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St. Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection
IntraText CT - Text
The Way of Perfection
CHAPTER 34 - Continues the same subject. This is very suitable for reading after the reception of the Most Holy Sacrament.
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CHAPTER
34
-
Continues
the same
subject
. This is very
suitable
for
reading
after the
reception
of the Most
Holy
Sacrament
.
We have now
reached
the
conclusion
that the
good
Jesus
,
being
ours,
asks
His
Father
to let us have Him
daily
-- which
appears
to
mean
"for ever". While
writing
this I have been
wondering
why, after
saying
"our '
daily
'
bread
", the
Lord
repeated
the
idea
in the
words
"
Give
us this
day
,
Lord
." I will
tell
you my own
foolish
idea
: if it
really
is
foolish
, well and
good
-- in any
case
, it is
quite
bad
enough that I should
interfere
in such a
matter
at all. Still, as we are
trying
to
understand
what we are
praying
for, let us
think
carefully
what this
means
, so that we
may
pray
rightly
, and
thank
Him Who is taking such
care
about
teaching
us. This
bread
, then, is ours
daily
, it seems to me, because we have Him here on
earth
, since He has
remained
with us here and we
receive
Him; and, if we
profit
by His
company
, we shall also have Him in
Heaven
, for the only
reason
He
remains
with us is to
help
and
encourage
and
sustain
us so that we shall do that will, which, as we have
said
, is to be
fulfilled
in us.
In using the
words
"this
day
" He seems to me to be
thinking
of a
day
of the
length
of this
life
. And a
day
indeed it is! As for the
unfortunate
souls
who will
bring
damnation
upon themselves and will not have
fruition
of Him in the
world
to
come
, they are His own
creatures
, and He did everything to
help
them on, and was with them, to
strengthen
them, throughout the "
to-day
" of this
life
, so it is not His
fault
if they are
vanquished
. They will have no
excuse
to make nor will they be
able
to
complain
of the
Father
for taking this
bread
from them at the
time
when they most
needed
it. Therefore the
Son
prays
the
Father
that, since this
life
lasts
no more than a
day
, He will
allow
Him to
spend
it in our
service
.
121
As His
Majesty
has already
given
His
Son
to us, by
sending
Him, of His will alone, into the
world
, so now, of that same will, He is
pleased
not to
abandon
us, but to
remain
here with us for the
greater
glory
of His
friends
and the
discomfiture
of His
enemies
. He
prays
for nothing more than this "
to-day
" since He has
given
us this most
holy
Bread
. He has
given
it to us for ever, as I have
said
, as the
sustenance
and
manna
of
humanity
. We can have it whenever we
please
and we shall not
die
of
hunger
save
through our own
fault
, for, in whatever
way
the
soul
desires
to
partake
of
food
, it will
find
joy
and
comfort
in the Most
Holy
Sacrament
. There is no
need
or
trial
or
persecution
that cannot be
easily
borne
if we begin to
partake
and
taste
of those which He Himself
bore
, and to make them the
subject
of our
meditations
.
With
regard
to other
bread
122
-- the
bread
of
bodily
necessaries
and
sustenance
-- I neither like to
think
that the
Lord
is always
being
reminded
of it nor would I have you
remember
it yourselves.
Keep
on the
level
of the
highest
contemplation
, for anyone who
dwells
there no more
remembers
that he is in the
world
than if he had already
left
it -- still less does he
think
about
food
. Would the
Lord
ever have
insisted
upon our
asking
for
food
, or
taught
us to do so by His own
example
? Not in my
opinion
. He
teaches
us to
fix
our
desires
upon
heavenly
things
and to
pray
that we
may
begin to
enjoy
these
things
while here on
earth
: would He, then, have us
trouble
about so
petty
a
matter
as
praying
for
food
? As if He did not
know
that, once we begin to
worry
about the
needs
of the
body
, we shall
forget
the
needs
of the
soul
! Besides, are we such
moderately
minded
people
that we shall be
satisfied
with
just
a
little
and
pray
only for a
little
? No: the more
food
we are
given
, the less we shall
get
of the
water
from
Heaven
. Let those of you,
daughters
, who
want
more of the
necessaries
of
life
pray
for this.
