch . xv i. 6 .

xi

xii INTRODUCTION .

what she describ es as the third water or the

third state o f p ray er , which leads to sp iritual

ineb riation .

” It is an o verflow ing o f the heart

which can no longer contain the ab undance o f

b liss infused into it . Alluding to the verse O f

the p salm ist , Cam dilatasti cor menm,

-When

Thou didst dilate my heart ,”St . Teresa considers

that such graces , even o f a less high order,cauSe ,

o r requ ire a w idening o f the heart , b ecause they

do not follow the narrow m easure o f p oor human ;

ity .

‘ What , then ,m ust it b e when grace com es

in a m ighty stream ,a p erfect torrent ? Like

a river it p recip itates itself down the sheer rock

in to a narrow b asin‘

wh'

ich canno t hold it ; bu t

casts it up again w ith doub le vehem ence ,though

no t in the form of a solid mass ,b u t dissolved into

a myriad o f atoms which b reak u p and reflect

the sunlight in the delicate hues o f the rainb ow'

.

Thus the vehem ence o f the Sp irit seeks an outle t ,not b y b ursting its p rison walls w ith elem ental

force ,b ut by converting itself into sweet song .

In m om ents o f em o tion the sob er w ord is in

cap ab le oi follow ing the rush o f thought . The

love-stricken swain sings in verse the p raises o f

the Ob j ect of his p assion . The ardent p atrio trouses inert m ultitudes w ith m ighty song ; the

p risoner in his dungeon ,the su fferer on his p allet ,

finds solace and revives hop e in accents that

v ib rate in countless hearts . Thus,in a higher

1 I nte rior Castle, M . iv , ch . i. 5 .

INTRODUCTION . Kiii

order o f things , the soul yearning for the Sup rem e

Good bursts into verse the p rophet’

s w ords

b ecom e a war song ; the wailing o f the down

trodden ,of him that is hum b led by his fellow m en ,

or all bu t crushed under the heavy hand of God ,

Is turned into lyrics . More than that Is there

not a song reserved for those who are p u rchased

from the earth, a new canticle which no man can

say but the hundred and forty-four thousand 1 P

Who could tell the song when the m orning

stars p raised Me together , and all the sons o f God

m ade a j oyful m elody 3 Ab o ve all, is not

God him self the first and the greatest o f p o ets

F or, what is the universe b u t one great p oem ?

A re no t the Incarnation and the w ork o f Redem p

tion as it w ere the se tting to m usic of the Word o f

God

NO wonder , then ,that the great contem p latives

are also great p oets . St . Bernard ,St . Francis

o f A ssisi were p oets . The Germ an Dom inican

mystics have left verses o f high m erit . St . John

o f the Cross , austerest o f allm y stics , is the sw eetest

o f all p oets . Luis de Leon is a classic in p oetry

no less than in p rose .

It is therefore not surprising that St . Teresa,

enam oured of God ,should have discharged the

sup erabundance of her heart in accents swee t

and m ild . Though She‘

was not a p oet ,—she

thinks , but in this , surely,she is m istaken . She

1 Himm xiv . 3 .

2 job . xxxv iii. 7.

xiv INTRODUCTION .

becam e a p oe t the m om ent she found a w orthy

Ob ject of her verse . And having found it , she

p oured forth her feelings in an uninterrup ted

flow of m elody .

Som e o f her p oem s she comm itted to p ap er ,

b u t not all. Writing from Toledo to her b ro ther ,Don Lorenzo de Cep eda (January 2

,she

quo tes three strophes o f her b eau tifu l p oem b e

ginning

Oh hermosura qua excedéis ,

adding significantly I do no t rem em b er the

rest ,”

and,in fact

,no thing m ore has b een p re

serv ed oi this p iece o f verse . Som e o ther songs

were taken down by the nuns her com p anions :

Much ,how ever

,has b een lost , for her b iographers

and the’

p ersons who gave inform ation during the

various p rocesses of b eatification and canonisa

tion were ab le to quo te the b eginning o f som e

p oem s no t contained in the au tographs o r the

ancient collections . Som e verses,too

,have b een

attribu ted to her which m odern critics are d Is

inclined to consider as her w ork . This refers

p articu larly to the b eautiful sonnet b eginning

N o me mueve , mi Dios , para quererle ,

which has also b een ascrib ed to St . Francis

X avier . There is no e vidence that St . Teresa

knew the sonne t fo rm ,all her genu ine p oetry

being o f much sim p ler structure .

It must , however , be p ointed out that internal

INTRODUCTION . XV

evidence alone is no t a su fficient guide for the

discrim ination b e tw een her own v erses and those

which m ay b e said to b elong to her school. Thus,

the Christm as carol b eginning

Oy nos viene a redimir

has b een disallow ed by Don Vicente de la Fuente

and o thers , b u t as the Carm elite nuns Of Florence

claim to p ossess the au tograph (or at least p art

o f it) in St . Teresa’

s hand ,it m ust b e included

am ong her undoub ted w orks . From this it w ill

b e seen that the safest w ay to arrive at a reliab le

conclusIOn Is-to single ou t those p oem s for which

there is external e vidence ,and to

,

susp end judgm ent w ith regard to the others .

The fathers who ab ou t the m iddle o f the

eighteenth century w ere comm ISSIoned to collec t

her w ritings w ith a View to p rep aring a critical

edition—which,unfortunately , ne ver

”

ap p eared in

p rint—were ab le to throw a great deal of ligh t on

this as w ell as on o ther p ortions o f her'

w orks.

Their lab ou rs fell into the hands o f Don Vicente

de la Fuente at a tim e when , p ractically , all the

convents o f Carm elite friars w ere dissolved ,so

that he was the first and for a long tim e the only

one to p rofit by their studies . He divided the

p oem s into four classes—nam ely,those that are

unquestionab ly genu ine ,those that are p robably

so,o thers which are doub tful, and som e which

are certainly no t her w ork'

. The first class com

xv i INTRODUCTION .

p rises seven , the second fifteen , the third twenty

one , and the last three num bers . He did not

p ub lish all these ,b ut only thirty ,

for som e w ere

lost or had never b een comm itted to w riting ,

and o thers could no t b e traced by him .

The French Carm elite nuns , already rep eatedly

quoted in these volum es , have taken up the m atter

anew in the sixth volum e of their wuvres completes

de Sainte Terese,and the result of their investi

gations has b een ,in the m ain ,

accep ted by those

resp onsib le for the p resent edition .

Only four p oem s are p reserv ed in St . Teresa’

s

own handw riting—nam ely , the one b eginning

Cuan trisle es , D ios mio,

and the second version o f the Glose, b eginning

Vivo ya fuera de m i.

These were p ub lished in facsim ile at Madrid in

1 884 by Don Antonio Selfa . A S has b een m en

t ioned ab ove ,the Carm elite nuns o f Florence

possess fragm ents of the autograph o f two carols

[ A h ] pastores que vela’

is,

Oy nos viene a redimir .

The rem aining p oem s p reserved in various con

vents o f nuns w ere collected by Father Andrés de

la Encarnacion in 1 759 . He found sixteen p oems

at Toledo , fourteen o f w hich rem ained unediteduntil 1 861 , when Don Vicente p ub lished his first

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viii INTRODUCTION .

TEXT. AUTHORITY .

4 . Oh hermosura que ex Le tter o f St . Teresa .

oedéis .

5 . En las internas entrafias Autograp h known to hav e existed .

6 . A lma buscarte has en m i Vejam en .

7 . Vuestra soy , para Vos Attested to by Julian Dav ila.

naoi.

8 . Hermana porqué veléis Original [autograph] said to hav e

been in th e p ossession o f F rayJosé de la Madre de Dios .

9 . Qu ién os trajo aca, Referred to in Reforma, b k . xiii.

doncella ch . xx i .

ro . Cruz, deseanso sabroso A ttested to by Guiomar o f the

de mi vida Blessed Sacram ent, nun at Sala

manca , p ro fessed in 1 5 76 .

1 1 1 A h I pastores que veldis F ragment o f au tograph at F lorence .

1 2 . H oy nos viene d redimir Idem .

With regard to the authenticity o f the‘

rest there

are som e cases , such as that o f the tw o p ieces from

Soria,Caminemos para el cielo

, and En la cruz

esté la vida,where p rob ab ility alm ost am ounts

to certainty ,whereas in o thers p rudence suggests

that w e Should reserve ou r judgm ent . It is

well to b ear in m ind that in Sp ain , as well as in

som e other countries , it is customary to celeb rate

the great feasts o f the year,or such events as

clo things , p ro fessions or jub ilees, by p oe tical

e ffusions ap p rop riate to the occasion which do

no t always make p retension to literary m erit .

While it is p erfectly p ossib le that St . Teresa m ay

sometimes have indulged in such rap id lines,

her corresp ondence shows , even in hurried letters ,such a refinem ent o f diction and dep th o f thought

that it is no t easy to reconcile the style of her

INTRODUCTION . xix

p rose w ith that o f som e o f the verses attribu ted

to her .

CONCEPT IONS OF THE LOVE OF GOD . .

The adventures o f the sm all w ork entitled

Somewhat infelicitously -Conceptions of the Love ofGod m ight alm ost find a p lace am ong the romances

of literature . Like all her o ther b ooks , St . Teresa

wro te it at the b idding o f holy Ob edience . When

She inform ed her confessor , Diego de Yanguas,

that it was comple ted , he ,w ithou t even looking

at it , comm anded her to throw it into the fi re ,

as it w as unb ecom ing that a w om an should w rite

on the Canticle of Canticles . Rib era thinks it

w ould have b een far b etter for her to haVe waited

a few days and consulted som e m ore exp er'

ienced

m en ,b u t Teresa, at the w ord o f comm and ,

knewno delay ,

and the p recious p ap ers w ere consigned

to the flam es . Rib era says the nam e of that rashconfessor was not known

, b u t som e years after

the pub lication of his b iography Father Jerom e

Gracian was no t only ab le to m ention the nam e,

b u t even to p rint som e chap ters o f the w ork itself,Which

,he says

,had b een furtively cop ied by One

o f the nuns and thus saved from destruction .

Untiring researches into the life and w orks of

St . Teresa, b egun in the m iddle o f the eighteenthCentury and continued to the p resent day ,

have

step by step elucidated the m ystery,and at the

sam e tim e furnished us w ith a text sup erior to

X x INTRODUCTION .

that p rinted by Father Gracian in 1 61 1,so that:

we are now in a p osition to p resent the reader

w ith a w ork in no way inferior to the other writings

o f the Saint .

The lim its of tim e b e tween which this b ook

m ust have b een com p osed can b e accurately fixedby tw o dates . In the seventh chap ter the Saint

refers to an event which took p lace in Easter

week 1 571 ,while she was staying at Salamanca .

Hearing one o f the nuns sing m ost tenderly of the

su fferings of a soul desirous Of seeing God bu t

retained in this m ortal life,she fell into so deep

a trance that her life b ecam e seriously endangered .

She related this occurrence in one o f the additions

to her Life,and also in the I nterior Castle .

1 The

Conceptions m ust there fore have b een w ritten

after 1 57 1 . The other date ,June

‘

1 0,1 575 ,

sup

p lies the terminus ad qaem . On the first leaf o f

the copy o f the Conceptions known as that o f

A lba de To rm es there ap p ears a no te in the hand

w riting o f Father Dom inic Bane z “This con

sideration is by Teresa o f Jesus ; I have found

no thing in it to Shock m e . Fray Dom ingo

Bafiez and towards the end o f the first leafhe w rote the follow ing censure I have care

fully exam ined these four quires which com p rise

eight leaves and a half I can find no thing rep re

hensib le in the doctrine contained in them ,which

Concep tions , ch . v ii. 2 ; Relation iv . 1 and 2 ; I nterior

Castle , M . iv . ch . x i. 8 .

INTRODUCTION.~

xxi

o n the contrary is good and safe . Given at the

college o f San Gregorio at Valladolid ,June 1 0

,

1 575 . Fray Dom ingo Bafiez .

”

The m ovem ents o f St . Teresa in the interval

are w ell known . She left Salam anca in the early

summ er of 1 571 ,remained a short tim e at Medina,

and w ent to A vila in June she was sent b ack to

Medina,and in the m iddle o f July she was again

called to A vila,where she lived first at St . Joseph

’

s

convent , and in Octob er w ent to the Incarnation

in the quality of p rioress , remaining there one

year and nine m onths , allow ing only for a short

j ourney to Alb a de Torm es in Feb ruary 1 573 .

In July o f that year she was sen t to Salamanca,

where She lived for six m onths , after which , p assing

through Alb a, Medina and A vila, She p roceeded to

Segovia, where she founded a convent . In Octob er

1 574 she returned fo r a Short while to A vila and

went afterwards to Valladolid . Three m onths

later she wen t by way o f Medina,A vila,

Toledo

and Malagon to Veas , where she stayed from

Feb ruary 1 575 till May ,when she w ent to Se ville .

Now,it is known that during her stay at Sego via

she was engaged on the com p osition o f a w ork

which canno t have b een either her Life or the

Way of Perfection ,b oth long since com p leted ,

nor

the Book of F oundations , then in terrup ted and laid

aside , nor the I nteri or Castle, which was only

b egun three years later . One o f the nuns then

living at Sego via, Anne of the Incarnation (de

xxii INTRODUCTION .

A rb izo) relates in her dep osition that she, b eing

then a no vice ,rep eatedly witnessed the ecstasies

of the Saint . One e vening while p assing by her

door she saw her w riting , her face b eing lit up

as b y a b right light . She w rote very fast , w ith

ou t m aking any corrections . An hour later,at

ab ou t m idnight , she ceased , and the light dis

ap p eared ; the Saint then knelt down and re

mained in p rayer for three hours , after which She

w ent to Sleep .

1 The sam e w itness thinks the

b ook then in course of com p osition was the

I nterior Castle, bu t that is im p ossib le ,

for this was

only b egun in June 1 577 , when A nne of the In

carnation was in the convent o f Caravaca . It

must there fore have been a different w ork ; and

remem b ering that Father Bafiez’

censure b ears

the date of June 1 575 , and is no t ap p ended to

the original m anuscrip t b ut to a cop y , and , more

o ver,that the rash confessor who commanded

the b ook to b e destroyed was Fray Diego de

Yanguas , then living at Sego via and acting as

the Saint ’s confessor during her sojourn'

there,

the conclusion is irresistib le that the Conceptions

were w ritten in that convent in summ er 1 574 .

Three nuns have left it on record that this learnedand e xcellent theologian afterwards e xp ressedfrom the p ulp it itself his regre t at having givena rash comm and to the Saint , and thus caused

the loss o f so valuab le a writing .

I nte i ior Castle, new editiOn ,Introductie ri,

'

p . xiii .

INTRODUCTION . xxiii

Perhap s it was not so very rash , after all.

Although no t a comm entary on the Canticle of

Canticles , the Conceptions do comm ent on som e

te xts taken from it . Just at that tim e the Sp anish

Inqu isition was e xtraordinarily strict and vigilant ,no t only w ith a View to p re vent dangerous b ooks

from ob taining circulation ,b ut e ven w ithholding

e xcellent w orks which in the hands of inquisitive

or unsettled readers m igh t lead to m isunderstand

ings . St . Teresa herself com p lained once to our

Lord o f the sw eep ing order o f the Grand In

qu isitor1 which dep rived her e ven o f the w orks

o f Fray Lu is de Granada . Though she courted

an inqu iry by the Inqu isition into her sp irit and

way o f p rayer, she was seriously troub led When she

learned that the m anuscrip t o f her Life was inthe hands o f the Holy Oflice (Sp ring ,

where

it rem ained until som e years after her death : At

the very tim e when she w rote on som e verses of

the Canticles , the saintly and learned Fray Lu isde Leon was langu ishing in the p risons o f the

Inqu isition at Valladolid for having translatedthe Can ticle into Sp anish he rem ained a p risoner

from March 1 572 till the end o f 1 576 . Whatw ou ld have b een the fate o f St . Teresa if the

Inqu isition had got hold o f her w ork,esp ecially

during the tim e when she was m aligned on accountof the quarrel b etw een the Calced and the Dis

calced Carm elites 9

1 Life, ch . x x v i . 6 . The o rder Was issu ed in'

1 5 5 9 .

xxiv INTRODUCTION .

But whether de Yanguas’

s action was rash or

no,it did no t dep rive u s of St . Teresa

’

s w riting .

The story how the b ook cam e to b e saved is not

qu ite clear . It ap p ears that the Saint was in

the hab it—though not an invariab le one—o f

gett ing her b ooks cop ied as soon as they w ere

w ritten ,som etim es even b efore they w ere com

p leted . Either one of the nuns m ade a fair Cop y ,

or St . Teresa herself dictated to an amanuensis,

taking the Op p ortunity o f m aking additions or

alterations ; which accounts for certain variants

in her w orks . It is qu ite p ossib le that , instead of

one , several Cop ies may have b een taken o f the

Conceptions, for ,according to the sworn inform a

tion Of Doha Maria de Toledo y Colonna,Duchess

O f Alba,Fray Diego de Yanguas ordered the

Saint to get toge ther the original and any Cop ies

that m igh t have b een taken ,and burn the whole .

”

1 (Euvres , v . 37 1 . On p . 369 the F rench Carm elites quo te a

lette r o f St . T eresa to the p rio ress o f Vallado lid , dated Sego v ia ,

May 1 3 and I 4 , 1 5 74 , in wh ich she is rep resented as saying ,

F ather Dom inic will Show yo u ce rtain p ap ers which I am send

ing him ,

"

as if these p ap ers re ferred to th aCo ncep tions . Bu t read

in th e contex t thry will b e found to re fer to an entirely diff erentm atter . I laughed a little at h is letter ,” St . T eresa w r .tes ,

as l w as free from the com p laint at th e tim e . Do no t tell Pad reDom ingo th is ,

fo r I wro te him a v ery Charm ing no te [muygrac iosamente ] wh ich p erhap s h e will Show y o u . Indeed I w as

d e lighted with b o th your lett ers , esp ec ially with yo urs , at

knowing that saint , [i .e . Sister Beatriz o f the Incarnation ,see

F oundations , ch . x ii . ] is at rest , hav ing d ied such a beautifuldeath .

”In the sam e letter

, alluding to th e m ission o f F ath ersO rarian and Mariano in Andalusia (see F oundations, Introductio n, p . xxx iii, and ch. xxiv . I

,no te she says 1

.

O h , if

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xxvi INTRODUCTION .

b efore the w ork had received any ap p rob ation

I t is m ore likely that at the m om ent of the de

struction of the original the copy in question was

on its way to Father Bafiez at Valladolid for

ap p rob ation (esp ecially if the o rder to w rite it

had com e from him ) , and that he gave it to

the nuns at A lba, as the Saint was then at Seville ,

where she remained a year . I t is m ore than

doub tful whether she e ver knew that this Cop y

had survived .

Besides the cop y of Alba there e xist three

others one at Consuegra,which b egins w ith what

it calls Chap ter VI I .,which

,how ever , is identical

w ith Chap ters I I I . and IV . o f the p rinted te xt ,while Chap ter VI I I . corresp onds to Chap ters V . and

VI ., and ano ther unnum b ered chap ter contains

the b eginning o f Chap ter VII . b elow .

The cop y o f Baeza agrees m o re o r less w ith

that o f Alba,while the last

,o f Las Nieves

,is

akin to that o f Consuegra,b u t contains som e

im p o rtant additions no t to b e found elsewhere .

The only way to account for these variants is

to sup p ose that the Saint herself re vised the te xt

during the transcrip tion and that Cop ies o f the

two versions escap ed the flam es .

When Fray Luis de Leon underto ok the p ub li

cation o i the w orks of St . Teresa he knew no thingo f the Conceptions , or , if he w as acquainted w ith

the b ook ,did not venture to p rint it , having b een

taugh t a lesson by his own e xp erience .

INTRODUCTION .

In the year 1 61 1 Father Jerom e Gracian ,then

at Brussels, pub lished the first edition o f the

Conceptions from a cop y which he says had b eencomm unicated to him . A second edition ap p eared

in the follow ing year . H is text agrees , on the

whole,w ith the cop y o f A lb a, b ut does not con tain

the p rologue ,and p resents som e considerab le

om issions ; in m any p laces he“im p roved

”on

the w ords of the Saint,as was his hab it he also

w ro te a m ore or less e xtensive comm entary on

each Chap ter . This edition ,m inus the comm en

taries which w ere forb idden by the Inqu isition ,

has b een rep roduced in every issue o f the w orks

o f Saint Teresa until 1 861, when Don Vicente de

la Fuente availed him self for the first tim e Of

the lab ou rs o f Fathers Manuel de Santa Maria

and Andrés de la Encarnacion . Woodhead in his

English translation of 1 675 , and Canon Dalton

(who only translated four chap ters) followed it .

It goes Without saying that the translation con

tained in this volum e has b een m ade from the

ancient cop ies , and em b odies the variants .

Bu t it is necessary to answer a question which

m ust p resent itself to the reader . H ow m uch o f

the original w ork has b een p reserved The story

of the furtive p reservation of som e chap ters ,”

the fact that the cop y of Consuegra b egins w ith

Chap ter VI I .,and a rem ark by F ather

'

Jerom e'

Gracian to the e ffect that the Conceptions form ed

a“large b ook

—although he avers that he has

xxviii INTRODUCTION .

never seen the original,—have led m any writers ,

inclusive o f Rib era and the Bollandists ,

l to sup p ose

that only a sm all fragm ent has survived destruc

tion . On the o ther hand b o th the Op ening and the

conclusion o f the treatise p resent analogies w ith the

Op enings and conclusions o f the Saint ’s remaining

w orks Sister Isab el o f St . Dom inic ,who says she

has had the au tograp h in her hands , and Father

Bafiez ,Sp eak no t o f a large b ook ,

b u t of“som e

qu ires the au thor o f the Reforma,

2 though he is

m istaken in assigning 1 578 as the date o f com

p osition ,and in defending Yanguas against the

Charge o f having ordered the b urning o f the

manuscrip t , is o f op inion that no thing has b een

lost . The p resent w riter had long since com e to

the sam e conclusion on o ther grounds , and the

French Carm elites share this conviction .

3

EX CLAMAT IONS .

Sp eaking o f the fourth and highest degree o f

p rayer , St . Teresa says that a soul either im

m ediately b efore or after receiving the grace o f

Divine union b reaks fo rth into w ords O f rap turous

love . She then p roceeds to give an e xam p le O f

such an Exclam ation O Lord ,

”she says

,

“con

sider what Thou art doing : fo rget no t SO soon

the evils I have done To forgive m e,Thou m ust

already have forgo tten them ; ye t in order that1 Ribe ra , bk . iv . ch . v i . A cta SS . S t . Teresa , no . 1 5 50

-5 3 .

2 Reforma , bk . v . ch . xxxv ii, 6-8 .

3 G ames . v . 363-90 ,

INTRODUCTION. xxix

there m ay b e som e lim it to Thy graces I b eseech

Thee rem em b er them .

” 1 And so on .

The stirring p assage b eginning ,O Prince o f

all the earth ,Thou who art indeed m y Sp ouse ,

” 2

is accom p anied b y the m arginal no te Exclamation

in the Saint ’s own handw riting in the m anuscrip t

of the first version Of the Way of Perfection .

Again ,in the I nterior Castle

3w e com e across

these w ords : certain secre t intu itions p roduce

such overmastering feelings that the p erson

e xp eriencing them canno t re frain from am orous

e xclam ations ,such as : O Life o f m y life , and

Pow er which doth uphold m e ! w ith o ther as

p irations o f the sam e kind .

”

A collection o f Exclamations in this style ap

p eared in the first p rinted edition o f the Saint ’s

works , Salam anca,1 588 , and has b een rep ro

duced in all sub sequent Sp anish editions as w ell

as in num erous translations . The au thenticity

o f the b ook has ne ver b een questioned , as it b ears

on every line the unm istakab le im p rint o f the

m ind and the diction o f St . Teresa . Editors and

critics have unhesitatingly accep ted it as genuine .

Yet there is a mystery ab ou t it . It is not known

what b ecam e o f the m anuscrip t after Fray Lu is

de Leon had done w ith it , for it is no t am ong the

autographs p reserved at the Escorial, nor has it

1 Life , Ch . xv iii. 5—7 .

2 Way of Perfection , ch . xx v i . 5 .

3 I n terior Castle , M . v ii. Ch i ii . 7 .

X X X INTRODUCTION .

b een discovered elsewhere . The w ork is never

m entioned either in the corresp ondence Of the

Saint or in the dep ositions of her sp iritual daughters

and her friends on the occasion of her b eatification

and , c anonisation . Only her niece , Teresa of

Jesus (Teresita) says that the original manu scrip t

of the Life as w ell as m any o ther p ap ers in her

handw riting w ere taken from the con vent o f

the Incarnation in order to b e e xam ined . But

there is no indication that the Exclamations were

am ong these o ther p ap ers .

”Som e small frag

m ents in her own handw riting have ,how e ver ,

b een disco vered . It ap p ears that St . Teresa was

in the hab it o f giving her nuns Short e xtracts from

her w ritings signed w ith her nam e,either as

keep sake s or when they w ere in need o f ad vice

or consolation . The convent Of the Carm elite

nuns o f St . Anne at Madrid p ossesses three of

these ,one from the fourth and tw o from the

‘

last

Exclam ation the nuns O f Guadalajara, too ,have

a p ap er containing three lines from the last

Exclam ation . All these fragm ents b ear the sig

natu re o f the Saint .

A m ore extensive m anu scrip t b elongs to the

Convent O f Granada . Until lately it has b een

considered an au tograph ,b u t the French Car

m elites , who p ossess a pho tographic rep roduction ,

have b een inform ed by conno isseurs that it is

no t by St . Teresa herself,although in a contem

p orary hand . The p resent w riter, having seen

INTRODUCTION .

‘ XXXI

neither the original nor the pho tographs , is no t in

a p osition to Offer an op inion . It contains the

whole of the first , ninth , tenth , eleventh and

twelfth Exclam ations (w ith notew orthy variants

from the p ub lished text) , as w ell as p ortions of

the second and thirteenth .

When w ere these Exclamations com p osed

Fray Luis de Leon assigns them to the year 1 569 ,

w ithou t , howe ver , giving any reason for this date

but the p resump tion is that he found it in his copy .

On the other hand the au thor of the Peforma,

l

w ithou t a w ord of exp lanation ,m entions 1 579 as

the date of the b ook . This m ay b e due—as the

French Carm elites think— to a p rinting m istake

nevertheless h is statem ent has b een accep ted bythe Bollandists and o ther w riters . But the

French nuns not only adop t the form er year , b u t

suggest an even earlier date, nam ely 1 559 . They

hold that the vehem ent desires o f seeing God and

b eing for ever united w ith Him,which form the

p rincip al argum ent of the Exclamations, b elong to

that p eriod of the Sain t ’s life o f which She says

I saw myself dying w ith a desire to see God , and

I knew not how to seek that life o therw ise than

by dying .

” 2

Again ,after describ ing the V ision

o f hell which m ade so deep an im p ression on her

m ind It was that V ision that filled m e w ith

the very great distress which I feel at the sight

1 Reforma,bk . V . ch . xxx v u . 4 . Bollandists, n . 1 5 5 4 .

3 Life , ch . xx ix . I O .

XXXII INTRODUCTION .

o f so m any lo st souls . Withou t contesting the

force Of these p assages ,it m ust b e averred that

this p articular fram e o f m ind lasted m uch longer ,

as is p ro ved b eyond the p ossib ility of a doub t

by the occurrence at Salamanca at Easter

This , indeed ,m ay have b een a last e xp losion o f

unp recedented Violence . The p eriod o f vehem ent

desires certainly ended at the tim e o f her mystical

esp ousals ,Novem b er 1 8

,1 572

3and this is , Of

course,still m ore true of the state o f her soul after

b eing adm itted to the mystical m arriage . The

m ost su rp rising thing to m e,

”she says

,

“is that the

sorrow and distress which such souls felt b ecause

they could no t die and enj oy our Lord’

s p resence

are now e xchanged for as fervent a desire o f servingHim

,o f causing Him to b e p raised ,

and o f help ing

o thers to the u tm ost O f their p ower . No t only

have they ceased to long for death , b u t they

w ish for a long life and m o st heavy crosses ,if

such would b ring e ver so little honour to our

Lord .

”And , a little farther on True

, p eop le

in this state forge t this at tim es,and are seized

w ith tender longings to enj oy God and to leave

this land o f e xile,esp ecially as they see how little

they serve H im . Then ,how ever

,they return to

them selves,reflecting how they p ossess Him con

tinually in their souls , and s o are satisfied , offeringLife , Ch . xxxii. 9 .

3 Relation iv . 1 I nterior Castle , M . v i. ch . x i. 8 Concep tions,ch . v ii. 2 .

Relation iii. 20 .

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xxxiv INTRODUCTION .

antiquated ,is not easily accessib le now . The

latter is heavy and inco rrect . It was not m ade

direct from the original, b u t from the French

translation Of St . Teresa’

s w orks by the Jansenist

Rob ert A rnau ld d ’

Andilly ,whom

,strange to say ,

e ven Canon Dalton in his variou s translations only

too o ften follow ed as his authority . Milner says

that he comp ared d’

Andilly w ith P . Cyp rien de

la Nativ ité land found them to agree ! The

p resen t translation ap p eared first in 1 906,b ut has

now b een re vised w ith a View to rendering it

m ore concise . It w ould have b een easy ,had it

b een considered necessary ,to find p arallel p assages

for nearly e very phrase .

MAX IMS .

A collection o f sixty-nine short sentences attri

b u ted to St . Teresa ap p eared under the title o f

A visos de la M adre Teresa de f esus in the firstedition o f the Way of Perfection p ub lished by DonTeu tonio de Braganza,

A rchb ishop of Evora, at

the request o f the Saint herself in 1 583 ,shortly

after her death . Neither the p ub lication itself

nor the co rresp ondence of St . Teresa contain any

indication as to whether the m anuscrip t of these

Advices or Maxim s was sup p lied to the editor by the

Saint , or whether he ob tained it from a different1 Les (Euvres de la Sainte M ere Terese dc jesus . N ouvelle

ment traduites par le R . P . Cyprian de la Nativ ité de la Vierge ,

Carme déchaussé . Paris, 1 644 ; and reissued in 1 650 ,1 65 7 and

1 667 .

INTRODUCTION . XXXV

quarter . All that is known is that Mother Mary

of St . Joseph (de Salazar), successively Prioressof Seville and Lisb on ,

affirm ed in her dep osition

for the b eatification that Teresa had w ritten som e

sp iritual counsels for her sons and daughters .

All sub sequent editions and translations are there

fore b ased on the editio princeps o f the Way ofPerfection . Som e of the historians o f the Order

have b een ob liged to adm it their ignorance as

to the whereab ou ts of the original m anuscrip t ,while o thers recorded their op inion that no m anu

scrip t ever e xisted , b u t that the collection w as

m ade from oral tradition . Don Vicente de la

Fuente ,as late as 1 88 1

,said that nob ody knew

where the original was , bu t at the sam e tim e he

drew attention to som e p ap ers p reserved in the

convent Of St . Anne at Madrid . Mr . Lew is ,

contrary to his u sual cau tion ,is very p ositive in

his statem ent These Maxim s are regarded as

the w riting o f St . Teresa,though no m anuscrip t

has b een disco vered that contains them and

nob ody seem s to have seen e ven a w ord o f them

in her handw riting . Their au thenticity has never

b een doub ted , b u t if it had b een it m ight have

b een suggested that they were no t w ritten by the

Saint , bu t given her by one o f her confessors o f

the Society of Jesus .

” 1 Unless this p assage con

1 Book of F oundations (London , p . 347 note . The in

elu sion o f th e M axims in the Book of F oundations w as som ewhatincongruous ; w e hav e therefore no t h esitated in transferringth em from the new edition o f this to th e p resent v o lum e .

xxxvi I NTRODUCTION .

tains a p rinting m istake it w ould e ven ap pear

that in his op inion the M axims m ight b e the

w ork not o f St . Teresa,b u t o f a Jesuit

,and the

Saint not the au thor,b u t the recip ient o f these

advices .

Mr . Lew is was,howe ver

,egregiously m istaken ,

for in the very year when Fuente e xp ressed his

ignorance as to the original of the M axims,Don

Francisco Herrero y Bayona,the editor o f the

p ho tographic rep roduction o f the Way of Perfec

tion, p ub lished at Madrid the facsim ile o f thirty

Maxim s b elonging to the nuns of St . Anne , and ,

tw o years later , in the App endix to the Way ofPerfection , one m ore Maxim ; the p rop erty of the

Carm elite nuns o f Las Maravillas of Madrid . In

1 884 there ap p eared a further facsim ile of nine

Maxim s, b ut w ithou t indication of the whereab outs

o f the original. It is there fore certain that forty

ou t Of sixty-nine Maxim s w ere w ritten by St .

Teresa . These are Nos . 1—9 (p ublication of

1 0—26 ; 39-49 and 68—69 from St . Anne’

s, and

No . 62 from Las Maravillas . The rest, nam ely ,

27—38 , 50

—61 and 63—67 , have so far not

b een traced . Som e o f these Maxim s ap p ear

to answer p ersonal needs , as they go b eyond

the rules laid down in the Constitu tions . Bu t

m any have a general b earing , not only in View

o f the requirem ents o f the religious life , but

affecting Christians of divers states of life .

They have b een comm ented upon by P. Alonso

INTRODUCTION . XXXVI ]

de Andrade , S .J . ,in his w ork A visos espirituales

Barcelona,

There are three English translations b esides

the one contained in this v olum e , nam ely,those

by Woodhead (1 675 ,iii. Canon Dalton in

the Ap p endix to the Way of Perfection, and

Mr . Lew is,already m entioned .

Am ong the p ap ers left by St . Teresa were som e

Odds and ends , not easily to b e b rough t under

one heading , but w ithou t which no edition of

her works would b e com p lete . The p lace o f

honour b elongs to her fam ous Bookm ark Nada te

turbe, which was found in one of her b reviaries ,

form erly in the p ossession Of the Calced Carm elite

fathers of Lisb on . These sim p le axiom s m ust

frequently have given her w onderful strength

and courage in the m idst o f her trials they have

encouraged and cheered thousands of souls since

her death . Like m any aphorism s, they have

b affled som e Of the m ost skilful translators .

The Prayer which follows is p reserved in the

Saint ’s handwriting and w ith her signature at

the convent o f St . Anne at Madrid . It was published early in the seventeenth century in the

French translation of St . Teresa’

s w orks by FatherEliseus of St . Bernard together with seven

teen p rayers attribu ted to her . The au thenticityof these seem s no t b eyond doub t , and they have

been judiciously elim inated from m ore recent

1 See d z‘

uvres, v . 469 .

xxxviii INTRODUCTION .

editions , b ut the p rayer p rinted in this volum e is

unquestionab ly her w ork .

The Prophecy w as w ritten on the fly-leaf of

ano ther b reviary , now at Medina del Cam p o ;

the leaf, which has b een detached from the b ook

and fram ed like a reliquary ,is p reserved at the

sam e p lace . The m eanmg Is very Ob scure,b ut

Mother Mary o f St . J oseph (Dantisco) assertedin her dep osition for the b eatification o f the Saint

that her b rother , Father Gracian ,held the clue .

The no te ab ou t her baptism com es from the

sam e b re viary which contained the Bookm ark .

Ano ther section is entitled The Last Days of St .

Teresa . Her own w orks carry uS alm ost to the

b rink o f the grave . The Book of F oundations

was com p leted at the end o f June o r the b eginning

Of July 1 582 (see ch . xxxi. 1 7) her last le tter

b ears date Valladolid , Sep tem b er 1 5 . Nineteen

days later she rendered her soul to God . Her

deathb ed was surrounded by the community o f

Alba de Torm es , am ong whom w ere som e o f her

m ost in tim ate friends ; e very w ord falling from

her lip s was treasured up ,and when the m om ent

arrived fo r collecting all the accounts and rem inis

cences for the p urp ose o f com p leting the p icture

o f her life ,these deathb ed recollections form ed a

no t unim p ortant p art . They have b een selected

and strung together by the translato r , and it is

felt that no excuse is needed for p resenting them

to the English reader .

INTRODUCTION . xxxix

On the occasion o f the b eatification of the Saint,

Ap ril 24,1 61 4,no Pap al Bull w as issued , b ut only

a Brief granting the Discalced Carm elites as w ell

as the town o f Alb a de Torm es the right to say

the Divine Office and to celeb rate m ass in her

honou r on Octob er 5 ,which faculty was after

wards (Sep tem b er 1 2,

1 620) e xtended to the

o ther b ranch o f the Order . The solem n canon

isation to ok p lace on March 1 2 ,1 622

, and the

Bull, which was Signed by Pop e Gregory X V . and

thirty-SI X Cardinals , is a m asterp iece ,and has

sup p lied the lessons for the Divine Office in the

Carm elite b reviary . It is w ell w orth giving in

full in this edition .

1

A fter her death Saint Teresa is said to have

ap p eared to se veral o f her sp iritual children ,and

given them heavenly advice . Som e Of these

posthumous say ings are very doub tful, b u t there

are o thers which com e from trustw orthy sources

and b ear the stam p of the Saint ’s m ind . These

have b een collected and p laced at the end o f the

account o f her death .

The Letters of St . Teresa,o f wh ich only speci

m ens have b een p ub lished by Ab raham Wo odhead

in the seventeenth ,and Canon Dalton in the last,

century,are now in p rep aration ,

and w ith the

1 Bu llarium Carmel. (Rom e , 1 7 1 8 ) t . ii . 370 (Brief o f Beatification) , p . 382 (ex tension) , p . 38 7 (Bu ll o f Canonisation) . The

feast w as fix ed on O ctober 1 5 On being extend ed to the u niv ersal

Church , July 2 1 , 1 668 (ibid . p .

xl INTRODUCTION .

b lessing Of God , w ill ap p ear be fore long . Ap art

from these,the p resent volum e com p letes the

collection o f the w orks o f the great Saint Of A vila .

BENEDICT ZIMMERMAN ,

0 C D

ST . LU K E’

S , W IN CANTON ,

October 1 5 , 1 9 1 2 .

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POEMS .

POEM 1 .

SELF-OBLATION .

Vu estro soy , p ara Vo s naci.

LORD , I am Thine,for I was born for Thee

Rev eal what is it Thou do st ask o f m e .

O sov ereign Lord ,o f m aj esty sup rem e !

O Wisdom,that existed from all tim e !

O Bounty,showing p ity on my soul !

God,one sole Being ,

m erciful,sublim e

,

Behold this basest o f created things ,AS thus

,with hardihood its lov e it sings ,

And tell m e,Lo rd

,what Thou dost ask o f m e

Lo,I am Thine Thou hast created m e

And I am Thine,Thou hast redeemed m e

And I am Thine,fo r Thou do st bear with m e

,

And Thine,for Thou hast called m e to Thee ,

And Thine, Who do st p reserv e m e at Thy cost

No r leav est m e to p erish’

m id the lost

Say what it is , Lo rd ,Thou dost will o f m e .

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Declare what dost decree, 0 Master kind !

If serf so Vile hav e any fitting task ,

And tell what O ffi ce by Thy will o rdained

Is wo rk that from so base a slav e dost ask

Behold , sweet Lo v e,I wait fo r Thy command

,

Behold m e,Lord

,before Whose face I stand !

Do Thou rev eal what Thou do st will o f m e

Behold my heart , which here I bring ,and in

Thine hand as glad entire free-o ffering lay ,

Together with my body ,life

,and sou l

,

The lov e,the longings that my being sway !

To Thee ,Redeem er and most gentle Sp ouse ,

In willing holocaust I p ledge my v ows,

What is there,Lord

,that I m ay do fo r Thee

Bestow long life ,or straightway b id m e die

Let health b e m ine ,o r p ain and sickness send

,

With honou r or dishonour b e my p ath

Beset by war,o r p eaceful till the end .

My strength o r weakness b e as Thou shalt choose,

F o r naught Thou askest shall I e ’

er refuse,

I only wish what Thou wilt hav e o f me .

Assign me riches,keep in p ov erty ,

And let me cherished o r neglected dwell,In joy o r m ourning as Thou wilt

,up raised

To highest heav en , o r hurled down to hell

Whether the sky b e bright , from cloudlets free,

It matters no t—I leav e the choice to Thee,

What lo t, 0 Lo rd ,

wilt Thou decide for me

POEMS .

Giv e contemp lation if Thou wilt , o r let

My lonely soul in dryness ev er p ine

Abundance and dev otion b e the gift

Thou Choosest,o r a sterile sou l b e m ine

O Majesty sup rem e,in naught ap art

From Thy decree can I find p eace o f heart

Say what it is , Lord ,Thou dost wish o f me

Lo rd, giv e m e wisdom

,or, if lo v e dem and

,

Leav e m e in igno rance it matters naught

If m ine b e years o f p lenty ,o r beset

With fam ine direful and with p arching drought

Be darkn ess ov er all o r daylight clear ,Desp atch m e hither

,keep m e stationed here

,

Say what it is , Lo rd ,Thou wilt hav e o f m e

If Thou shouldst destine m e for hap p iness ,

F o r Lo v e ’

s sake, joy and hap p iness I greet

Bid m e endure and labour till I die ,

Resigned ,in work and p ain my death I

’

ll meet ,Rev eal the how

,the where

,the when for this

Is the sole boon,O Lov e

,I crav e of Thee ,

That thou declare what Thou wou ldst hav e o f m e !

Let Calv ary o r Thabo r b e m y fate ,

A desert or a fertile land O f rest

Like Job ,in sorrow let m e m ou rning weep ,

Or lie,like John

,in p eace u p on Thy breast

Bear fruit and flou rish,o r

,a withered Vine

I’

ll p erish fruitless ,so the choice b e Thine !

Rev eal, O Lord ,

what Thou do st ask O f m e

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Like Jo sep h as he lay in shackles bound,

Or holding ov er Egyp t first command

Dav id chastised,atoning for his sins

,

Or Dav id crowned as ru ler o’

er the land

With Jonas struggling ,

’

m id the raging sea

Submerged ,o r se t from ills and temp ests free

Declare,O Lo rd

,what Thou wilt hav e o f me

Then b id me sp eak o r b id m e silence keep ,

Make m e a fecund o r a barren land

Exp o se my wounds by the stern Law ’

s decree

Or com fo rt m e by Gosp el m essage bland .

Let m e in to rture lie o r com fo rt giv e ,

I crav e alone that Thou within me liv e,

And shouldst rev eal what Thou wilt hav e o f m e

POEM 2 .

THE SOUL’S DES IRE .

V iv o sin v iv ir en m i.

I LIVE, but yet I liv e no t in myself ,

F or since asp iring to a life m ore high

I ev er die because I do no t die .

This mystic union o f Lov e div ine ,

The bond whereby alone my soul do th liv e ,

Hath made o f God my Cap tiv e—b u t to m e

True liberty o f heart the while do th giv e .

POEMS .

And yet my sp irit is so sorely p ained

At gazing on my Lord by m e enchained,

That still I die becau se I do not die .

Alas,how wearisom e a waste is life !

How hard a fate to bear In exile here

Fast locked in iron fetters lies my sou l,

A p risoner in earth ’

s m ournful dungeon drear .

But yet the v ery hop e o f some relief

Doth wound my soul with such torm enting grief ,That still I die becau se I do no t die .

NO life so bitter,none so sad as m ine

While exiled from my Lord my days are sp ent ,

F o r though to lov e b e sweet, yet hop e deferred

Is wearisom e from life ’

s long banishm ent,

O God,reliev e m e ! from this mournful freight

Which crushes with a m o re than leaden weight ,So that I die becau se I do not die .

I liv e,Since death must surely come at last

Up on that hop e alone my trust I build ,

F o r when this m ortal life shall die,at length

My longings then will wholly b e fulfilled .

Com e, Death ,

com e,bring life

’

s certainty to m e,

O tarry thou no m o re —I wait for thee ,

And ev er die because I do no t die .

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Behold,how strong to master us is lov e

Molest me,Life

,no m ore ! wouldst thou attain

Thine end,lose thou thyself

,for by that loss

Alone canst thou the life eternal gain

Com e, gentle Death ,

sweet Death,do thou delay

NO m om ent longer that mo st welcom e day

Whereon I die because I do no t die

We do b ut dream w e liv e in earthly life

Our sole true life is that o f heav en on high ,

No r can existence any true delight

Confer until this mortal life shall die .

0 Death,I p ray thee ,

Shun m e no t in scorn ,

F o r life to m e is b ut a death fo rlorn

Wherein I die because I do no t die

Say ,Life

,what is there I can do for Him ,

My God,Who in my heart His home doth make

,

Excep t sup rem er joy in Him attain

By fo rfeiture o f thee fo r His dear sake

O longed-fo r Death

,that maketh all mine own

Him Whom my heart asp ireth for alone,

The while I die because I do no t die !

Ap art from Thee,my God ,

my one Desire

I long fo r ,what is life disconso late

Sav e lengthened agony o f life p rolonged

Ne’

er hav e I looked upon so sad a fate .

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I O MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Deliv er m e in m ercy from this death

And grant , O God ,the gift o f life at last ,

Nor let me linger in cap tiv ity

Enchained to earth with bonds and fetters fast !

I die with longing to beho ld Thee near

And gain true life ! Without Thy p resence dear,Behold ,

I die because I do no t die

Hence fo rth I will bewail my liv ing death ,

In m ourn ful lay my woeful life lam ent

While thu s my Sins detain m e in the wo rld

Long exiled from this earthly banishm ent,

O God,when will the dawn o f that glad day

Deliv er,when at last I truly say

That now I die because I do no t die

POEM 3 .

THE SOUL ’S DESIRE .

SECOND VERS ION .

Viv o sin v iv ir en mi .

A L IFE ap art , estranged from myself,

IS now my lo t because I die o f lov e ;

And since ou r Lo rd has sought m e fo r His own,

In Him ,no t in myself

,I liv e and m ov e .

F o r when my heart to Christ I who lly gav e

Therein this ep igraph d id He engrav e

That I should die because I do no t die

POEMS .

This mystic union o f lov e div ine,

This bond whereby alone m y soul doth liv e,

Hath m ade my God my Cap tiv e—yet to m e

True liberty o f heart the while do th giv e .

And yet my sp irit is so so rely p ained

When I behold my Lo rd by m e enchained ,

That still I die becau se I do not die .

Alas ! how wearisom e a waste is life !

How hard a fate to bear my exile here

Where locked in iron fetters lies my soul,

A p risoner in earth ’

s m ournful dungeon drear !

And yet to muse u p on the day relief

Shall come,do th wound with such torm enting

That still I die becau se I do not die .

Achiev e thy task—forsake m e u tterly

O Life ,I p ray o f thee

,m olest m e no t !

F or when I die,throughou t eternity

What b ut to joy and liv e will b e my lo t

Delay thou no t to m itigate m y grief ,O Death ! bu t in thy p ity bring relie f

,

Because I die in that I do not die !

I I

1 2 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

POEM 4 .

THE SOUL ’S EX ILE .

JCuan triste es , Dios m io !

SADLY I p ine ,O God o f m ine !

A far from Thee I Sigh !

With yearning heart , from Thee

I long to die !

Weary the day and long the way

That on this earth we wend :

A so journ drear man p asses here ,

In exile doom ed to sp end .

Master adored ! O worship p ed Lo rd ,

I for deliv erance cry!

Crav ing the grace to see Thy face ,

I long to die !

With so rrow rife,our earthly life

Could no t m ore bitter b e,

Nor can life dwell within the soul

While kep t ap art from Thee !

0 Thou my sweet and only Good,

In m isery I sigh!

Crav ing the grace to see Thy face ,

I long to die !

POEMS .

0 Death benign ! up on ,

m e shine

And succour thou my p ain !

The blow dost deal is sweet to feel,

Whereby w e freedom gain !

What blissful fate, O my Belov ed ,

To dwell with Thee for aye !

Grant m e the grace to see Thy face ,

And let m e die !

A lov e earth-born is ev er drawn

To life that ’s sp ent on earth

F or life o f bliss alone,do th hop e

The lov e o f heav enly birth !

Ah, who can liv e

,eternal God ,

Ap art from Thee,I cry !

Crav ing the grace to see Thy face ,

I b eg to die !

F or he who dwells in this sad world

In sorrow ev er sighs ,

Since true life nev er can b e found

Excep t in Paradise !

Do Thou assist m e,O my God ,

To win that life on high ,

And grant me grace to see Thy face !

Oh,let me die !

Then who would fear , if death drew near,

To let it wo rk its will,

1 3

I 4 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Since thus w e b uy eternally

A joy that lasteth still ?

F or Oh,to lo v e Thee ,

God o f m ine ,

Is endless ecstasy !

Then grant m e grace to see Thy face ,

Because I long to die !

My anguished sou l do th faint for grief

And u tters many a moan !

Alas ! what heart can liv e ap art

FromHim it lov es alone ?

Free me,oh free m e

,from the p ain

In which I ev er lie !

Bestow the grace to see Thy face ,

And let me die !

When on the cruel, hidden hook

The riv er-fish is caught ,

Its p ains and struggles by its death

A re to an ending brought .

My only Good ! ap art from Thee,

Such is m ine agony

Then giv e me grace to see Thy face ,And let m e die !

O Master m ine My anxious sou l

Do th seek fo r Thee in vain,

Since Thou art still inv isible,

Nor dost reliev e its pain .

POEMS .

Then from my lo v e thereby inflam ed

Breaks fo rth the bitter cry

Oh grant m e grace to see Thy face ,

That I m ay die !

When Thou ,my God ,

within'

my heart .

Dost deign to com e as Guest,

The instant thought o f losing Thee

Doth lacerate my breast !

Ah,woe is m e ! my anguish keen

Doth make m e m oan and sigh

To win the grace to see Thy face ,

And seeing—die

Lo rd,finish this long agony

In which so long I groan ,

And render Thy p oor handmaid help ,

Who crav es fo r Thee alone !

Let m e b e hap py : shatter Thou

The chains in which I lie

And giv e m e grace to see Thy face ,

And then to die !

Bu t no ! no t so,beloved Lord !

My p ain is the just m eed

Whereby I exp iate my sins

And many an ev il deed !

My groans and tears p lead in Thine ears

And for Thy m ercy sigh !

Oh grant m e grace to see Thy face ,

And seeing—die

1 6 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

POEM 5 .

SELF-SURRENDER.

Dichoso el corazon enam orado .

How blessed is the heart with love fast bound

On God ,the centre o f its ev ery thought !

Renouncing all created things as naught ,In Him its glo ry and its joy are found .

Ev en from self its cares are now set free

T’

wards God alone its aim s,its actions tend

Joyful and swift it journeys to its end

O’

er the wild wav es o f life ’

s temp estuous sea !

POEM 6 .

D IVINE BEAUTY .

JO herm osura que excede is !

O BEAUTY,that do th far transcend

All o ther beau ty ! Thou doest deign ,

Without a wound ,our hearts to p ain

Without a pang , our wills to bend

To hold all lov e fo r creatures v ain .

O mystic love-kno t , that dost bind

Two beings o f such div erse kind !

How canst Thou ,then

,e’

er sev ered be ?

F or bound ,such strength we gain from Thee

,

We take for joys the griefs we find !

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1 8 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

No lov e but His I crav e

Since self to Him I gav e ,

F or the Beloved is m ine own,

I His alone !

POEM 8 .

ON THE TRANSVERBERATION OF THESAINT ’S HEART .

En las internas entrafias.

W ITH IN my heart a stab I felt

A sudden stab,exp ecting naught ;

Beneath God ’

s standard was it dealt

F o r goodly were the deeds it wrought .

And though the lance hath wounded m e,

And though the wound b e unto death,

Surp assing far all o ther pain ,

Yet do th new life therefrom draw breath !

How do th a m o rtal wound giv e life ?

How,while life-giv ing , yet do th slay ?

How heal while wounding ,leav ing thee

United to thy God alway ?

Celestial was that hand ,and though

With p eril dire the fray was fraught ,

It came forth v ictor o’

er the lance

And goodly were the deeds it wrought .

POEMS .

POEM 9 .

ASPIRATIONS .

Si el am or qu e m e f ene is .

I F Thy lov e bear

Resemblance,O my God ,

to m ine fo r Thee ,

Rev eal what is it that doth hinder m e,

What keep s m e here ?

What crav est thou , O heart ?

Naught , O my God ,but to beho ld Thee near !

What is the thing that thou do st chiefly fear

To dwell from Thee ap art !

O f lo v e I’

m fain,

That Thou mayst take p ossession o f my breast

To b e a fitting hom e fo r Thee,a nest

Thee to contain .

Hid in its God,

What o ther blessing can the sou l desire

Excep t to lov e Thee m ore,

And ev er daily learn,with lo v e afire

,

Lo v e ’

s deep er lore ?

I 9

20 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

POEM 1 0 .

SOUL,THOU MUST SEEK THYSELF

AND SEEK F OR ME IN THEE .

”

Alma,buscarte has en m i.

SUCH is the power o f lov e , 0 soul,

To p aint thee in My heart ,

No craftsman with such art ,

Whate ’

er his skill might b e ,could there

Thine image thus imp art !’Twas lov e that gav e thee life

Then , Fairest , if thou be

Lost to thyself,thou ’

lt see

Thy p o rtrait in My bosom stam p ed

Soul,seek thyself in Me !

Wouldst find thy form within My heart

If there thou m adest quest,

And with such life inv est ,Thou wouldst re jo ice to find thee thus

Engrav en in My breast .

Or if , p erchance ,art igno rant

Where thou m ayst light on Me,

Wander no t wide and free,

Soul,if My p resence wouldst attain

,

Seek in thyself fo r Me !

POEMS .

Because “

in thee I find My house o f rest,My dwelling-p lace ,

My hom e,

Where at all hours I com e

And knock at the Closed p o rtal o f thy thoughts

When far abroad they roam .

NO need is there to look for Me withou t,

No r far in search to flee

Prom p tly I com e to thee ;If thou b ut call to Me it doth suffice

Seek in thyself fo r Me

POEM 1 1 .

THE DY ING SAINT TO HER CRUCIFI X .

Soberano Esp o so m io .

O THOU my sov ereign Sp ouse ! To Thee

I com e . Ah, grant m e to attain

,

No r let m e wander far in v ain,

That in the dep ths o f Thy v ast sea

This stream let m ay its end obtain

O gentle Sp ouse ! Aid with Thy grace ,

And with the p alm my soul inv est

That ’s due to lov e ’

s subserv ient quest ,

That in its Bridegroom’

s fond embrace

My soul may find its p erfect rest

2 1

22 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Thine arms fo r m e will v ic ’

try ge t ,

Nor to entreat such boon I shrink ,

Knowing that Thou wilt nev er think

How little Thou dost owe—and yet

How deep ly I am in Thy debt

Lo rd,by Thy nup tial contract bide

,

Detach my soul from alien ties

And m ake it sure o f Paradise ,

Since Thou with arm s outstretched wide

Art waiting to receiv e Thy bride .

Since Thou do st thus Thine arms extend

I’

ll giv e my soul to b e their p rey ,

And while Thou drawest it away ,

Thine eyes , my Christ , up on me bend,

Whose soul dost from my body rend

While I to Thee my soul confide,

Let Thy fiv e wounds my com fo rt b e

To which my soul finds p assage free ,

F o r they as heav en’

s p o rtals bide

Which,for my sake

,were o p ened wide .

Thy guests are o f such noble sort

I know no t if my lowly state

Giv es entrance,so beside the gate ,

A lowly woman,do I wait

,

Apart from those that fo rm Thy court !

POEMS .

My‘

life in such a sort is led,

Obedient to the laws Lo v e m ade,

That all my hop es on Thee are stayed,

While hangs to p lead in my p oor stead

This A gnus Dei by my b ed .

Care no t that I am indigent ,But look up on my soul as Thine

,

And say if certain hop e b e m ine !

Ah yes ! I see Thy head is bent

To b ow m e token o f assent !

A t length the tim e has com e to see

How far our lov e doth lead in truth,

And if w e lov e in v ery sooth,

F or now I com e to shelter m e

Beneath the branches o f this tree .

Since this is so,my Spouse ,

my King !

Though surging tumu lt round m e rage

Let Thy command my dread assuage ,

While to these wood cro ss-bars I cling ,

That He they ho ld defence m ay bring

I do no t fear the anguish rife

In that last p arting’

s bitter stingIf unto Thee

,my Christ , I cling ,

F or in that hour o f final strife

I hold within my clasp ed hands—Life .

23

24 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

F o r if I clasp Thee ,Lord , behold

Then do th our mutual delight

My soul with Thee , O Christ, unite ,

Since God within mine arm s I hold

Who in His arm s do th m e enfold !

POEM 1 2 .

NUNS OF CARMEL .

Caminem o s p ara el cielo .

LET us e’

er journey on to heaven ,

Ye nuns o f Carm el !

Le t us b e ev er m ortified,

O f humble heart though the wo rld

All com fort and delight denied ,

AS nuns o f Carm el.

By v ow we p rom ised to obey

Nor let ou r wills assert their sway °

Be this our aim,b e this our stay ,

We nuns o f Carm el !

The p ath o f p ov erty we p lod ,

F or’

tis the road to earth He trod

When from the heav ens came our God ,

0 nuns o f Carm el !

F o r God ’

s lov e waneth no t at all,

He to our souls do th ev er call ;

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26 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Sister , the grace ful v eil we gav e to thee

Do th warn thee to keep steadfast watch and ward,

And faithfully to tend thy v irgin-lamp ,

Until the hou r the Bridegroom comes,

—thy Lo rd

F o r sudden,like som e far-fam ed bandit

,He

Com es unawares,when thou dost least foresee

Then watchful b e !

F o r none clo th know nor can His hou r decree

F o r whether in the first hou r o f the night

It com es,o r lingers till the next o r third

,

No Christian sou l there is div ines aright .

Then watch,my Sister

,watch

,lest by su rp rise

Thou shouldst b e p lundered o f thy lawful p rize !

Oh ,watchful b e !

Ev er,0 sister

,in thy v igil, see

Thou hold ’

st a burning lam p within thy hand ,

Wearing thy v eil while thou dost mount on guard

Constant,with reins fast girded ,

shalt thou stand !

Beware lest thou by slumber b e undone

Ere yet thy p ilgrim-course b e who lly run

But watchful b e '

Then take a v ial with thee : kep t ev er filled

With o il o f wo rks ,and m erits thou hast won

,

As fuel to p ro v ide thy v irgin lam p

Lest the flam e p erish ere thy Vigil’

s done ,

POEMS .

Since thouwouldst hav e to seek it from afar

If em p ty were the v ase that thou didst bear

So watchful b e !

F o r there are none wou ld lend the o il to thee,

And if thou shouldst dep art to p u rchase m ore

Thou m ight return too late . If once the Sp ouse

Has com e and p assed within the bridal doo r,

And they by His behest the p o rtal lock ,

Ne’

er will it op en m ore to cry o r kno ck

Then watchful b e !

So keep thou sentinel,I counsel thee

,

And let thy threefold p rom ise m ade this morn

Be kep t with manful courage faithfu lly,

As thou on thy p ro fession day hast swo rn .

Thus,if on earth in v igil thou dost wake ,

Shalt with the Bridegroom joyful entrance m ake

Sister,I charge thee ,

ev er watchful b e

POEM 1 4 .

REFRAIN OF A SONG F OR A CLOTHING .

! Qu ién o s trajo aca, doncella ?

MAIDEN, who was it brought you here

From ou t the v ale O f m isery ?—God and my hap py destiny !

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

POEM 1 5 .

THE HOLOCAUST .

\VR1'

I TEN F OR THE PRO FESSION O F SISTER ISABELTHE ANGELS .

Sea m i go zo en el llanto .

HENCEFORTH I’

ll joy in wretchedness ,Let startling fears b e my rep ose ,

And reap ing solace from my woes

Take losses for my sole success !

May temp ests fierce assault my lov e ;My feast b e wounds I won in strife

And death become fo r m e my life ;Contemp t to m e true honour p rov e !

My riches lie in p ov erty,

My trium ph from my wars I wrest

And weary toil do th make my rest,

The while content in grief do th lie !

Obscurity shall be my light !

Exalted when I’

m m ost abased,

My p athway by the cross is traced,

Wherein I glo ry and delight .

In base estate m ine honour shows

I bear the p alm to su ffering due ,

While from decay I sp ring anew

And p rofit from my losses grows

POEMS .

With hunger am I satiate,

I hop e in ap p rehension drear ;

My consolation com es from fear

And sweetness do th with bitter mate !

Obliv ion keep s my m emory ;I higher rise when beaten down ,

And in contemp t my fam e I own ,

While insults gain m e v ictory .

Dishonour weav es my laurel crown

I striv e to w in the p rize o f p ain

The m eanest p lace , that all disdain ,

Brings m e retirement and renown

My tru st in Christ hath no alloy

In Him alone I find my p eace

Whose lassitudes my strength increase ,And Whom to imitate I joy !

On this sup p o rt do I rely,

Wherein I find secu rity,

The p roo f o f m ine integrity,

The seal that stamp s my constancy—

l

29

30 MINOR WORK S O F ST . TERESA .

POEM 1 6 .

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST .

A PROFESS ION SONG .

[ Oh q ué bien tan sin segundo !

OH , m atchless good

Betro thal that with sanctity endows !

To-day the King o f Majesty sup rem e

Became thy Sp ouse !

Oh,truly blest

The fate fo r thee by Providence decreed

Chosen as His beloved by thy God

Who fo r thy ransom on the cross did bleed

Whom serv e with fo rtitude as thou didst p ledge

In thy p ro fession v ows ,

Because the King o f Majesty sup reme

Is now thy Sp ouse !

Rich are the gem s

The Bridegroom ,Lord o f earth and sky

Of joys and consolation o f His grace

Thy Lov er nev er will thy soul dep riv e .

A s richest gift o f all, will He bestow

A humble heart and m eek

As King He can do all He will, and thee

As bride did seek !

POEMS .

He will infuse

F or Him so ho ly and so pure a lov e ,

That I p ro test , thou m ayest from thy heart

All fear o f ev ery earthly thing rem ov e ,

And still m o re mayst thou scorn the fiend,fo r bound

In fetters m ust he stay,

Because the King o f Majesty becam e

Thy Sp ouse to-day

'

POEM 1 7 .

THE SHEPHERD ’S BRIDALS .

A PROFESSION SONG .

JOh ! d icho sa la zagala !

BLEST shepherdess How'

high her gain

Who to that Shep herd p lights her troth

Who reigns and ev erm o re shall reign!

How blest her lo t,whom fate doth w ed ,

To such a Sp ou se o f goodly race !

My faith, good Gil ! I stand abashed ,

Nor dare to gaze up on her face

Since she this Bridegroom doth obtain,

Who reigneth , and Who e’

er shall reign !

Forsooth,what did she giv e , to m ake

That Shepherd take her to His cot ?

32 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

Her heart she gav e Him for His own

Aye ,

’twas with right goodwill, I wot ,F or com ely is that Shepherd Swain

Who reigns , and ev er more shall reign !

If m ore she had ,more would she giv e ,

So hie thee to her , boy ,and take

This basket fu ll,that she may choose

What gifts she to her Lov e will make,

Now she this Husband doth obtain

Who reigneth ,and Who e

’

er will reign .

The dam sel’

s dowry hav e we seen ,

But what the gifts the Shepherd brought ?

He won her with His own blood-Shed !

Oh ! at what ransom high she’

s bought !

Blissful all o ther brides abo v e

The shepherdess that wins such lov e !

How deep ly must that Bridegroom lov e

To do such kindness to His bride !

Faith ! dost thou know He gav e her gown ,

Her sandals and all else beside

These did she from her Bridegroom gain

Who reigneth and Who e’

er will reign

Forsooth , good Gil,’twere well we hired

That shepherdess our flocks to tend ;

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34 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Whereby He from the galling bonds

That sin hath fo rged ,His brides do th loose .

Jesus do th p light His faith that He

So lace to all such souls will give ,

Who ev er with a joyful heart

Within this p rison steadfast liv e .

High the reward we shall receiv e

Within the realm o f p erfect bliss

If fo r the treasures kep t by Christ

The baubles o f the world we m iss ,

While earth ’

s decep tions and base dross

We fo r our Bridegroom’

s sake dism iss ,

And joyful to the feast we fare

The while religion’

s yoke we bear .

F o r oh ! what blessed freedom lies

Contained in such cap tiv ity

A life o f perfect hap p iness

Secu re fo r all eternity !

My heart its fetters doth embrace ,

No r seeks to w in its liberty .

So eager to the feast we ’

ll fare ,

The while religion’

s yoke we bear !

POEMS .

POEM 1 9 .

THE STANDARD OF THE HOLY CROSS .

A PROFESS ION SONG .

To do s lo s qu e m ilitais .

ALL ye who fight and fear no lo ss

Beneath the standard o f the cross,

Sleep no m o re nor slumber now,

God abides not here below !

Like a gallant warrio r brav e

God our Lord for death did crav e

Within His foo tstep s let u s tread ,

Since by our hands His blood was Shed !

F or oh ! what p recious gifts were bought

By that m ost bitter war He fought !

Sleep thou no t nor slumber now

God abides no t here below !

He fo r us with joy did languish ,

Freely bore the cross’

s anguish ,

Died to bring us sinners light

By His own most p iteous p light !

Oh m ost gloriou s Victo ry !

How great the sp oils He won thereby !

Sleep thou no t nor slumber now

God abides not here below !

35

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Draw no t back in cowardice ;Tend thy life in sacrifice ;None so sure his life o f sav ing

AS the loss o f it when brav ing .

Jesus will our Leader b e ,

Our Reward in victory :

Sleep no mo re nor Slumbe r now ,

F o r God abides no t here below !

Let our liv es in death ’

s libation

Be to Christ a true oblation ,

Thus to heav en ’

s bridals blest

Each will come as welcome guest .

Follow ,by this standard led !

Within Christ ’s track and foo tstep s tread !

Oh,sleep no more no r slumber now !

Our God abides no t here below !

POEM 20 .

GREETING TO THE CROSS .

Cru z , d escanso sabroso de mi Vida .

CROSS,thou delicious so lace o f my life ,

I welcome thee !

0 standard ,

’

neath whose Sign ,the worst

O f cowards m ust be brav e !

O thou our life , who erst our death

Didst raise from ou t the grav e !

POEMS .

Thy strength the lion didst subdue,

F o r’twas thy p ower the foe that slew ,

Welcom e ! all hail !

Who lov es thee no t , liv es p risoner,’Gainst liberty doth fight !

Who seeks within thy track to tread ,

Ne’

er wanders from the right .

Blest b e the p ower that thou dost own

Which hath the p ower o f ill o’

erthrown

Welcom e,all hail !

’Twas thou didst bring deliv erance

To us in bondage lost ;’Twas thou the ill that didst redeem ,

Paid at so dear a cost .

F o r thou,with God

,wast instrument

Of joy by

Welcom e ! all hail !

POEM 2 1 .

PROCESS IONAL F OR THE FEAST OF THE

HOLY CROSS .

En la cru z esta'

la Vida.

THE Cross contains our life

And our sole solace

Therein do th lie the only road that leadeth

To Paradise

1 Th e o riginal is incom p lete .

37

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Upon the Cross is found the Lo rd

Of earth and heav en ,

And p erfect joy o f p eace p rofound

(Though war b e wagingFrom all the ills this mortal exile holds)Lies in its lim its ,And by the Cross alone it is we wend

Our way to heav en .

’Twas o f the Cross the Bride declared

To her Beloved

That it was like the stately palm

Which She had mounted .

The v ery God o f heav en Him self

Its fru it hath tasted ,

And by the Cross alone we wend our

And march to heav en .

’

Tis like a tree o f leafy-green

The Bride ’

s delection ,

Who sat her down to rest herself

Beneath its shadow,

That she m ight joy in her Belov ed ,

The King o f glo ry

And by its means alone we wend

Ou r way to heav en .

In sight like to a p recious o liv e

The ho ly Cross

POEMS .

With its blest Oil o f unction doth anoint

And doth illum ine .

Then , 0 my soul,embrace the Cross with

Joy and gladness ,

F or’

tis the only road whereby

We reach to heav en !

The soul which to its God hath been

Abandoned wholly,

Being within its heart o f hearts detached

From all things earthly,

Finds in the Cross the Tree o f Life

And o f all com fo rt ,And a delightsom e p ath whereby

It wends to heav en .

F or since up on the Cross the Sav iour

Hath freely rested ,

It hath becom e the source o f glory

And o f honour .

In su ffering it becom es our life ,

Our consolation ,

And’

tis the safest way whereby

To wend to heav en .

Then let us journey on to Paradise ,

Ye Nuns o f Carmel ;

Let us with eagerness embrace the Cross

And follow Jesus .

39

MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

F o r’

tis our way ,our light whereby to guide us ,

Which in itself contains all consolation ,

O Nuns o f Carm el !

If dearer than the ap p le o f your eye you keepYour three-fold p ledges ,

’Twill from a thou sand griev ous ills exemp t you

Of trials and afliictions that beset us ,We Nuns o f Carm el !

The v ow you p rom ised o f obedience

Although it b e o f v ery lo fty Science ,

Ne’

er will p erm it you to do any ev il

If ye resist it no t—from which

May the great God o f heav en e’

er p reserv e

Ye Nuns O f Carm el !

The v ow o f chastity

Observ e with the most watchful Vigilance

Seek God alone ,

And keep yourselv es in solitude with Him ,

Regardless o f the wo rld

0 Nuns o f Carmel !

What men call po v erty ,

If in entirety kep t when it is v owed

Contains great riches ,

And op es the gate o f heav en to our coming ,

0 Nuns o f Carrfiel !

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.

42 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

F or if this new-bom Babe b e God,

Can He indeed be slain

—He Who is man as well as God

Can choose to liv e o r die ;

Bethink thee,

’

tis the Lamb indeed,

The Son o f God most high !

I know not how men b eg Him come,

Then wage on Him such war

Should He resto re us to His land ,

Sure,Gil,

’twere better far !—Sin caused our exile here ,

and in

His hands all good do th lie !

He comes to su ffer here on earth,

This God o f majesty .

Little thou carest fo r His p ain !’

Tis so with all mankind :

Men reck no t o f their neighbour’

s ill

Wherein they p rofit find .

—AS Pasto r o f a m ighty flock

Great honou r doth He gain .

—Still, ’

tis a wondrous thing that God ,

The Lo rd sup rem e , b e slain !

POEMS . 43

POEM 23 .

THE ANGELS ’ SUMMONS TO THE SHEPHERDSu

Mi gallejo , m ira qu ién llama.

SEE , b oy , who doth call so clear

Angels , for the Dawn draws near .

Hark ! a sound o f m ighty humm ing ,

Which ,methinks

,a song may b e

Then hie thee to the Shepherdess ,

Now the mom breaks , Bras , with me .

See ,b oy , who do th call so clear !

Angels , for the Dawn is near .

Is She kin to the Alcalde

What the dam sel’

s nam e and race

—She is God the Father ’s daughter ;Shineth like a star her face

Look,b oy ,

who doth call so clear !

Angels , for the Dawn is near !

POEM 24.

THE SHEPHERDS AT THE CRIB .

Pue s cl am o r .

au tem absit gloriari n isi in Cruce Dom ini nostri.

SINCE lov e brought God to earth

From heav en on high

Naught should affright u s more

Let us both.

die !

44 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

God giv es His only Son

As gift to man

Born in a cattle-shed

His life began .

Lo , God a man becom es ,

Triumph m o st high !

Naught should affright us m ore

Let u s both die !

-Whence the lov e ,Pascual,

F o r us He bo re,

Changing His royal robes

F o r serge so poo r?

—Best lov es He po v erty ;In His step s hie !

Naught shou ld affright u s m ore

Let us bo th die !

What will men giv e to Him ,

Giv er o f all ?

—Strip es from their scourges

His flesh will fall.

Bitter our tears will dropWith grief and sigh

!

If this b e sooth indeed,

Le t u s bo th die !

He is om nipo tent

How shall they dare ?

POEMS . 45

-’Tis writ , from cruel m en

He death must bear .

—Let us conceal the Babe

In secrecy—K n0w ’

st not’

tis His own will ?—Then

,let u s die !

POEM 25 .

CHRISTMAS DAY .

SHEPHERDS ’ CAROL .

H o y no s Viene a red im ir .

To-DAY there com es upon our ransom bent

A Shepherd Who is kith to all mankind,

F or, Gil, He is ou r God omnip o tent !

And thus it is that He has raised us up ,

Freed from the p rison Satan held us in ,

F o r He,to Menga and to Llo rente

,

And Bras , and all o f u s is truly kin ,

Because He is the Lord omnipo tent !

—If He b e God : how to b e so ld by m en

And hanging on the bitter cross , b e slain

—Dost thou not know that sin is done to death

When Innocence endures the sinners’

p ain

Dost thou no t know He is omnipo tent ?

46 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERE SA .

—My faith ! I saw Him as a new-bo rn Babe,

And near Him stood a lov ely Shep herdess !

If He b e God , why chooseth He to liv e

With those in po v erty and sore distress—Knowest thou not He is omnip o tent

Prithee, giv e o

’

er thine idle questionings

And let us in His serv ice ev er Vie ;

Since He has com e on earth to su ffer death ,

With Him ,Llorente

,let us gladly die ,

F o r He,in truth , is God omnipo tent .

POEM 26 .

THE SHEPHERDS ’ CAROL F OR THE CIRCUMCIS ION .

Vertiendo esta sangre .

SEE,He is shedding blood .

Dom inguillo , eh

Though why I cannot say !

I p rithee tell. m e why

The Infant thus they wound ,

F o r He is innocent ,No guile in Him is found

His Heart was wholly set ,

Though why I cannot say,

On ardent love for me !

Dominguillo ,eh

POEMS .

But must m en p ain the Babe

Thus soon after His birth ?—Aye ,

for He com es to die ,

To sav e from ills our earth .

Faith ,what a Shepherd brav e

That Child will make som e day!

Shall we no t lov e Him well,

Dom inguillo ,eh

Shepherd ,I know no t why

On Babe so innocent

Thou hast no t cared to look ?—Aye ,

Brasil and Llorent ,Hav e told m e so erstwhile .

—My faith !’twere ill

,I say ,

Didst thou not love this Babe ,

Dom inguillo ,eh

‘

POEM 27 .

SHEPHERDS ’ CAROL F OR THE CIRCUMCIS ION .

Este N iho Viene llorando .

E’

EN as the Babe com es , He is weep ing sorely

Oh hark ,Gil, hark ! that Babe is calling thee !

Behold the new-born Infant from the heav ens

To earth descends to free us from our foes !

Already is the direful strife beginning ,

F o r see,our Jesus ’ blood already flows

Oh hark ,Gil

,hark ,

that Babe is calling thee

47

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

So great the lov e He beareth fo r us sinners

That little fo r the tears He sheds recks He,

Steeling His in fant heart to muster courage

Since He the Leader O f His flock shall b e

Then hark , Gil, hark ,that Babe doth call to thee !

How dear the lov e He bears fo r us do th cost Him ,

This Infant but a few days newly bo rn ,

Whose blood already ’

neath the knife is flowingForsooth ,

’

tis we and no t the Babe should mourn

Oh hearken , Gil, that Babe is calling thee

Had He no t come to earth to die for sinners

He now were safe within His nest at hom e

—Behold ,Gil

, to our earth from heav en descending

The Babe do th as a roaring lion com e

Oh hark ye ,Gil

,the Babe is calling thee

What is it , Pascal, thou art seeking o f m e

That ev er in m ine car thy tale is told—To lov e this Babe Who lov es thee ,

and doth tremble

F o r thy sake ,

’

neath the bitter wintry co ld

F o r hark thee , Gil, the Babe doth call to thee !

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MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA

Question not , Llo rente ,

The reason why

We hold this Babe as God

Come from on high .

Yield Him thy heart , as m ine

To Him I tend

Hence,with the Kings , my flock ,

I p rithee wend !

POEM 29 .

POEM TO ST . ANDREW.

Si el p adecer con am or .

IF su ffering endured with lov e upon our p art

Can so insp ire with joy the stricken heart ,What transport will the sight o f Thee imp art

What will it b e at length to look up on

Th’

eternal Maj esty ,

Since Andrew ,when he gazed upon the cross,

Was filled with ecstasy !

No r ev en while we su ffer,can we fail

To w in fru ition o f the bliss w e hail

What joy to see Thee !

Lo v e that to full intensity hath grown

Rests no t in idleness ,

POEMS . 5 1

AS the brav e warrior , fo r the one he lov es ,

Doth on to combat p ress ,

And hav ing o’

er Lov e ’

s self the v icto ry gained ,

Needs must all ends it striv es for b e attained

Oh ,bliss to see Thee !

Since all m en hold in fear the thought o f death ,

Why is it sweet to thee—’

Tis that when death shall strike,new life Shall rise

Of high sublim ity .

Thou , O my God ,by Thine Own death do th make

The wo rst o f cowards take courage fo r Thy sake

What joy to see Thee !

O cross,now the m ost p reciou s tree o f all

Thou m ost m ajestic wood,

Who, being held contemp tible and mean

Didst take fo r Sp ou se thy God !

I go to m eet thee,jubilant o f soul,

And , though I m erit no t to crav e such dole ,

I joy to see thee !

POEM 30 .

SAINT CATHERINE THE MARTYR .

i O grande am adora !

O FERVENT v otaress

Of the eternal Lord !

Resp lenden t star ! do thou

Thine aid affo rd !

MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

E’

en in her in fancy

A Spouse she chose ;

N

'

e’

er did her ardent lov e

Grant her repose .

Then let no cowards seek

Her comp any ,

Who lov e the wo rld and fear

F or God to die !

Ye crav ens, gaze upon

This maiden fair,Who cared naught fo r her wealth

No r beau ty rare .

In persecu tion herce'

She bo re her part ,

Enduring torm ents keen

With virile heart !

The absence o f her Lov e

Caused her far deep er grief ,

And su ffering bo rne for Him

Was all that gave relief ;

She crav ed fo r death ,and pain

Alone could com fo rt giv e ,

Since ,while on earth she dwelt ,

She could no t tru ly liv e .

POEMS .

Let us who long

To Share a fate so blest

Ne’

er labour here

In v ain,to seek fo r rest .

Oh,false deceit !

How lov eless’

tis to sigh

F or healing here

Where life is m isery !

POEM 3 1 .

SAINT H ILARION .

H oy ha v encido un gu errero .

THIS cap tain’

gainst the world and its allies

The way to victory led ,

Sinners , return ,return ye ,

and within

His footstep s tread !

Seek solitude ,

Nor let us crav e to die

Till we attain to liv e

In p erfect p ov erty .

With skill sup rem e,the way

This Chieftain led ,

Sinners , retu rn ,return ye ,

and within

His footstep s tread !

53

54 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

He conquered Lucifer

With p enance’

arm s ,

With p atience fought and now is free

From all alarm s .

We also shall p rev ail, if by

This cap tain led,

Sinners,return ,

return again , and in

His foo tstep s tread !

He had no friends

But to the cross he clav e

This is our light , which Christ as light

To Sinners gav e .

Oh , blessed zeal that stood

The warrio r in such stead,

Sinners,retu rn , return ye ,

and within

His foo tstep s tread !

His crown is won—no more

In grie f he sighs ,

But joys in the reward

O f Paradise .

Oh , glo riou s v icto ry

In which our so ldier bled !

Sinners ,return ,

oh turn again ,and

His footstep s tread !

POEMS .

POEM 32 .

RHYMED MAX IMS .