Join
with the
Lord
, then,
daughters
, in
begging
the
Father
to let you have your
Spouse
to-day
, so that, as
long
as you
live
, you
may
never
find
yourself in this
world
without Him. Let it
suffice
to
temper
your
great
joy
that He should
remain
disguised
beneath
these
accidents
of
bread
and
wine
, which is a
real
torture
to those who have nothing else to
love
and no other
consolation
.
Entreat
Him not to
fail
you but to
prepare
you to
receive
Him
worthily
.
As for that other
bread
, have no
anxiety
about it if you have
truly
resigned
yourselves to
God
's will. I
mean
that at these
hours
of
prayer
you are
dealing
with more
important
matters
and there is
time
enough for you to
labour
and
earn
your
daily
bread
.
Try
never at any
time
to let your
thoughts
dwell
on this;
work
with your
body
, for it is
good
for you to
try
to
support
yourselves, but let your
soul
be at
rest
.
Leave
anxiety
about this to your
Spouse
, as has been
said
at
length
already, and He will always
bear
it for you. Do not
fear
that He will
fail
you if you do not
fail
to do what you have
promised
and to
resign
yourselves to
God
's will. I
assure
you,
daughters
, that, if I myself were to
fail
in this, because of my
wickedness
, as I have often done in the
past
, I would not
beg
Him to
give
me that
bread
, or anything else to
eat
. Let Him
leave
me to
die
of
hunger
. Of what
use
is
life
to me if it
leads
me
daily
nearer
to
eternal
death
?
If, then, you are
really
surrendering
yourselves to
God
, as you
say
,
cease
to be
anxious
for yourselves, for He
bears
your
anxiety
, and will
bear
it always. It is as though a
servant
had
gone
into
service
and were
anxious
to
please
his
master
in everything. The
master
is
bound
to
give
him
food
for so
long
as he
remains
in his
house
, and in his
service
, unless he is so
poor
that he has
food
neither for his
servant
nor for himself. Here, however, the
comparison
breaks
down, for
God
is, and will always be,
rich
and
powerful
. It would not be
right
for the
servant
to
go
to his
master
every
day
and
ask
him for
food
when he
knew
that his
master
would
see
that it was
given
him and so he would be
sure
to
receive
it. To do this would be a
waste
of
words
. His
master
would
quite
properly
tell
him that he should
look
after his own
business
of
serving
and
pleasing
him, for, if he
worried
himself
unnecessarily
, he would not do his
work
as well as he should. So,
sisters
, those who will
may
worry
about
asking
for
earthly
bread
; let our own
task
be to
beg
the
Eternal
Father
that we
may
merit
our
heavenly
bread
, so that, although our
bodily
eyes
cannot
feast
themselves on the
sight
of Him since He is thus
hidden
from us, He
may
reveal
Himself to the
eyes
of the
soul
and
may
make Himself
known
to us as another
kind
of
food
,
full
of
delight
and
joy
, which
sustains
our
life
.
Do you
suppose
that this most
holy
food
is not
ample
sustenance
even for the
body
and a
potent
medicine
for
bodily
ills
? I am
sure
that it is. I
know
a
person
who was
subject
to
serious
illnesses
and often
suffered
great
pain
; and this
pain
was
taken
away from her in a
flash
123
and she became
quite
well again. This often
occurs
, I
believe
; and
cures
are
recorded
from
quite
definite
illnesses
which could not be
counterfeited
. As the
wondrous
effects
produced
by this most
holy
bread
in those who
worthily
receive
it are very well
known
, I will not
describe
all the
things
that could be
related
about this
person
I
mentioned
, though I have been
enabled
to
learn
about them and I
know
that they are not
fabrications
. The
Lord
had
given
this
person
such a
lively
faith
that, when she
heard
people
say
they
wished
they had
lived
when
Christ
walked
on this
earth
, she would
smile
to herself, for she
knew
that we have Him as
truly
with us in the Most
Holy
Sacrament
as
people
had Him then, and
wonder
what more they could
possibly
want
.