WHEN God do th the sou l chastise

Heavy are its p enalties ,Yet beneath the clouds that rise

Purer shine the sunny skies !

Who on this world sets his m ind

Ne’

er will true contentment find .

He who sets on God his stay

Knows no t anguish o f dismay .

He who doth self-judgment blind

Quickly calm s his troubled m ind .

Naught doth greater solace giv e

Than withou t desires to liv e .

Bitter burden do we bear

When for aught on earth we care .

The cross , when borne with ready will,

F ar lighter weighs than many an ill.

Seeking for naught ,

Life with joy is fraught .

55

M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Best o f discip lines is still

Discip line o f thy self-will.

Let what com es , whate ’

er may hap ,

Ev er serv e to p rofit thee

Great thy p rofit if dost judge

Ev erything is b ad in thee !

Let naught disturb thy p eace

Which will with this wo rld cease .

To the soul that can endure

Any life will easy Seem ;

Any life a liv ing death

The imp atient soul will deem .

A lov e fo r God but not the cross ,

Will p u t its hand to little wo rk

A lov e that ’s strong and full o f zeal

Do th neither to il no r trouble Shirk .

What though many faults b e thine

Mortified,they ’

ll soon decline !

He who seeks no p riv ate gain

Always finds things to his m ind

He who wou ld his com fort find

E’

er sees reason to comp lain .

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MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Let no trouble thee op p ress ,

Naught destroy tranquillity .

Follow with a valiant heart

Jesus , in the narrow way ;

Come what will,whate ’

er thy

Let naught ev er thee dismay .

All the glory o f this world

Is but v ain and em p ty Show ;Swiftly all things p ass away

,

Naught is stable here below .

Be thy sole desire to w in

Good divine that nev er wanes ;True and rich in p rom ises ,

God our Lo rd unchanged remains .

Lo v e what best deserv es thy lov e

Goodness ,Bounty infinite

Lacking p atience ,lov e can ne

’

er

Reach full p urity and height .

Confidence and liv ing faith

In the strife the soul m aintain ;He who hop es and who believ es

All things in the end shall gain .

Though the wrath o f hell aroused

Hard the hunted soul besets ,

He who to his God adheres

Mocks at all the dev il’s threats .

POEMS . 59

Though disgrace and crosses com e ,

Though his p lans should end in naught ,

He whose God his treasu re is

Ne’

er Shall stand in need o f aught .

Go ,false p leasures o f the wo rld !

GO ,v ain riches that entice !

Though the soul should fo rfeit all,

God alone would all-su ffice !

POEM 35 .

SONNET TO JESUS CRUCIFIED .

N O m e m u ev e m i Dios , p ara qu ererte .

I AM no t mov ed ,my God ,

to lov e o f Thee

Because Thou p ledgest heav en in reward,

Nor is my soul by fear o f death so awed

As to b e m ov ed straightway from sin to flee .

Thou mov’

st my love ,my God ! to see Thee hang

Nailed to the cross, o f m en the sco ff, the scorn ,

Doth m ov e my lov e Thy

.

body scou rged and torn ,

Thy m ocking and affronts , Thy dying p angIt is Thy lov e that m ov es m e in su ch way

That did no heav en exist , I ’d lov e Thee still !

Dread o f o ffence would still my sp irit sway

Were there no hell—Thy gifts m o v e no t my will,F o r though I hop ed no gu erdon in rep ay,

The sam e unaltered lov e my heart would fill

MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

POEM 36 .

BEFORE THE CRUCIFIX .

BY I SABEL OF JESUS .

O THOU all good and sweet ,

Jesus o f Nazareth ,

Let m e but look on Thee ,

Then send m e death !

Let those look who will

On rose and jasm ine fair ;On Thee I g aze and see

A thousand gardens there .

Thou Flower all seraph-bright ,

Jesus o f Nazareth !

Let m e bu t look on Thee,

Then send m e death !

I seek no other joy

My Jesus is no t here !

All else to rm ents the soul

That holds H is Presence dear

Lov e and desire o f Thee

Are o f my life the breath ;Let m e but look on Thee

,

Then send m e death !

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62 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

NOTES ON THE POEMS .

POEM 1 .

—Cop ies o f this p oem , which is undoubtedly by

St . Teresa,are p reserv ed in the collections o f the conv ents

o f Madrid and Guadalajara as well as in the transcrip tions

p rep ared by Fray Andres de la Encarnacién (now at the

National Library at Madrid ) , who says in a no te that these

v erses were sung by the v enerable p riest Julian o f Av ila,

the com p anion o f the Saint up on her foundations , who o ften

stated that they were com po sed by her . Fuente ,Obras

,

(edit . o f v ol. iii. Poem 27 .

POEM 2 .

—This p oem ,known as the Gloss o f St . Teresa,

is the most famous o f her v erses . It was written at Sala

manca in 1 57 1 ,as related by Siste r Isabel o f Jesus in her

dep osition in the p rocess o f canonisation : When I was a

nov ice I sang one day during recreation some v erses [see

Poem 36] describing the grief felt by the soul at its sep aration

from God . During the singing ou r Mo ther went into an

ecstasy in the p resence o f the nuns . They waited fo r a time,

but as she did no t come to herself,three o r fou r carried her

,

looking as if She were dead,into her cell. I do no t know

what p assed there ,b ut when I saw her come ou t o f it next

day after dinner , She seem ed qu ite abso rbed and beside herself .

By comp aring the day and hour with what she wro te later

on , we discov ered that during this rap ture our Lo rd had

bestowed upon her som e signal fav ou r . The Saint then wrote

POEMS . 63

this p oem ,which she enclosed in a letter sent to her confessor .

Yep es , Life , bk . iii. ch . xxii. ; Relation iv . I I nterior Castle ,

M . v i. ch . X i,8 ; Concep t. ch . Vii. 2 ; Exclam . i . v i. xiv .

xvi . ; Fuente ,l.c . ,

Poem 1 .

The last fiv e v erses o f this p o em , p receded by two which

differ from St . Teresa’

s , are classed as an o riginal p oem

o f St . John o f the Cross (Living F lame of Love , edit . 1 9 1 2 ,

p . who,referring to this subject , says : The third kind

o f p ain—o f a soul wounded by love—is like dying ; it is

as if the whole soul were festering because o f its wound . It

is dying a liv ing death until lov e,hav ing slain it , shall make

it liv e the life o f lov e,transfo rming it into lov e . Hence

the sou l is dying o f lov e,and dying the m o re when it sees

that it canno t die o f lov e . Perceiv ing itself to b e dying o f

lov e and yet no t dying SO as to hav e the free en joyment

o f its lov e,it comp lains o f the continuance o f its bodily life ,

by which the sp iritual life is delayed (Spiritual Canticle,

Stanza v ii. 4 ,and v iii.

POEM 3 .

—Ano ther v ersion o f the sam e p oem ,Fuente ,

l.c . ,

2 . The first and fourth v erses v ary,bu t the second and

third are to b e found in the p receding p oem . This v ersion

was p rinted in the early editions o f the works o f the Saint

in 1 884 Don Antonio Selfa published at Madrid a facsim ile

o f the autograph ,bu t as there are som e differences o f sp elling

its genuineness has been questioned .

POEM 4 .

—This, too ,

was published by Don Antonio Selfa

64 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

from what p urp orts to b e an autograph . It is not in Don

Vicente ’

s edition .

POEM 5 ,

—Fuente was the first to p rint this short p iece

(NO . 1 0 in his edition ) from the manu scrip t o f Toledo . The

second Exclamation sp eaks o f seeking solitude in God and

with Him ,fo r thus alone can life b e borne

,because the soul

rests with Him Who is its true rep ose .

” This idea is mo re

finely and concisely exp ressed in these v erses .

POEM 6 .

—These v erses are contained in the letters written

by the Saint to her bro ther Don Lo renzo de Cep eda on

January 2 and 1 7 ,1 577 ,

as fo llows

I remember som e Verses I once wrote when immersed

in p rayer and in a state o f great repose . They ran thus

though I am no t sure if I rem ember them rightly—yet they

will Show you that ev en when I am at To ledo I wish to giv e

you p leasure : [here follow the verses] —I can recollect no

mo re . I think that these v erses may touch you and

kindle your dev otion .

”

On January 1 7 She refers to the matter again

I hardly know what to say about the fav our which you

told m e that you hav e receiv ed . It is certainly far greater

than you think and will b e the beginning o f great things

unless fo rfeited by your own fault . I hav e exp erienced this

kind o f p rayer ; which u sually leav es the sou l at p eace and

sometim es inclined to do p enance , p articularly if the impulse

has been v ery strong ,for then the soul cannot rest without

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66 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

on the Transv erberation o f her heart (See Life , ch . xxix.

1 6 F ra Federigo di Sant’

Antonio says in his Life of

the Saint (written in 1 754) that the autograph had been

found at the Conv ent o f Sev illa, but it is no longer there .

I nterior Castle , M . v i. ch . xi. 2 , 4, 8 . Rel. v iii. 1 6—1 9.

POEM 9 .

—This was first p ublished by Fuente (No . 1 1 ) from

the manuscrip t o f Toledo . He considers it doubtful.

POEM 1 0 .

—These verses are written on the wo rds :

spoken by

our Lo rd Labo ur no t to hold Me enclosed within thyself ,

but enclose thyself in Me (Relation iii. 9 see also I nterior

Castle ,M . iv . ch . iii . Many years later Don Francis de

Salcedo ,Julian o f Av ila; St . John o f the Cross and Don

Lo renzo de Cepeda each wro te an essay on these words , and

at the command o f the Bishop o f A v ila the Saint wro te her

letter o f January 27 ,1 577 (known as the Vejamen , or tryst

Ing letter) in which she subjected their op inions to a som e

what satirical criticism . Don Fuente,who p rinted the poem

from the To ledo manuscrip t (No . 4 in his edition) qualifies

the poem as p robably ,

”

genuine ; he might safely hav e

said certainly authentic .

POEM 1 1 .

—We are indebted to the kindness o f the French

Carmelite nuns fo r leav e to make use o f their edition o f

this and three o ther poem s,which had nev er been p rinted

(Giuvres comp letes de Sainte Terese , Paris 1 9 1 0 ,v o l. v i.

These v erses to“the Christ ,” t .e . to a' Crucifix,

are from a

POEMS . 67

sev enteenth-century manuscrip t in the National Library at

Madrid and bear the title Song (romance) written by

our ho ly Mo ther Teresa during the foundation o f Soria.

They belong therefo re to the summ er o f 1 58 1 Fuente did

no t know o f this collection .

POEM 1 2 .

—These verses were comp osed by St . Teresawhen

ill on a journey ; cop ies are p reserved at Soria and , with

slight v ariants , in the collections o f Madrid and Guadalajara.

This poem strongly resembles the last few verses o f the

Processional o f the Holy Cross (Poem written fo r the

nuns o f Soria. Fuente , who first p rinted it (No . con

siders it as p robably authentic .

POEM 1 3 . A gloss composed by our Holy Mother Teresa

o f Jesus fo r the clothing o f Sister Isabel o f the Angels at

Medina del Cam po in Sep tember 1 569 . Fray Andres de

la Encarnacién states that in his tim e (0. 1 750) the original

was in the possession o f the Carm elite nuns o i 'San Sebastian,

but acco rding to Fray Manuel it had been in the‘

hands

o f Fray José de la Madre de Dios , Prior o f Segovia. Sev eral

old cop ies are still in existence . Fuente (No . 1 6) entertains

no doubt as to the authenticity .

POEM 1 4 .

—The re frain o f this p oem , comp osed for the

clothing o f Sister Hieronyma o f the Incarnation at Medina

del Cam po , January 1 3 , 1 575 , is all that remains o f. it ; it .

has been p reserv ede by the au tho r

'

o f th

bk . xiii . ch . xxi .

68 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

POEM 1 5 .

—Composed at Salamanca fo r the p ro fession of.

Sister Isabel o f the Angels (October 2 1 ,for whose

clothing St . Teresa had written the v erses sup ra No . 1 3 .

Fray Andres was aware o f the existence o f cop ies at Segovia

and Las Batuecas,but was unable to consult them . They

hav e been discov ered at the National Library at Madrid,and

we are indebted to the French nuns fo r perm ission to trans

late them from their edition (Giuvres , Vi.

POEM 1 6 .

—Fuente published these v erses from the collee

tion o f To ledo (No . qualifying them as p robably genu ine

acco rding to some cop ies they were written for the p ro fession

o f Sister Isabel o f the Angels ,but this can hardly be co rrect .

POEM 1 7 .

—Published by Fuente (No . 1 2 ,from the manu

scrip t o f Toledo ) , who , howev er , considers the po em as doubt

ful. The transcrip t is certainly inco rrect .

POEM 1 8 .

—From the same collection and p robably genu ine

according to Don Vicente’

s op inion who p rints it under No . 1 5 .

POEM 1 9 .

—Probably authentic . Fuente published it from

the same collection under No . 1 3 .

POEM 20 .

—These v erses hav e come down to us through

a copy m ade by Sister Guiomar o f the Blessed Sacram ent , who

was p ro fessed at Salamanca in 1 576 ,and who attested that

they were composed by St . Te resa. Cop ies were also kep t

at Segov ia and Las Batuecas and in the archiv es o f the

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70 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

deposited on the sepulchre . The v erses contain the fare~

well advice o f the holy Mother,who

,on taking leav e of

the community said : Daughters , fo r the sake o f my lov e

for you , I ask o f you three things . First,to keep the p rimi

tiv e observ ance ,secondly to obey your supe rio rs , and thirdly

to p reserv e charity among yourselv es . If you do this,I

p romise that God will giv e you the two fold sp irit as He

did to our Father S . Eliseus on whose feast this house was

founded .

’

POEM 22 .

—A p ortion o f this poem is p reserved in au to

graph at the Carmelite convent at‘Florence . Fuente

,who

p rinted it from the manuscrip t o f Toledo (in which a line is

m issmg), thinks it is p robably genuine . It is No . 1 8 o f his

edition .

POEM 23 .

—From the manuscrip t o f Cuerva. Fuente giv es

it under No . 22,but strongly doubts its genuineness .

POEM 24 .

—From the manuscrip t o f Toledo . Probably

genu ine ,

”says Fuente ,

in whose edition it is numbered 1 7 .

POEM 25 .

—Printing this as No . 20 from the To ledo col

lection ,Fuente strongly questions its authenticity , but the

discov ery o f the au tograp h o f the first three strophes at the

conv ent o f Carmelite nuns at Florence seem s to dispose o f

the difficu lty .

POEM 26 .

—This poem is from a collection (now lost) of

which the manuscrip ts o f Madrid ,Guadalajara and Cuerva

are more or less faithful cop ies . In this instance they

POEMS . 7 1

p resent considerable v ariations and also som e defects . Fuente

(No . 23) has serious doubts as to its authenticity .

POEM 27 .

—These verses are from the same manuscrip ts

asthe p receding ,and here again Fuente (No . 2 1 ) is inclined

to disallow a claim to au thenticity . The French nuns quo te

in their edition the following note from the manuscrip t o f

Cuerv a

Som e more v erses written by St . Teresa for the feast

o f the Circum cision for which She had a sp ecial devo tion . One

year, on the ev e of that feast , while the nuns were at ev eningrecreation , she came out o f her cell almost beside herself with

extraordinary ferv our . Transp orted by her feelings , she

danced and sang ,and bade the community to join her

,

which they did with the greatest sp iritual joy . Theirs was

no set and o rdinary kind o f dance ,no r was it accompanied

by the guitar , b u t the dancers beat time by clap p ing their

hands , as Dav id describes,Omnes gentes , plaudite manibus ,

as they mov ed to and fro with m o re sp iritual harm ony and

grace than human art .

”

POEM 28 .

—Fuente (NO . 1 9) was the first to publish this

from the collection o f Toledo it ap p ears to him doubtfu l.

POEM 29-First published by Fray Antonio o fSt . Joachim

in the Aho Teresiano ,and afterwards by Fuente (No . 7 ,

from

the Toledo manuscrip t), who declared it p robably genuine .

The v erses contain m any allu sions to the acts o f St . Andrew

as giv en in the breviary,where it is said that when the Apo stle

72 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

saw his cross at a distance , he cried ou t,

Hail, p recious

cross,that has been consecrated by the body o f my Lo rd ,

and adorned with His limbs as with rich jewels —I com e to

thee, glad and exulting receiv e m e with joy into thine

arms ! 0 good cross , that hast receiv ed beauty from our

Lo rd ’

s limbs ! I hav e ardently lov ed thee : long hav e I

desired and sought thee ; now thou art found by me and

art made ready for my longing sou l. Receiv e me into thine

arm s , taking m e from among m en , and p resent me to thy

Master , that He who redeem ed m e on thee may receiv e me

by thee ! The Saint was fastened to the cross,on which

he hung fo r two days , p reaching withou t cessation the faith

o f Christ , after which he p assed to Him Whose death he

had SO cov eted . Before dying , the Ap ostle exclaimed O

Lo rd Jesus Christ , good Master, su ffer me no t to be taken

down from the cross until Thou hast receiv ed my soul. F o r

Thou ,O Christ

,art my p ro tecto r ; into Thy hands I commend

my sp irit .

”

POEM 30 .

—Fuente,who p ublished these v erses as No . 8

from the manu scrip t o f To ledo,considers them p robably

authentic . They there bear the inco rrect motto Quemad

modum desiderat ad fontes aguaram ,ita desiderat anima mea.

St . Teresa had agreat dev otion to St . Catherine the Martyr,

to whom She dedicated a herm itage at Av ila with a p ainting

o f the Saint . According to the legend , Catherine saw in a

vision the Blessed Virgin ask Jesus to receive her among His

servants , but the Div ine Infant turned away because she was

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74 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

POEM 32 .

—Fuente p ublished these Maxims (from a manu

scrip t in the National Library at Madrid ) in his first edition

o f the works o f St . Teresa (Madrid ,b ut not in the

second . Their authenticity is doubtful.

POEM 33 .

—These v erses ,which hav e become widely known

,

were written by St . Teresa at an unknown date ,and were

kep t by her as a bookmark in one o f her brev iaries which

afterwards became the p rop erty o f the Carmelite friars at

Lisbon ; its p resent whereabouts is no t known .

POEM 34 .

—This poem ,for the Sp anish text of which we

are indebted to the French Carm elite nuns who published it

for the first time , is kep t at the Conv ent o f Segovia. It is

an enlargem ent o f the Bookmark,

”but the p robability o f

its genu ineness IS extrem ely Slender .

POEM 35 .

—This p oem has been claimed for St . Teresa,

St . Francis Xavier and o ther autho rs . It would appear that ,

among contem po rary critics , Don Francisco Herrero y Bayona

is inclined to allow St . Teresa’

s claim,but Don Vicente de la

Fuente ,Don Marcelino Menendez y Pelayo ,

and many others ,

are o f a different op inion ,which is also shared by the French

nuns .

POEM 36 .

—These are the v erses sung by Sister Isabel o f

Jesus at Salamanca which caused St . Teresa to go into an

ecstasy (see no te to Poem 2 supra,and the references there

giv en) . They are well known in Spain and have been te

POEMS . 75

p eatedlyp rinted ,among o thers by Don Miguel Mir and Don

Vicente de la Fuente .

PRAYER O F ST. TERESA .

—The au tograph o f this p rayer is

in the p ossession o f the Carm elite nuns o f Madrid . It is

written upon an oblong Sheet o f p ap er from which the Signa

ture at the bo ttom ap p ears to hav e been cut o ff . It was

published in a French translation as early as 1 630,but the

Spanish text was for the first tim e p rinted by Fuente .

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78 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

full of sub lim est wisdom ,for Thou

,Lord

,art Wisdom

itself ! Yet while my m ind p onders over this, my will

comp lains ; it would have no hindrance to its loving

Thee,for in such high matters the intellect canno t attain

to its God, yet longs to enj oy Him

,although it knows

not how,while shu t w ithin the dreary p rison o f m ortality .

Nowit imp edes m e,though ,

at first,m editation on

Thy grandeurs was an aid,Showing m e m ore clearly my

own immeasurable baseness .

2 . Why do I say this, my God To whom do I com

p lain? Who hears m e

,but Thou

,my Father and my

Creator ? But why sp eak,in order to tell Thee o f my

pain ,Since I see so clearly that Thou dost dwell within

m e ? Behold my folly ! But alas,my God ,

how can I

b e sure I am not separated from Thee

3 . Oh , my life ! which must be passed in such vital

hazard ,who would w ish for thee ? The sole gain to be

found or hoped for in thee is to p lease God in all things,

and even this is m ost uncertain and b ese t by dangers .

EXCLAMAT ION I I .

1 . O ften do I think,0 my Lord ,

that if aught can

soothe a life apart from Thee it is solitude,wherein the

soul rests with Him Who is its true rep ose . Yet, unab le

as it is to enjoy Thee w ith full liberty ,its torment o ften

redoub les . Ye t this is a delight compared with that o f

EXCLAMATIONS . 79

being forced' to deal w ith creatures

,and thu s deprived of

holding converse alone w ith the Creator . Bu t how is

it,my God ,

that rest wearies the soul which only seeks

to p lease Thee

2 . O sovereign love o f God,how different are thine

effects from those of earthly love,which seeks no com

panion ,fearing lest it should lose what it p ossesses Love

for my God increases on learning that others love Him ,

and its joys dim inish at seeing

‘

that all m en do not share

its hap p iness .

3 . There fore ,O my only Good,durIng Thy tenderest

’

caresses and consolations , I gr ieve at remembering the

many hearts which do not desire these j oys,and still

o thers who w ill lose them for ever . Thus my soul seeks

company, gladly leaving its own delight , m oved by the'

hop e that it may incite souls to strive to attain it But,

O'

my heavenly Father ! were it not b e tter to defer this"

care for o thers until the soul enj oys less o f Thy favours,

and to yield myself new wholly to enj oying Thee ?

4 . Oh ,my Jesus how deep is Thy love for the children

o f men ! The greatest service We can render Thee is"

to leave Thee ,for the sake o f loving and aiding them ?

Then do we p ossess Thee m ost entirely,for

,though our

w ill enjoy Thee less, yet love delights to p lease Thee.

During this m ortal life,all worldly delights are found to

be uncertain ev en' thoiIgh they seem to ‘

com e from Thee,

unless the love of our neighb our b ear them comp any .

80 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Who loves not his b rethren,loves not Thee

,my Lord ,

for Thy b lood ,Shed for us

,b earswitness to Thy b oundless

love for the sons o f Adam .

EXCLAMAT ION III .

1 . On reflecting ,O my God ! on the glory p repared

by Thee for those who persevere in doing Thy will, and

on the many lab ours and pains w ith which Thy Son

purchased us this glory—rememb ering our unworthi

ness and our ob ligation to b e grateful for this immense

love,which

,at so dear a cost to self

,taught us how to

love—my soul is wrung with anguish . H ow is it p ossib le ,

Lord,to forge t those mercies, as souls forget them when

offending Thee

2 . O my Redeemer,how ob liVious are m en o f their

own interest ! H ow excessive is Thy b ounty ! Thou

Who art ever m indful o f us, when by our fall we have

struck Thee a m ortal b low ,dost forge t it , and stretch

forth Thy hand anew to p reserve us,

1recalling us from

our hop eless frenzy to p e tition Thee for health . Blessed

b e such a Master for His infinite m ercy ; may He be

e ternally p raised for His tender compassion !

3 .My soul

,do thou for ever glorify so great a God .

How can m en rebel against H im ? Do not the wicked

stand condemned by H is excessive mercies to them ?

I P e . xxiv . 1 6 Septies cadet justus, cl resurget,

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82 MINOR WORKS O F ST. TERESA .

didst p urchase us by such a p reciou s ransom,exp iating

our evil p leasures by agonising torments and scourging .

Thou hast cured my blindness by the b lindfolding o f Thy

sacred eyes,and healed my vanity by the cruel crown of

thorns .

6 . O Lord,Lord ! all this does but emb itter the grie f

o f one who loves Thee My only consolation is to think

o f the eternal p raise that w ill be rendered to Thy m ercy

when my Sins are revealed . Yet I know not if my grief

will ever heal,until

,on seeing Thee ,

all the m iseries o f

this m ortal life shall vanish .

EXCLAMATION IV .

1 . My soul,0 my Lord ,

finds som e rep ose in thinking

o f the hap p iness in store for it if,through Thy mercy

,it

is one day p ermitted to enj oy Thee Yet I long to lab our

for Thee first , 1 since Thy lab our w on this joy for m e .

What Shall I do,my Lord ,

and what wilt Thou do,0

my God

2 . How late has my desire for Thee caugh t flam e,bu t

how early didst Thou seek to w in m e,calling me to give

myself wholly to Thee ! 1 Hast thou ever,0 Lord

,

rejected the wretched ,or turned away from the p oor

mendicant who sought to draw near Thee ? Are there

limits to Thy p ower , or to Thy m ighty works

1 Rel. ix . 1 9 .

1 Castle , M . iv . ch . iii. 3 .

EXCLAMATIONS . 83

3 . O my God ,Source o f m ercy. to m e ! Now is the

tim e indeed in which to p rove so to Thy handmaid,for

Thou art alm ighty . Now it w ill b e shown whether mysoul is right in b elieving , while recalling the wasted

'

year s

that are p ast , that Thou ,Lord

,canst in an instant turn

this loss to gain . I seem to rave,for m en say that time

Once sp ent can nev er b e recovered . Blessed b e my‘

God

4 . Lord ,I acknowledge Thy sovereign p ower. A ]

m igh ty as Thou art,what is imp ossible to Thee

,Who

canst do all things Do Thou only w ill it,0 my God ,

do Thou but w ill it ! Miserable as I am, yet I b elieve

firm ly that Thou canst do all Thou w ilt . The m ore I

hear Thy w onders sp oken o f,the b e tter I know Thou

canst p erform still greater things : thu s my faith and

my confidence grow stronger that Thou w ilt grant myrequest . Why wonder at what is done by the Omni

p oten t 7’

5 . Thou knowest,O my God ,

that,in sp ite o f all my

faults,I ever recognised the greatness o f Thy p ower and

mercv . O Lord,may this one thing ,

in which I have

not offended Thee,stand in my favour Restore to m e

the tim e lost, giving m e Thy grace ,

b oth now and in the

future,so that I may ap p ear b efore

'

Thee in wedding

garm ents,

” 1as Thou canst do if it b e Thy will.

3 St . Matt . xx ii . 1 1, 1 2 I ntravit au tem rex u t videret discam

henies , et vidit ibi hominem non vestitum veste nup tiali , et ait illi

A m ice , quomodo huc intrasti non habens vestem nup tialem 2 A t

ille obmu tu it.

84 MINOR WORK S OF ST . TERESA .

EXCLAMAT ION V .

1 . O my Lord ! after having served Thee so ill and

known so little how to p reserve past graces , how dare I

ask for m ore ? How canst Thou trust one who has

so O ften p roved a traitor ? What then shall I do,Con

soler o f the disconsolate and Re fuge o f all those who

come to Thee for help ? Is it b etter to say no thing o f

my wants in the hope o f Thy relieving them Not so,

for Thou,my Lord and my joy,

knowing how numerous

would b e our needs and what solace we should find in

confiding them to Thee,didst b id us pfay to Thee ,

for

Thou wouldst not fail to give .

2 . Some tim es I think o f the holy woman Martha’

s

comp laint ; she was not m erely b lam ing her sister,but

I am convinced that what she felt m ost keenly was the

thought that Thou didst not care for her lab ours, nor

wish to have her near Thee . Perhap s she though t Thou

hadst less love for her than for her sister,which would

have tried her m ore than lab ouring for the Lord Who

was so dear that work for H im was bu t a p leasure . This

seem s clear,since she addressed Thee

,and not her sister

Marv : b ut , Lord ,her love emb oldened her to ask Thee

why Thou hadst no care for her .

3 . Thine answer1Show s that love alone gives value to

1 St . Luke , x . 4 1 , 42 M artha ,M artha , sollicita es , et turbaris

erga p lurima . Porro unum est necessarium . M aria op timam

partem elegit, gum non auferetur ab ea,-Ca,stle , M . v ii, ch . iv . 1 7,

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86 MINOR WORKS OF ST : TERESA .

solitude How hop eless is my case H ow long ,Lord

,

how long shall it endure What Shall I do,my sovereign

Good,what shall I do ? Shall I desire not to desire

Thee

3 . O God my Creator ! Who dost wound, yet dost

not heal Who dost strike b ut leave no wound do st kill

and give new life by it ; in a word,Who art alm ighty,

and therefore dost what p leaseth Thee wilt Thou make

such a wretched w orm suffer these conflicting pains?

Be it SO,my God ,

since it is Thy w ill, for I only seek to

love Thee . Bu t alas,alas

,m y Creator

,b it ter anguish

wrings this com p laint from m e,making m e sp eak o f that

for which there is no rem edy until Thou p rov idest one

The sou l,thus p ent in b ondage ,

longs for liberty, yet

would not m ove one hair’

s b readth from the path Thou

choosest for it . Do Thou,my Glory ,

either increase my

p ain ,or cure it altogether .

4 . Ah ,death

,death

,I know not why m en dread thee

,

since life is found in thee Yet who that has not always

loved God in the past wou ld fear thee not Since I am

such a one,what do I desire and ask Will death but

b ring the p unishm ent my sins so justly m erit ? Perm it

it not,my sovereign Good ,

for it cost Thee dear to ransom

me

5 . O my soul,subm it to the w ill o f thy God : this is

b est for thee serve Him and tru st to His m ercy to ease

thy pain ,when by penance thou hast won some little

EXCLAMATIONS. 87

Claim to pardon for thy sins : seek not to re j oice until

thou hast suffered !

6 . A las , my true Lord and King ,I am incap able even

of“

this,unaided by Thy sovereign p ower and majesty

,

but with these I can do all things

EXCLAMAT ION VII .

1 . O my hop e ,my Father

,my Creator

,my true

Lord,my Brother ! My soul overflows with joy at re

memb ering how Thou hast said : My deligh t is to b e

With the sons o f m en .

” 1 O Sovereign o f heaven and

earth ! after such words as these '

what sinner Should

despair? Canst Thou find no one else in whom to

d ialight , that Thou dost seek ou t such a repulsive worm

as myself A t the bap tism o f Thy Son,Thy voice was

heard to say Thou didst delight in H im .

2 Dost Thou,

then, pu t u s on a p ar w ith Him ,

Lord

2 . What infinite m ercy what favour,far transcending

our deserts ! Can w e m ortals forget all this ? Call to

m ind,my God

,our great m isery,

and look up on our

frailty,for Thou knowest all things .

3 . Ponder,then

,m y soul

,over the great delight and

love of the Father in knowing H is Son ,of the Son in

knowing H is Father , and the ardour wherewith the Holy

1 Prov . v iii. 3 1 Deliciw mew , esse cum filiis hominum .

2 St . Mat t . iii. 1 7 : H ic est filius meus dilectus, in quo m ihi

comp lacu i .

88 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Ghost unites with Them,and how none o f the Three

Persons can cease loving and knowing the others,b ecause

They are one and the sam e God . These Sovere ign Persons

mu tually know,love

,and delight in one another . Why,

then,do they need my love Why seek it

,0 my God

What does it p rofit Thee ?

4 . Blessed ,oh blessed for ever mayest Thou be

,my

God May all things p raise Thee withou t end ,0 Lord

,

for Thou art infinite ! Re j oice,my soul

,that there is

One Who lov es thy God as He deserves,Who knows H is

goodness and perfections : thank H im for having given

u s on earth One Who knows Him as does H is only be

go tten Son .

5 . Under H is p ro tection ,thou canst ap p roach H is

Majesty and b eseech Him ,Since He delights Him self

in thee,to let no earthly thing p revent thy delighting in

Him ,and re j oicing in the p erfections o f thy God and in

the thought that He deserves to b e loved and p raised .

Beg Him to aid thee to further,in some small degree the

glory o f His Nam e that thou mayest truly say My

soul doth magnify and p raise the Lord ! 1

1 St . Luke i. 46 : M agnificat anima mea Dominum .

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90 MINOR WORKS O F STI TERESA .

4 . Oh ill past rem edy, needing Thee to manifest bo th

Thy p ower and Thy m ercy . O true God of m ine How

hard a thing I crav e o f Thee ! NO less than that Thou

shouldst love those who love no t Thee shouldst op en to

those who do no t knock— shouldst cure those who wish

to ail,and who fo ster their maladies .

5 . Thou didst declare,my Master ,

that Thou cam est

to seek sinners : these are the real sinners ! Look not

on our blindness,my God ,

but on the stream s o f b lood

Shed by Thy Son for us . Let Thy m ercy shine forth

amidst such m onstrou s wickedness . Rememb er,Lord

,

we are the work o f Thy hands succour u s by Thy

goodness and m ercy

EXCLAMATION IX .

I . O com passionate and tender Sovereign O f my soul,

Who dost also say I f any one thirst,let him come to

Me,and I will give him to dr ink H ow parched with

thirst mu st m en b e who are inflamed w ith covetousness

for m iserable earthly goods Urgent is their need Of this

water , lest they b e to tally consum ed .

2 . I know ,my Lord ,

that ou t o f Thy b ounty Thou

St . Matt . ix . 1 3 N on am’

m vem’

vocare justos , sed pecca tores .

5 Isaias lx iv . 8 Opera m anuum tuaram omnes nos .

1 St . John v ii. 37 Si qu is sitit, veniat ad me , at bibal.—Way 0/

Pen‘

ch . xix . 4 .

EXCLAMAT IONS. 91

w ilt . give it them . Thou Thyself hast p rom ised it , and

Thy w ord canno t fail—bu t alas ! if from having“

lived

long in this furnace o f passion ,they have b ecom e in

sensib le to its flam es,and are too careless to realise their

great danger , what cure is there for them,my God ?

Thou cam est into the world t o rem edy such ills b egin

Thy work ,Lord, for =Thy p ity

‘

is b est shown in the m ost

desperate evils .

3 . See, Lord ,Thine ‘

enem‘

ie s grow bolder—have m ercy

on those SO merciless to them selves,whose m iserable

condition p revents their wishing to draw near to Thee

do Thou com e to them,O my God I ask this in their

nam e I know that when they are enlightened and have

returned to their senses,having b egun to taste Thy

sweetness,

2 they w ill rise from the death o f sin .

4 : O'Life

,Who givest life to all re fuse not this m ost

deliciou s water , p rom ised by Thee to all who desire it .

Behold,I long for it , Lord I ask for it

,I com e to Thee

H ide not this water from m e Thou knowest how I need

it,since it is the only cure for a soul w ounded by Thee .

5 . O ‘Lord,how m any kinds o f fever inflam e m en

’

s

hearts in this life What cau se have w e for fear Som e

of these ardours consum e the soul, yet o thers p urify it

‘

and p repare it to enjoy Thee for ev er .

6 . O - living waters , sp ringing from the wounds of my

God ,how abundantly you ever flow to su stain us Safely

2 PS . xxxiii. 9 Gus tate et videte quom‘

am saavis est Dom inus .

92 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

indeed,w ill he who drinks eagerly of this divine draught

traverse the dangers o f this wretched life .

EXCLAMAT ION X .

I . O God o f my soul ! how eager are we to offend

Thee, yet how far m ore eager art Thou to forgive us !

Why ,Lord

,are we so foolishly p resum p tuou s, unless

b ecause,know ing Thy great m ercy

,we forget the strictness

of Thy justice The pains o f death have encompassed

m e .

”Alas

,alas

,alas ! What a terrib le evil is Sin

,

which cau sed a death o f such agony to God H im self !

How Thy torm entors surround Thee still,my God !

Where canst Thou turn to b e free from them ? From

every quarter they deal Thee m ortal b low s .

2 . Christians,it is tim e to de fend your King and to

rally round H im in His u tter abandonm ent few are His

faith ful sub jects,and many the followers o f Lucifer .

Worst o f all,H is pub lic friends b etray H im secretly

,so

that there is hardly one whom He can trust .

3 . O true Friend,how ill such traitors requite Thee !

Weep ,all faithful Christians

,weep w ith your God

, Who

shed tears o f p ity not for Lazaru s alone,

”but for those'

also who would never wish to rise to life,though He called

them forth .

Ps . cxiv . 3 : Ciroumdedem nt me dolores mo m'

s .

St . John xi. 35 : E t lacryma tus est jesus .

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94 MINOR WORK S,O F ST . TERESA .

and loved,waited on

,honoured and pampered ,

on clearly

realising its eternal perdition and that it is useless to tryto turn away its thoughts from the tru ths Of . faith as

it did while on earth . I t will find itself,

torn ,from its

p leasures b efore it had b egun ,to e njov them ,

for truly

all that ends w ith life p asses like a puff O f Wind .

7 . The soul sees itself am ong the hideous and m erciles s

companions with whom it is to suffer for e ternity,in the

m idst O f a fe tid p ool o f serp ents , each o f which strives to

devour it m ore fiercely than the rest a horrible darkness,

revealing no thing but tormen ting and hideous objects ,

surrounds it,and no ligh t appears excep t a gloomy flame .

‘

8 . Alas, this descrip tion falls short o f the reality !

Who so blinded the eyes o f such a man that he never

realises these horrors,until p lunged am ongst them 7

O Lord ! who stop p ed his ears from hearing the

tru ths so O ften told him o f the e ternity o f these torm ents

Ah,never-ending life Oh ,

ceaseless tortures,ceaseless

torm ents that last for ever ! How is ' it,that m en who

fear the discom fort o f sleep ing on a hard b ed,do not

dread such angu ish?

9 . O Lord my God I weep for the tim e when I ignored

these horrors . Thou knowest my grie f at seeing the

multitude o f m en who turn their thoughts from e ternal

Life , ch . xxx ii . 1—9 .

7 H e will Op en in h is to rm ent the eyes which he long kep tclosed in sin (St . Grego ry,

M oralia , bk . xxv .

EXCLAMATIONS . 95

punishment let there b e one,0 Lord

,at least let there

be one who asks Thee to enlighten him ,who is capab le

o f leading many o thers to the tru th ! I ask not this

favour for my own sake,Lord

,for I do not deserve it

,

but b eg it o f Thee by the m erits o f Thy Son . Look on

His Wounds,and forgive us as He forgave the m en who

Inflicted them .

EXCLAMATION X I .

l

I . Why,O my God ,

source o f all my strength ,are we

always cowards,excep t in reb elling against Thee ? To

this do the sons o f Adam direct all their energies . Were

not their reason b linded they would never dare to comb ine

the strength of the whole human race in taking arm s

and waging war against H im Who in an instant could

hurl them down the b o ttom less abyss . With m inds

obscured,they resem b le madm en

,who

,b ent on their own

destruction,imagine they w ill thus gain new life -in

short, they are b eside them selves .

2 . What cure is there,m y God

,for such frenzy ?

Men say that madness increases strength . SO it is with

m en who revolt against God : feeb le as they may b e,

all their fury is sp en t on Thee ,theirgreatest Bene factor .

3 . O incomp rehensib le Wisdom Thou needest all

Thy love for creatures,to b ear w ith such folly,

and to

1 Milner , etc Excl. X I I .

96 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

wait until we return to our senses,whilst by a thousand

art s and remedies Thou art striving to b ring ab ou t our

cure .

4 . How marvellous,that though we lack resolu tion

to conquer self in trivial matters,and p ersuade ourselves

that even if we try,w e cannot avo id som e occasion o f

sin,or som e danger by which we risk eternal p erdition ,

yet we have the audacity to affront such sovere ign

maj esty as Thine

5 . How is this,my only Good ? how is it ? Who

gives such strength ? IS not the cap tain whom m en

follow in this war against Thee Thy vassal ? And he

dwells in unquenchab le flames—how can he rise up

against Thee How can the vanqu ished insp ire courage

H is p overty is extrem e,for he is dep rived o f the riches Of

heaven ; why ,then

,do m en follow him ? What can

he give ,who owns no thing b ut sufferings ? H ow can

it be,my God Why is it , my Creator Why do men

cowed by the devil de fy Thee

6 . Even if, O my Lord ,Thou hadst no t aided Thine

own—even if w e owed som e deb t o f gratitude to this

p rince o f darkness,should we no t compare the j oys Thou

hast in store for us w ith the false and treacherous p rom ise s

of the evil one ? He has b etrayed Thee—What w ill he

do to us

7 . Alas , what u tter b lindness, my God what revoltingingratitude ,

my King ! What hopeless madness, to use

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98 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

did H is murderers do,after they had b ound Him ,

than

deal H im b low s and w ounds

1 0 . O my God ! how Thou hast suffered for those

who grieve so little for Thy pain ! The day w ill com e,

Lord ,when Thy ju stice will be made manifest

,and m en

w ill discover that it equals Thy m ercy . Mark that,

Christians ! Deep ly as we m ay reflect up on it,never

shall we realise how much we owe our Lord God and

how magnificent are H is m ercies . But,if His justice

is as great , alas, alas what w ill b e their fate who deserve

its b eing carried ou t and exem p lified in them

EXCLAMATION XI I .

1

I . O ye souls free from all dread o f ever losing your

b liss,

—you ,

who are constantly absorb ed in the p raise s o f

my God ,how blessed is your lot ! How just it is that

you should ceaselessly adore Him ! How I envy you ,

who are delivered from the grie f I feel at witnessing the

hate ful Offences comm itted against my God in these

unhap p y days and the gross ingratitude o f m en’

s in

difference to the multitude o f souls Satan is dragging

down to hell.

2 . O blessed souls dwelling in paradise ! Relieve our

m iseries and intercede for us w ith the divine Mercy,

that He may give u s som e little share o f your felicity,

1 M ilner , etc Excl. X I I I .

EXCLAMATIONS . 99

and of the certain knowledge you p ossess . Grant 11

to understand,my God

,what reward Thou givest to

tho se who fight valiantly during the nightmare of this

wretched life . O souls inflam ed w ith love,ob tain for

u S grace to comp rehend your delight at reflecting on the

eternity o f your b liss and your rap ture at knowing it

w ill never end

3 . Wretched creatures that we are,O Master m ine we

know and b elieve these tru ths, yet our old-estab lished

hab it Of not reflecting on them makes them too strange

for souls either to realise or seek to grasp them . And

you ,self-seeking ,

craving for p leasure and en j oym ent,

since you will not have the p atience to wait but a short

tim e,when you could enj oy them in abundance—to wait

a year,or a day ,

or an hour,or p erhap s no m ore than an

instant—forfeit them all for the‘

sake of som e m iserab le

and m om entary gratification that Offers itself .

4 . Oh ,Oh

,Oh ! H ow little do w e tru st Thee

,Lord !

far m ore p recious riches and treasures didst Thou entru st

to u s—the three and thirty years o f Thy Son’

s sufferings,

H is death and agony ,and Thy Son H im self And these

didst Thou bestow on u s centuries b efore w e were b orn,

know ing at the tim e that we should rep ay Thee nothing

yet Thou didst not hesitate to consign to us this,in

estimable . treasure wherewith ,if we augm ent its value

by the aid of Thy Son ,we can p urchase eternal happ iness

from Thee,O comp assionate Father

I OO MINOR WORK S O F ST . TERESA .

5 . Oh ,b lessed souls

,so wise in know ing how to make

good use Of this loan—who b ought w ith it the matchless

p rize of so j oyful and eternal an inheritance,teach us

how you gained through Him such endless b liss ! Help

u s, you are so near the fountain-head ! draw water for

u s who perish w ith thirst in this world .

EXCLAMATION X III .

l

I . O my Lord ,very God of m ine ! He who knows

Thee not,loves Thee not . H ow true this is

,bu t w oe

,

ah,woe to those who seek not to know Thee ! The

hour o f death is an hour o f terror ; but , alas, alas , myCreator

,how terrific w ill b e that day on which Thy justice

shall be execu ted ! O ften do I think,my Saviour, how

b eau tiful are Thine eyes to tho se who love Thee ,on whom

Thou,my only Good

,dost deign to gaze w ith affection .

I think but one such tender glance ,b ent on those Thou

holdest as Thine own,is recom pense for many a year ’s

service .

2 . Good God ,how hard it is to make this understood

1 Milner , etc Excl. X IV

1 I John iii . 6 : Omnis qm’

peceat, non vidit eam , nee cognovit

cum .

3 I f a man lov es Thee no t , 0 Lo rd , he lov es Thee no t becausehe knows Thee not and he knows Thee no t b ecause he does not

understand Thee (St. A ugustine’

s Soliloqm’

es . Migne , PL .

12. x1. 0 . i. co l.

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1 02 MINOR WORK S O F ST . TERESA .

'

5 . 0 b ro thers , b ro thers , my b rethren , children o f this

God ,courage courage for you know that if we rep ent ,

H is Majesty has p rom ised to rem emb er our sins and

Wickedness no m ore .

6 . Oh , what b oundless mercy ! What m ore could we

desire ? Would not anyone b e asham ed of asking so

much Now is the time to accep t what this compassion

ate Lord and God O f ours gives us . H e seeks our

friendship : who would deny it Him Who re fused not to

shed all H is b lood and to lose H is life for our sakes See,

this is no thing He asks from us,am ere no thing ,

and only

what it is b est for us to give Him .

7 . A las , O Lord ! what hard-heartedness, what folly,

what blindness We grieve ifwe lose anything—an arrow

—a hawk which amuse s bu t for a m oment by its flight

through the air—yet we care nothing if we forfeit this

imperial eagle of the majesty o f God ,and a kingdom Of

endless j oys . Why is it Why is it I cannot under

stand it . Put an end,my God ,

to such folly and b lindness !

EXCLAMAT ION X lV .

l

I . A las, alas, Lord ! how long this exile lasts ! What

torture does it give m e from my yearning to p ossess my

God Yet,Lord

,what can the soul do

,held fast in this

p rison

1 Milner, etc Excl. X V .

EXCLAMATIONS . 1 03

2 . Ah ,Jesus

,how long is m ortal life

,though men call

it short Sltort,indeed

,in which to gain e ternal life

,but

very long and w eary to the soul that desires to b e in God’

s

p resence What m ed icine hast Thou for such suffering

None,save to suffer for Thy sake

3 . 0 sweet com fort Of tho se who love my God ,never

desert thy lovers, for thou dost increase , yet solace,the

pain cau sed by the Beloved in the soul that p ines for

Him ! I desire,Lord

,to p lease Thee ,

and well I know

that I can find hap p iness in no hum an b eing,

1 there fore,

Thou wilt not b lam e m e for desiring Thee .

4 . Behold m e here,Lord ! if there is need for m e to

live to render Thee som e service,like St . Martin who

loved Thee so fervently,

” I re fu se no trials that may

await me on earth .

‘ But alas,my Lord ,

he gave Thee

works,while I only render Thee emp ty words

,for I

can do no m ore .

5 . Let my words p revail in Thy divine p resence ,and

look not on my feeb le m erits . May we all attain to the

love of Thee ,O Lord ! Since we must live

,let us live

solely for Thee,relinquishing all desires

,all self-interest

,

for what can p rofit us m ore than to p lease Thee

6 . O my joy and my God ! what can I do to p lease

Thee My services are contemp tible , however many I

2 Life , ch . xxiv . 7 ,8 .

3 See no te on St . Martin , Cas tle, M . v i . ch . v i. 6 .

4 Way of Peri. ch . x ix . 1 2 .

1 04 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

may p er form for my God ! Why then should I remain

in such u t ter m isery ? That the w ill o f God may be

done is there aught b etter than that ? My soul,

hop e ,hop e on

,for thou knowest not when the day or the

hour w ill com e . Keep constant watch,for all is swiftly

fleeting ,though thy longing makes thee doub t the in

evitable,and lengthens the b rie f tim e . Rem emb er

the longer thy battle ,the m ore thou p rov est thy love for

thy God ,and the greater thy never-ending b liss and

delight with thy Beloved .

EXCLAMATION X V .

l

I . O my very God and Lord Greatly does it com fort

the soul wearied by the loneliness o f absence from Thee,

to reflect that Thou art p resent in all things Yet when

the ardour o f its love and the imp etuous vehem ence Of

its angu ish increases , what does even this avail ? The

understanding is darkened ,the reason ob scured

,so that

it can no longer grasp nor believe this tru th . The soul

only feels that it is sep arated from Thee and can find no

solace ,for the heart that loves Thee so deep ly receives

neither com fort nor help save from H im Who wounded

it and to Whom it looks for the remedy that w ill assuage

its p ain .

’

2 . Wh en Thou w ilt,Lord ,

Thou dost qu ickly cure

1 M ilner , e tc . , Excl. X VI .

1 Life ,ch . xx ix . I 3

- 1 9 . Rel. v iii. I 6 ,1 7 .

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1 06 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

strive,during this contest

,save H im Who has taken

p ossession o f the fort ress they once held,

—the highest

p ar t Of the soul ? From this He has e j ected them ,and

they now return to oust their conqueror at last,weary

o f ab sence from H im,they yield them selves up . Thus

,

losing all their strength ,they figh t far b etter than b e fore ,

and by surrendering to their victor , triumph over H im

finally .

7 . O my soul what a b lessed conflict hast thou waged

during this trial, and how truly has this b een thy case .

Since My Beloved is to m e and I to my Beloved ,

”who

w ill strive to separate and extinguish two such ardent

flam es It would be lab our lost , for they are now one .

“

EXCLAMATION X VI .

l

1 . O my God ,my infinite Wisdom

,w ithou t m easure

and withou t b ounds ,above the understanding either o f

angels or m en ; Love ,Who dost love m e m ore than I

can love myself, or can conceive why do I w ish for m ore

than Thou dost will to give me ? Why weary myself

by p raying for what I desire to Thee , Who knowest what

would b e the result O f all my thoughts imagine or my

heart craves for,while I am ignorant o f what would

p rofit me

5 1 Co r . v i. I 7 Qu i adhaeret Deo , unu s sp iritus est .

1 Miln er , etc Excl. X VI I .

EXCLAMATIONS . 1 07

2 . Perhap s what my soul fancies would b e its gain

m ight b e its ru in . I f I ask Thee to free m e from a cross

by which Thou seekest to m ortify me,what do I ask

Thee,my God

?

3 . I f I entreat Thee to send m e such a trial, p erhap s it

may b e b eyond my p atience which is too weak to bear

so heavy a burden ; or,were I to endure it

,bu t w ere

wanting'

in hum ility,I m igh t fancy I had p erform ed som e

great -deed,while Thou

,my God ,

didst do it all. When

I seek for greater sufferings, I do not w ish for what m igh t

injure my good nam e which seem s requ isite for serving

Thee,although I believe that I care no thing for my

honour yet p erhap s the very m eans I think would hinder

me m igh t further my one desire O f lab ouring for Thee .

I could say far m ore,0 Lord

,to Show how little I know

myself,but as Thou surely knowest this

,why do I sp eak

o f it

4 . In order that,when m isery again overwhelm s m e

,

my God ,and reason is b linded

,I may find it written here .

O ften,my God ,

when I feel m ost wretched,weak

,and

cowardly,do I try to recall her

, who called herself Thyservant

,who thought the grace she had received from

Thee would su ffice to arm her against all the tempe sts

of this world .

”

5 . NO,my God ,

no ! Let m e no longer trust to myown w ishes :

'

will for m e as Thou art p leased to will,

3 Life , ch . xxv . 2 3 , 24 . Castle, M . v i. oh . i . 2 1 .

1 08 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

for this is my w ill, since all my good consists in p leasingThee . I f Thou

,my God ,

shouldst w ill to p lease me by

satisfying my longings I see that I Should b e lost . How

vain is man’

s wisdom ! H ow dangerous are his p lans !

May Thy p rovidence sup p ly my need that I may serve

Thee according to Thy w ill , no t m ine

6 . Punish me not by granting p rayers or w ishes at

variance w ith Thy love ,which I desire may ever dwell

within m e . Make m e die to self ; let Ano ther , greater

and b etter for me than myself,live in me

,that I may

serve H im ; let Him live and give m e life : 1 let H im

reign that I may be H is slave,

—my soul seeks no other

liberty,for how can he b e free who is sep arated from the

m ost H igh What m oreabj ect or m iserab le serf than the

soulwhich has b roken loose from the hands o f its Creator

7 . Hap p y the souls imp risoned by the'

fetters and

chains of God ’

s gifts and m ercy,and too strongly b ound

and help less to free them selves . Love is strong as

death and hard as hell .

”

8 . Oh ,that we were but slain by this love ,

and p lunged

in this divine hell,from whence

,ah

,from whence there

is no hop e o f escap e ,or rather

,no fear of being cast forth .

Bu t w oe is me,Lord ! during this m ortal life we live in

constant danger of losing the life that is e ternal.

3 Gal. ii. 20 Vivo au tem jam non ego , vivit vero in me Christus .

Cant. v iii. 6 : Qu ia fortis es t at m ore dilee tio , dura s ieut tu

fernus wmulatz’

o .

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I I O M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

so perfect a p artaker o f H is divine nature that thou

wilt no longer have the p ower nor w ish to forget the

sup reme Good ,nor to cease to exult in Him and in His

love . Blessed are those whose nam es are written in

the b ook o f life .

7 But,my soul

,if thou art am ong their

numb er,Why art thou sad

,and why dost thou trouble

m e

1 3 . Hop e in the Lord,becau se I w ill ye t confess to

H im my Sins and H is m ercies : o f which I w ill make

a song o f p raise ,m ingled with incessant sighs to Him ,

my Saviour and my God . I t may b e that a day will

come when my glory Shall sing to H im” 1 '

and my

conscience b e no m ore troubled,

where all weep ing

and fears shall b e no m ore . Meanwhile,

“in hop e and

Silence shall m y strength be .

”Rather would I live

and die in the hope of eternal life than p ossess all created

b eings and riches,for they mu st all pass away . Forsake

m e not,0 Lord

,for in Thee do I trust

,let not my hope

b e confounded ! ” 1” May I always serve Thee faithfu lly

then disp ose Of m e as Thou w ilt

2 Pe t . i . 4 : D ivine consortes natu rm.

St . Luke x . 20 : Gaude te au tem quod nom ina vestra scr ip ta

san t in ecelis .

8 PS . x li . 6 Qua re tristis es ,anima mea P et quare con turbas me P

PS . x li. 1 2 Spera in Deo quoniam adhuc confitebor illi.

1° Ps xx ix . 1 3 Ut can tet tibi gloria m ea .

1 1 Is . xxx . 1 5 I n silentio et in spe erit fortitudo vestra .

13 Ps . xxx . 2 I n te Domine speravi , non con/undar in d ternum .

INTRODUCT ION TO THE CONCEPTIONS OFTHE LOVE OF GOD

JRS . MARIA .

I HAVE b een a w itness to the m ercies that our Lord grants

to souls He has called to these convents,which His

Maj esty has b een p leased should b e established according

to the p rim itive Ruleo f our Lady of Mount Carm el. So

sub lim e are som e o f the D ivine favours shown to several

of the nuns that only those who realise the need of som e

b ody exp laining to them certain things which occur in

the intercourse b etween Christ and the soul,can under

stand what these religiou s suffer for want o f light . F or

several years He has made m e take such delight in hearing

and reading som e o f the texts in the Canticles of Solomon,

that , although I canno t clearly understand the m eaning

of the Latin in Spanish , yet they im p ress and affect m e

m ore than many devotional b ooks in my own tongue .

This is u sually the case,bu t although p eop le have told

me the sense o f the words in Sp anish ,I do not gra5p

their m eaning any better than be fore 1and without

intending it , they withdraw my soul from H im .

1 The m anuscrip t O f A lba de To rm es, the only one to containth is Pro logue ,

is incom p lete here and at the end , p art O f the shee tbeing to rn O ff .

I I Z MINOR WORK S O F ST . TERESA .

F or the last two years,our Lord has enab led me to

perceive unaided the doctrine contained in som e of

these texts,which I think w ould b ring com fort to those

sisters whom H e leads in this way ,and even to myself

for som e times He teaches me m uch on the sub ject that

I Should like to remem ber, ye t I have never dared to

write it down . By the advice Of certain persons whom

I am b ound to ob ey ,I will tell you some o f the meanings

that Christ taught m e were contained in certain w ords in

which my soul deligh ted during the state o f p rayer to

which He has also raised some o f the sisters in our con

vents,who are also my sisters . I f it is given you to read ,

accep t this p oor little gift from her who desires for you ,

as for herself,all the gifts of the Holy Ghost

,in Whose

name I begin this b ook . Should I mee t w ith any success

in my attemp t , it will not b e through my own ab ilities .

May H is Majesty enab le me to accomp lish the work

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1 1 4 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

address the p erson him self in the w ords for thy

breasts are b et ter than w ine .

” I cannot understand

this,and I am very glad o f it . F or the soul ought not

SO much to contemp late and honour God in those things

that our grovelling intellects can master in this life,as

in these p rob lem s that we canno t solve . When you read

a b ook ,or hear a serm on

, or m editate on any o f the

mysteries o f ouf holy faith ,if you find you canno t clearly

comp rehend the mat ter,I strongly recommend you not

to tire yourselves , nor to strain your m inds by puzzling

over it,for many of these things are not suited for women

nor m en either,very o ften

2 . When our Lord wishes u s to comp rehend these

matters,He w ill enlighten u s w ith no lab our of our own .

This ap p lies to wom en,and also to m en who are not b ound

to de fend the tru th by their doctrine those whom God

has ap p ointed for our teachers must necessarily study,

and they gain by it . A s for us,let u s accep t what H e

gives us in all sim p licity ,and not tire ourselves by trying

to discover the rest ; let u s rather re jo ice at thinkingthat we have so great a God ,

Whose every word contains

a thousand m ysteries,so that its very first p rincip le is

beyond our grasp . This would not b e surp rising were

the language Latin ,or Heb rew

,or Greek

,b ut how many

things in the Psalm s o f the glorious King David are as

ob scure to us in Spanish as they would be in Latin !

There fore never rack your b rain or tire yourselves ab ou t

CONCEPT IONS O F THE LOVE OF GOD . I I S

these matters for w om en’

need no m ore than what suits

their capacity—with this, God w ill give u s His grace when

He chooses . He w ill teach u s withou t any troub le or

labour o f our own . A s for the rest,let u s humb le our

selves and,as I said

, glory in having a God Whose words,

even in the vulgar tongue ,are b eyond our understanding .

3 . You may think that som e things in the Canticles

m ight have been exp ressed differently . Our m inds are

so evil that this would not surp rise m e . I have even heard

p eop le say that they avoided hearing them . A las,O

God,what m ost m iserab le creatures we are : like veno

m ou s rep tiles that turn all they eat into p oison From

the great favour our Lord does u s in showing uS the b liss

enj oyed by the soul that loves H im and how He encourages

it to converse w ith and delight in H im ,we draw m isgivings

and m istaken ideas in accordance w ith our lukewarm

love for H im .

4 . O my Master ! H ow we p ervert all the b lessings

Thou b estowest on u s Thou dost seek ways and m eans

and allurem ents to testify Thy love for u s , but we ,unu sed

,

as it were,to love Thee

,so disparage them t hat our

thoughts follow their u sual track,and never p enetrate the

sub lim e mysteries hidden in m ere words,dictated as they

are by the H oly Sp irit . Could m ore b e needed to inflam e

us with love for God than the thought that H e did not

adop t this way of sp eaking w ithou t a deep m o tive ? I

rememb er once hearing a religious p reach an excellent

1 1 6 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

serm on, p rincip ally up on the joys o f the b ride w ith her

God,and the congregation scandalised m e by the way

that they laughed at and m isinterp reted his words—for

he sp oke ab ou t love because it was at the Mandatum 1

when no other sub j ect was adm issib le .

5 . I am convinced,as I said

,that the love of God is so

strange a thing to u s that we cannot believe that a soul

could thu s b e intimate with God . But though these

peop le gained no good from the words b ecau se they did

no t understand them,and I b elieve they fancied that

the p reacher invented them him self, yet o thers have

drawn great p rofit and com fort and reassurance o f their

misgivings from this source,and have o ften thanked God

for having le ft such graciou s re fuge and help to souls who

love'

H im fervently,in w ords which testify how far He

can abase Him self . Were it no t for this,their fears

could not be qu ieted . I am acquainted w ith som e one'

who felt very anxious for many years and’

nothing

could reassure her until our Lord was p leased that She

should hear certain passages from the Canticles which

showed her that she was in the righ t p ath . F or,as I

2 The cerem ony o f the wash ing o f the feet wh ich is perfo rm ed

on Maundy Thursday in m em o ry O f o ur Lo rd ’

s washing the feetO f the apo stles o n the ev e o f H is p assion . It is called M andatum

(whence Maundy Thursday) from the antip hon sung on thato ccas ion , M andatum novum do vobis—I giv e yo u a new comm and

m ent . A serm o n is som etim e s p reached d uring this cerem o ny .

2 The Saint ev idently speaks here o f h er ow n ex perience .

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1 1 8 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

needs be a deep m eaning and p ro found mystery contained

in the words Of the Canticle of Canticles,and they ar e so

p recious that theologians , whom I have asked what the

Holy Gho st signifies by them and what was their true

purp ort , have told m e that the Doctors Of the Church

have written many comm entaries withou t succeeding in

fully exp laining them .

8 . Since this is the case,it seem s excessively p re

sump tuous for m e to attemp t to elucidate the sub ject

b ut this is not my design ,nor

,however wanting I may b e

in hum ility,do I sup p ose that I can p enetrate the exact

sense . My idea is,as I derive great p leasure from what

our Lord makes m e understand when I hear any part of

the Canticles, that if I told you ab ou t it,it m igh t p erhap s

com fort you as it does m e . Though my comm entary may

not b e ap p licable to the words Of the Holy Scrip ture , yet

I may take them in that sense,if I do no t differ from the

doctrine Of the Church and the Saints—and m en skilled

in theology will exam ine my b ook to guard against this

b e fore it is shown you— I think our Lord au thorises this,

as He p ermits u s , when m editating on His sacred Passion,

to p onder over the many lab ours and torm ents He mu st

have suffered which the Evangelists never m ention . If

we do not act from curiosity ,as I said at first

,but only

accep t the light God gives us , I feel certain that He will not

resent our joy and com fort in H is words and w orks . In

the same way,it would p lease and amuse a king to see a

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . I I Q

simp le shepherd b oy,who was his favourite

,standing

amazed at the sight o f the royal rob es,wondering of what

m aterial they were,and how they were m ade . So we

wom en need not b e entirely shu t ou t from enj oying the

divine treasures as to discussing them and teachingo thers on the sub j ect as if w e thought w e understood it

withou t having consulted learned men— that is another

thing .

9 . God know s I do not exp ect such success in what I

write— I am only like the shepherd lad I Sp oke o f . I t is a

p leasure to relate my thoughts to you ,although many of

them are very foolish . SO I w ill b egin ,w ith the aid of my

Divine King ,and the p erm ission o f my confessor . May

God grant , since He has vouchsafed to let m e succeed in

aiding you,

(or has Him self aided you through m e on

your account) in o ther ways,that I may help you now .

Bu t if no t,my tim e will have b een well Sp ent in writing

and thinking over a subj ect so divine that I am unworthy

even to hear it m entioned .

1 0 . I t ap p ears to m e,as I said b efore , that the Bride

is Sp eaking o f a third p erson who yet is the very sam e she

is addressing ,for in Christ there are tw o natures

,one

divine and the o ther human . I w ill not dwell on this,

b ecause I only intend writing Of what app ears p rofitable

to us who p ractise p rayer—yet everything serves to

encourage and rou se to adm iration the soul that fervently

desires to lov e our Lord . H is Maj esty knows that ,

1 20 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

though I have heard'

these words exp ounded and they

have been exp lained to m e at my own request, yet this

hap p ened bu t rarely and I rem ember nothing at all

ab ou t it,for my m em ory is very bad . Thus I can only

say what He teaches m e or what suits my p urp ose , and

I cannot recall having heard anything ab ou t the b eginning

of the chap ter Let H im kiss me w ith the kiss o f His

m ou th .

1 1 . O my Lord and my God What words for a creature

to u tter to its Creator ! Blessed b e Thou for havingtaught us in so many different ways Who

,O my King ,

who would dare to sp eak thus w ithou t Thy p erm ission

I t is astounding indeed,som e may be astounded at my

saying that anyone may‘

use such an exp ression . Peop le

may tell m e that I am a sim p leton that the bride

would not u tter such a Sp eech ,

”the words have many

m eanings and we certainly ough t not to address them to

God it would be b etter that sim p le p ersons should

not discuss such things

1 2 . I own that the w ords have many m eanings, yet

the soul inflam ed and intoxicated w ith love cares for no

other m eaning ,and only desires to u tter them

,since God

does not dep rive her o f the right of so doing . God help

m e Why should we b e so amazed ? Is not the reality

still m ore wonder ful ? Do we not ap p roach the m ost

Blessed Sacram ent I have sometimes wondered Whether

the Spouse was asking here for this favour which Christ

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1 22 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

my Lord ! the dignity Of Thy divine Maj esty and the

greatness of Thy Sovereign b ounty which lead Thee to

communicate so intimately w ith base creatures,I ask

myself how it is that they are not b eside them selves w ith

wonder and do not seek Thy grace and friendship w ith all

their heart . F or,not content with cherishing the sou l

and giving Thyself for its food and nourishment,Thou dost

deligh t in its treating Thee as its tender and b eloved

Bridegroom and asking Thee to kiss it w ith Thy sweet

and divine m outh . In order to bestow Thy gifts and

favours and to draw it to Thy love,Thou dost speak

to it and teach it w ith such care that the words addr essed

by Thee to souls to show them their faults,their m iseries ,

and to lead them to renounce ear thly things are usually

of a kind of which the very sound p enetrates the m ind

with fear .

ls

1 4 . I f these words were taken literally they m ight well

awe the soul, yet to one b eside herself with love o f Thee

,

Lord ,Thou mayest p ardon this and even m ore

, p resump

tuons as it may b e F or if,my Lord ,

a kiss signifies p eace ,

why should no t souls ask it o f Thee What m ore can w e

b eg o f Thee than what I p lead to Thee for ,O my Master ,

that Thou w ilt kiss m e with the kiss o f Thy m outh ?

This,daughters , is a m ost sub lim e p etition ,

as I will

exp lain to you .

5 This paragrap h ,from the wo rd s “

W hen I co nsider , to

with fear ,” is only found in the manuscrip t o f Bae za .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 23

CHAPTER I I

Of nine sorts of false p eace o f defectiv e lov e and fallacious

p rayer . This chap ter contains v ery im p ortant teaching on genu ine lov e , and on how sou ls should exam ine

them selv es so as to discov er the defec ts that hinderthem from attaining the p erfection they desire .

1 . Peace produced in sou ls by the dev il. 2. Peace proceed ing from lax ity .3 . Examples of th is peace among relig io us. 4 . L ife m ust be a constan t

warfare . 5 . A dvantages of temptations and str uggles . 6 . Peace of sou l

and contr ition . 7 . Contr ition a s ign of sp ir itual life. 8 . Preparationfor th is peace. 9 . Dangerous peace. 1 0. Object of th is treatise. 1 1 .

R iches d isturb peace . 1 2. Peace and holy poverty. 1 3 . E v ils of flattery .

1 4.I ts treachery . 1 5 . Our own noth ingness . 1 6 . D angers of flattery .

1 7 . Bod ily comfort and o ur Lord ’s examp le . 1 8 . A nd that of the Saints .

1 9 . Consequences of self-indu lgence . 20. S elf-indu lgence in relig ious .

21 . Var ious k inds of d iv ine peace . 22. Peace w ith God . 23 . D ispos itions for obtain ing it. 24 . H ab itual s in . 25 . God is patien t w ith us . 26 .

Ven ial s ins and peace . 27 . The ir danger . 28 . W'

orldliness and peace.29 . Renouneem ent of the wor ld . 30. A n instance . 3 1 . S elf-deceptiond ifficu lt in relig ious life . 32. H uman respect and perfection . 33 . Peace

d isturbed by care for repu tation . 34 . Cau tious sou ls . 35 . Their want oftrust. 36 . The relig ious life and peace .

1 . GOD deliver you from many kinds of p eace which

the world enj oys m ay He p revent u s from ever ex

p eriencing such p eace ,for it engenders a p erp etualwarfare

When worldly m inded p eop le feel very p lacid although

they comm it heinou s offences and are untroubled by their

sins,so that conscience does not up braid them ,

their p eace ,

as you have read,comes from their b eing friends with the

devil,who while they live w ill wage no war on them , for

such is their malice that,to save them selves trouble ,

they

would ,to a certain extent

,return to God although they

do not love H im . Still,w ith such a m o tive as this

,they

1 24 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

never remain long in H is service . A s soon as the evil

one no tices it , he flatters their humour again ,and so

regains their friendship ,until he holds them fast in the

’

p lace where they learn how false was his p eace . But it

is needless to Sp eak of such persons—let them enj oy

their tranquillity—and I tru st in God that no such

harm w ill be found am ong you .

2 . The devil may give us ano ther kind o f p eace re

sp ecting insignificant defects, and we mu st fear him,

daugh ters , as long as we live . When a nun begins to

grow lax ab ou t what ap p ear to b e in them selves unim

p ortant things , and feels no rem orse o f conscience after

some tim e,this is an evil p eace ,

and Satan may b ring her

to a very w icked p eacefulness .

3 . Such is the b reach O f some Constitu tion,which in

itself is no sin,or carelessness in obeying the orders o f a

sup erior who is the rep resentative o f God,for we cam e

here p repared to resp ect her wishes . There ar e other

little matters which do no t seem to b e sin ful,bu t which

are imp erfections . Such things must occur,be cause o f

the miseries o f our nature I do not deny this,b ut I say

that we ought to be sorry for them and to know that w e

have done wrong ; otherw ise the devil may bestir him

self and gradually make the soul insensib le to these small

de fects , and when he succeeds in this,I assure you ,

my

daughters, that he has gained no small victory,and 1

fear he w ill not stop there .

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1 26 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

and enj oy constant interior hap p iness . F or my part I do

not b elieve that their case is thoroughly understood,and

on investigating the matter,I have found that they have

their little struggles at tim es,although not frequently . I

have weighed the matter care fully,and I do not envy

such p ersons , for I find o thers advance far m ore who

sustain the com bats that I have describ ed,although

their p rayer is not such,in p o int of p erfection ,

as we

should exp ect it to b e here .

6 . I do no t allude to those who have attained great

holiness and m ortification by their long years of war fare

they have died to the world,and our Lord u sually gives

p eace , which ,however

,does not p revent their p erceiving

and grieving deep ly over their faults . God gu ides souls

in many different ways,daughters , yet I am always sorry

when you feel no sorrow for any fault you have com

m itted,for you ought to take to heart every sin

,even

a venial one,as

, glory b e to God ,I b elieve and see that

you do .

7 . Notice one thing ,and rememb er it for love of m e .

I f a p erson is alive,however slightly you p rick her with

a needle or with a little thorn,the m ost slender you can

find,does she not feel it Now

,if the soul is not dead

,but

has a living love for God ,is it no t a great grace from H im

that she should feel pained at the least infringement o f

the vows She has taken or the ob ligations she is under

Oh is not the heart in which God imp lants such solicitude

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD 1 27

p repared by Him as a couch o f flowers to which H e canno t

choose but com e and deligh t Him self,long though His

delay may b e

8 . A las,

-O my God Why are we nuns in our convent

Why did we leave the w orld ? F or what did we com e ?

H ow can we b etter sp end our tim e than in p reparing

within our souls a dwelling-p laée for our Bridegroom ,

that we may b e ab le to ask H im to kiss us with‘

the kiss

of His m ou th ” ? Blessed will She b e who makes this

p etition ,whose lam p shall not have gone out when the

Lord comes and who need not return to her home after

having knocked .

” O my daughters , in how high a state

are we p laced ! No one can p revent our saying these

words to our Sp ou se ,for we b ecam e H is b rides when we

made our p ro fession .

9 . Let scrupulous p ersons understand that I have not

b een Sp eaking o f an occasional fault , or o f failings that

canno t always b e known or regretted ; I allude to a

religiouswho hab itually comm its faults and takes no notice

o f them,thinking they are of no consequence ,

and who

neither rep ents nor tries to am end them . I say once m ore

that such a p eace is dangerous , there fore beware of it .

What,then

,will b ecom e o f those who are very lax about

their Rule ? God grant there m ay b e none of this kind

am ong u s ! Doubtless,the devil O ften gives such p eace ,

and God p erm its it as a punishment for our sins,but there

2 See Po em 1 3 .

1 28 MINOR WORKS o r ST . TERESA .

is no need to discuss it here,as I only w ished to give you

a word o f warning .

1 0 . We w ill now consider the peace which our Lord

b egins to grant u s in p rayer O f this I will tell you as

much as His Maj esty shall b e p leased to make m e under

stand . On reflection,I think it best to say something

here ab ou t the p eace given by the world ,and that p ro

duced by our sensuality , for though it has b een far be tter

Written ab ou t elsewhere, you may be too p oor to buy the

b ooks , and p erhap s no one w ill give them to you ,bu t

these writings w ill b e kep t in the convent and w ill contain

b oth subjects .

1 1 . We may b e m isled in many ways b y worldly p eace

from those I shall describe you may divine the rest . F or

instance—some p eop le have all they requ ire for their

needs,besides a large sum o f m oney shu t up in their safe

as well,but as they avo id m ortal sin ,

they think they have

done their du ty . They enj oy their riches and give an

occasional alms, yet never consider that their p roperty is

not their own,but that God has entrusted it to them as

His stewards for the good o f the p oor , and that they will

have to render a strict account of the time they kep t it

shu t up in their money chests,if the p oor have suffered

from want on account o f their hoarding and delay . We

have no concern w ith this , excep t to ask God to enlighten

such p eop le lest they m eet with the fate of the rich m iser,’

3 St . Luke xv i. 1 9—3 1 .

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1 30‘ MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

sup erflu ities . His Maj esty has taken good care that we

sh ould p ossess no thing we m igh t feel constrained to give

away . The p rincip al p oint is , daughters, that we should

be satisfied w ith little w e ought not to want anything for

which we should b e bound to render a strict account,as a

rich man must,even though his m oney is not in his own

care,b u t in that o f his maj or-dom o . And what a strict

reckoning that will b e I f only he realised it,he would not

enjoy his luxuriou s m eals so m uch,nor squander his

m eans in u seless and frivolou s ways . A s for you ,my

daughters, always try to b e as p oor as you c an,bo th in

your food and clothing ,o therwise you w ill cheat yourselves,

for God w ill not give you m ore,so you will remain un

satisfied . A lways endeavour not to take the food o f the

p oor w ithou t having served H is Maj esty,

0although all

that you can do will b e but a scanty return to God for

the p eace and rest which H e b estows on you because you

in the d eep est p enu ry,and u sed to say that the only things

req uired fo r a fo undation were a sm all bell and a house on hire .

Once ,when fo und ing a conv ent she rejected the o ffer O f a co unter

pan e and a b rasier , as she tho ught bo th these articles unsu itable

fo r ,Discalced nuns . She also re fused o ther gifts o f greater v alue ,

fo r she shu nned riches as o ther p eop le seek them . A n instancewas to ld by the Duchess o f A lv a , Dona Maria Enr iquez , w ho ,

knowing her need and p o v erty, gav e h er som e v aluable jewelsWhich the ho ly Mo the r rece iv ed with gratitude , as she d id no t

like to ap p ear to d esp ise th e p resents , ye t on taking leav e o f her

hoste ss she h and ed them to the waiting m aid With an injunctionto return them to the Duche ss (Li/e , bk . ii. ch .

ch . ii. 6 , 7 .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 3 1

will have to“

render no account of riches . I know that

you understand t his , but you m ust from tim e to tim e :

render Sp ecial thanks to H im on this account .

1 3 ; I t is needless for m e to warn you against the earthly;

p eace which com es from honour s, b ecause the p oor never .

meet w ith ‘

much honour .

7 However,unless you are !

care ful, p raise from others may harm you greatly ,for

When once it b egins it never ceases , and generally ends in

rlunning you down afterwards . This u sually takes the

form of telling you'

that you are m ore holy than others,

and such-like flattering speeches which seem to have b een

insp ired by the devil. Indeed,they must b e

,sometim es ;

for if they were said in your absence it would no t m atter,

but when u ttered in your hearing ,what o ther fru it can

they p roduce but evil, unless you are m ost waryV 1 4

1. F or the love of God, I im p lore y ou never to find

your p eace in such sp eeches, for they m ight gradually do

you so much m ischie f that at last you would com e to

b elieve them,or to think you had done all you need

,and

that your w ork was finished . Never let such things b e‘

said o f you w ithou t strongly rep udiating them you can

easily do this if you m ake it your constant p ractice . Re

m em ber how the world treated our Lord Jesus Christ,

ye t how it had extolled H im on Palm Sunday Men so

esteem ed St . John ~ Bap tist a s to m istake ~him f or - the

Messiah, yet how barbarously and for what a m otive they

7 Way of Perf .. ch . ii. 5 .

1 32 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

afterwards beheaded him ! Never does the w orld exalt

any o f the children o f God ,save to dash them down again

1 5 . I know this well by exp erience . I used to regret

that p eop le p raised m e so b lindly,bu t now I laugh as at

the words o f a madman . Rem emb er your sins,and that

,

even if there is som e truth in what is told you ,the good is

not your own,b u t you are only under an Obligation o f

serving God more strictly .

8 Dread lest you should take

p leasure in this treacherous kiss given by the world

look up on it as the kiss o f Judas although no harm may

be meant by it , the devil is always on the alert and maydesp oil your soul unless you de fend yourself .

1 6 . Believe m e,in such a case you must stand ready

w ith the sword o f recollection in hand . Although you

may think that no harm is done you ,do no t trust to that

—rememb er how m any who stood on the heights have

fallen into the abyss . There is no safety during this life ,

but for the love O fGod ,sisters

,always struggle w ithin your

own heart against these dangerou s flatteries then you will

com e forth with deep er hum ility ,and the devil

,who has

b een watching b o th you and the world,will b e crest fallen .

1 7 . I could say mu ch abou t the p eace our b od ies can

bring us,and the harm that results . I will give you some

warnings up on certain p oints which will guide you about

the rest .

’ The b ody,as you know ,

is very fond o f com fort,

0 Way of ch . x v . 4 . 5 . Rel. i. 1 8 ,1 9 .

I b id . , ch . x . 4 , 5 ; x i. 4 .

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1 34 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

20 . I have told you this , daughters, to make you thank

God for p lacing you where your body could not find such

peace ,even if you sought it . Yet it could harm you um~

consciously under the p retext of illness , and there is need

to warn you urgently against this . F or instance,it

m ight injure you to take the discip line on a certain day,

but p erhap s there is no necessity to leave it off a whole

week . Again ,it would harm you not to wear linen

,but

you need not do so for several days . On ano ther occasion

you canno t eat fish, yet it would not disagree w ith you

wh en your digestion became used to it . You may fancy

you are too weak for this and a great many o ther things .

I am experienced , and I know that nuns are sometimes

unaware o f how imp ortant such things are when there is no

ui'

gent need o f such disp ensations . What I say is , that

we ought not to b e content with such relaxations,but

should,from time to tim e

,try whether we can fulfil our

duties flesh and blood are very treacherous, and there is

need for us to recognise this . MayGod ,ofH is great b ounty

give us light Prudence and confidence in our sup eriors

judgment instead of our own are the im p ortant p oints .