I
know
, too, that for many
years
this
person
, though by no
means
perfect
, always
tried
to
strengthen
her
faith
, when she
communicated
, by
thinking
that it was
exactly
as if she
saw
the
Lord
entering
her
house
, with her own
bodily
eyes
, for she
believed
in very
truth
that this
Lord
was
entering
her
poor
abode
, and she
ceased
, as
far
as she could, to
think
of
outward
things
, and
went
into her
abode
with Him. She
tried
to
recollect
her
senses
so that they might all become
aware
of this
great
blessing
, or rather, so that they should not
hinder
the
soul
from becoming
conscious
of it. She
imagined
herself at His
feet
and
wept
with the
Magdalen
exactly
as if she had
seen
Him with her
bodily
eyes
in the
Pharisee
's
house
. Even if she
felt
no
devotion
,
faith
told
her that it was
good
for her to be there.
For, unless we
want
to be
foolish
and to
close
our
minds
to
facts
, we cannot
suppose
that this is the
work
of the
imagination
, as it is when we
think
of the
Lord
on the
Cross
, or of other
incidents
of the
Passion
, and
picture
within ourselves how these
things
happened
. This is something which is
happening
now; it is
absolutely
true
; and we have no
need
to
go
and
seek
Him somewhere a
long
way
off. For we
know
that, until the
accidents
of
bread
have been
consumed
by our
natural
heat
, the
good
Jesus
is with us and we should [not
lose
so
good
an
opportunity
but should]
come
to Him. If, while He
went
about in the
world
, the
sick
were
healed
merely
by
touching
His
clothes
, how can we
doubt
that He will
work
miracles
when He is within us, if we have
faith
, or that He will
give
us what we
ask
of Him since He is in our
house
? His
Majesty
is not
wont
to
offer
us too
little
payment
for His
lodging
if we
treat
Him well.
If you
grieve
at not
seeing
Him with the
eyes
of the
body
,
remember
that that would not be
good
for us, for it is one
thing
to
see
Him
glorified
and
quite
another to
see
Him as He was when He
lived
in the
world
. So
weak
is our
nature
that nobody could
endure
the
sight
-- in
fact
, there would be no one
left
to
endure
it, for no one would
wish
to
remain
in the
world
any
longer
. Once
having
seen
this
Eternal
Truth
,
people
would
realize
that all the
things
we
prize
here are
mockery
and
falsehood
. And if such
great
Majesty
could be
seen
, how could a
miserable
sinner
like myself, after
having
so
greatly
offended
Him,
remain
so
near
to Him?
Beneath
those
accidents
of
bread
, we can
approach
Him; for, if the
King
disguises
Himself, it would seem that we
need
not
mind
coming
to Him without so much
circumspection
and
ceremony
: by
disguising
Himself, He has, as it were,
obliged
Himself to
submit
to this. Who, otherwise, would
dare
to
approach
Him so
unworthily
, with so many
imperfections
and with such
lukewarm
zeal
?
Oh
, we
know
not what we
ask
! How much
better
does His
Wisdom
know
what we
need
! He
reveals
Himself to those who He
knows
will
profit
by His
presence
; though
unseen
by
bodily
eyes
, He has many
ways
of
revealing
Himself to the
soul
through
deep
inward
emotions
and by
various
other
means
.
Delight
to
remain
with Him; do not
lose
such an
excellent
time
for
talking
with Him as the
hour
after
Communion
.
Remember
that this is a very
profitable
hour
for the
soul
; if you
spend
it in the
company
of the
good
Jesus
, you are
doing
Him a
great
service
. Be very
careful
, then,
daughters
, not to
lose
it. If you are
compelled
by
obedience
to do something else,
try
to
leave
your
soul
with the
Lord
. For He is your
Master
, and, though it be in a
way
you
may
not
understand
, He will not
fail
to
teach
you. But if you
take
your
thoughts
elsewhere, and
pay
no more
attention
to Him than if you had not
received
Him, and
care
nothing for His
being
within you, how can He make Himself
known
to you? You must
complain
, not of Him, but of yourself. This, then, is a
good
time
for our
Master
to
teach
us and for us to
listen
to Him. I do not
tell
you to
say
no
prayers
at all, for if I did you would
take
hold
of my
words
and
say
I was
talking
about
contemplation
, which you
need
practise
only if the
Lord
brings
you to it. No: you should
say
the
Paternoster
,
realize
that you are
verily
and indeed in the
company
of Him Who
taught
it you and
kiss
His
feet
in
gratitude
to Him for
having
desired
to
teach
you and
beg
Him to
show
you how to
pray
and never to
leave
you.