2 1 . To return to my subject . By describ ing the special

p eace she asks for in the words, Let H im kiss me w ith

the kiss of His m ou th,the Bride Shows that our Lord

has other ways o f b estowing H is p eace and friendship . I

will describe some of them so that you may see the differ~

ence and realise the sub limity of this kind . 0 great God

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD .

and Lord of ours How p ro found is Thy wisdom Well

m ight She say : Let H im kiss m e Yet it seem s as if

she m ight have concluded her p etition here , for what is

the m eaning of the kiss o f His m outh Undoub tedly .

there is no sup erfluous letter in these words . I do not

understand her reason, yet I w ill write som ething on the!

sub ject ; as I said,it matters little if it is not the exact

m eaning so long as it p rofits u s .

22 . Our King confers H is p eace and friendship on the '

soul in many ways,as w e see daily

,b o th during p rayer

and at other tim es,but our p eace w ith H im hangs by a

single hair , as the exp ression is . Consider,daughters , the

m eaning o f these w ords,so that you may u tter them with

the Bride,if our Lord should draw you near to Him self if

not , do not lose courage . Every kind o f friendship w ith

God w ill leave you rich in gain ,unless o f your own accord

you for feit it . But how deep ly should w e grieve . and

regret it if, through our own fault , w e do no t attain to

such close friendship with Him ,but content ourselves

with a Slighter intimacy .

23 . Alas, Lord ! Do we not rem emb er how great are

the reward and the goal? A reward which

,when our

friendship has attained to this grade ,is b estowed on us by

God even in this w orld ! H ow many remain at the foot o f

the m ountain who m ight have climb ed to its summ it ! I

have often told you in the , other little works I have written,

and I now rep eat; it always make courageou s resolutions,

1 36 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

for then God will give you grace to act accordingly .

“

Rest assured that much dep ends on this .

24 . There are p eop le who,though they have attained.

to friendship w ith God ,for they confess their Sins Sincerely

and rep ent of them , yet b e fore two days are over ,comm it

the sam e faults again . This is certainly not the friendship

for which the Bride p etitions . 0 daughters try not

to take the sam e fault to con fession every tim e . I t is true

that we cannot help comm itting sins,b u t at all events let

them not always b e identical,lest they take roo t

,for it

would be hard to pull them up ,and they may even send out

many o ff-shoots . I f we set a p lant or a shrub and wat er

it every day,it w ill grow so sturdy that we shall want a

spade and a fork to tear it up . This ap p ears to b e the

case w ith any fault , however small,that we comm it daily

,

unless we amend it though it is easy to up roo t it when it

has only grown for a day or even for ten days . We m ust

p ray to our Lord to grant u s this am endm ent,for on

our own account w e can do little,excep t add to our Sins

instead o f giving them up . Rem ember that this w ill b e

o f no small consequence to u s in the terrib le judgm ent at

the hour o f death,esp ecially to those whom the Judge

made H is b rides during their lifetime .

25 . O great and marvellous condescension ! that God

should invite us to endeavour to p lease our Lord and

King Yet how ill do those requite H is friendship who so

1° Life, ch . x iii . 3 . Way of ch . xx iii. 1 , 3 .

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1 38 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

27 . F or the love o f God,b e m ost watch ful : never let

the thought o f so simp le a rem edy make you careless abou t

committing a venial sin,however small ; what is good

ought not to lead u s into evil. I f you rem emb er this

resource after you have fallen—well and good ! It is a

great thing to p reserve so pure a conscience that there is

nothing to hinder your asking for the p erfect friendshipdesired by the Bride . Most certainly

,the state describ ed

is not this am ity,b u t a very dangerous one for many

peop le ,tending to self-indulgence and likely to lead to

great tep idity ,nor are they always certain whether their

faults are venial or m ortal. God deliver you from such a

friendship for these souls think they have not comm itted

such gr ievous sins as they see in o thers . To hold others

worse than oneself is a want o f hum ility,

" while , p erhap s,

they may b e far b etter , b eing deep ly sorry and contrite

for their m isdeeds,and m ore firm ly resolved than their

critics to am end,so that in fu ture

, p erhap s ,they will Offend

God neither in ligh t nor in grave matters . The first m en

t ioned,as they think that they do no serious wrong ,

are

much m ore lax in indulging them selves : they rarely say

their p rayers devou tly ,as they do not trouble themselves

abou t such details .

28 . There is ano ther kind o f friendship and p eace that

our Lord b estows p artially up on certain p ersons who

w ish no t to offend Him in any w ay, yet who

,

do

1 3 Castle , M . iii. ch . ii. 1 9 .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 39

not comp letely w ithdraw them selves from occasions o f.

falling 1 " They ke ep their set tim es for p rayer and God

grants them the gift o f devo tion and tears, yet they

wish to sp end good and regular lives withou t giving up

their p leasures , which they think will conduce to their

living in p eace even in this world . But the events o f

life bring m any changes and it will b e hard for such

souls to p ersevere in virtue ; for , no t having given up

earthly j oys and p leasures , they soon grow lax on the

road

‘

to God ,from which there are many p owerful foes

to turn u s . This,daughters , is no t the am ity asked

for_by the Bride

, nor that you w ish for yourselves .

Avoid every slight occasion o f evil, however insignificant ,

if you are anxious for your soul to grow in grace and

to live in safety

29 . I do not know why I tell you all these things ,

excep t to teach you the danger o f not resolu tely ! leavingall w orldly things , by which w e should free ourselves

from m any sins and troub les . Our Lord has ‘

so many

ways o f contracting friendship with souls that I should

never finish telling abou t those I know ,though I am

only a woman . O f how m any m ore ,then ,must confessors

and those who study the subj ect b e aware

30 . I am astonished at som e souls , for there seem s

no thing to p reven t their b ecom ing the friends o f God .

l q ll m ention one p erson of this sort whom I knew

1 40 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

very intimately a short tim e ago . She liked to receive’

Holy Communion very frequently ; never sp oke ill o f

anyone , and felt great devo tion during p rayer . She

lived alone in continual solitude,for she had a house

o f her own, and she was so sweet-temp ered that no thing

that w as said ever vexed her,which is a very great virtue ,

nor did she ever say anything wrong . She had never

married , and was now too Old to do so . She had suffered

much annoyance from o thers, yet had kep t her p eace .

These ap p eared to m e signs o f a soul far advanced in

the sp iritual life and in a high state o f p rayer , so that

at first I had a very good Op inion o f her,for I never

saw her offend God , and I was told that she carefully

avoided doing so . But,on know ing her better , I began

to discover that she was p eace ful enough as long as

no thing touched her self-interest , b u t when that was in

question ,her conscience lo st its sensitiveness and b ecame

extrem ely lax . She bo re p atiently what was said to her ,

bu t was j ealous o f her honour and would not willingly

yield one jo t nor tittle o f her dignity or the esteem

o f the world ,so w rap t up was she in this m iserab le senti

m ent . H er anxiety to know all the curren t gossip was

so great that I wondered how she could remain alone

fo r an hour besides which she was very fond o f com fort .

She gilded over all her actions so that they seem ed blam e

less,and , according to her own account o f som e affairs

,

I thought it would have b een wrong o f m e to judge

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1 42 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

b e m ore learned than he,for their great hum ili ty destroys’

all self-confidence .

32 . There are o ther p eop le who have le ft everythingfor our Lord they p ossess neither hom e nor b elongings ,

and care no thing for p leasure or worldly m atters,bu t

are p eniten t , because our Lord has shown them “ the

w orthlessness o f all these things . Still,they are

~Very

tenacious o f their honour and value their repu tation ;

they will do no thing that does no t p lease m en as well

as God. How discreet ‘

and p rudent they are ! These

tw o ob j ects are hard to reconcile,and the m ischie f is

that , half-unconscious O f their error, they always take

the world’

s side in p reference to our Lord’

s . They "are

generally very grieved‘

if anything is said against them é

They do no t carry the cro ss b u t d rag it after them ,and

so it p ains and -w earies them ,b ut when it is loved it is

undoubtedly sw ee t to b ear . Neither is this the friend

ship the Bride asked for there fore,daughters , since you

have m ade the sacrifice I sp oke o f in the b eginning o f

this b ook ,

” do no t fail or hesitate to yield the rest

All such things would b urden you if you have forsaken

the chief thing In giving up the world with its joys ,its

‘

p leasures and riches,which

,false as they are

,still delight

us -what'

hav e you to fear“

33 . You"

do’

no t understand the q uestion . . To f ree

yourself from the vexation ‘

Of being found fault with,

1‘ Sum . 7

CONCEPTIONS O F THE‘LOVE O F G OD . 143

you b urden . yourselves with a thousand cares and

ob ligations . These are so num erous,if we seek to p lease

‘

socie ty,that it w ould take too long to describ e ,

nor do I

even know them all.

34 . To conclude with ,there are o ther souls in whom ,

if you examine them attentively , you will find many

signs that they are beginning to m ake p rogress , y et

they stop midway . They care little for what is said o f

them , or for honour , bu t are unused to m ortify them selves

or to renounce self-will,

‘

and have no t yet lost all fear

o f temp oral ev ils . Prep ared to suffer all things , they

have ap p arently reached p erfection , yet in grave m atters ,

when our Lord ’

s honour is at stake, they p re fer their

own . interests . They do no t realise it, b ut im agine

that they fear God and no one else . I t seem s as‘

if the

devil must suggest to them the drawbacks they p rophesy

a thousand years b eforehand concerning the1 great

harm that m ay r esult from som e good work.

35 . These are not the souls to im itate Saint Peter when‘

he cast him self into the sea,

1 6or to follow m any

'

o ther

o f the saints . They wish to draw o thers to God,b u t

to do so p eace fully withou t running into danger them

selves , nor does their faith influence their m o tives very

p owerfully. I have no ticed that w e rarely see anyone

in the w orld (I am no t Sp eaking now‘

o f religious) who

trusts to God for maintenance ; indeed , I only know

1 6 St . JOhn

1 44 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

two such p ersons . Peop le know that they will want

for no thing in religion ,although I b elieve that no one

who enters it p urely for the sake o f God even thinks o f

this . Yet how many are there ,daughters ,

who b ut for

this assurance w ould no t forsake all they p ossess !

However,as in my o ther writings I have sp oken fully

ab ou t such cowardly souls 1"and the harm they do

them selves,and also o f the great advantage of having

high aim s although our actions may not corresp ond

with them,I will say no more ab ou t them ,

though I

should never grow tired o f the sub j ect .

36 . Since God has raised souls to this high state,let

them serve Him in it and no t remain shu t up in them selves .

I f religious (and nuns esp ecially) canno t help their

neighb our p ersonally ,they have much p ower to do so

by p rayer , if their resolu tions are heroic and their wish

o f saving souls is sincere . Our Lord m ay even p erm it

them to b e o f som e service to o thers,either during this

life or after death ,as H e did the holy friar Saint Diego ,

“

who was a lay-b ro ther and only did manual work . Yet

,

1 7 Way 0/ Per/. Sec chap ters ii Iv xxxiv . , and xxx v iii.

1“St .D iego (o r D idacus) , b o rn in Andalusia,b e cam e a F ranc iscan

lay-bro the r at A rizafa, where he led a m o st ho ly life . Tho ugh

uneducated , he obtained so m uch light in p raye r that theo logiansfrom all p arts consu lted him on d ifficu lt q uestions . H av ing beensent to the Canary Islands , h e co nv erted many infidels . Stilla lay

-bro ther , he w as m ade Guard ian . H e w as e v entually re

called to Spain and d ied at A lcalade H enares, No v em b er I 2 ,

1 463 .

Among o ther m iracles he cured Don Carlos o f a m o rtal wo und ,

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1 46 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

ask for,which is that sacred p eace that encourages the

soul to wage war with the world ,while yet p reserving

p erfect confidence and calm within itself . What a

hap py' lo t for us to win this grace ! I t consists in so

close a union with God ’

s will that He and the soul are

no longer divided , but their will is one1—not in w ords

and wishes only , but in deeds as well . When the Bride

sees that she can serve the Bridegroom b etter in any

way , so ardent are her love and desires that She discusses

no difficulties raised by her m ind nor listens to the fears

which it suggests , b ut allows faith to act,seeking no

p rofit or com fort of her own,having learnt at last that

her w elfare consists entirely in this .

2 . This may not seem righ t to you ,daughters , for

p rudence is always comm endab le ,but the p oint to con

sider is whether , as far as you can tell God has granted

your p etition and kissed you with the kiss o f,His

m ou th .

” I f the eff ects p rove that He has done so , you

should no longer curb your zeal in any way, b ut forget

self altogether in order to p lease so gentle a Bridegroom .

His Maj esty reveals Him self by many signs to the soul

which enj oys this favour .

12 You must examine this p oint

fo r yourselves—at least as far as the thing is p ossib le

by no ticing the effects p roduced in the soul. Evidently

1 Life , ch . xv iii . 4 sqq . Castle , M . v . ch . ii . 4—6 ; ch . iii . 6 sqq .

2 The fo llowing p assage ,till I will m ention som e —is only

in the m anuscrip ts o f Las N iev es and Consuegra .

CONCEPT IONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 47

We canno t know for certain ,for it concerns a state sup erior

to the. state o f grace and resulting from a very sp ecial

aid from God . I say that w e can , to a certain

degree ,ascertain by the effects whether 1His Maj esty

has b estowed this favour on us , b ecause God gran ts so

high a b lessing to the soul in p rop ortion to the strength

of its Virtue . Such a soul, while recognising by its

interior ligh t that the Lord has given it the p eace craved

for by the Bride ,canno t b ut doub t the fact at tim es on

realising its own m iseries . When you are aware ,sisters ;

that you have received such a grace , let no thing daunt

you , but forget self entirely in order to p lease so tender

a Sp ouse . Perhap s you will ask m e to exp lain myself

m ore' fully,

and to tell you which virtues I a llude to

and you w ill b e righ t, for there are divers kinds o f

Virtue. I will m ention som e . One is a contem p t for,

all earthly things , which the m ind rates a t their true

p rice , no longer caring for worldly p ossessions as it

realises their fu tility . Such a p erson takes no p leasure

in the society o f those who do not love God , and is weary

o f life ,holding riches at the esteem they deserve , and

showing o ther sentim ents o f the sam e kind,taugh t by God

to those whom H e has led so far . Once raised to this

state th e soul has no thing to fear,excep t that it may

fail to deserve that God should m ake use o f it by sending

it crosses and occasions of serving Him at however dear

a cost to itself. Here , I rep eat , love and faith take

1 48 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

control, and the soul does no t choose to take counsel

from reason . F or the union b etw een the Bridegroom

and His Bride has taught her things to which the mind

canno t attain , so to say , so that she holds it sub j ect

b eneath her feet .

3 . Let m e exp lain this by a com p arison . The Moors

hold cap tive in their land a m an whose only hop e of

rescue lies in b eing redeem ed by his father or an intimate

friend who is so p oor that all his belongings would not

suffice to em ancip ate the Slave ,so that this could only

b e done by the ransom er exchanging p laces with the

p risoner. The strong affection o f the form er p rom p ts

him to p refer his friend’

s freedom to his own . Then

discretion step s in with its m any p leas , declaring : You

are b ound to care for your own interests first p erhap s

you are weaker than he and you m igh t deny your faith

it is wrong to run into danger , with many o ther ob j ections

o f the kind . Oh, p owerful love o f God ! no thing seem s

imp ossible to one who loves ! Hap py the soul that has

2 This com p arison m ust hav e had a m uch greater fo rce in the

days o f St . Teresa than it can hav e at p re sent . F ather Gratian ,

w ho first p ublished the Concep tions , fell him self into Slav ery am ong

the Moo rs , and the p icture he d raws in his Peregrinaciones de

A nastasio m akes one realise the ho rro r o f the Situatio n ,the

barbaro us treatm ent o f th e cap tiv e s , the dangers to life ,lim b

and faith ,the d ifficu lties o f ransom . The chu rch o f San Juan

de lo s Reye s at To ledo contains an Object lesson : its walls are

hung With tho u sands o f heavy chains o ffered up in thanks giv ingb y ransom ed cap tiv es .

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1 50 MINOR WORKS O F ST. TERESA .

5 . I must m ention something which app lies to those

who are naturally timid and wanting in courage , as are

m ost wom en constitu tionally , so that , though their souls

have genuinely b een raised to this state , nature takes

alarm . We m ust b e on our guard ,lest through our

inb orn frailty w e lose a p riceless crown . Whenthese

fears assault you ,have recourse to faith and hum ility

,

and p roceed to act with the confidence that God can do

all things now , as when ,in the p ast , H e enab led many

nob le m aidens to suffer the grievous torm ents they had

resolved to undergo for His sake . What H e wishes for

is the resolu tion which m akes Him Master of your free

will, for H e needs no strength of ours . Indeed,His

Maj esty p re fers to m anifest H is p ower in feeb le souls ,

where it has m ore scop e for work ,and where He can

b etter bestow the graces H e longs to give . Profit , then ,

by the Virtues H e has im p lanted in you ,to act with

determ ination and to desp ise the ob stacles raised by

your reason and by your natural w eakness,which will

increase if you stop to wonder whether you had b etter

venture up on this course or no,for p erhap s you are too

Sinful to deserve the sam e aid from God that H e gives

to o thers

6 . This is not the tim e to think ab ou t your sins

such hum ility is out o f tim e and p lace . When som e

great honour is Offered you or the devil tem p ts you to a

self-indulgent life , or o ther things Of the sam e sort, then

CONCEPT IONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 5 1

fear that your m isdeeds would p revent your doing‘

SO

with rectitude . But when it is a question of suffering ,

either for your God or your neighbour, feel no m isgivings

because o f your sins . Perhap s you m ay p erform this

action with such charity that God will forgive, you all

your bad deeds , and this is what Satan fears , and there?

f ore rem inds you o f all your form er wrongdo ings . You

may b e sure that God w ill never desert those who love

Him, when they incur danger solely for H is sake . But

let them exam ine whe ther they are influenced by selfish

m o tives : I sp eak only of those who seek to p lease God

m ore p erfectly .

7 . I knew a m an in our own tim es,Fray Juan o f CordO

b illa,

‘whom you saw when he cam e to visit m e ,

who

was insp ired by our Lord w ith such charity that he

was b itterly grieved at not b eing allowed to go and

exchange p laces with som e cap tive . Juan was a lay

bro ther o f the Bare foo ted Franciscans reform ed by St .

Peter de A lcantara,and told m e him self all abou t it .

6 Th e chronicle o f th e F riars o f St . Peter d e Alcantara says thatJuan d e Cordobilla (near M érida) , w ho after th e d eath o f h is wifehad becom e a lay

-bro th er,asked fo r leav e to o ffer him self as"

a

ransom for som e Ch ristian cap tiv e am ong th e M o ors . The

sup erio rs at first d em u rred,thinking h im m ad ,

b u t finally con

sented . H is Ship , hav ing com e with in sigh t o f th e A frican coast ,w as d riv en back b y a gale ,

and Juan , w ho w as seized with fev er,was landed at Gib raltar , w here h e died ,

O ctob er 2 8 ,1 5 66 .

i

A s

som e o f the nuns at Sego v ia had com e from Av ila?St . Teresa

cou ld well say Yo u saw h im .w h en b e, ,game t o v isit me

,

’ 1

1 52 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

A fter a great many ap p eals ,he ob tained leave from

his General, b ut at ab ou t fi fteen m iles from Algiers,

while on his way to accomp lish his good p urp ose ,God

took him to H im self . Doub tless Fray Juan was gener

ously rewarded . How many p rudent p eop le m ust have

told him that he was very foolish ,and w e who do no t

share his love for our Lord agree w ith them, yet what

could b e m ore unw ise than to end our life ’

s dream w ith

such p rudence? God grant that we m ay deserve even

to enter heaven ,no t to sp eak of ranking w ith souls so

far advanced in their love for God !

8 . I realise the need of strong help from H im that we

may p erform such deeds,therefore I advise you , my

daugh ters , to p ersevere in b egging from H im this delightful

p eace , which dom inates the silly fears o f the world , p eace

fully and quietly m aking war on it . Is it no t evident that

God has endowed with great graces the soul which He

has favoured so highly as to unite it to H im self in this

close friendsh ip ? F or , m ost certainly ,this is not our

own do ing : w e can only p ray and long for this m ercy,

and we need His help even for that . A s for the rest,

what p ower has a worm whose sins m ake it SO cowardly

and m ean that we fancy all the virtues m ust b e m easured

by the baseness of our human nature ? What can b e

done , daughters Pray w ith the Bride Let H im kiss

me w ith th e kiss o f H is m ou th .

”

9. I f a p oor little p easan t wench were to marry the

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1 54 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

for not only did He u tter no comp laint , but He showed

no weakness in the way He b ore them . On enteringthe garden He said : My soul is sorrow ful even unto

death,

”

yet while dying on the cross'

H e never

murmured . He wen t to wake His Ap ostles during the

p rayer in the garden ,but He had b etter cause to speak

o f His pain to His Mo ther while she watched at the foo t

o f the cross , for she did no t sleep—her soul suffered and

died a b itter death . Yet the greatest consolation is

to be found in seeking sympathy from those we know

share our sorrow s and love us m ost deeply.

1 1 . Let us not trouble about our fears nor lose heart

at the sight of our frailty,b ut strive to fortify our humility

and b e clearly convinced o f how little w e can do for

ourselves , for withou t the grace of God w e are nothing .

Let us confide in His m ercy and distrust our own strength

in every way , b ecause reliance on this is the roo t o f all

our weakness . I t was not withou t strong reason that

our Lord showed w eakness , for it is p lain that He Who is

p ower i tself could never fee l fear . H e acted thus to

com fort us,to show that good desires m ust b e carried

out in deeds , and to make us recognise that when the

soul first begins m or tifying itself , it finds everything

painful. I t is a p ain to give up p leasures ; a torment

to fo rgo honour ; an intolerable trial to b ear a hard

word -in short , no thing b u t m ortal sufferings . Bu t

2 St . Matt . xx v i. 38 : Tristis est anima mea u sque ad mortem .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 55

when once determined t o die ‘ to this world ,it is freed

from all these ills , and no trials can make it complain .

Now it has found the p eace for which the Bride

p etitions .

1 2 . The kiss o f H is m ou th . Undoub tedly w e should

b e enriched if we ap p roached the m ost Holy Sacram ent

b ut once with great faith and love ; how m uch m ore as

we receive it so O ften ? Ap parently w e frequent it

only out of custom, and therefore gain but little light .

O wretched world, who dost ob struct from thy dwellers

the Sight of the treasures by which they might purchase

eternal wealth ! Ah,Lord of heaven and earth ,

is it

then p ossib le , during this m ortal life ,to enj oy such close

friendship with Thee Clearly ‘

as the Holy Sp irit states

it i n‘ these w ords , w e do no t even Wish to understand

the m eaning in the Canticle of Canticles o f the caresses ,

the wooing ,and the d elights Thou dost b estow up on

the soul.

1 3 . One sp eech o f this sort should suffice to m ake us

all Thine own . Blessed b e Thou ,O Lord ,

for no thing

is wanting on Thy p art ! In how manyways , by how

many m eans and manners dost Thou‘

Show Thy"

love !

By Thy lab ours , by Thy b itter death ,by the tortures

and insults Thou didst b ear, by the p ardon Thou dost

gran t uS, —and no t by these alone , but by the words Thou

dost utter and teach us’

to u tter in these Canticles , which

so p ierce the soul that loves Thee ,that I know no t how

1 56 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

it could endure them unless Thou didst afford it succour ,

not according to its m erits, but as its w eakness needs . I

ask , then ,O Lord ,

no m ore of Thee in this life excep t

that Thou kiss m e with the kiss o f Thy m ou th ,

”in

such a way that , even if I wished ,I could no t separate

myself from union and friendship with Thee . Grant

that my will m ay b e sub j ect to and m ay never swerve

from Thine,leav ing no thing to p revent my saying with

truth O m y God and m y Glory ,that Thy b reasts are

b etter and m ore delicious than wine .

”

CHAPTER IV .

Of the sw eet and tender lov e o f God which p roceeds fromHis dw elling in the sou l in th e p rayer o f quiet, term ed

here the div ine breasts .

”

1 . Thy breasts ar e better than w ine . 2. These w ords app ly to the

prayer of qu iet. 3 . I ts effects . 4 . I t confers happ iness . 5 . O ther benefits .

6 . M o ther and babe a compar ison . 7 . Ear th ly and heaven ly joys .

8 . Rewards of self-surrender . 9 . A prayer for d iv ine un ion . 10. In s ign ificance of our serv ice . 1 1 . S elf-ablation .

THY BREASTS ARE BETTER THAN W INE

1 . 0 MY daughters What great mysteries are con

tained in these w ords May God p erm it us to exp erience

them ,for they are indescribab le . When His Maj esty in

m ercy answ ers this p rayer o f the Bride ,H e b egins to enter

into a friendship with her soul which ,as I said ,

can be

1 Cant . i. I : M eliora sunt abera taa v ino .

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1 58 MINOR WORKS O F

ab sorb ed by sweetness , it enj oys in a d ifferent manner.

The whole creature , b o th b ody and soul,is enrap tured

as if som e very fragrant Ointm ent,resem bling a delicious

p erfum e,

‘ had b een in fused into the very centre o f the

b eing , or as if w e had suddenly entered a p lace redolent

with scents com ing no t from one,b ut from many ob jects

we do not know from which it rises nor what it is,although

it entirely p ervades our b e ing .

Ii So it is w ith this m ost

swee t love o f our God : w ith the greatest suavity it

enters the soul, which feels hap py and satisfied ,b ut

canno t understand the reason nor how this great good

entered it

3 . The soul fears losing it , and is loath to m ove or

sp eak or even to look ab ou t , lest it should disap pear .

Bu t I have exp lained in my o ther writings how toi

b ehav e

in order to b enefi t by this favour , which I only m ention

here that you m ay understand what I am describ ing ;

I w ill there fore m erely say that our Lord thus shows that

He desires so close a friendship w ith the soul that no thingmay com e b etween them . Great tru ths are here im

p arted to the m ind ,which

,although too dazzled to realise

what the ligh t is ,now p erceives the vanity o f the world .

Castle , M . iv . ch . ii . 6 ; M . v i. ch . ii. 1 4 .

5 O ften,by the sudden v isitation o f Go d ,

w e are filled with

p erfum es sweete r,than any m ad e by m an ,

so that the so u l is

enrap tured with de ligh t and ,as it were , caught u p into an ecstasy

o f sp irit, becoming unconscio us that it still dw ells in the flesh

(Cassian , Conferences, iv . ch . v . Migne ,P .L . . t . x lix . c .

CONCEPTIONS OF THE‘

LOVE OF GOD . 1 59

The soul does not see the good Master who teaches it ,“

although clearly conscious of His p resence . Still,it is

’

left w ith greatly increased knowledge and such growth

and strength o f Virtue as to b e unab le to recognise its

former self . The one desire o f such a p erson is to p raise

God,and while in this excess of deligh t she is so ineb riated

and ab sorb ed as to app ear b eside herself . Indeed ,

'

she

seem s in a state o f divine intoxication,and does not

know what she wants ,-or says

,or for what she asks . In

short , she is unconscious of self,and yet not so ab sorb ed

but that she understands som ething of what is hap p ening .

4 . When,however

,this m ost wealthy Bridegroom w ishes

to enrich and caress her still m ore ,He so draws her to

Him that She is like a p erson fainting w ith extrem e joyand p leasure .

7 The soul ap p ears to itself to“

b e upheld

in those divine arm s and p ressed to His sacred Side

and divine b reasts . I t only knows how to enj oy , sus

tained as it is by the divine m ilk w ith which its

Sp ouse continues to nourish it,

8and to increase it

‘

s

6 Life , ch . x iv . 8 , 9 . Way of Perf . , oh . xxx i . 1 . The Bab e

him self gav e Sim eon ligh t to recognise H im ,as H e enligh tens the

sou l to recognise H im d uring the p rayer o f qu iet .

”

3 W ay of Perf . ,ch . x xv . 1 .

8 I saias lxv i . 1 2 , 1 3 : A d u bera p ortabim in i, et. snper genua

blandie'

n tur vobis . a rnodo si cai mater blandiatar , ita ego

consolabor vos , et in jeru salem consolabim ini . St . Thom as Aquinasrem arks that in the p reced ing d egr ees the sou l lov es and is belo v edin return ; it seeks and is sough t fo r , calls and is called . Bu t

in this , in som e wonderfu l and unsp eakable m anner,it rises and

1 60 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

virtues that He may caress it m ore ,and that it may

deserve daily to receive new favours from H im . On

awaking from this slumb er and heavenly ineb riation ,it

feels amazed and confused,and I think that

,in a sacred

frenzy ,it m ight then u tter the words Thy b reasts are

b etter than w ine .

5 . F or when first the sp irit felt carried out o f itself ,

no thing higher seem ed p ossib le o f attainm ent b ut now,

finding itself in a higher state and p lunged in the unsp eak

ab le greatness o f God, and seeing how it has b een nour

ished ,it makes the tender comparison Thy b reasts

are b etter than w ine .

”F or

,as an infant does not know

how it grows or is nourished— indeed O ften ,Without

any effort of its own,the m ilk is pu t into its m ou th—so

it is in this case w ith the graces infused into the so ul ;

it know s no thing itself, nor does anything ,and is unab le

to p erceive whence ,nor can it imagine how ,

this great

good cam e to it . I t only realises that this is the keenest

deligh t that can b e felt in this life , even if all the world’

s

joy and hap p iness could b e enj oyed at once . The soul

finds that it has b een strengthened and b enefited without

knowing how it has m erited such a b oon . I t has been

taugh t great tru ths withou t seeing its Teacher , and b een

confirm ed In Virtue and caressed by Him Who b est knows

how , and Who has the p ower to do so . I t knows no t

is u p raised ,se izes and is seized , and is united by the bo nd o f lo v e

to God ,in so litude with H im . Opuse . 65 .

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1 62 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

increased it and drawn m e still closer to H im ,w ell may

I cry Thy b reasts are b etter than wine .

”Thy

m ercies in the past were great , O my God ,b u t this far

surp asses them , as I take less Share in it myself , therefore

it is m uch m ore sublim e in every way .

7 . Great are the joy and delight o f the soul which

advances thus far ,O my daughters May our Lord gran t

us to understand ,or rather

,I should say,

taste,for In

no o ther way can w e understand the hap p iness o f the

soul in such a case . I f the earth could collect together

all its riches ,its p leasures ,

its honours and its feasts ,

if all these could b e enj oyed simultaneously Withou t the

trials that accomp any them (which is imp ossib le), yet

in a thousand years they could no t b ring the b liss that

is enjoyed in a single m om ent by the soul God has

b rough t thus far . St . Paul declares that the sorrows

o f this world are no t worthy to b e com p ared to the

hap p iness that we look for ,” 1 ‘ bu t I say that they are

not w orthy to b e com pared nor could they earn one

hour o f this gladness , satisfaction , joy and delight here

given to the soul by God H im self . I do no t think they

can b e weighed w ith one ano ther, nor can the baseness

o f earthly things m erit such tender caresses from our Lord ,

nor a love so dem onstrative and so tasted by the soul.

1 1 Rom . v iii . 1 8 : Ex istimo en im quod non sun t condignae

passiones hnfus temporis ad fu tu ram gloriam quae revelabitur in

nobis .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 63

8 . H ow trivial are our sorrow s comp ared with this !

Unless borne for God ,they are worthless

,and even then

H is Maj esty p rop ortions them to our strength , b ecause“

our m isery and cowardice make u s dread them so keenly .

Ah,Christians ! ah ,

my daugh ters ! F or the love o f

God ,let u s arise from Sleep ! Rem emb er how H e does

no t wait until the next life to reward our love for Him ,

but b egins to p ay us even here O my J esus who can

exp ress all that we gain by casting ourselves into the

arm s of our Lord and p lighting w ith H im this tro th

I to my Beloved ,and His turning is towards m e ,

”1 2

and H e cares for my affairs and I care for H is .

” 1 ’

Do no t let us b e so self-seeking as to p ut our own

eyes out , as the p roverb says .

9 . Again do I ask Thee ,O God

,and b eseech Thee by

the blood o f Thy Son ,to grant m e this grace ,

Kiss

m e with the kiss o f Thy m ou th,for what am I w ithou t

Thee,Lord What w orth do I p ossess ap art from Thee ?

I f I wander bu t one step from Thee , where shall I go ?

0 Lord o f m ercy,m y only Good ! What m ore do I

seek in this life than a union so close that there can

b e no thing to divide m e from Thee ? W ith such a

com p anion , what can b e hard With Thee by my side ,

what dare I no t attem p t for Thy sake ? What thanks

do I deserve ? Have I not rather incurred great b lam e

12 Cant . v ii. 1 0 . Ego dilecto n zeo , et ad me conversio efus .

1 1 Castle , M . V ii. cb iii. 1 . Rel. iii. 20 .

1 64 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

formy rem issness in Thy service Thus , With my whole

heart , I beg Thee , like Saint Augu stine ,to give what

Thou askest and ask what Thou wilt 1‘and w ith

Thine aid I will reco il from no thing .

1 0 . I see indeed ,

“ O my Bridegroom ,that Thou art

m ine ,nor can I deny it . F or my sake didst Thou come

to earth ; for my sake didst Thou undergo so many

trials ; for m e wast Thou scourged w ith many Strip es ;

for m e dost Thou remain in the most Blessed Sacrament

and now Thou dost Show m e such signal favours Yet,

0 holy Bride ,how can I u tter these words w ith thee ?

What can I do for my BridegroOm ? Truly, sisters , I

do not know ,how to escap e from this dilemma ! What

can I b e for Thee, O my God What '

can a soul do for

Thee which is given to such evil habits as m ine , excep t

lose the graces Thou hast given it What service canst

Thou hop e for on my p art ? And even if, by Thine

aid ,I should accomp lish som ething , what need can an

all-pow erful God have of the deeds o f a wretched worm

1 1 . 0 Love In how many ways do I long to say these

words , and it is love alone which dares to cry w ith the

Bride : I love myBeloved ! and which gives us the

righ t tob elieve that this our true Lover has need o f us ,

Da quad fubes, cl jube quod vis (St . August . Confess ., bk. x .

ch .

15 F rom here to the end o f the chap ter from the manuscrip tso f Las N iev es and Consuegra.

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1 66 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

heavenly b reasts,what we should do

,and how w e must

sp eak and b ehave,if our Lord Should ever b estow on

ué so great a favour . She answers : I sat down under

His shadow Whom I desired , and H is fruit was sweet

to m y palate .

l He b rough t m e into the cellar o f

w ine,H e set in order charity in m e .

” 1

2 . She says I sat down under His Shadow Whom I

desired . 0 my God ! how this soul is drawn into and

inflam ed by this Sun itself ! She declares that She sat

under the shadow o f Him Whom she desired . And

again sh e calls H im an“ap p le tree

,and says H is

fruit is sw eet to my p alate .

’

O souls who p ractise

p rayer, rum inate up on these words In how many differ

ent ways w e can p icture God ! In how m any m anners

w e can feed our souls on H im He is the Manna Who

know s how to take whatever flavour w e w ish to taste .

’

H ow heavenly is this shadow ! Who can exp lain all

that our Lo rd signifies by it I rem em b er how the angel

said to our m ost blessed Lady The p ower of the Most

H igh shall overshadow thee . HOW safely the soulmust

1 Cant . ii . 3 : Sub umbra illius quem desideraverani sedi , e t

fructus eju s du lcis gu ttu ri meo . St . John o f the Cross , LivingF lame ; st . xxx iv . 6 .

2 Cant . ii. 4 : I n troduxit me in cellam v inariam ordinav it

in me charitatem .

—L i/e ,ch . x v iii . 1 7 .

3 W isdom x v i. 2 1 says that the m anna had in it all that is

d elicio us and the sweetness o f ev ery taste that it serv ed ev eryman

’

s will and w as turned to w hat e v e ry m an liked .

1 St ; Luke i . 35 ; Virtus A ltis simi obnmbrabit tibi

CONCEPT IONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 167

feel p ro tected when God Shows it this imm ense grace !

Wellm ay it sit down ,assured against all danger

3 . No tice that , excep t in the case o f p eop le to whom

our Lord gives som e sp ecial call,

’

like St . Paul, Whom H e

at once raised to the heights o f contemp lation ,mani

festing Him self and sp eaking to the Saint in such a

way as to p lace him at once p erm anently in an advanced

state o f holiness , God ,as a rule—indeed

,nearly always

—keep s these very sub lim e caresses and consolations

for those who have laboured greatly in H is service .

These souls have longed for His love and striven top lease

Him in every way ,have fatigued them selves by many

years o f m editation'

and search for their Bridegroom ,and

are thoroughly w eary o f the w orld . They do indeed

sit down and rest in the truth ,seeking neither com fort,

quiet nor rest excep t where they know these are really

to b e found . Resting under the p ro tection o f the

Alm igh ty,

” 5 they desire no o ther . How righ t they

are to trust in Him ,for H e fulfils all their desires . Hap p y

he who deserves to shelter b eneath this shadow , even as

regards tem p oral m atters , b u t hap p y in an infinitely

greater way when such m atters relate to the soul itself,

as I have o ften b een given to understand .

4 . During the joy which I described ,the sp irit feels

itself u tterly surrounded and p ro tected by a shadow

5 PS . K C . 1 Qu i habitat in adju torzo A ltiss im i , in protectione

Dei eoeli comrnorabitur .

1 68 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

and , as it were , a cloud o f the Godhead from whence the

soul receives such a delicious influence and dew as,at

once and w ith good reason,to lo se the w eariness caused

by ear thly things . This p eace is so deep as to render

even b reathing troub lesom e ,the p owers be ing so soo thed

and qu iescent that the w ill is disinclined to adm it of any

though t , even though it is a good one ,nor does it seek

for any , nor try to reflect .

‘ Such a p erson need no t

endeavour to raise her hand , or stand to reach the fruit

—I m ean she need no t make u se of the reason—for our

Lord gives her the ap p le from the tree to which she com

pares her Beloved ,

’already p icked and even assimilated .

There fore she declareS° H is fruit is swee t to my

p alate ,

”for here the soul simp ly enj oys , w ithou t any

work of the faculties .

5 . This may well b e called the Shadow o f the

Divinity ,for w e canno t see it clearly here b elow

,but only

veiled b eneath this cloud ,until the radiant Sun , by m eans

o f love , sends out a m essage making known to the soul

that H is Majesty is near in nearness ineffab le . I know

that anyone who has exp erienced it will recognise how

truly this meaning may b e ascrib ed to these words of

the Bride . I think the Holy Ghost must here b e the

Medium between God and the soul, i nsp iring it with

‘l

Ca‘

stle , M : v . ch . i . 3 in fine .

7 Cant . ii. 3 Sicu t malus inter ligna silvaram , sic dilectas mens

inter filios .

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1 70 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

the kiss o f p eace there seem ed no m ore to give , yet the

favour I have just related is far more sub lime. I have

no t describ ed it thoroughly ,having only touched up on

the subj ect .

‘

You w ill find a m uch clearer exp lanation

in the b ook I m entioned ,

8 if God is p leased that it

should b e read .

7 . IS there anything le ft to w ish for after all I have

enum erated ? A las , how imp o tent are our desires to

ob tain Thy w ondrous gifts , Lord ! How abj ect should

we remain,didst Thou m erely give us that for which

w e asked Let us now see what else the b ride says .

CHAPTER VI .

Treats of the ecstasy o f lov e , and o f rap tu res , during which

the sou l im agines that it is idle , w hile Godi

“sets in

o rder charity w ithin it, bestow ing up on it hero ic

v irtu es .

1 . H ow God repays the soul'

s des ire for suffer ing. 2. C hr is t the K ing . 3 . The

w ine . 4 . H e sets in order char ity . 5 . The so u l dur ing d iv ine un ion .

6 . Love and the w ill. 7 . M er its and graces com ing from th is prayer .

8 . Our Lady o vershadowed. 9 . O ur Lord's delight in the so ul. 10. The

d iv ine Goldsm ith and the jew el. 1 1 . S ecrecy of d iv ine un ion . 1 2. I ts

effects upon the so ul. 1 3 . Z eal and love produced by it.

THE K ING BROUGHT ME INTO THE CELLAR OF W INE ,

HE SET IN O RDER CHARITY IN ME .

Now that the b ride is resting b eneath the shadow

that she desires—as well She might desire it—what

Life , chs . x v ii to x ix .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE OF GOD . 1 7 1

m ore remains for which a soul so p rom o ted can w ish ,

excep t that she may never lose what she p ossesses?

There seem s to her no thing left for which to long , yet

there is still far m ore for our m ost holy King to b estow ,

nor does H e ever cease filling the heart that can hold

m ore . A S I have already told you, daughters , and as I

w ish you never to forget , God is no t content to m easure

H is gifts by our p etty desires .

1 I have som etim es no ticed

that when a p erson asks our Lord to give him som e

m eans o f m eriting and suffering for Him , although he does

not ask for m ore than he thinks he can b ear ,2

yet H is

Maj esty,Who is ab le to increase

‘

our strength ,rep ays

the resolv e'

to serve H im by sending him so m any trials ,

p ersecu tions and illnesses that the ‘

p o'

or m an does not

know what to do .

3 This hap p ened to m e when I was

very young ,so that som etim es I used to say : 0 God ,

I did not ask for all that ! But He gave m e such

fortitude and p atience that I am astonished now'

at

thinking how I b ore these crosses , which I would not

change for all the treasures of the w orld .

2 . The Bride says The King b rought m e How

the name o f the alm igh ty K ing dilates the heart which

recognises H is p owers and sup remacy over all, and the

eternity o f H is kingdom ! When the soul is in this con

1 Supra ,ch . iii. 5 sqq .

2 Life , ch . V . 3 , 4.

3 ”f ay‘

of Perf , ch . xv iii . I .

1 72 MINOR WORKS O F ST . T ERESA .

dition , doub tless it realises something of the greatness

o f this King ,though to understand it comp letely is im

po ssib le during this mortal life .

3 . The bride exclaim s : He b rough t m e into the cellar

o f w ine ,He set in order charity in I b elieve that

the grandeur o f this p articular favour is immense . A

person may b e given a larger or a smaller draught , either

o f a good or a sup erior kind , so that the soul is more

or less intoxicated or ineb riated . Thus it is w ith our

Lord’

s favours . To one He gives a little o f the w ine

o f devo tion ,to ano ther m ore ,

to ano ther still He gives

so full a cup that the sp irit b egins to rise ab ove self and

sensuality and all earthly things . Again,God b estows

on souls either a great zeal‘

for serving H im ,imp etuous

fervour , or ardent charity for o thers ,rendering them too

ineb riated to feel the severe trials through which they

pass . A great deal is imp lied by the bride ’

s declaring

that She was b rought into the cellar o f w ine , from

which she emerged endowed w ith inestimab le riches .

4 . The King does no t ap p ear to b ring her into the

cellar o f w ine and to leave her thirsting ,b ut wishes her

to drink and to b e ineb riated as much as she chooses ,

and to b e intoxicated with all the wines that are in the

storehouse of God . Let her enjoy its p leasures , and

adm ire H is grandeur, nor fear to lose her life by drinkingmore than human weakness can b ear

,

—let her die inLife, ch . x v iii . 1 7 . Castle, M .

'

v . oh . i. 1 0 ; ch . ii. 1 1 .

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1 74 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA

aim ed with all its force ,freed from all that is earthly ,

and directed solely towards God ,must wound H is

Maj esty in good earnest . When it has p ierced God

H im self, Who is Love, it rebounds , having won the

p recious p rize I will describe . This is really the case ,

as I have heard from those to whom our Lord has shown

the great favour o f p u tting them ,during p rayer , into

th is state o f sacred inebriation and susp ension o f the !

faculties . From what can b e Ob served,it is evident

that,at the tim e

,such souls are transpo rted ou t o f

them selves ; yet afterwards,if questioned as to what

they felt,they canno t describ e it

,for they did no t

know,

nor could they understand ,this op eration o f

love . The great benefits thus gained by the soul are

dem onstrated by the after-effects , by the virtues , lively

faith,and contem p t o f the world gained . Bu t no thing

is known o f how the soul Obtains these g ifts ,nor what

it then enjoys, excep t in the first stage when it feels

excessive sweetness .

7 . This is clearly what the Bride m eans ,for the Wisdom

of God here sup p lem ents what is lacking in the soul

and so ordains matters that it gains extraordinary graces

meanwhile ; or, how could the soul, b eing carried out

o f itself , and so ab sorb ed that the p owers are incapable

o f action , o therw ise gain any m erit Yet , is it p ossib le

that God , while show ing it so immense a favour, should

cause it to losetim e and ob tain no thing by it ? Such

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 75

a thing is incredib le .

7 Oh,these div ine secrets ! We

must subm it our reason and own that it is u tterly in

cap able o f fathom ing the wonders o f the Lord .

8 . I t would b e w ell to rem em ber how our Lady the

Virgin acted ,wise as she was . She asked the angel

H ow shall this b e done ? 8and when he answered

The Holy Ghost shall com e up on thee ,and the p ower

o f the Most High shall overshadow thee,

she debated

no m ore ab ou t it . Being p ossessed o f strong faith and

judgm ent,she recognised at once that , when

.

these two

Powers intervened,there was room neither for inqu iry

nor doubt . She was no t like som e learned m en who

have not b een led by . God in this way o f p rayer and

canno t understand the first p rincip les o f sp irituality .

They want to reduce everything to reason ,m easuring

all matters by their own intellects , so that it seem s as

if they , w ith their knowledge ,would b e ab le to com

p rehend all the m ysteries o f God . I f only they w ould

im itate in som e degree the hum ility o f the m ost b lessed

Virgin ! O my Lady ! H ow p erfectly Thou showest

us what takes p lace between God and the Bride ,according

to the words o f the Canticles You know ,my daughters,

7 I t is remarkable that a saint so d istingu ished fo r hum ilityand circum sp ection when w riting on Sp iritualm atters Sho u ld sp eakSO decided ly on th e q uestion o f th e soul gaining m erit d uringecstatic union

”

(A . Pou lain , Grdces d’

oraison ,ch . X V ll l . p . 25 5

F rench ed . o f

3 St . Luke ,i . 34 : Quomodo fiet istad 2

1 76 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

how many quo tations there are from this b ook in the

antiphons and lessons o f the O ffice o f our Lady we recite

weekly .

’ A s for o ther souls, each one can interp ret

these w ords for herself,in the sense in which God w ishes

her to take them,and can easily ascertain whether She

has received any graces corresp onding to the words of

the b ride : H e set in order charity w ithin me Such

souls do not know where they have b een nor how ,during

so sub lim e a hap p iness , they p leased God,for they

gave Him no thanks for this favour .

9 . 0 soul b eloved by God Trouble yourself no m ore

While H is Majesty raises you to this state and u tters

such tender words as H e o ften addresses to the Bride

in the Canticles—as for instance : Thou art all fair,

0 m y love !” 1 °

and m any o thers , in which H e shows

how H e delights in her , w e m ay feel sure that He w ill

not allow you to grieve H im at such a tim e,b ut w ill sup p ly

for your incap acity that He m ay take still keener p leasure

in you . He sees that the Bride is quite lost to herself,

bere ft o f her senses for love o f Him, and that the

vehemence o f this affection has dep rived her o f the power

of thought , so that she may love Him b etter , and could

F rom ancient tim es it w as customary among the Carm e litesto rec ite o nce a week the O ffi ce o f o ur Lady, p re ferab ly on the

Saturday . This comm em o ration was raised ,in 1 339 , to the rite

o f a double .

1 ° Cant . iv . 7 : Tota pulchra es, am ica mea .

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1 78 MINOR WORKS OF ST. TERESA .

afterwards,b u t

,as I rep eat , w ithou t the m ind b eing aware

o f it . Yet later on the intellect recognises the fact on dis‘

covering that the soul is enam elled and set with the j ewels

and p earls o f the virtues . Then in its astonishment it

m igh t w ell exclaim Who is she that com eth forth

b righ t as the sun ? 1 ’ 0 true King Wellmay the Bride

call Thee by this nam e,for in a single m oment Thou

Canst so endow and fill the soul w ith riches that it enjoys

them for evermore . What marvellous order love

sets in such a soul ! 1 ’

1 2 . I could m ention good examp les o f this,for I have

witnessed several. I rememb er how God gave In three

days'

such great graces to a certain p erson 1‘ that,had I

not learnt by p ersonal observation that they lasted

year after year ,and that she continued to make p rogress ,

I could not have b elieved in them ,for they seemed to

me beyond credence. Another p erson rece ived the

Same graces In three months,

—b o th o f them were very

young girls . I have seen o thers who were long b e fore

they ob tained this favour , b ut I could m ention several

cases resembling the two first described , and in which

the sam e thing hap p ened . I sp oke o f the form er to p rove

to you that there are excep tions , although our Lord

12 Cant . vi . 9 5 Quae est ista quae progreditur electa u t Sol 2

r 13 Life , ch . x v n . 4 . Way of Perf . , ch . xix . 6 . Castle ; M . V .

ch. ii . 1 0,1 1 .

1‘ Life , ch . xxx v i. 26 .

-F ound .,ch . i. I sqq .

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 79

seldom grants such favours unless a soul has passed

through long years o f suffering . I t is no t for us to set

lim its to a Lord so great , Who longs to confer His graces .

1 3 . This is what usually happ ens when God favours

a soul with these graces—that is, when they really are

divine graces and not illusions or m elancholia,or the

result of any natural effort , which is always detected

later on by the effects , as are also divine favours which

have resulted from God thus drawing near the soul, for

in the latter case the virtues are too vigorous and the

love too ardent to rem ain concealed .

1 5 Such a p erson

always help s o ther souls even when not intending to

do so . The King set in order charity within m e ,

and He so sets the soul in order that all love for this

world qu its it , self-love changes into self-hatred and

affection is felt for kindred solely for the sake o f God ;

A s for the love borne for enem ies , it would b e incredib le

unless p roved by facts . The soul’

s love for God has

grown so b oundless as to constrain it beyond the lim its

endurable by hum an nature , and ,realising that She is

fainting and at the p o in t o f death ,such a p erson exclaim s

Stay m e up w ith flowers ,com p ass m e abou t w ith

ap p les : because I langu ish w ith love .

” 1“

1 5 The sou l canno t bear with itse lf unless it is su ffering Som e

th ing for God (Letter to Don Lo renzo de Cep eda o f January 1 7,

I 5 77)1° Cant . 11 . 5 : Puloile me floribus , stipate me malis , qu ia arnore

langueo .

1 80 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

CHAPTER VI I .

Of a z ealous lov e fo r God , wh ich belongs to a v ery h igh

grade of lov e and is o f tw o kinds . In the first,the

sou l p erform s great deeds in God’

s serv ice solely in

o rder to p lease Him ; in the second , it desires and

asks for crosses in im itation o f Christ cru cified .

1 . The sou l langu ishes w ith love . 2. A s does the body. 3 . H ow death is warded017. 4 . The flowers sym bolise good works . 5 . Good works and se lf-interes t.

6 . Con tras ted w ith pure zeal for God . 7 . The woman of Samar ia felt

th is pure zeal. 8 . S ublim e favo urs produce sublim e v irtues . 9 . The

app le-tree of the cross and its fru it. 1 0. Th is favo ur produces love for our

ne ighbour . 1 1 . Beg inners do not understand th is . 1 2. S t. Teresa’

s aim

in wr iting th is treatise . 1 3 . Gratitude due for such favo urs.

STAY ME UP W ITH FLOWERS,COMPASS ME ABOUT

W ITH APPLES: BECAUSE I LANGU ISH W ITH LOVE .

1 . OH , what divine language in which to exp ress my

m eaning ! A re you slain ,then ,

by this sweetness , holy

Bride I have been told that som etim es it is so exces

sive that it exhausts the soul and seem s to dep rive it

o f life . And yet , you ask for flowers What flowers are

these They would b ring you no relie f , unless you beg

for them in order to end your life at once . And indeed ,

when the soul has reached this state , it has no d earer

w ish .

l Yet , this canno t b e your m eaning ,for you say

Stay me up w ith flowers , and to ask to b e sustained.

does not seem to m e to ask for death ,b ut rather to seek

1 Castle , M . v i. ch . x i. 1—6 ; M . v ii . ch . iii. 1 4 . Exclam a v i.

and xiv . Poem , I d ie because I do no t die .

”

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1 82 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

her soul desired never to em erge from it, and death

was no longer p ainful, bu t m ost delicious , for she lived

by longing to die . The j oys o f this state o f p rayer and

degree o f love are incom patib le with any sort o f p ain .

3 . The soul does not now wish to rouse itself,nor

w ould death b e grievou s , b u t would b ring it great joy,

since it is for this that it longs . H ow b lest the death

infl icted by such love ! Did no t His Maj esty at tim es

b estow the light to see that it is well to live , w eak nature

w ould succumb if this favour lasted long . Thus ,to b e

delivered from th is overwhelm ing boon ,the soul p etitions

for ano ther grace ,crying Stay m e up w ith flowers

These b lossom s have a very different p erfum e from those

o f the w orld .

4 .I understand by this that the Bride is begging that

she m ay p erform great works in the service o f God and

her neighbour ,‘ for the sake o f which She gladly forfeits

4 Yep e s , in a long lette r to F ray Lu is de Leon (F uente , Obras ,

V i. says that tho ugh St . Te re sa v ehem ently lo nged fo r the

Sigh t o f Go d , ye t Sh e wished to liv e in o rder to su ffe r fo r H im .

She cried ,like the Brid e in the Canticles Stay m e up with

flowers ,

” wh ich She thu s exp lained : W hy ,Brid e o f Go d , do

you ask to b e strengthened so that yo u m ay liv e W hat betterend cou ld you desire than t o d ie o f lo v e Do you lo v e and see

that lo v e is killing yo u , and yet want to liv e ? Y es ,fo r I

d esire to p rese rv e m y life in o rder to se rv e God and to su ff er fo r

H im .

"

Bu rning with this flam e o f lo v e , St . T ere sa asked o ur

Lo rd H ow can I liv e wh ile I am dying ? ” H is Majestyrep lied Daugh ter , tho u canst do so by reflecting that , once

this life is ended , thou canst no longer serv e Me no r suffer for

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 83 .

her own j oys and consolations . T his ap p ears p roper,

rather to the active than to the contem p lative life ,and

ap p arently she would lose rather than gain by her p rayer

b eing granted yet when the soul has reached this state ,

Martha and Mary always act together , as w e may say .

‘5

F or the soul takes its part in the ou tward actions which

seem m erely exterior,and which

,when they sp ring from

this roo t, are lovely, odoriferous flowers grow ing on the

tree o f a love for God solely for His own sake,unm ixed

with self-interest . The p erfum e o f these b lossom s is

waited to a d istance ,blessing m any souls , and it is

lasting ,fo r it does not p ass away withou t working great

good .

5 . I will exp lain myself m ore fully for your b enefi t .

A p reacher delivers h is serm on for the p rofi t o f souls,

yet is no t so free from desire o f worldly advantages as

no t to try to p lease his audience,e ither to w in honour

and credit for h im self, or to obtain p referm ent by ;his

eloquence . I t is the sam e in o ther ways certain p eop le

are anxious to help the ir neighb our no tab ly and with a

good intention ,still they are very wary ab ou t losing

by it or giving offence . They dread p ersecu tion , w ish

to keep on good term s w ith royalty,the higher classes

,

Me (Rel. ix . By m eans O f the se flow ers and ap p les

God strengthened h er weakness and rendered life p leasant to heralthou gh Sh e w as sick o f lo v e . See also Exclam . ii . 3 , 4 .

5 Life , ch . xv ii. 6 ; ch . xx ii . 1 3 . Rel. v iii. 6 . Way of Perf . ,

ch. xv ii. 4 ; ch . xxx i. 4 . Castle , M . v ii. ch . 1 . 1 4 ; Ch . iv . 1 7.

M INOR W ORK S o r sr . TERESA .

and the general p ub lic , and act w ith the m oderation

highly rated by the world , but which screens many

imperfections under the name of p rudence . God grant

that it is p rudence

6 . Such p eop le serve God and do great good , yet I do

rio t think that these are the flowers for which the Bride

b egs , b ut that she is p etitioning for an intention of seekingsolely for the honour and glory o f God in all things .

F o r truly, as I have seen in several cases ,

souls raised by

H im to this state are as ob livious as if they no longer

existed , o f their own loss or gain .

“ Their one thought

is to serve and p lease God ,for , know ing his love for H is

creatures ,they deligh t in leaving their own com fort

and advantages to gratify H im by help ing and teachingthe ir neighbour in order that they may p rofi t his soul.

They never calculate as to whe ther they w ill lose by

it them selves , b u t think abou t the w elfare of o thers

and of nothing else , forgetting them selves for the sake

of‘

G'

od‘

in order to p lease H im better , —and they will

even lose their lives if need b e , as did m any of the

martyrs . Their words are interp enetrated w ith this

sup rem e love for God ,so that they never think

, or if

they think,they do not care ,

whether they offend m en

by what they say . Such p eop le do imm ense good .

7 . O ften have I though t o f the woman o f Samaria,

Castle , M . v . ch . iii . 8 ; M . v ii . ch . iv . 1 0 , H .

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1 86 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

after having b een in intimate converse wish H is Majesty

for several years ,now that they rece ive caresses and

consolations from H im , do no t hesitate to undergo

fatiguing labours for H im even at the cost o f these delights

and joys . In my op inion these flowers are good w orks ,

sp ringing from and p roduced as they are by the tree o f

fervent love ; there fore they have a far m ore lasting

p erfume ,and one such sou l p rofi ts o thers in a w ider

manner by its words and actions than do the deeds

and w ords o f a numb er o f p eop le whose intentions are

so iled by the dust o f hum an sensuality and are no t

unm ixed w ith self-interest .

9 . These are the flowers that p roduce fruit these are

the ap p les o f wh ich the Bride cries Com p ass m e

ab ou t with app les—Send m e crosses

,Lord ! Send m e

p ersecu tions ! Indeed ,She sincerely desires them and

com es forth from them with p rofi t for as she no longer

cares for her own p leasure ,b u t solely for p leasing God ,

she deligh ts in im itating , in som e degree ,that m ost

painful life led by Christ . I b elieve that the ap p le tree

signifies the tree O f the cross ,9 for in ano ther p art o f the

3 Exclam . ii . 3 , 4 .

9 A s it w as by the fo rbidden tree o f p arad ise that o u r naturewas corrup ted by Adam and lo st , so it w as by the tree o f the cro ss

that it w as redeem ed and re sto red . The ap p le tree is the wo odo f the cro ss where the Son o f Go d w as co nquero r , and where H e

be tro thed o ur hum an nature to H im self,and

,by consequence ,

ev ery so u l of man . There , on the cro ss , H e gav e us grace and

CONCEPTIONS O F THE LOVE O F GOD . 1 87

Canticles the words occur’ Under the ap p le tree I

raised thee and a soul that is compassed ab ou t

w ith crosses o f sufferings exp ects to benefi t greatly bythem . A S a rule it does no t enjoy the deligh t o f contem

p lation , but finds keen joy in its trials by which the

b odily strength is no t enervated and wasted as it usually

is by frequent susp ension o f the facu lties during contem

p la’

t ion .

1 1

I O . The Bride is righ t in m aking this request , for we

ough t no t to sp end all our tim e in joy w ithou t any w ork

or suffering . I have O ften no ticed in certain p ersons ,

there are very few o f them on account o f our Sins,

that as they advance farther in th is p rayer and receive

m ore consolations from our Lord ,they b ecom e m ore

anxious abou t the hap p iness and salvation o f their

neighb our , esp ecially as regards his soul, for , as I said

above,they would sacrifice the ir lives again and again

to rescue one soul from m ortal sin .

I I . Who could teach th is to p eop le to whom our Lord

is only just b eginning to give consolations ? Perhap s

they fancy the o thers have made b ut little p rogress and

that to stay 1n~

a corner enj oying these favours is the

essential thing . I b elieve that it is by divine Providence

p ledges o f lo v e (St . John O f th e Cro ss , Spir itual Can ticle ,

Stan za xx iii . I ,

1 ° Cant . VI II . 5 : Sub arbor/ e malo suscitavi te .

if. Castle , M . v ii. ch . iv . 1 4

—1 6 .

1 88 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

that such p ersons'

do not realise how high these o ther

souls have risen ,for in their first fervour they would

ru sh after them . This would no t b e well for b eginners ,

b ecause they are still children and need to b e fed w ith

the m ilk o f which I sp oke . Let these souls keep close

to those divine b reasts our Lord w ill take care ,

when they are strong enough ,to advance them farther ,

b ut at p resent they would no t do good to o thers as they

imagine ,b ut would injure them selves .

“

1 2 . From the b ook I sp oke of you w ill have learn t ‘

when the soul ough t to w ish to help o thers, and the

danger o f do ing so be fore the p rop er tim e ; I will sayno m ore ab ou t it now .

" My intention , when I began

to write the p resent b oOk , was to show you how to enj oy

the words o f the Canticle o f Canticles when you hear

them , and the way to m editate on the great mysteries

which they contain , Obscure as they m ay seem to you .

“

I t would b e audacious o f m e to attemp t to say m ore .

God grant that I have not comm itted this audacity

already , although this has b een written only in Ob ed ience

to au thority .

T3 .

‘

May it all tend to serve H is Maj esty ! I f there

is anything good in these writings you m ay b e sure it"

is not my own ,as the sisters here can b ear w itness ,

for

1“ Life ,ch . x iii. I I . Castle ,

M . i . ch . ii . 1 9 ,2 1 M . iii. ch . 1 1 .

1 3 Life , ch . x iii .

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MAX IMS OF ST . TERESA .

I . MAN ’

S m ind is like good ground which ,left untilled ,

grow s thorns and thistles .

2 . Always sp eak w ell o f sp iritual p ersons , such as

religious , p riests and herm its .

3 . Talk little when w ith m any p eop le .

4 . Be m odest in all your w ords and actions .

5 . Never contend m uch,esp ecially abou t trifles .

6 . Sp eak w ith qu iet cheerfulness to everyone .

1

7 . Never ridicule anything .

8 . Correct o thers p rudently,humb ly and w ith Self

abasem ent .

2

9 . Accommodate yourself to everyone ’

s humour : ' b e

cheerful w ith the hap py , grave with the sad,

—in short,

b e all to all,that you may w in all. 3

To. Think before you speak,recomm ending your

words earnestly to our Lord that you may say nothingdisp leasing to H im .

“

1 Constitu tions , 2 8 .

2 Ribera relates that St . Teresa corrected her nun s v ery grav elyso that th e Offender w as asham ed o f h er fault and anx iou s to

am end , yet w as ne ith er sad nor angry,b u t On the contrary felt

IOVe and gratitud e fo r h e r . Bu t wh en the cu lp rit Showed resentm ent fo r sev eral days

,th e Saint wou ld kneel befo re h er and b eg

h er p ardon fo r hav ing Sp oken too‘

hastily . R ibera,bk . iv.

‘

ch .

x v i. and xxiv .

A3I Co r . ix . 22 : Omnibus omnia factu

‘

s suni‘

ut oinnes faeeyem

salvos .

4 Rule , 1 2 .

1 92 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

1 1 . Never excuse yourself excep t in grave matters .

“

1 2 . On no account m ention anything to your own

credit , such as learning , good p o ints or lineage ,excep t

w ith the hop e of do ing som e good by it : then,sp eak

humbly ,rem emb ering that such things are God

’

s gift .

I 3 . Do not exaggerate ; bu t state your op inion humb ly .

I 4 . Introduce religious top ics into all your talk and

interviews,which w ill p revent idle gossip and detraction .

‘

1 5 . Never affirm anything of the tru th o f which you

are uncertain .

1 6 . Unless charity requ ires , do no t ob trude your

op inion unasked .

,I 7 . Listen humb ly as a learner to religious conversa

tion,and take care to

.

p rofi t by it .

1 8 . Ob tain advice and help respecting your temp ta

tions ,faults and aversions by revealing them candidly

to your sup erior and confessor .

7

1 9 . Remain in your cell do not leave it w ithou t good

cause ,and then b eg God for grace not to offend H im .

‘

20 . Do no t eat or drink excep t . at m eal tim es and

then give God fervent thanks .

’

2 1 . I t is a great help to the soul to p erform all your

actions as if you saw God p resent .

22 . Listen to or Sp eak ill of no one but yourself5 Way of Perf ch . xv . I ; Constit . , 30 .

Constit . , 1 4—1 6 .

7 Way of Perf ch . iv . and v . and passim . Constit. , 42 .

9 Rule , 5 ; Constit. , 7 .

9 Constit . , 26 .

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1 94 M INOR WORK S OF ST'

. TERESA .

b efore your m ind throughou t the day,for it is m ost

help ful. "

32 . Be m ind ful o f the sentiments w ith which our Lord

insp ires you during p rayer , and act up on the desires

H e then gives you .

33 . A s far as p ossible avo id singular ity,which is a

great evil in communities .

34 . Read your Constitu tions and Rule frequently , and

Ob serve them strictly .

35 . Recognise the p rovidence and wisdom o f God in'

all created things , and p raise H im for them .

36 . Detach your heart from all things ; seek God ,

and you Will find Him .

37 . Never Show ou twardly devo t ion wh ich you do

no t feel, b ut you need tell no one which devo tions do

no t ap p eal to you .

38 . I f p ossib le avoid revealing your interior devo tion .

My secre t is for myself,

”said St . Francis ‘3

and St .

Bernard .

“3 Constit . , 2 .

1 ’ I saias x x iv . I 6 : Seeretum m eum m ihi. St . F rancis o f Assisiw as in the habit o f keep ing Silence abou t any d iv ine fav o urs heenjoyed ,

saying Secretum meum m ihi .

”Howev er , on receiv ing

the im p re ssion o f the stigmata , he consu lted his brethren on the

subject in general term s , and fo llowing the adv ice o f Bro therI llum inatus ,

he re lated to them the v ision . (St . Bo nav enture inthe Life 0/ St . F rancis .)

1‘ Do no t le t your graces b e talked ab ou t by m en : remain

secluded in your ce ll and reserv e the knowledge o f them fo r yo ur

MAXIMS OF ST . TERESA .1 95

39 . Do not discuss your food and whether it is well

or badly cooked . Rememb er the gall and vinegar of

Jesus Christ .

“

40 . Never sp eak at m eals nor raise your eyes to look

at anyone .

“

41 . Think of the heavenly banquet and its food , which

is God H im self, and of the guests , who are the angels ;

raise your m ind to that feast and long to b e there .

42 . Never sp eak in the p resence o f your sup erior ,—in

Whom you m ust see J esus Christ—w ithou t need,or

w ithou t deep reverence .

43 . Do no thing that the whole world m ight not see .

44 . Never compare p eop le w ith one ano ther : it is

odious .

45 . Receive rep rimands w ith interior and outward

hum ility and p ray for your admonisher .

1 7

46 . I f one sup erior gives you som e order , do not Ob ject

that you have received a contrary command from

ano ther au thority, b u t Ob ey

,b elieving that they b oth

acted from a good m o tive .

self,ev er bearing inscrib ed up on you r thoughts and up on the

p ortal o f your cell th e m otto Secretum meum mihi (F rom the

Ep istola ad F ratres de M onte Dei , fo rm erly attributed to St .

Bernard ,b u t in reality by Blessed Gu igues , fi fth p rior o f the

Grande Chartreuse . Migne ,P .L t . clxxx iv . c .

1 5 Constit. , 2o .

1“Rule , 3 .

17 Constit. , 47 .

E96 MINOR WORKS OE ST . TERESA .

_ 47 . BO no t evince cu riosity by talking and asking

questions abou t m atters which do no t concern you .

48 . Keep in m ind your p ast life and p resent tep idity ,

to ob tain rep entance ; discover why you are unfi t for

heaven : you will thus live in fear , the source o f great

b lessings .

-

49 . Always accede to your sisters ’

requests ,unless con

trary ,

to Ob edience answer them hum b ly and gently‘

50 . A sk for no sp ecial food nor clo thing withou t ab so

lu te necessity .

“

5 1 . Never cease to hum b le and mortify yourself in

every way as long as you live .

52 . A ccustom yourself to m ake frequ ent acts o f love

which inflam e and m elt the soul.

53 . Make acts o f all the o ther virtues .

54 . O ffer all things to the E ternal Father in union

w ith the m erits of His Son J esus Christ .

55 . Be indulgent to o thers,rigorous to yourself .

56 . On the feasts o f any Saint , think o f his virtues and

ask God to give them to you .

"

57 . Be very care ful about your nightly exam ination

o f conscience .

58 . Consider during your m orning p rayer b efore Holy

Communion that , m iserab le as you are , you are to rece ive

God ,and at night reflect that you have received H im .

13 Consti t 2 1 , 22 .

1’ I bidem , I .

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1 98 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

66 . When sad or troub led do not om it your accustom ed

p rayers or p enances , which the devil is then striving to

make you leave off . Pray and mortify yourself more

than usual and you w ill find that God w ill soon come

to your aid .

67 . Do no t discuss your temp tations and faults with

the least advanced in the house,which would harm you

b o th ,b ut confide them to the holiest am ong your sisters .

68 . Rem emb er you have b ut one soul ; you w ill die

bu t once ; you have only one life,which is short , and

which you m ust live on your own account ; there is

only one heaven, which lasts for ever

,

— this w ill make

you indifferent to many things .

69 . Desire to see GOd fear to lose Him grieve to b e

so far from H im ; re j o ice to b e b rought near H im ,

thus you w ill live in p ro found p eace .

MISCELLANEOUS.

PAPERS FOUND IN ST. TERESA ’

S BREVIARY .

1 . ON Wednesday,the feast o f St . B erthold o f the

Order o f Carm el,on March 29 ,

1 5 1 5 , at fiv e o’

clock in

the m orning ,was b orn Teresa o f J esus

, the sinner .

1

2 . On the seventeenth of November, the octave o f

St . Martin 3 in the year 1 569 , I have lived ,for the Ob j ect

known to m e, twelve years for the thirty-three years lived

by our Lord ; twenty-one are lacking . Written at

Toledo in the Carmel Of the glorious St . Joseph .

3

1 The se p ap ers , like th e fam ous Bookm ark,

” were found in

the brev iary (edition o f Venice , 1 5 68 ) used by St . Teresa till th eend o f her life . The first no tice p resents som e difficu lties . The

‘

feast o f St . Berthold w as , and still is , kep t on March 29 ,which

in1 5 1 5 fell on a Thursday b u t as w e know from an attestationby h er fath er that th e Saint w as born on W ednesday, March 2 8 ,

at half-p ast fiv e in th e m orning , it is p robable that in the abo v ep ap er she m eant to say ev e o f St . Bertho ld instead o f feast .

”

2 St . Martin , Po p e and Martyr,whose feast

, now kep t on

N o v ember 1 2 , w as fo rm erly celebrated on the tenth . I t had an

octav e in the Carm elite o rder,becau se one o f the p rinc ip al churche s

in Rom e,belonging to th e Carm elites , is ded icated to him ,

v iz .

San Martino ai M onti .3 The p ap er containing th is no tice is now in the po ssession o f

th e nuns o f M edina del Camp o , b u t after St . Teresa’

s d eath it

remained fo r som e tim e in the hands o f F ather J erom e Gratian ,

I 99

ZOO MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

3 . I for Thee , and Thou for m e thirty-three years .

4 . Twelve have I lived for m e [Thee P] , and no t for

my own w ill.

5 . St . Chrysostom says that veritable martyrdom

consists no t only in the shedding o f b lood ,bu t that a

comp lete w ithdrawal from sin , and the p ractice and

following o f the Divine commandm ents , constitu te mar

tyrdom . True patience in adversities also makes us

martyrs .

6 . Our will gains its value from union w ith that of

God when we only w ill what H is Maj esty w ills .

7 . To p ossess charity in p erfection constitu tes glory .

8 . Advice as to how to profit by persecution .

To ensure that p ersecu tions and insults Should b ear

good fru it and p rofi t the soul,it is well to consider that

they are done to God b e fore they are done to m e, for the

b low aimed at m e has already b een aimed at His Maj estyby sin . Besides, the true lover ough t to have made the

compact w ith the Bridegroom that She w ill b e wholly

H is, and care no thing for self . I f,then ,

our Sp ouse b ears

w ith this injury , why Should w e not b ear w ith it Our

sorrow ought to b e for the offence against His Maj esty ,

as the wrong does not affect our soul but only our

b ody of clay , which so richly deserves to suffer .

who , it ap p ears , had been to ld by the Saint herself what it m eant ;b u t as his exp lanation has no t com e down to us , all attemp ts at

in terp reting these enigmatical wo rd s hav e failed .

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202 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

parting w ith the nuns was m ore touching than usual,

for she made it a rule to sup p ress all emo tion , b ut now

she allowed the p rioress and Sisters to kiss her hand and

sp oke a tender word to each .

The Saint left Burgos ab ou t the end o f July,1 582 ,

and w ished to return at once to Avila for Teresita'

s p ro

fession , bu t the Provincial, Father Gratian , bade her

stay for a month at the convent o f Palencia,founded

two years earlier . She was cordially received by the

young p rioress , Isabel o f J esu s , and the nuns,found the

discip line o f the community all that She could desire,

and tells in her letters how her health was im p roved by

the cool cell they gave her , and the rest and p eace . She

had suffered for months w ith a Violent fever and an

op en w ound in her throat which almost p revented her

from swallow ing ; b u t now that was better and she

gathered a lit tle strength for the Via dolorosa which was

to end in the Fatherland . I t was p robably from Palencia

that she wro te to Mo ther Mary o f St . J oseph , p rioress o f

Seville Now ,my daughter , I can m ake the sam e

p etition as St . Sim eon,for I have seen what I des‘

ired'

in the O rder o f our Lady the Virgin ,SO I b eg you and

the Sisters no t to p ray that I may live longer, bu t that

I may go to my rest , for I am o f no more use to you .

”

When her stay was over she set out, by direction

3 Acco unt o f the fo undation o f the conv ent o f Se v ille ,by

Mary o f St . Josep h , in F uente , Obras ,v i . p . 48 (No .

MISCELLANEOUS . 203

o f the‘

p rovincial, for Valladolid,no tw ithstanding the

sultry heat o f August . God w illed that the whole

j ourney Should b e a succession o f sufferings, says Anne

o f St . Bartholom ew . Her b ro ther Lorenzo had left four

hundred ducats to St . Joseph’

s convent at Avila to

b uild a side chap el in which he was to b e b uried . A fter

his death the fam ily tried to set aside the w ill on the

ground of its having b een found already op ened . The

p rioress o f Valladolid,Mary Bap tist (de Ocam p o ), who

was the daughter o f a cousin o f the Saint and who had

herself largely contribu ted towards the foundation o f

that conven t,Sided with her relations and treated St .

Teresa unkindly . The fam ily lawyer called up on the

Saint during her stay at Valladolid and grossly insulted

her, telling her that She was not what she ap p eared to b e ,

but that many p ersons in the world would have b ehaved

far b etter . She m eekly rep lied May God reward

you for the favour you are do ing me .

Her visit ended on the fi fteenth of Sep temb er . Keenly

as She must have suffered , she Showed nothing but affec

tion and content as she b lessed the community and b ade

farewell. My daughters , she said ,

“it consolesm e greatly

on leaving this house to w itness the p erfection p ractised

in it,and the p overty and m u tual charity in which you

live . I f you p ersevere in this , God w ill grant you great

graces . Let each o f you strive to lack no thing which

tends to the p erfection of the relig ious life . Do not

204 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

p erform its duties out o f rou tine ,b ut w ith hero ic fervour ,

daily striving to attain to higher virtue . Desire to do

great things : th is is very b eneficial even when we

canno t carry our Wishes into action .

Fresh trials awaited Saint Teresa at Medina del

Cam p o ,her next halt on the homeward j ourney . In the

refectory,on the evening o f her arrival, she called the

attention o f the p rioress ,Mother Alb erta-Bau tista,

to

som e sligh t m atter which required correction . The

p rioress ,who was in p oor health ,

resented the ob serva

tion and showed marked coolness . The Mo ther, deep ly

grieved , was too disturb ed to b e ab le to eat , and passed

a Sleep less nigh t . She set off,fasting ,

the next m orning ,

no t,as She had hop ed,to Avila,

bu t to A lba (18 Tormes,

under the conduct o f Father Antonio o f J esus , who had

b een the first Carm elite friar to em brace the Reform .

She had found him waiting for her at Medina, at the

urgent request Of the Duchess o f A lba, Who had sent her

carriage to take the Saint to her own residence at A lba,

to m ake the visit p rom ised her a year b e fore, and also

to b ring a b lessing by her p resence on the duchess’

s

daughter-in-law ,who was abou t to become a m o ther .

Teresita tells us that her aunt resigned herself in p erfec t

peace to this change in her p lans . Considering the bar

b arous state o f the inns at which She would have to stay,

it.

was unfortunate that her hostess forgo t to send p ro

3 F uch te, Obras, iii. 1 72 .

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206 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Hardly had they entered the town when a m essenger

cam e to announce that the young duchess had j ust given

b irth to a son . Thank God ! the‘

Saint ’ won '

t b e

wanted now ! exclaim ed Teresa .

‘ No tw ithstandingher p rom ise o f go ing straigh t to the castle ,

she was so

u tterly exhausted that Father Antonio bade her enter

the convent at once .

Her daugh ters received her w ith the greatest love

and reverence . She gave them her b lessing , p resented her

hand to b e kissed , and sp oke a tender, affectionate word

to each . They p ersuaded her to retire to rest , for She

was in a b urning fever and owned that She felt u tterly

p rostrate , as if all her b ones were b roken . A s they

undressed her and laid her worn-ou t b ody on the hard

straw mattress,

—for the rule was that no nun,however

ill, m igh t lie on any o ther,

—she exclaim ed : God help

me, daughters , how tired I feel ! I have no t gone to

b ed so early for twenty years ! How I thank H im for

letting m e b e w ith you now that I am taken ill

Next morning she rose at the usual hour, heard Mass

and received Holy Communion , and exam ined the whole

convent . She attended the comm unity du ties, gave

p rivate interviews to the nuns, and continued to do so

for the next eigh t days . Her health was sometim es b etter,

The baby, to whom the nam e F ernando , Duke o f H uescar ,

was giv en , d ied eighteen m o nths later (No te b y F ather Antonioo f St . Josep h ) .

MISCELLANEOUS. 207

sometim es -worse , but the doctors whom the p rioress

called in declared that recovery was im p ossible . I t was

a hard sacrifice for m e,

relates the faithful lay-sister,

who had tended her through all her sufferings for years ,

all the harder becau se w e were at Alba,and b ecau se

I knew I should hav e to return to Avila w ithou t her .

But,not to sp eak o f our love for one ano ther

,I had

ano ther great consolation : I c onstantly saw J esus

Christ in her soul, united to it as though they were already

united in heaven . The Sigh t filled m e with the deep

reverence that w e ought to feel in the p resence o f God .

Indeed,it was heaven to serve her

,and the keenest p ain

to w itness her sufferings. The fourteen years I had

b een w ith her m ight have b een but a Single day . The

Saint,on

“

her p art , seem ed so w ell p leased w ith my

p oor services that she would no t b e withou t m e . Truly,

during the last fiv e days b efore her death I was m ore

dead than alive .

Though the holy Mo ther did her best to conceal the

desp erate state o f her health,it . soon becam e ap parent

to'

all the nuns . On Sep tember 29 , during Mass ,she

b ecam e suddenly worse , and had to take to her b ed,

from which she never rose again . She asked to b e p ut

in a small cell in the infirmary up stairs , w ith a little

w indow overlooking the h igh altar from which She

could hear Mass . . During the few days she remained

there she sp oke b u t little , passing the time in Silent

208 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

p rayer and adoration . Teresita relates how acu tely she

suffered m eanwhile b o th from exterior and in terior trials ,

for God p erm itted her to feel her malady and o ther

troubles m ost severely . She w as then p rioress o f St .