You
may
be in the
habit
of
praying
while
looking
at a
picture
of
Christ
, but at a
time
like this it seems
foolish
to me to
turn
away from the
living
image
-- the
Person
Himself -- to
look
at His
picture
. Would it not be
foolish
if we had a
portrait
of someone whom we
dearly
loved
and, when the
person
himself
came
to
see
us, we
refused
to
talk
with him and
carried
on our
entire
conversation
with the
portrait
? Do you
know
when I
find
the
use
of a
picture
an
excellent
thing
, and
take
great
pleasure
in it? When the
person
is
absent
and we are made to
feel
his
loss
by our
great
aridity
, it is then that we
find
it a
great
comfort
to
look
at the
picture
of Him Whom we have such
reason
to
love
. This is a
great
inspiration
, and makes us
wish
that, in
whichever
direction
we
turn
our
eyes
, we could
see
the
picture
. What can we
look
upon that is
better
or more
attractive
to the
sight
than upon Him Who so
dearly
loves
us and
contains
within Himself all
good
things
?
Unhappy
are those
heretics
, who through their own
fault
have
lost
this
comfort
, as well as others.
When you have
received
the
Lord
, and are in His very
presence
,
try
to
shut
the
bodily
eyes
and to
open
the
eyes
of the
soul
and to
look
into your own
hearts
. I
tell
you, and
tell
you again, for I should like to
repeat
it often, that if you
practise
this
habit
of
staying
with Him, not
just
once or
twice
, but whenever you
communicate
, and
strive
to
keep
your
conscience
clear
so that you can often
rejoice
in this your
Good
, He will not, as I have
said
,
come
so much
disguised
as to be
unable
to make His
presence
known
to you in many
ways
, according to the
desire
which you have of
seeing
Him. So
great
, indeed,
may
be your
longing
for Him that He will
reveal
Himself to you
wholly
.
But if we
pay
no
heed
to Him
save
when we have
received
Him, and
go
away from Him in
search
of other and
baser
things
, what can He do? Will He have to
drag
us by
force
to
look
at Him and be with Him because He
desires
to
reveal
Himself to us? No; for when He
revealed
Himself to all
men
plainly
, and
told
them
clearly
who He was, they did not
treat
Him at all well -- very few of them, indeed, even
believed
Him. So He
grants
us an
exceeding
great
favour
when He is
pleased
to
show
us that it is He Who is in the Most
Holy
Sacrament
. But He will not
reveal
Himself
openly
and
communicate
His
glories
and
bestow
His
treasures
save
on those who He
knows
greatly
desire
Him, for these are His
true
friends
. I
assure
you that anyone who is not a
true
friend
and does not
come
to
receive
Him as such, after
doing
all in his
power
to
prepare
for Him, must never
importune
Him to
reveal
Himself to him.
Hardly
is the
hour
over which such a
person
has
spent
in
fulfilling
the
Church
's
commandment
than he
goes
home
and
tries
to
drive
Christ
out of the
house
. What with all his other
business
and
occupations
and
worldly
hindrances
, he seems to be
making
all
possible
haste
to
prevent
the
Lord
from taking
possession
of the
house
which is His own.
121
Lit
.: "in
service
" --
en
servidumbre
, a
strong
word
,
better
rendered
, perhaps, "
servitude
," and not
far
removed
from "
slavery
."
122
The whole of this
paragraph
is
lightly
crossed
out in the
manuscript
.
123
Lit
.: "as if by (someone's)
hand
."
St
.
Teresa
is
thought
here to be
referring
to herself.
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