Joseph’

s convent at Avila, and the dire state o f p overty

in that house disturbed her greatly as she lay help less .

She used to exclaim How shall we get the nuns b read

to eat 9 Four or fiv e days b e fore her death she said

to her Infirmarian Mind,my daughter, as soon as you

see that I am a little better, you are to get a carriage ,

p ut m e in it,and take m e back to Avila .

”

The nuns took it in turns to watch b eside their Mo ther,

and Sp ent the rest o f the time in p rayer and works o f

p enance ,w ith ou tstretched hands imp loring God not

to take her away from them . They moved ab ou t the

convent as under a heavy weight , vainly endeavouring

to drive away their m ournful fo rebodings . During the

last year strange things had occurred which seem ed to

foreshadow som e far-reaching event . Mysterious lights

had ap p eared in cho ir,during Matins and the tim e for

p rivate p rayer in the summ er a very gentle ,sweet Sigh

had o ften been heard there : later on they recognised it

as b eing like that their Mo ther breathed shortly b efore she

gave forth her sp irit . One night , no t long be fore ,Sister

Catherine-Bap tist , wh ile p raying at the foo t o f a cross

in the court o f the convent , had seen a star in the sky,

jmuch brighter than the rest , which descended until it

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MINOR WORKS OF ST .

’

TERESA .

b egged her to m ove away on account o f the remedy,She

exclaimed: There is no scent excep t a most delicious

one. I thought agua de los dngeles had been sp rinkled

ab ou t the room,which m ight have done you

Shortly afterwards a nun su ffering from a bad headache

knelt to p ray b eside the Saint , and taking the holy

Mo ther '

s hand,laid it on her forehead

, whereup on the

pain imm ediately disap p eared .

Saint Teresa lay silent and p eaceful, thanking her

daughters for their care ,and the doctors for their rem edies

,

however painful or nauseous , w ith the sam e sweet sm ile .

She slep t bu t little on the nigh t o f Octob er 1 , and sent for

Father Antonio at dayb reak to hear her confession . A fter

giving her ab solu tion,the p oor old p riest , who must have

b egun to regret having made her take this fatal journey,

fell on his knees b e fore her in the p resence o f all the nuns ,

imp loring her to b eg our Lord no t to take her so soon .

Hush ,Father , she rep lied ,

why do you ask m e such

a thing ? There is no m ore need o f m e in this world .

Hence forth ,She b egan to p repare for death and to

sp eak of it to o thers . When le ft alone w ith her devo ted

infirmarian ,She said : Daughter, the hour is com e

The word p ierced my heart like a dagger, writes

the p oor Sister From that m om ent I never le ft the

cell. I asked the nuns for whatever She wanted and

gave it to her ; it com forted her to have me with her .

F uente ,Obras, l.c . , 23 1 .

MISCELLANEOUS . 2 1 1

Although St . Teresa had always given sp iritual advice

to her daughters ,She did SO w ith m ore love and earnest

ness than ever now that she was leaving them .

During the afternoon she Was seized with an agonising

p ain in the chest the doctors , who w ere hurriedly called

in,ordered that she should b e carried to a warm er cell.

She only sm iled at their efforts , know ing their uselessness .

Cup p ing was p rescrib ed ,to her great joy,

for it was

painful, and she,who had yearned for sufferings all her

life , died as She had lived,says Yep es .

A t fiv e O’

clock on the ev e o f St . Francis o f ASSISI She

asked for the Holy Viaticum . The nuns dressed her in

her veil and white mantle , decorated the cell w ith lights,

and all knelt around her holding lighted tap ers . There

was som e delay in b ringing the Blessed Sacram ent , and

while they were waiting ,the Saint with clasp ed hands

and tearful eyes ,said to them My daughters and

Sefioras,forgive m e for the bad exam p le I have set you ,

and do not im itate m e who have been the greatest sinner

in the world and the m ost lax m em b er o f the Order in

keep ing the Constitutions . I b eg you ,for the love o f

God ,to observe them p erfectly and to obey your Sup eriors .

I f you do this , as you are b ound to do ,no o ther m iracles

will b e required for your canonisation . The sisters

w ep t and p rayed in Silence until they heard the tinkling

o f the b ell which announced that the p riest was b ringing

the Blessed Sacrament . Although for the last two days

2 1 2 MINOR W ORK S'

OE ST . TERESA .

the help o f“

two nuns had been requ ired to lift the holy

Mo ther in b ed , She now rose qu ickly of her own accord

and knelt up on the m attress . So strong was the imp ulse

o f her love , says Yep es , that , had she not b een p revented ,

she would have cast herself up on the ground to receive

her Master . H er face was m aj estic and beau tiful, and

looked far younger than her real age . With clasped

hands and soul‘

aflam e w ith love ,her face illum ined w ith

joy ,she b egan , like a swan of matchless whiteness , as

her life was ebbing away,a song far sw eeter than any

She had sung be fore . O my Bridegroom ,my Mas ter !

she exclaim ed ,at last the longed-for hour has com e !

now it is tim e for us to see one ano ther My Master,it

is tim e to set forth Blessed b e this hour , and may Thy

will b e done ! Now is the hour for m e to leave this

desert that my soul may rejo ice in Thee Whom it has so

ardently desired .

”She would have continued her.

colloquy m uch longer , had no t her sup erior bidden her

under Ob edience to b e silent , lest she Should harm

herself . A fter She had received the Viaticum ,She , as a

true daugh ter Of Sp ain ,thanked God with the greatest

fervour for having made her a child o f the Church and

p erm itted her to d ie w ithin its fold ,rep eating again

and again : A fter all, Lord ,I am a ch ild o f the Church

And this was one o f her greatest consolations as she lay

on her deathb ed .

F uente , Obras , l.c . , 223 .

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2 1 4 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

give m e a little earth here ? One of the nuns said to

her : You are right , Mo ther,for our Lord had no

hom e o f H is own . You may well say that , rep lied

the Sain t, your words com fort m e greatly .

” 1 ’

She p assed the nigh t in acu te p ain ,b u t u ttered no

comp laint , and from tim e to tim e was heard to murmur’

Cor contritum et humiliatum,Deus

,non despicies, or so ftly

whisp er the nam e o f J esus . These w ere her last words ,

for when Sister Anne o f St . Bartholom ew Changed her

linen at dayb reak she could no longer sp eak ,b ut only

thanked her by a sm ile . Shortly afterwards ,” that

Sister w rites ,Father Antonio told m e to go and take

som e food . While I was away ,the holy Mo ther kep t

anxiously looking from side to side , and made a Sign o f

acquiescence when the Father asked if she wanted m e .

They called m e and I hastened to return . When she

saw m e com e back ,She sm iled sweetly ,

and w ith a loving

gesture grasp ed my hand and p laced her head w ithin my

arm s, where I held it until She died . Meanwhile

,I seem ed

more like the dying p erson than she did ,for the Bride

groom so inflamed her love for H im that she only sighed

for the m om ent when the b onds o f her b ody b eing loosed

She could enj oy Him for ever .

” 1 ’

A t seven o’

clock in the m orning her agony began ,

although she gave no signs O f distress or pain . Turn ing

13 Dep o sitio n o f Sister Catherine Bap tist , F nente , Obras , l.c . , 30 2 .

13 A u tobiography of Ven . A nne 0/ S . Bartholomew, bk . ii. ch . as.

MISCELLANEOUS . 2 1 5

on to her left side, facing the nuns

, She lay like the

dying Magdalene , gazing at the crucifix which she held ,

_and still clasp ed after death until it was taken from

her for her b urial. Perhap s the exqu isite p oem ,the

Address o f a dying nun to her which She

had written som e little tim e b efore , gives a clue to her

thoughts as she lay dying . She remained thus duringfourteen hours , m oving neither hand nor foo t , nor showingany Signs o f suffering .

I do no t think I ever saw her look so lovely in mylife

,testified Sister Mary o f St . Francis 1“ her face was

very b eautiful, glowing and Shining like the sun

,and the

many wrinkles tim e, old age and suffering had stamp ed

on it disap p eared comp letely . A s the hours w ent on ,

it b rightened with a grow ing sp lendour that at length

illum inated the whole cell, and was reflected in the face

o f Anne o f St . Bartholom ew . She was ab sorbed in

p rayer , in deep est p eace and qu iet , som etim es app earing

enrap tured ,sometim es surp rised as if som ething w onderful

Was shown her, and again she seemed to answer one who

Sp oke to her , but She was always calm and‘

her face

shone like the m oon in the fullness o f its beau ty . A t

intervals a delicious p erfume cam e from her . Thus she

remained ,recollected in God , astonished at the new

mysteries She was discovering, and overj oyed at the

1 4 Poem ! 1 1

15 F uente , Obras , l.o . , 2 25

2 16 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

posse ssion already b eginning to b e realised o f H im for

Whom she had so fervently longed . Just b efore she

died ,Sister Catherine o f the Concep tion , who was seated

in the Clo ister leading to the infirmary ,heard a loud noise

as o f a crowd o f p eop le rej o icing and exclaim ing , and

saw a large num ber o f shining figures clo thed in white

enter the room . The Ten Thousand Martyrs , to whom

the Sain t had sp ecial devo tion ,

“were redeem ing their

p rom ise made to her years ago in a vision , of com ing to

fetch her to heaven .

A t the sam e mom ent the face o f the infirmarian shone

so brightly as She gazed at som ething She saw that the

startled nuns forgo t to watch their Mo ther as they

looked at her . The lay-Sister told afterwards how,while

She held the Saint in her arm s,in anguish ab ou t her life ,

a great glory and ligh t descended over the dying found

ress , and our Lord ap p eared standing at the foo t of the

b ed ,surrounded by angels and the Blessed . I t was

revealed to her that the soul o f Teresa was now to be

fetched away unless She wished her to stay . Anne’

s

p ain and sorrow were changed into deep resignation, so

that she begged p ardon o f God ,saying : Lord ,

if Thou

wouldst consent to leave her for my consolation I would

1 ° The Ten Tho usand Martyrs,o r the Ten Thousand Cruc ified ,

no t to b e confo unded with the E le v en Tho usand V irg ins . Their

feast w as kep t o n J une 2 2 , and in 1 5 80 the conv ent o f the

Incarnation obtained leav e to celebrate it with an octav e .

’7 F uente , Obras ,l.c . , 30 8 .

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2 1 8 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

but her contemp orary historian ,Yepes , says that it was

caused by a violent imp ulse o f divine love . The Bull

o f the canonisation declares this to have b een the fact .

The Saint herself revealed the true cause to Catherine of

J esus , p rioress o f Veas , who was SO ill that the nuns

durst not inform her of St . Teresa’

s death ; bu t the

Saint app eared to her in a vision ,saying she had gone to

enj oy the p resence o f God ,having exp erienced so vehem en t

a longing for H im that her soul le ft the b ody . A p rior

o f her Order was favoured w ith a sim ilar revelation . She

herself, when Sp eaking o f these imp etuosities , declares

that there is great danger o f death in such a state .

"

The nuns,in the deep est sorrow , knelt b eside their

Mo ther ’

s couch all night , kissing her hands and even her

hab it , and imp rinting on their m em ory the features that

were so soon to b e hidden from them . One Sister was

cured o f an infirm ity by touching her , ano ther recovered

her lost eyesight by p lacing the Saint ’s hand up on her

eyes . The face o f the holy foundress grew in p eace and

b eau ty,and the fragrance arising from her b ecam e so

overp owering that the sisters were ob liged to op en the

casem ent . Sister Catherine Bap tist ,who had lost her sense

of smell, grieved at not p erceiving it , reverently kissed

the dead b ody , and it was instantly restored to her .

”

Be fore dayb reak of the follow ing day,

—which was

19 L ife , ch . x x . 1 5 ; Castle ,M . v i. ch . xi . 4 .

2° F uente , Obras, l.o., 302 ,

MISCELLANEOUS . 2 1 9

counted Octob er 1 5 ,ow ing to the reform o f the Calendar ,

the b ells o f Alba announced the death o f Teresa of J esus ,and all the citizens exclaim ed The Saint has gone to

heaven.

A t a later hour -Father Antonio,with the Franciscan

fathers and the clergy o f the town,entered the enclosure .

The sacred remains were laid up on a b ier covered with gold

brocade , as the Saint had seen in a vision when She was

thought to b e dead ,m ore than forty years b efore 31 She

was carried to the convent door , where the nuns,holding

lighted candles,knelt and took farewell o f their Mo ther .

Ou tside w ere assemb led the Duchess o f A lba w ith her

chap lain Don Sancho Davila,afterwards bishop o f Jaén,

the Marqu is o f Cerralvo,Juana de Ahumada (one o f St .

Teresa’

s sisters) w ith her husb and and children , and

m any o f the nobility , b esides a large crowd o f citizens .

Those who w ere fortunate enough to get near the bier

p erceived the m ysterious fragrance which the dead b ody

continued to giv e forth . God bless m e,

exclaim ed the

Simp le convent gardener , this Saint sm ells like qu inces ,

lem ons and j asm ine .

The burial was to take p lace beneath the grating separa

ting the nuns’

cho ir from the body o f the chap el, bu t

as there is no direct communication be tw een the interior

of the convent and the chap el it was necessary to take

the b ody out o f the convent and carry it across the

31 Life , Ch . v .

20 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

square into the chap el. A S in many conventual chap els

in Spain ,there were two choirs in that o f Alba,

one

ab ove the o ther,bo th facing what Was then the high

altar , b ut is now,Since the reb u ilding o f the church

,a

Side Chap el. The visitor w ill easily discover the p ortion

which in St . Teresa’

s tim e was the entire church ; it is

now simp ly one o f the bays,the p resent church standing

at right angles w ith the old one . The form er cho irs are

on the Gosp el side o f the new church,and the old high

altar is now a side chap el on the Ep istle side . When the

originalchurch was be ing erected ,the foundress

,Teresa de

Laiz,

22 had caused a deep vault to b e constructed b eneath

the cho ir grating St . Teresa directed this to b e reserved

for the dep osit , which led the nuns to think that she

referred to som e great gift o f the founders .

23 The event

p roved that she foreknew that she herself was to find

there her resting-p lace . A fter her death the b ody was

no t op ened nor embalm ed ,b ut was Simp ly laid in a wooden

shell into which the nuns , fearing that Avila would claim

the relics o f the holy Mo ther , caused lim e to b e thrown

and water to b e p oured over it , so.

that the body m ight

b e qu ickly consum ed .

The Requ iem m ass was celebrated w ith great solemnity,

the co ffin closed and lowered into the grave ,and so

enormou s a quantity o f earth,b ricks and stones thrown

22 Book of the F oundati ons , ch . xx . 2 sqq .

“3 Rib e ra,Life , bk . iv . ch . v .

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222 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Teresita, too ,returned to Avila,

where she made her

p ro fession on Novemb er 5 ,1 582 . Many o ther con

vents w ished to have her as the rep resentative o f her

holy aunt,b u t the Saint ap p eared to Anne o f St . Bartb o

lomew and said Teresita was to remain in the convent

o f St . Joseph—where ,in fact , she sp ent the remainder o f

her life,dying in the odour o f sanctity on Sep temb er 1 0

,

1 61 0 . She had led a m ost holy life and suffered greatly

from interior trials , in which she never failed to b e con

soled by Saint Teresa. Anne o f St . Bartholom ew says

She saw in sp irit the soul o f Teresita entering paradise ,

led by her aunt .

Ribera thus describes Saint Teresa’

s ap p earance

The holy Mo ther was tall ; b eau tifulwhen young, she

was still handsom e in old age . She had a fine figure

and a very wh ite skin ; her face was round and full,

well shap ed and p rop ortioned , p ink and white in colour.

I t b ecam e flushed while She was at p rayer , which rendered

her extrem ely beau tiful ; at o ther tim es it was very

calm and serene . Her hair was b lack and curly,her

forehead sm oo th and broad her auburn eyebrow s were

Wide and very slightly arched . Her eyes,black

,lively

and charm ing under the ir heavy lids , were no t very large ,

b ut exceedingly well set full o f gaiety when she laughed,

and very grave when she wished to look serious . H er

nose was small w ith very little bridge ,the p oin t rounded

and inclined to b e aqu iline ,the no strils were small and

MISCELLANEOUS . 223

d istended . . H er m ou th was neither large nor small, the

Up p er lip thin and straight , the under one full and rather

droop ing , very p retty and rosy . She had a fine set o f

teeth , a well-made chin,ears o f a moderate size ,

a full

throat , rather short than long , and small, delicately shap ed

hands . Three little m oles on the le ft side o f her face

greatly enhanced her beau ty ; one was just b elow the’

b ridge o f her nose , ano ther betw een the nose and the

m ou th , the third a little b eneath it . On the whole she

was very handsom e and walked m ost gracefully ; she

looked so sweet and amiable that everyone who saw her

loved her .

” 25

To this sketch Yep es adds A t tim es rays o f light

and sp lendour seem ed to com e from her eyes and fore

head,

filling those who watched her w ith awe .

When receiving Holy Communion , and even be fore she

had swallow ed the sacred Ho st , her face b ecam e extra

ordinarily b eau tiful and transp arent . She looked so

maj estic and grave that I felt the deep est reverence for

her it was easy to see Who was her Guest , and how she

had received Him .

” 2“

Father Jerom e Gratian tells the tale in his Peregrina

cio'

n”7of the only p ortrait p ainted o f the Saint from life .

In the convent o f Seville I twice m ortified the Mo ther”5 Ribera, Life ,

bk . iv . oh . i .

2° Yep es , Life ,bk . ii. Ch . xxxv iii and m em o randum to Lu is de

Leon (F uente , Obras ,l .o . , 1 43 , No .

27 Peregrinacién de A nastasia,d ial. x iii.

224 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Teresa in a way she felt acu tely . She had asked m e to

do so,and I w ondered how to im p ose any real mortifi

cation on her,fo r the ord inary kind ,

such as go ing to

the re fectory carrying a cross on her Shoulders , p leased

and delighted her . I t hap p ened at the tim e that

Fray Juan de la M iseria,a lay

-bro ther,

“ was painting

the Clo ister I ordered him to take her p ortrait and bade

her Sit to h im . She felt th is keenly ,for She was extrem ely

humble and did no t want p eop le to rem emb er her or see

her likeness . A s for her discom fort , and the want Of

consideration and courtesy with which She m et from

Bro ther Juan,who very O ften w ould no t let her turn or

m ove her head for a long while at a stre tch , she was

m uch m ore indifferent on that score . The p icture was

a bad one when it was done ,for the friar was not a first

class artist . When Mo ther Teresa saw it,she said to

him,in her grace ful way : God forgive you ,

Bro ther

J ohn after all the trouble you have given m e, you have

made m e b lear-eyed and ugly .

’ Father Gratian adds

that this was the only m eans o f getting a p ortrait o f the

Saint , for neither She nor he him self would have con

sented to its b eing p ainted in any o ther manner . The

p icture remains at Seville,but has b een retouched ; the

arm s,om itted by the painter , have b een sup p lied ,

and a

scroll has b een added, but the face has b een left unaltered .

Although the artist was no t very skilled ,he succeeded

“3 Book 0/ the F oundations , ch . x v n . 5 ,no te .

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226 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

w ere indistingu ishable . The invalid , while gazing at

her , conceived a great esteem for her vocation and

realised the imp ortance o f every detail o f the rule , and

how it would b e worth while to risk even one’

s life for

the least cerem ony o f the Church ,considering the glory

reserved for those who faith fully observe these p o ints .

Thinking the ap p arition to b e awam ing of her own death ,

She summ oned som e o f the nuns , to whom she exp lained

what had hap p ened to her ; she requested that the

p rior o f the house o f friars should write to a certain

convent to sup p ress som e p ractices of devo tion which

she understo od now to b e unsu ited to the O rder . But

instead o f dying she recovered her health ,m uch to the

p hysician’

s surp rise . When,

a few days later, she

learned the news o f St . Teresa ’

s death She understood

the m eaning of the vision . Great as her grief was , she

was com forted by these words sp oken to her by the

ho ly Mo ther ' A s the Church did not cease to exist

because on one and the sam e day St . Peter and St . Paul

w ere taken away, neither w ill our Order fail now . On

the contrary it will flourish all the m ore,for now that

I am in heaven I am b e tter ab le to assist it .

Saint Teresa ap p eared frequently to Father Jerome

Gratian , warning him o f imp ending danger , instructinghim in his p erp lexities and cheering him in his great

trials . Am ong o thers he relates the follow ing instance

While I was saying Matins late one night , tired out

MISCELLANEOUS . 227

with having p reached twice that day at the cathedral

o f Seville ,! on raising my eyes I saw a bright light , whiter,

m ore transp arent and m ore p iercing than that o f the

sun itself . Indeed there was this difference,that while

the ligh t o f the sun only ligh ts up the surface o f m aterial

ob j ects ,

“

this seem ed to p enetrate the very dep ths of

my heart . Ye t it neither glared ,nor scorched ,

nor

dazzled m e, b u t entered sweetly and deliciously , illu

m inating and com forting m e . I recognised the face o f

St . Teresa by it , resp lendent and beau tiful, and looking

younger than when she died, as if She were only abou t

forty years Old . I heard interiorly these w ords : We

in heaven and you on earth ough t to b e one in faith , and

p urity , and love ; w e in enj oying , and you in suffering ,

and the sam e p raise w e render to the Divine Essence

should b e p aid by you to the m ost Holy Sacram ent .

Tell this to all my daugh ters .

’ 1

Besides o ther m essages delivered to him by St . Teresa,

he quo tes this :~Once while saying Mass it seem ed to m e that Christ ,

our Lady , and the Mo ther Teresa w ere p resent in my

heart and that I heard in my soul the follow ing w ords :

first , that I Should

.

b e as attentive as p ossible at Mass]

Secondly, that I should seek the honour and glory o f

God in all my actions . Thirdly,that as lOng as I lived

I should watch care fully over the interests of the Order! “

1 Peregrinacién de A nastasia, dial. xv:

228 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Fourthly , that extraordinary sp iritual manifestations,

such as Visions ,rap tures and the like

,do not always

p roceed wholly either from God or from Satan , whether

those who exp erience them b e saints or sinners, and

that great harm arises from follow ing any general rule

in these matters . On ano ther occasion , while I was

holding a chap ter in a convent o f nuns , the holy Mo ther

seemed to stand by my side in the manner already

exp lained ,invisib le to the eyes

,though one o f the Sisters

said afterwards she had seen her bodily p resent . A nun

acknowledged having comm itted a fault which I con

sidered very trivial,b u t St . Teresa said to m e

“ Som e

faults seem very sligh t in this world ,bu t are found in

the next to b e serious, inasmuch as they hinder the

grow th o f charity , and w e shall b e severely judged for

having held them lightly .

’

Another Sister owned that

she had acted w ithou t consideration and had no t b orne

very p atiently w ith the sick when they were troub lesom e .

Mo ther Teresa seem ed to m e to insist that the nuns Should

ever act w ith due delib eration , and that it would b e an

imp erfection to b lam e the sick for comp laining and

fretting , for they should always b e tended and b orne

w ith affectionately in religious communities .

” 3

The follow ing docum ent was given to Father Gratian

by Mother Catherine o f Jesus , foundress and p rioress

o f the convent of Veas :

Peregrinacian de A nastasia, d ial . xv .

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230 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

greater honour and glory . Thus you w ill render great

service to our Lord, and w ill succeed in your affairs .

Then let o thers say whatever they choose . A s regards

p unishm ents , lean to Charity and forgiveness as does

God H im self , and let there b e less p ub licity and m ore

secrecy as regards o ther p eop le’

s affairs .

Let p reachers insist up on confessions b eing wellmade,

which is o f great im p ortance ,for the devil is always

striving to m ingle p o ison w ith our m edicine .

I t is very wrong for con fessors to relate anything that

p asses in the con fessional, for no thing either '

good or

bad connected w ith it should b e discussed .

Let the bad custom o f sp eaking ill of Beatas 3 b e

stop p ed , for many o f them are very pleasing to God .

Let no one censure the way in which o thers act ;

each may b e right in his own way , and great harm is

done by such criticism .

Let no sup erior give easy credit to all that is written

or told him o f the m isdem eanours of his sub j ects , but

let him w ithhold his judgm ent until he is w ell-inform ed

ab ou t the matter .

DO no t allow temp oral p rosp erity to b e sought for

in any convent in the sam e way as in the w orld ; let

the religious tru st in God and live in recollection . O ther

Beatos and Beatas were p eop le w ho ,wh ile liv ing in the wo rld ,

kep t a strict rule o f life ; they generally wore som e distinctiv edress .

MISCELLANEOUS . 23 1

Wise it o ften hap p ens that , under the p retext o f main

taining the convent or b enefiting souls , there is an

excessive intercourse w ith seculars , which does great

harm to the sp iritual life .

Let the sup erior p ray before deciding any grave

matter ,which generally effects excellent results , and let

him teach his sub j ects to do the sam e .

A s far as p ossible , let the sup erior him self settle

af fairs regarding foundations . There are many good

reasons for th is ,—am ong o thers that o f p reventing his

sub j ects from claim ing a righ t over foundations m ade by

them selves, which w ould lead to dispu tes and divisions ,

also cause the loss o f m uch tim e ,and foster p arty

Sp irit .

In a newly founded convent o f nuns the p rioress

should b e one exp erienced in governm ent , even if she

has to b e taken from ano ther house , for an inexp erienced

sup erior w ould do less harm in an old-estab lished

community than in a new one .

Let the p rioress set over a convent b e the mostob edient of all to the Provincial, as this w ill teach the

community to ob ey .

“Let her teach her sub jects to b e detached from

everything ,b o th exterior and interior , as She herself

should b e ,since they are all the b rides of so great a King

as Christ . Let no t the , sup erior allow convents to b e

founded w ithou t som e m eans o f subsistence ,for the nuns

232 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA ,

canno t b egin b y requ iring help from seculars w ithout

forfeiting their resp ect for the religious life .

Let the Provmcial Visit the convents p ersonally ; if,

however,he has to send a substitute , let it b e some one

with great resp ect for him ,and who is humble ,

exp erienced

and sp iritual ; o therwise the depu ty w ill endeavour to

introduce new m odes o f governm ent , which is a source

o f great damage to religion . Le t h im ,wherever he may

b e sent,sp eak in p raise o f p enance ,

and b lame excess

in eating ,for , as long as the health is not injured , p enance ,

austerities and self-contem p t are of great benefi t to the soul.

“ I t is no t good to change the sup eriors frequently in

convents o f friars,or it Will som etim es b e necessary to

elect those who are inexp erienced . However , as a rule,

it is well for those who have b een p riors to re turn to

the ranks in order to learn to ob ey and to humble them

selves . They w ill thus do great good to the b rethren

by their examp le , and b e able greatly to assist the new

p riors w ith advice , b esides fulfilling the ir du ties all the

better when they are re-elected .

Let the custom b e maintained o f having Sp iritual

exercises and sp ecial days for recollection for the advance

m ent o f souls . Sup eriors w ill b e called to render a

very strict account on the day of judgment ; many will

have a severe p urgatory ,and som e w ill even suffer '

in

hell on account o f the Sins o f o thers ,although not con

demmed for their own.

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234 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA.

is extrem ely dangerous on account o f the incessan t

warfare the devil wages against sp iritual p ersons by

this m eans,esp ecially if any one has a p rop ensity for

such things . Safety lies in trusting rather to the op inion

o f one’

s sup erior than to one’

s own . The highest sp irit

uality is to b e detached from all that is p rop er to the

senses . Many p ersons are very partial to revelations

which are sup p osed to sanctify the soul receiving them .

This is a contradiction o f the order estab lished by God

for our sanctification,which is to b e gained by the p ractice

o f virtue and ob edience to H is holy law . Wom en are

credulous and therefore p rone to error, and when gu ided

by m en o f little learning and d iscretion , great harm may

ensue .

Perfect im partiality should b e Observed in convents o f

nuns regarding the confessor , as excessive fam iliarity

b etween him and the p rioress som e times does harm to

the whole communitv .

Let the sup erior o f the D iscalced Carm elites watch

care fully over the p urity o f the religious Sp irit , for

God seeks to do m uch good by our Order , and carries

out H is designs by m eans of p ure souls .

One day , when a sub-p rioress , fearing the Order

m igh t lose its first fervour, was p raying for the sup erior,

the Mo ther Teresa ap p eared to her and bade her no t b e

afraid ,for God H imself would watch over it as it had

cost b ef :(St Teresa’

s) life-b lood . But let theProvincial

MISCELLANEOUS . 35

b e advised to insist up on the ob servance o f the Rule and

Constitu tions to the 'u tm o st o f his p ower .

On ano ther occasion ,when . the sam e nun asked our

Lord to give her Mo ther Teresa’

s virtues , the Saint

ap p eared to her saying God w ould give them to her who

disp osed herself for them ,and that the Prov incial ~was

to assign the different Virtues to various Sisters so that

all-m igh t acqu ire som e .

-ZA‘

t ano ther t im e a nun who had been a favourite

o f the Saint owing to her saintly life from childhood , and

her p ractice o f heroic virtue,begged our Lord for a share

in ! His Passion . She saw H im in sp irit p lace a crown

o f thorns on her head , which cau sed an excessive p ain

to the end o f her life so that it was surp rising how she

was ab le to fulfil her du ties w ithou t hindrance . Not

content w ith this , she was favoured w ith a keen p ain in

her hands and feet and side . This nun -was Mary o f

J esus (de Rivas), som e years p rioress o f Toledo . St .

Teresa o ften ap p eared to her, giving her the follow ing

counsels am ong o thers

The p overty in which the Order was founded was to

b e maintained ,for God would bestow the doub le Sp irit ,

’

as up on the p rophet Eliseus , up on tho se convents that

were p oor , and ,as long as they tru sted in Christ the Bride

groom ,they would never com e to want . The nuns w ere

always to b e cheerful, for p er fection and joy went hand

in hand , and the one would last as long as the o ther .

236 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

The Provincial Should no t fail to found as many

convents as p ossib le ,for they were p leasing to God

let him take his own Share in the foundations . Pro fessed

nuns should no t b e moved from their own house to a

convent Where the community is too small, b ut let fresh

sub j ects b e received into such a house , or let novices or

p o stulants b e transferred from a large convent to a

small one . But to send those who w ere discontented In

one p lace to ano ther would Op en the door to restlessness

and a want o f religious Spirit .

Let the Provincial make’

sure that all convents com

mand a p leasant View o f the surrounding country,and let

no austerities b e introduced b eyond what are p rescrib ed

in the Rule and Constitu tions ; for if there is no recrea

tion inside the convent the sisters will seek it from

p eop le ou tside,and although it m igh t no t b e so now , yet

in the fu ture it m ight lead to relaxation .

On ano ther occasion She saw our Lord in great glory

and b eau ty ; H e gave her to understand that the time

would com e when St . Teresa’

s sanctity would b ecom e

known ; she was to thank the Provincial for havingtreated her b ody with such resp ect , and tell him that he

w ould b e rewarded for it . The holyMo ther also announcedthat there were to b e m any martyrs in the Order .

To ano ther nun who was lam enting over her death ,

St . Teresa ap p eared , p rom ising that she would help the

Order more now that she was in heaven than she had

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238 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

religions are p lo tting against you ; the ir aim is to stepinto your p lace . There fore let them see you do p enance

and do not keep it too secre t,for the sake o f setting

a good exam p le . You m ust roo t up w ith severity ,if

m ildness does no t suffice ,relaxation o f any p o int o f the

Rule or Constitutions , for such things usually begin

w ith little and end w ith m uch .

’

“ '

On the feast of the Kings (Ep iphany ) when I asked

our Mo ther , as I saw her in a Vision , what book w e were

to read,she took up a m anual o f Christian doctrine and

said'

‘ I w ish my nuns to read this , night and day ,

for it is the law o f God .

’

She then b egan reading the

article on the Last Judgm ent in a vo ice that terrified

and made m e shudder,so that it sounded in my ears

for‘

days afterwards . She drew much teaching o f the '

m ost sub lime doctrine from this subj ect,and described

to what p erfection it leads the soul. Since then I do

no t care to teach h igh doctrine to the souls in my charge ,

b u t I p re fer instructing them in Christian doctrine and

imp ressing it up on them . I love to study its teaching on

my own account , as there seem s m tIch to b e learnt in

it , and I canno t say what a treasure I find it . Strive

to make th e religious love hum ility ,m ortification and

manual lab our . Our Lord w ill give them the rest at the

p rop er tim e .

“One day when Mo ther Catherine o f J esus , already

mentioned,lay ill

,Sain t Teresa ap peared to her

, b ut,

MISCELLANEOUS . 239

thinking it -m igh t be ' an illu sion,the ~nun t ook little

no tice o f the vision . The Sain t said : I am . glad you

do‘

mo t give credence to it too easily,for I wish my :

daugh ters to make m ore account o f virtues than o f

sup ernatural m anifestations ; however , this vision is a

true one .

’ With these words the Saint p laced her hand’

on the seat o f the disease and the nun was instantly cured

from what had been though t to b e a fatal '

affl iction .

5

Ano ther nun was feeling very sorrowful because she

could no t give herself so entirely to our Lo rd as she

desired . One day she saw a brigh t ligh t , and the holy

Mo ther standing b eneath an arch o f flowers,holding.

in her hand a b ook w ritten with beau tiful golden letters .

She said : Read,daughter !

’

The nun was unable

to lift her eyes owing to the glare o f the light , b u t the

Saint sm ilingly touched her eyes and she could distinctlysee the words My Sp ouse holds your will that H e may

use it in conform ity w ith H is own , by continually con

tradicting it .

’ Mother ,

’

answered the nun,

‘

how

can I exp ect to have the strength for so great a thingwhen I am so w eak in little things ? Strength w ill

b e give n you ,

’

was the answer , when you least expect

it by p atiently overcom ing"

ourselves In small m atters

we gain the p ower o f overcom ing in great ones .

’

The

sister rep lied : My Mo ther , am I p leasing to God ? am

5 R ib era,Life , bk . v . ch . iv .

3 I bidern .

240 MINOR WORK S O F ST . TERESA .

I in the righ t road The Saint resp onded : No t by

the road by which you seek to go . Avo id Singularity

and allow yourself to b e gu ided by him who directs you ,

and all w ill b e well. ’

Ano ther nun saw the holy Mo ther in glory ,

-

wearing

a girdle of p reciou s stones including many rub ies . St .

Teresa exp lained that it was her reward for her constant

zeal for souls .

7

Ap p earing one day to Sister Antonia of the Holy

Ghost (de Henao ), the Saint told her that She enj oyed

a great degree of glory and many p rivileges because o f

her ardent zeal for the honour o f God and her deep

sorrow for the eternal loss o f heretics and infidels , which

had led her to found convents to intercede for their

conversion . F or this reason God had b estowed up on her

the p rivilege of b eing their advocate in heaven .

A dditianal M axims .

’

1 . Love more and act more up rightly ,for narrow

is the way .

2 . The doctrine we should study most is the p o int o f

the Rule b idding us m editate day and nigh t on the

law o f the Lord .

’

7 Ribera, Li/e , bk . v . ch . iv .

3 Extracts from F uente ,l.o . , 2 1 2 , sqq .

Rule , 5 .

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242 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

7 . I t is im p ortant for p erfection that the constitu

tion should b e kep t which b ids the nuns give a m onthly

account o f their conscience to the p rioress , hiding no thing

from her . I f this custom Should b e discontinued the

true Sp irit for which we strive w ould gradually b e lo st .

“

8 . F or the imp ulses I felt during life in my desire

for death , you should strive to sub stitu te impulses to

p erform the Will o f God,to om it no tit tle o f your

Rule and Constitu tions , and to endeavour to ob tain the

virtuesmost p leasing to H im , which are Purity , Humility,

Ob edience and Love .

CANON ISATION OF SA INT TERESA .

A s tim e went on ,the nuns o f Alb a de Torm es rep roached

them selves for not having treated their holy Mo ther ’

s

b ody w ith greater resp ect . They felt instinctively that ,

no tw ithstanding all that had b een done to hasten

destruction,it remained incorrup t . Besides the many

1 ° St . Teresa v ery freq uently insists in h er w ritings on thisp ractice , exp ecting the nuns to m ake known to the p rio ress the irco nso lations and ferv ent de sires as well as the ir trials and temp tations , and to m ake he r acquainted with their m anner o f p rayer ,the d ifficu lties they exp erienced ,

the light they obtained and the

p rogress they m ade . N O one w as bette r ab le than she to help

them in all these m atters . Bu t as no t e v ery p rio ress no r ev en

ev ery p riest has a talent fo r such intimate Sp ir itual interco urse ,Po p e Leo X I I I . has fo rb idden the p ractice unless it b e entire lyv o luntary o n the p art o f the subject .

MISCELLANEOUS . 243

great m iracles which seem ed to p rove her sanctity , there

were not a few occurrences which must have almost led

them to think that their Mo ther was still b odily p resent

in the convent . Mysterious knocks were heard w ithin

the tomb ; lights were o ften seen near it , particularly

When any religious was dying and a delicious fragrance

cam e from it . Som etimes , when any sister failed in

som e p oint o f the rule ,for instance , talking in Silence tim e ,

three knocks at the door would warn her o f Teresa’

s dis

p leasure .

When, therefore ,in 1 584 ,

the Provincial, Father Jerome

Gratian ,cam e to Alba for an official visitation, they

b egged him to op en the grave . A fter several days’

h ard

work the masonry was at last removed and the coffin

discovered ; the lid was broken ,the wood ro tten ,

the

Saint ’ s hab it decayed w ith dam p and m ildew and the

effect o f the lim e , but the b ody itself was p erfectly intact,

and,m ore than that , it was as ' sup p le , fresh-coloured ,

sound and fragrant as it had b een at the tim e o f her

death . A kind o f Oil flowed from her limb s , soaking the

clo thes and the very earth . Even the leather belt exuded

it, and once

,on the day of Father Gratian ’

s exp ulsion

from the O rder, was no ticed to b e sp rinkled w ith drop s

like b lood . A t the sigh t o f the incorrup t b ody the nuns

fell on their knees and thanked God for H is wonders .

The body was washed,redressed , and laid in a fresh shell,

and once m ore dep osit ed in the sam e tomb , which was

244 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

closed w ith more reverence than on the form er occasion .

All this had to b e done w ith great secrecy ,for although

the foundress o f the convent,Teresa de Laiz , was now

dead,the Duchess o f A lba looked up on the relics as her

greatest treasure .

Before rep lacing the b ody , Father Gratian detached

the little finger o f the right hand , which he always kep t

in his p ossession to the end o f his life even on his death

b ed he held it in his hand,so ftly Singing som e o f the

Saint ’ s verses . H e also severed the le ft hand ,w rap p ed

it in silk, p u tting it , w ith the key of the sep ulchre ,in a

casket which he took to Avila w ithout telling the nuns

what it contained . But they found it out,for the Saint

ap p eared one evening to Mo ther Anne of St . Peter in

great glory , and p o inting to the casket said What

that case contains is very dear to m e,for it is my own

hand . Hence forth , when the p rioress asked her b lessing ,

She saw the Sain t ’ s hand b e fore her , up raised in bene

diction . Later on Father Gratian,under p retence of

taking the key ,secretly removed the hand and gave it

to the nuns o f Lisb on . H e detached a finger for Father

N icholas Doria, which he Showed to the nuns at Malagon,

who were amazed at its sweet p erfum e . A lay-Sister

whom St . Teresa had o ften b een obliged to correct made

ligh t o f the phenom enon , b u t was p unished by such

an increase o f the fragrance that She fell to the ground

fainting and overp owered .

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246 MINOR WO RKS O F

the clo thes saturated w ith fragrant o il, and a handkerchie f,

which had b een p laced on the mou th , full o f fresh b lood

that stained whatever it touched . By direction of the

chap ter the le ft arm was severed ,as it was to b e kep t at

Alba ; when the father who p resided over the disinter

ment b egan this op eration—he owned afterwards it

was the hardest task that had b een imp osed on h im all

his life—the arm p arted from the shoulder w ithou t any

effort on his part ,—ano ther wonderful circum stance which

could only b e exp lained on sup ernatural grounds . The

b one was as white,the flesh as so ft , as though the Sain t

had just died . The fathers hastily wrap ped up their

p reciou s b urden and dep arted w ith all sp eed .

Meanwhile the nu n'

s were in cho ir reciting Matins ;

to their surp rise the w ell-known fragrance b ecame

stronger and stronger , and at last so p owerful that they

left the Divine O ffice unfinished and hurried to the holy

Mo ther ’

s tom b . They found it Op en ,the arm covered

w ith b lood ,carefully dep osited on a sheet , b ut the rest of

the b ody was gone ,the church door closed and the friars

were already

’

far o ff . There remained no course for the

nuns bu t to subm it to their loss , esp ecially as they were

b ound by their sup eriors to silence under severe p enalties .

But no t long

’

after one o f the lay-sisters found m eans o f

communicating the fact to the Duchess . She obtained

leave to make a p ie for that lady ,In which she secre ted

a statemen t of the events . The .Duchess, forgetful of

MISCELLANEOUS . 247

all etiquette , rushed into the street crying : They have

taken Santa Teresa away , they have robb ed m e o f the

Saint ! The duke , her hu sband , was away,but his

uncle,Don Fernando de Toledo

, who was in charge o f

the estate ,

’

disp atched a m essenger to Rom e p rayingfor the restitu tion o f the b ody .

No less great than the grief o f the nuns of Alba was the

joy of those o f Avila at the arrival o f the sacred remains .

The numb er o f lighted candles made the p lace look

like heaven ,writes Anne o f St . Bartholom ew ; the

Saint caressed her daugh ters in a thou sand ways in what

ever p art o f the hou se they m igh t b e ,ap p earing to them

and consoling them . The form er infirm arian cleansed

and redressed the b ody , wh ich was enclosed in a case

covered w ith black velvet , embro idered w ith the w ords

La M adre Teresa de jesus , and p laced in the chap ter

ro'

om . Saint Teresa continually Showed her gratitude

to Anne , who adds I was worn out with w ork ; all

the nuns were ill, and there was only one sister beside

myself who was cap ab le of doing anything .

( I went to

the Saint ’ s tom b and said to her‘ Mo ther , help m e

I am so exhausted that I canno t stand give m e strength ,

I only want to b e able to help my sisters ! I felt in my

heart that She‘

was aiding m e ,and that she said to m e

Go,daughter , I w ill do what you ask .

’ I went to the

kitchen,and had hardly begun to lift the saucep ans

when I noticed the fragrance o f the Sain t just as though

248 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

She had b een there . A p erfum e cam e from the Cinders

like that o f her sacred relics,and gave m e such strength

that all my weariness disap p eared , and I felt the weight

o f my b ody no m ore than if it had b een all Sp irit . I never

was in the least tired again ,and this sup ernatural force

remained w ith m e until all the nuns were well again .

Although the comm unity were bound to strict silence

regarding the translation ,the fact b ecam e known even

at Avila. Yep es says that it reached his ears p rivately .

Provided with a licence from Father N icholas Doria,

who was then Provincial, he set forth for Avila with the

bishop o f Cordova and the licentiate Don Francisco de

Contreras , to View the sacred b ody and rep ort its con

dition to K ing Philip I I . With the b ishop o f Avila

and som e doctors and citizens , they arrived at the convent

on New Year ’

s Day ,1 586 ; the sacred remains w ere

brough t to the enclo sure door , and , kneeling w ith heads

uncovered,the dep u tat ion exam ined the body ; it was

still in p erfect p reservation ,the flesh sup p le and the

sinews so well knit that the body stood up right w ith

b u t little sup p ort , though it weighed no m ore than a

child o f two years old, which the doctors declared to b e

incom p rehensible . On receiving the rep ort the king

was so im p ressed that he forthwith granted leave for the

foundation o f a convent o f nuns at Madrid,thus fulfilling

a p etit ion m ade by the Saint years ago . I t was useless

for the b ishop o f Av ila to enj o in secrecy under pain o f

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250 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

they would p robab ly have endangered the b ody in their

eagerness to secure som e p articles .

The joy of A lba was equalled by the gr ief . of Avila.

A memoir Signed by the Carm elite nuns and the citizens

was sent to Rom e in which the claim o f Teresa’

s b irth

p lace to her b odv was set forth . The Pop e comm issioned

the Nuncio to investigate the conflicting claim s,and the

sentence in favour o f Alba was finally confirmed by

Sixtus V . on July 1 0,1 589 .

In 1 594 the Venerable Anne of J esus,

1on her way

from Madrid to Salamanca, was directed to pass through

Alba de Torm es and to transfer Saint Teresa’

s b ody into

am agnifi cent shrine p resented by the duke . I no ticed,

She writes in her account , that the Shoulder was highly

coloured ,and called the attention o f those p resent to it ,

as it looked as if som e fresh blood were there . A p iece of

linen ,ap p lied

°

to the Sp o t , b ecam e b lood-stained ; this

I gave to the fathers ,and asked for a second p iece , which

was coloured in the sam e way . Wondering at the marv el,

—for the holy Mo ther had now b een dead for twelve

years , and , moreover , her skin at that p lace was un

b roken ,

— I p ressed my face against her body ; She

Sp oke to m e SO tenderly ,w ith such affectionate exp ressions ,

that I could not rep eat them . Am ong o ther things, She

told m e that She loved m e so dearly that she gave me

her very . blood ,and thanked m e fo r all I had done .

"

1 Book of the F oundations , p . 369 .

MISCELLANEOUS . 25 1

It Eis'

well known how much the Venerab le Anne of J esus

had suffered in her endeavours to maintain the Con

stitu tions o f St . Teresa. The t wo p ieces o f linen w ere

taken to the king , who ordered the canonical informations

b egun som e years p reviously to b e resum ed .

I t would b e p ain ful to describ e all the mu tilations o f

the b ody made to satisfy the dem ands for relics . The

hand o f man did no t sp are the flesh which the fangs

o f death had resp ected ,says Father Frederic o f St .

Anthony . Even b e fore the rem ains were taken to Avila

a lay-sister ,—there is som e uncertainty as to the nam e

or nam es o f those concerned ,

—had had the audacity

to cut op en the b ody w ith an ordinary knife and to

w ithdraw the heart , which shows the m arks left by the

lance when it was p ierced by an angel.2 She took it

to her cell,b u t was b etrayed by its fragrance and the

b lood which flow ed from it . She was p unished b y j

b eing

sent to ano ther convent . In 1 726 the Holy See granted

leave to the Carm elites to keep the feast o f the Trans

verb eration on August 27 ,with a p rop er o ffice and Mass ,

and in 1 733 the p rivilege was extended to the whole

kingdom o f Spain and its foreign p ossessions .

The b ody o f St . Teresa,or what remains o f it

,rests

in a sarcophagus o f jasp er and marble w ith rich gilding ,

the gift o f Ferdinand VI and his consort , over the

high altar in the church o f the Carm elite nuns at A lba de

3

Lite, written by h erself , ch . xxix . note 1 7 (ed it . o f

252 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

Torm es the heart and an arm are in the sam e church in

a reliquary on the Ep istle side o f the altar , and are read ily

Shown to visitors . O ther relics are to b e found in the

Carm elite churches in Rom e,Lisb on,

Brussels,Antwerp

and o ther p laces . Eventually the O rder had to ob tain

a b rie f inflicting severe p enalties on whoever Should

detach any p ort ion o f the relics kep t at Alba or elsewhere

withou t au thorisation from the sup eriors . During the

revolu tion o f 1 836 ,sacrilegious hands broke Op en the

sarcophagus , stealing the j ewels and treasures , b ut God

p reserved the remains o f H is servant from p ro fanation.

A w itness who was forced to b e p resent testified that

the b ody was still flexible and incorru p t .

The fam e o f her m iracles and her books , which—w ith

the excep tion o f the F oundations—w ere p ub lished in

Spain in 1 588 ,caused step s to b e taken towards the Saint

’

s

canonisation in Salamanca, as early as 1 59 1 . On

July 26 ,1 593 , by request o f Philip I I .

,the Nuncio ,

Mgr .

Cam illo Cajetan , ordered the formation o f the Com

p ulsorial p rocess . The inform ations collected in no t

less than Sixteen dioceses were com p leted in four years

and forwarded to Clem ent VI I I . ,accompanied w ith p ress

ing letters from the King o f Sp ain ,his sister, Doha Maria,

the Cortes,Universities , p rinces , nob les and clergy .

The Holy Father rece ived the request favourab ly and

the matter was again brought forward at the instance

of Philip I I I . and Queen Margarita. The informations

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254 MINOR WORKS OF ST. TERESA .

1 622,in the basilica of the Prince o f the Ap ostles . I t was

the first tim e these solemn rites w ere p erform ed according

to the new ritual, the o ccasion b eing remarkab le for the

nam es of the Saints who thus received the highest honours

the Catholic Church can b estow ; for b esides St . Teresa

there w ere canonised St . Ignatius de Loyola,St . Francis

Xavier , St . Philip Neri and St . Isidor o f Madrid.

Contemp orary au thors give a full and glowing descrip

tion o f the sp lendour o f the p roceedings .

The Bull o f Canonisation o f St . Teresa is as follows

BULL OF GREGORY XV . F OR THE CANON ISATION

OF ST . TERESA .

GREGORY,B ISHOP

,SERVANT O F THE SERVANTS O F

GOD .

THE A lm igh ty Word o f God ,having descended to earth

from the b osom of the Father to deliver us from the

p owers o f darkness, and b eing ab out to leave this world

and to return to the Father , established the Church o f H is

elect , purchased by His blood ,to b e the teacher o f the

word o f life , that the wisdom Of the wise m ight b e

con founded , and all who exalted them selves against God

m ight b e overthrown . H e did no t choose many noble

nor many w ise , b ut the things that are contem p tible ,

and these were to fulfil the m inistry to which they had

MISCELLANEOUS .255

b een p redestined since the days of eternity ,not

‘

by the

sub lim ity o f their sp eech , nor in word of human w isdofn ,

b it in simp licity and tru th .

In the early centuries,when from tim e‘

to'

tim e He

vouchsafed to visit His p eop le b y m eans o f tru sty servants,

He generally selected the lowly and the humb le bywhom

to b estow imm ense b enefits upon the Catholic Church .

To whom also He revealed the secre ts of the kinn m

o f heaven which are hidden from the w ise and p rudent ,

and adorned them w ith the highest gifts of grace to such

an extent that they edified the Church by the examp le

o f their good works, and glorified her by the sp lendour

o f their wonders .

But in our own days He hath wrought salvation bythe hand o f a w om an

,for H e has raised up In H is Church

the Virgin Teresa,like a second Debora, who afte

’

r

’

a

m ost wonderful victory over the flesh by p erpetual

virginity , over the w orld by adm irab le hum ility , a nd

over the snares o f the devil by her many and great

virtues , asp iring still higher and surp assmg her sex by

her greatness o f soul, girded her loins w ith strength and

fortified her arm, and trained an army of the strong to

fight , w ith the arm our of the Sp irit , for the house o f the

God o f hosts and for H is law and commandm ents . In

View o f the great work she had to do ,God filled her with

the Sp irit o f wisdom and o funderstanding and so en

riched her w ith the treasures'

o i H is gra'

ce ,

'

that Her

256 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Sp lendour , like a star in the firmam ent , sh ines in the house

o f the Lord for all eternity .

Since God and His only Son our Lord J esus Christ

have deigned to m anifest this soul to H is p eop le b y

the glory o f m iracles , as a b ride decked with her crown

and adorned w ith her j ewels ,We have deem ed it m eet

and just that We ,in Our p astoral solicitude for the

universal Church over which We p reside , unworthy as

We are, Should p resent her to the faithful, b y Our Ap os

tolic au thority,to b e honoured and venerated as a saint

and as one o f the elec t o f God,in order that all nations

may con fess the Lord in all His wondrous works , and all

flesh may know that His m ercies have not ceased in ou r

days . A lthough our‘

sins have forced H im to visit us

w ith the rod o f H is indignation , yet H is wrath has no t

made H im w ithhold His favours ; in our afflictions He

p rovides us with fresh aid , and multip lies H is friends,

who ,by their m erits and intercession p ro tect and defend

H is Church . That all the faith ful o f Christ may under

stand how ab undantly God has p oured forth His sp irit

up on H is handmaid,and that their devo tion to her may

daily increase ,We have though t it well to insert in

this docum ent som e o f her greatest virtues , and som e

o f the m ost wonderful m iracles wrough t by God by her

m eans .

Teresa was b orn at Avila, in the kingdom o f Castile ,

in the year 1 5 1 5 , o f parents as distinguished by the

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258 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

compared , according to our Lord’

s words, to a w ise man,

who founded his house up on a rock : So stead fastly did

she b elieve in ,and venerate ,

the most holy Sacram ents

o f the Church and the dogmas o f the Catholic Religion ,

that She o ften said there was no thing about which she

could feel greater certainty. Illum inated by this light

o f faith,She b eheld the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ

SO clearly in the m ost Blessed Eucharist w ith her m ental

sigh t as to declare that she had no reason to envy those

who had had the joy o f looking on H im with their b odily

eyes . Yet so lively was her trust in God that she con

tinually m ourned over her detention in this mortal life

which p revented her b eing ever w ith the Lord . While

m editating on the j oys o f her heavenly country she was

o ften rap t in ecstasy and raised to their enj oyment while

still in the flesh .

F irst am ong Teresa’

s virtues ranked the love of God ,

which so inflam ed her heart that her confessors adm ired

and p raised her charity as m ore like that o f a cherub than

o f a hum an b eing . Our Lord wonderfully increased it by

a numb er o f visions and revelations . One day , giving her

H is right hand and show ing her the nail which had trans

p ierced it , He took her for His sp ouse and deigned to

say to her Henceforth as a true b ride thou shalt

regard My honour as th ine I am now all thine and thou

art M ine .

”On ano ther occasion she saw an angel

p ierce her heart w ith a flam ing dar t . These divine gifts

MISCELLANEOUS . 259

SO ignited'

her heart w ith divine love that She made the

arduous v ow o f always do ing what she b elieved to b e m ost

p erfect and most for the honour o f God . So m uch so

that she ap p eared after her’

death in a vision to a certain

nun and revealed that she had died ,no t o f disease

,b ut

o f the unb earab le fervour o f divine love .

She Showed her constant charity for her neighb our

in many ways , chiefly by her ardent desire for the salva

tion o f souls . She o ften wep t over the darkness o f

infidels and heretics , not only continually p raying God

to enligh ten them ,b ut o ffering for them fasts

,discip lines

and o ther b odily m ortifications . This holy virgin made

a secret resolu tion o f allow ing no day to p ass w ithou t

p erform ing som e act o f charity God help ed her to fulfil

it, and , thanks to Him ,

She never lacked som e op p ortunity

o f p ractising charity .

She also im itated the love o f our Lord Jesus Christ

for H is enem ies in a m arvellous m anner . A lthough

violently p ersecu ted and tried,she loved those who

harm ed her,and p rayed for tho se who hated her . Indeed ,

the slanders and injuries She endured nourished her love

and charity ,so that m en o f au thority u sed to say that

to w in Teresa’

s love , one m ust de fraud or injure her .

She kep t her vow s made to God at her religious p ro

fesSion w ith extrem e p erfection and zeal. Not only did

she m ost diligently carry ou t all her sup eriors’

orders in

her outward actions , b u t she firm ly resolved to subj ect

260 M INOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

even her thoughts to their will. She offered som e remark

ab le p roo fs o f this . By the command o f som e o f her

confessors who susp ected that she was deluded by the

devil, she humb ly m ade Signs o f derision and contemp t

to our Lord J esus Christ,Who o ften ap peared to her,

b ut He rewarded her amp ly for her ab solute ob edience .

She also,at the bidding o f ano ther confessor , threw

into the fire a m ost devou t treatise She had written on

the Canticle o f Canticles . She used to say that she m ight

b e m istaken in b elieving in visions and revelations , but

she could no t b e m istaken in ob eying her sup eriors .

Her love o f p overty led her not only to gain her own

living by her handiwork , but to exchange garm ents

p romp tly w ith any nun she saw wearing a shabb ier

hab it than her own . She was greatly delighted at

lacking any necessities , and thanked God as for a Signal

b enefi t .

Her inviolable chastity shone forth am ong the many

Vir tues w ith which God had decorated H is bride . She

cherished it so dearly that , besides keep ing unt il death

her resolution o f Virginity made in childhood,She p re

served her angelic purity o f heart and body stainless .

H er hum ility , which cast a lu stre on her em inent

virtues , was so wonderful, that , although the gifts o f

divine grace daily increased in her soul, She o ften b e

sought God to lim it H is favours , and no t to forget her

flagrant sins so qu ickly. She eagerly yearned after

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262 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

estab lished , took roo t and flourished , b ringing forth

ab undant fruit in the house of God .

Even during her lifetim e God glorified Teresa’

s Virtues

by many m iracles ,som e of which We insert in this

docum ent .

During a great corn fam ine in the diocese of Cuenca,

there was hardly enough flour in the convent o f Villanueva

de la Jara to nourish its eighteen nuns for a m onth . Yet

by the m erits and intercession o f this holy virgin , the

Alm igh ty ,Who feeds those who trust in H im ,so multip lied

the wheat that , although sup p lying for Six m onths all

the b read required by these servants o f God ,its quantity

never dim inished until the next harvest .

Sister Ann o f the T rinity,a nun o f the convent o f

Medina del Cam p o , was suffering severely from erysip elas

in the face ,and fever . Teresa caressed her, and gently

touching the affected par t , said Courage ,my daughter ,

I hop e that God will soon cure you . The fever and

erysip elas disap p eared at once .

Mo ther A lberta, p rioress o f the sam e house

,was

attacked with p leurisy and fever which threatened her

life . The holy virgin Teresa,touching the Side which

was affected , declared that she was well and bade her

get up . The invalid ro se from her b ed in p erfect health ,

p raising God .

The time came for Teresa to rece ive the crown of glory

from the hand o f God , in reward for her lab ours in H is

MISCELLANEOUS . 263

honour and her many good works in the service o f the

Church . She fell very ill at Alba. Throughou t her

malady She frequently sp oke to her Sisters most adm irably

ab ou t the love o f God , continually thanking Him for

making her a m ember of the Catholic Church , and com

mending p overty and religious ob edience as the greatest

o f b lessings . She received the holy Viaticum o f her

journey and the Sacram ent o f Extrem e Unction with

deep est hum ility and celestial charity , and ,holding the

Crucifix in her hands , took her flight to her heavenly

hom e .

By various signs the Alm igh ty manifested to what a

sup rem e degree o f glory He had raised Teresa in heaven .

Many devou t and God-fearing nuns saw her in the

Sp lendour o f her glory . One b eheld a multitude o f

heavenly ligh ts ab ove the roo f of the church,in the cho ir

,

and over the room in which she lay a second w itnessed

Christ our Lord in a halo of light , accom p anied by a

large numb er of angels , standing near her b ed . A re

ligious p erceived a numb er o f p ersons robed in white

enter Teresa’

s cell and surround her couch ano ther saw

a white dove fly from Teresa’

s m ou th’

to heaven at the

m om ent she died,while yet ano ther nun no ticed som e

thing b righ t like crystal p ass through the w indow at the

sam e instant . A tree p lanted near her cell, which had

been covered w ith lim e and built over by the wall so

that it had died long b efore , burst into bloom at the hour

264 MINOR WORKS OF ST . TERESA .

o f her death, against all the laws o f the seasons and o f

nature .

H er dead b ody was m ost beau tiful its wrinkles dis

ap p eared ,it becam e dazzlingly white and ,

together w ith

all the clo thes and linen she had used during her illness,

it gave forth a deliciou s fragrance which struck the by

standers w ith adm iration . Her entrance into paradise

b ecam e a veritab le trium ph on account of the many

m iracles God w rought through the merits o f H is hand

maid . A nun who had long suffered w ith her head and

eyes took the dead Virgin’

s hand,and on ap p lying it to

her head and eyes , was imm ediately cured . Another who

kissed her feet recovered her lost sense o f sm ell and

p erceived the deligh tful odour w ith which the Lord had

p erfum ed Teresa ’

s sacred b ody .

Withou t having undergone any sort o f embalm ing ,

her remains w ere enclosed in a wooden co ffin and b uried

in a deep vault which was filled up w ith large stones and

lim e . Yet such a strong and wonderful p erfum e cam e

from her sep ulchre that it was resolved to exhum e the

sacred b ody . I t was found entire ,incorrup tib le and

flexib le as though it had only just been laid in the tomb ,

and imp regnated with a swee t scented liqu id such as God

causes to flow from it until this day , thus attesting the

sanctity o f H is servant by a p erp etual m iracle . A fter

having b een reclo thed in fresh garments and enclosed

in a new coffin,bo th the form er having fallen to decay,

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266 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

delivered from an interior troub le which had long

m oles ted her .

Francis Perez,a parish p riest , had an ab scess on the

b reast-b one,b esides b eing p revented for fiv e months

from celeb rating the holy sacrifice o f the Mass by the

contraction o f one o f his arm s . A ll human remed ies

having failed ,he had recourse to heavenly aid and looked

to the Mount of God, whence he ob tained salvation .

A letter written by the Virgin Teresa’

s hand b eing p laced

up on his chest at once removed the ab scess som e tim e

after, while on a p ilgrimage to her tom b at A lba,he

touched ,w ith his contracted arm

, the arm of Teresa

which is kep t there he felt w ithin him self a divine power

by which the limb was perfectly healed .

J ohn de Leyva suffered from a malady o f the throat

which alm ost comp letely closed the resp iratory organs ;

when in a dying state,full o f trust in Saint Teresa,

he

p laced a handkerchief which had belonged to her up on

the seat o f the disease . He fell asleep at once , and waking

Shortlv afterwards , exclaim ed that he had b een restored

to health instantly by the m erits o f Blessed Teresa.

The sanctity o f Teresa thu s b ecam e famous in every

land and nation , and her name was honoured among

the faith ful in consequence of the m any m iracles worked

by God through her intercession . By Ap ostolic authority

information was collected in different parts o f Spain and

forwarded to the Holy See . A t the request o f Philip III ,

MISCELLANEOUS . 267

the Catholic king o f Sp ain o f illustriou s m em ory,after

the cause had b een seriously discussed by the Sacred

Congregation o f Rites and the Tribunal o f the Ro ta,Our

p redecessor , Paul V o f hap py m em ory , p erm itted the

Divine O ffice to b e celeb rated in honour o f Teresa,as o f

a blessed Virgin ,throughou t the whole Carm elite Order .

’

On the sam e king ,Philip I I I , for the second tim e b egging

Our p redecessor that the Blessed Virgin Teresa should b e

canonised , Paul again confided the p rocess to the Car

dinals o f the Sacred Congregation o f Rites . By Ap ostolic

au thority they decreed that the new p rocess Should b e p ro

ceeded w ith and depu ted Bernard de Ro jas , late Cardinal

archb ishop o f Toledo,o f hap p y m em ory ,

and Our vener

ab le b re thren,the B ishop s o f Avila and Salamanca, to

see to the m atter . A fter diligen tly accom p lishing their

m ission , they sent the acts to Our said p redecessor . Three

auditors o f the causes o f the Ap ostolic Palace , Francis ,

titular archb ishop o f Damascus , now Cardinal of the Holy

Roman Church,J ohn Bap tist Coccino ,

dean ,and Alphonsus

Manzanedo,were ordered by the Pop e to exam ine the

evidence w ith the greatest care and to give him their

op inion abou t it . A fter a m inu te exam ination b efitting

the im p ortance o f the case,they declared to Paul V . ,

Our p redecessor, that the sanctity and m iracles of the

Blessed Virgin Teresa were p lainly p roved ; that all

that the sacred canons requ ired for her canonisation was

abundantly sup p lied , and that the cause m igh t p roceed .

268 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

In order to conduc t the matter with all due delib eration,

Paul comm issioned Our b eloved sons , the Cardinals o f

the Congregation of Rites o f the Holy Roman Church ,

once m ore to insp ect the p rocess diligently and thoroughly

master its details .

However,Paul V finished his earthly p ilgrimage , and

We, no t on account o f any m erit o f Our own ,

b ut so lely

by divine grace , were called up on by God to govern

the Church . We believed it to b e for the greater increase

o f the divine honour and for the good o f the Church that

the cause should b e forwarded ,considering that the best

remedy for the calam ities o f the p resent time is to increase

the devo tion o f Christ ’ s faith ful p eop le for the Saints

and elec t o f God ,that they may intercede for us in our

dire need . We,there fore , bade the aforesaid Cardinals

to term inate , as soon as p ossib le , the du ty laid up on

them by Our p redecessor. Having done this w ith all

due diligence ,they have unanimously vo ted for the

canonisation o f that blessed virgin . Our venerable

b ro ther , Francis Maria, Bishop o f Porto,Cardinal del

Mon te , laid b e fore Us, in Our consistory,the digest o f

the whole p rocess together w ith the advice o f himself

and his colleagues , whereup on the o ther Cardinals p resent

decided, by comm on suffrage , that the matter should b e

comp leted .

Then Our beloved son ,John Bap tist Millini, consistorial

advocate at our Court , humb ly petitioned in Our p resence

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270 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

and her nam e numb ered among those of holy virgins .

A t this unanim ous consent , Our heart exulted in the

Lord and re j o iced in H is salvation , giving thanks to

God and to His Son , our Lord Jesus Christ , Who had

looked in m ercy up on H is Church and had decreed for it

such great glory . W e then decided up on the date o f

the canonisation and adm onished Our b rethren and sons

to p ersevere in p rayer and alm sgiving ,that

,in so imp ortant

a work ,the light o f the Lord our God m igh t shine up on

Us and direct the work o f Our hands according to H is w ill.

Finally , having p erformed all that is p rescrib ed by

the constitu tions and custom s o f the Roman Church ,

We have m et to-day in the m ost holy Basilica o f the

Prince o f the Ap ostles , together w ith Our venerab le

b rethren the Cardinals o f the Holy Roman Church,the

p atriarchs , archb ishop s , b ishop s , p relates of the Roman

Curia,Our officials and household

,the clergy secular

and regular , and a large num ber o f p eop le . There ,

through the m edium o f Nicholas Zanb eccari, advocate

o f Our court of Consistory ,Our well-b eloved son Aloysius

Cardinal Ludov isi, titular of Santa Maria Trasp ontina,

Our nephew ,rep eated his p etition for the canonisation in

the nam e o f Our dearest son in J esus Christ,the Catholic

King Philip (IV). Then , after chanting the p rayers

and litany , and humb ly invoking the grace o f the Ho ly

Sp irit , —ih honour of the Holy and undivided Trinity,

and for the exaltation o f the catholic faith , by the

MISCELLANEOUS . 271

authority o f God Alm igh ty ,the Father

,Son and Holy

Ghost , also by the au thority o f the holy Ap ostles and

by Our own , with the unanim ous advice and consent o f

Our venerable brethren the'

Cardinals o f the Holy Roman

Church ,also the p atriarchs , archb ishop s and b ishop s

p resent at Our court , We defined and declared that

Teresa of A vila,of Mom memory , whose holy life ,

loyal

faith and wonderful m iracles are p lainly p roved ,is a

saint and is to be inscribed on the list of holy virgins , as

We now by this docum ent define,decree and declare .

We order and decree that She is to b e honoured and

venerated as truly a saint by all Christ ’ s faith ful p eop le

We declare that throughou t the Church ,churches and

altars may b e dedicated in her honour for the offering

to God o f the Holy Sacrifice . W e desire that every

year , on Octob er 5 ,the anniversary o f her passing to

the glory o f heaven ,her Office may b e celebrated accord

ing to the rite of holy Virgins as p rescrib ed by the Roman

b reviary .

In virtue o f the sam e au thority ,We have Branted and

grant to all the faith ful who are truly contrite and have

confessed their sins and who each year Visit , on her

festival, the tomb where Teresa’

s body rests, an indulgence

o f one year and one quarantaine o f the p enances they have

incurred and for which they are answerable to Divine

Justice also forty days to tho se who resort to her grave

during the octave .

272 MINOR WORKS O F ST . TERESA .

Then , after having rendered God thanks for havingdeigned to illum inate H is Church w ith this new and

b rilliant lum inary , and solemnly chanted the p rayer o f

Holy Virgins in honour o f Saint Teresa,We celeb rated

Mass at the altar o f the Prince of the Ap ostles; w ith

a commem oration o f this sacred Virgin , granting to all

the faithful there p resent a p lenary indulgence o f the

p enance due fo r their Sins .

I t is righ t that in return for so great a b enefit We

should now m ost humb ly b less and glorify H im to Whom

is due all b lessing, glory and p ower for ever and ever .

Let us p ersevere in b eseeching Him , by the intercession

o f this H is elect , to turn away His eyes from our o ffences ,

to look up on us i ity,to Show uS the ligh t o f His

m ercy ,to insp ire w ith fear those nations which know

H im no t , that they m ay learn that there is no God but

our God .

A s it would b e diffi cult to carry Our p resent le tters

to every p lace in which they are needed ,We desire that

all cop ies o f them ,no t excep ting those p rinted which

are Signed by a p ub lic no tary and stam p ed w ith the seal

o f some dignitary of the Church ,should rece ive the sam e

credit as would these p resent were they exhib ited every

where .

Let no man ,there fore ,

have the audacity to contradict

the text o f Our definition , decree ,inscrip tion,

command,

statute , indulgence or w ishes . I f anyone Should dare

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I N D E X

The letter P. refers to the Poems , E . to the Exclamations , C . to the

Concep tions ,and M . to the M axims .

refer to the pages of this volume .

Ab andonm ent to the W ill o f God ,

E . x v i . I , 2

Account to b e rendered , C . ii. 1 1

Ahum ada,Juana d e

,the Saint’s

Sister,2 1 9

Alb a,duke o f

,249

dowager duchess o f (MariaEnrique z) , C . ii . 1 2 204 ,

20 9 ,

2 1 9 ,246

duch ess o f (Maria de To ledo yCo lonna) , xx iv ,

xxv,2c 4 ,

244

Alb erta-Bautista ,nun

,204 ,

262

Alv arez , Baltasar , S . J . M . 63

Andrés de la Incarnacion ,xv i,

xx v ii , 62 ,67 , 68

Andrew , St . ,P. 29 , 7 1

Anne o f St . Bartho lom ew,Ven . ,

nun,

-20 1 , 20 3 , 20 5 , 20 7

—8 , 2 1 0 ,

2 1 4—6 ,

22 1—2 ,246

o f the Incarnation (d e Arb izo ),nun

,xxi

—o f Jesu s (Lob era) , Ven . ,nun

,

2 2 5 , 2 50

o f St . Michael, nun ,26 5

o f St . Peter , nun ,244

o f the Trinity ,nun

,262

Anthony ,St . , 73

o f Jesus , 204 ,206 ,

2 1 0 , 2 1 3-4 4

2 1 9

o f St . Joachim , 69

Antonia o f the H o ly Gho st, nun ,

240

Ap p eal to th e saints,E . x ii . 5

to sinners , E . x . 5

F igu res without letters prefixed

Ap p le tree , C . v . 2 , 4—5 , v ii . 9

Arrow , C . v i . 6

Asking for labours,

v ii . 9

Augu stine ,St . , E . v . 4 ; C . iv . 9

Av ila,Ju lian de

,Chap lain ,

xv iii,

62 , 66

Bab e,C . iv . 4

—6Bane z

,Dom inic

,xx

,xx ii

,xxiv—v i

xx v iii

Beatri z o f the Incarnation,nun

,

xx iv

Bernard , St x iii,M . 37

Bertho ld , St . ,1 99

Blindness of those who seek hap

p iness ap art from God ,E . v iii . 3

Braganza,don Teu tonio de

,xxx iv

C . v i. 1

Cajetan , Cam ill'

o,2 52

Call to return to God ,E . xi. 8

Cap tiv es am ong the Moo rs , C . iii . 3

Carelessness ab ou t the Rule and

Constitutions , C . ii . 3 , 4 , 9

Carlo s ,Don

, C . ii . 36

Casilda o f St . Angelo ,nun , 22 5

Catherine ,St P . 30 ; 72

Catherin e-Bap tist, nun ,208 ,

2 1 4 ,

2 1 8

o f the Concep tion ,nun , 2 1 6

o f Jesus , nun ,2 1 8 , 228, 238

Ce llar o f wine ,C . vi . 3

Cep eda,Lorenzo de

,the Saint’ s

b rother , x iv . 64 , 66 ,20 1 , 20 3

Cerralv o ,Marquis de , 2 1 9

2 75

276 INDEX

Christ , the tw o natures o f, C . i .

1 0 , 1 2

Christians , traitors ,E . x . 2

Clem ent V I I I . ,Po p e , 2 52

Goccino , John Bap tist , 267Confidence in God ’

s om nip otence ,

E . iv . 4 v iii . 2 ; w ant o f, C .

iii . 5

Contem p t o f earthly things , C .

iii. 2

Contreras,Francisco de ,

24 8

Co rdob illa, Juan de , C . iii . 7

Cow ard ice , C . iii . 8

Cro ss , the ,P. 1 9

—2 I dragging the ,

instead o f carrying it , C . ii . 32

Crucifix ,P . I I , 35 , 36 ; 2 1 5

Danger o f death through excess

o f Div ine lo v e , C . v ii . 2 2 I S,

2 59 ; o f free w ill, E . x v i. 1 0 4 2

Dav id ,King , 69 ; C . i . 2

Dav ila ,Sancho ,

2 1 9

Death , fear and d esire o f,E . v i . 4

Dev il , fear o f the , C . ii . 2

Didacus (Diego ) , St . , C . ii . 36

D ie and sufl er , 20 1,26 1

D isp ensations ,unnecessary ,

C .

ii. 20

Do ria, Carlos ,2 53—Nicho las ,

244 ,24 8

Dying to se lf , in o rder to liv e fo r

God ,E . x v i . 6

Ecstasy, C . v i . I I

Eflects o f lo v e o f God and earthlylov e ,

E . ii . 2

Eliseus ,St . , 68 ,

20 1 , 2 35

Exam p le o f a d ev out b u t self

w illed lady , C . ii. 30

Exclam ations , C . iv . 9 ; 2 1 2

Fau lts,hab itual, C . I I . 24

Fav ours , greatest , generally the

last to b e b estow ed , C . v . 3

Federigo d i Sant’ Antonio , 66 ,2 5 I

Ferdinand VI . ,King o f Sp ain ,

2 5 1

Empe ror e lect, 269

Fernando , duke de H uescar , 206

d e To ledo , 246

Fev er o f sin , E . ix . 5

Frances o f J esus ,nun

,2 2 5

Francis o f Assisi, St . ,x iii

,M . 38

22 5Cardinal , 267

Xav ier , St . , x iv , 74 ,2 54

Gifts o f grace in the nuns o f Car

m e l , C . Introd .

God , eyes o f,E . xm . 2 H is

m ercies , p o or requ ital o f , E .

x ii . 4 ; H is m ercies ,E . iii. I

m ore eager to fo rgiv e than Sin

ners to o ff end H im,E . x . I

p atience o f , C . ii . 2 5 ; p resentin all th ings ,

E . x v . I raises the

fallen ,E . iii. 2 seeks the lo v e

o f m en ,E . v ii . 3 , 5 ; serv ices

to b e rendered to , E . xiv . 4—6

Shadow o f,C . v . 2 ; strikes

and heals ,E . v i . 3 submission

to th e w ill o f,E . v i. 5 ; His

tenderness , E . v . 4

Go ldsm ith ,the div ine , C . v i . I o

Gracian ,J erom e ,

x ix,xx

,xxiv ,

xxv ii, C . iii . 3 ; 1 99 , 20 2 ,223 ,

2 26 sqq . : 24 3—5

Granada ,Lu is d e , xxiii

Grego ry ,St . , C . iii . 4

X V . ,Po p e ,

xxx ix ,2 53

Grie f at rem emb ering sou ls in

danger , E . ii . 3 at the thoughto f the Passion o f our Lord ,

E .

iii. 5—6

Gu iges ,Bl. , M . 38

Guiomar o f the Blessed Sacra

m ent , nun ,xv iii

, 68

H ell, state o f souls in ,E . x . 6—8

th reat o f , E . x i . 9 x iii, 3

H ieronym a o f the Incarnation ,

nun, 67

H ilarion , St . ,P . 3 I ; 73

Hop e ,E . x v i. 3

Hum ility ,true and false , C . 11 1 . 6

Ignatius , St 254

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278

Praise,dangerous to nuns , C . ii.

1 3 like the kiss o f Judas , ib .

I SPrayer o f quiet, C . iv . 1 sweetness in , ib . 2

—o f union, C . v . 4 ; v i . I I

Preacher , C . VI 1 . 5

R eb ellion o f man , E . x i. I—3Reco llection o f m ercies in tim es

o f deso lation ,E . x v i . 4

Reso lutions , generou s , C . ii. 23

Rich and p oor , C . ii . 1 1

Rojas ,Bernard de ,

267

Sacram ent , th e Blessed , C . i . 1 2,

I 3 strength in , C . iii. 1 2 de

v o t ion to ,227 ,

2 58

Safety o f re ligious life , C . 1 1 . 3 1

Saints,ap p eal to , E . m i . 5 env y

o f,E . x ii. I exam p le o f . C . ii .

1 8 ; feasts o f,M . 56

Salcedo , Francis d e , 66

Sam aritan w om an, C . VI I . 7 , 8

Satan ,reb e l and traito r

,E . xi .

4—6 ; serv ing him ,

E . x i. 7

Self-indulgence , C . ii . I 7 , 1 9 , 20

Sensitiv eness o f honour, C . ii . 30

32

Shep herd b oy ,C . i. 8

Sim eon ,H o ly ,

C . iv . 3 20 2

Sin and Sinn ers ,E . x . 4

Sixtus V . ,Pop e ,

249 , 2 50

So rrow ,tem p ered ,

C . iv . 8

Standards , the tw o ,E . x . 2

Su ff ering , strength in , C . iii. 1 0

Ten thousand m artyrs ,2 1 6 , 263

Teresa,St . , her confidence in God ’

s

p ow er , E . iv . 5 ; sup ernatu ral

INDEX

fragrance o f her b ody, 2 1 8 sqq.

24 3 sqq . 264 ; her grief at the

thought o f the Passion,E . iii .

5 , 6 ; im p lores God ’

s m ercy on

sinners , E . ix . 3 her desire o f

lab ou ring for God , E . iv . 1 her

weariness o f life, E . i. I , 3 ; v i.

2 ; x iv . I , 2 ; xv i . 9 ; h er w ish

fo r so litude ,E . ii. I her w ish

that God shou ld call those whoknow H im no t , E . v iii . 4 , 5 ;her intention in w riting thisb o ok, C . i . 8

Teres ita (Te resa o f J esus ,niece o f

the Saint) , xxx,

20 1—2 , 204 ,

20 8 ,2 22

Tim e lo st, E . iv . 2, 3 , 5

Transv e rb eration o f S t . Teresa'

s

heart , P . 8 ; 2 58

Trinity ,Blessed

, E . v ii . 3 , 4

Troth , a h eav enly , C . iv . 8

Uncertainty o f state o f grace ,E .

i . 2

Union , div ine ,E . x v . 5

—7

Venom ous creatures , C . i. 3

Water ,h eav enly ,

E . ix . 1 ,2

, 6

holy , C . ii. 26

Weakness , C . iii . 9

Wicked , the, stand self-con

dem ned , E . iii . 3

Yanguas , D iego de ,xix , xx ii, xxiv ,

xxv , 260

Yep es ,Diego de ,

24 3 , 24 8

Zanb eccari, Nicholas , 270

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