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St. Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection
IntraText CT - Text
The Way of Perfection
CHAPTER 8 - Treats of the great benefit of self-detachment, both interior and exterior, from all things created.
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CHAPTER
8
-
Treats
of the
great
benefit
of
self-detachment
, both
interior
and
exterior
, from all
things
created
.
Let us now
come
to the
detachment
which we must
practise
, for if this is
carried
out
perfectly
it
includes
everything else. I
say
"it
includes
everything else" because, if we
care
nothing for any
created
things
, but
embrace
the
Creator
alone, His
Majesty
will
infuse
the
virtues
into us in such a
way
that,
provided
we
labour
to the
best
of our
abilities
day
by
day
, we shall not have to
wage
war
much
longer
, for the
Lord
will
take
our
defence
in
hand
against the
devils
and against the whole
world
. Do you
suppose
,
daughters
, that it is a
small
benefit
to
obtain
for ourselves this
blessing
of
giving
ourselves
wholly
to Him,
30
and
keeping
nothing for ourselves? Since, as I
say
, all
blessings
are in Him, let us
give
Him
hearty
praise
,
sisters
, for
having
brought
us together here, where we are
occupied
in this alone. I do not
know
why I am
saying
this, when all of you here are
capable
of
teaching
me, for I
confess
that, in this
important
respect
, I am not as
perfect
as I should like to be and as I
know
I
ought
to be; and I must
say
the same about all the
virtues
and about all that I am
dealing
with here, for it is
easier
to
write
of such
things
than to
practise
them. I
may
not even be
able
to
write
of them
effectively
, for sometimes
ability
to do this
comes
only from
experience
-- [that is to
say
, if I have any
success
, it must be because] I
explain
the
nature
of these
virtues
by
describing
the
contraries
of the
qualities
I myself
possess
.
As
far
as
exterior
matters
are
concerned
, you
know
how
completely
cut
off we are from everything.
Oh
, my
Creator
and
Lord
! When have I
merited
so
great
an
honour
? Thou
seemest
to have
searched
everywhere for
means
of
drawing
nearer
to us.
May
it
please
Thy
goodness
that we
lose
not this through our own
fault
.
Oh
,
sisters
, for the
love
of
God
,
try
to
realize
what a
great
favour
the
Lord
has
bestowed
on those of us whom He has
brought
here. Let each of you
apply
this to herself, since there are only
twelve
of us
31
and His
Majesty
has been
pleased
for you to be one. How many
people
-- what a
multitude
of
people
! -- do I
know
who are
better
than myself and would
gladly
take
this
place
of
mine
, yet the
Lord
has
granted
it to me who so
ill
deserve
it!
Blessed
be Thou, my
God
, and let the
angels
and all
created
things
praise
Thee, for I can no more
repay
this
favour
than all the others Thou hast
shown
me. It was a
wonderful
thing
to
give
me the
vocation
to be a
nun
; but I have been so
wicked
,
Lord
, that Thou
couldst
not
trust
me. In a
place
where there were many
good
women
living
together my
wickedness
would not perhaps have been
noticed
right
down to the end of my
life
: I should have
concealed
it, as I did for so many
years
. So Thou
didst
bring
me here, where, as there are so few of us that it would seem
impossible
for it to
remain
unnoticed
, Thou
dost
remove
occasions
of
sin
from me so that I
may
walk
the more
carefully
. There is no
excuse
for me, then,
O
Lord
, I
confess
it, and so I have
need
of Thy
mercy
, that Thou
mayest
pardon
me.
Remember
, my
sisters
, that if we are not
good
we are much more to
blame
than others. What I
earnestly
beg
of you is that anyone who
knows
she will be
unable
to
follow
our
customs
will
say
so [before she is
professed
]: there are other
convents
in which the
Lord
is also well
served
and she should not
remain
here and
disturb
these few of us whom His
Majesty
has
brought
together for His
service
. In other
convents
nuns
are
free
to have the
pleasure
of
seeing
their
relatives
, whereas here, if
relatives
are ever
admitted
, it is only for their own
pleasure
. A
nun
who [very much]
wishes
to
see
her
relatives
in
order
to
please
herself, and does not
get
tired
of them after the
second
visit
, must, unless they are
spiritual
persons
and do her
soul
some
good
,
consider
herself
imperfect
and
realize
that she is neither
detached
nor
healthy
, and will have no
freedom
of
spirit
or
perfect
peace
. She
needs
a
physician
-- and I
consider
that if this
desire
does not
leave
her, and she is not
cured
, she is not
intended
for this
house
.
The
best
remedy
, I
think
, is that she should not
see
her
relatives
again until she
feels
free
in
spirit
and has
obtained
this
freedom
from
God
by many
prayers
. When she
looks
upon such
visits
as
crosses
, let her
receive
them by all
means
, for then they will do the
visitors
good
and herself no
harm
. But if she is
fond
of the
visitors
, if their
troubles
are a
great
distress
to her and if she
delights
in
listening
to the
stories
which they
tell
her about the
world
, she
may
be
sure
that she will do herself
harm
and do them no
good
.
30
Lit
.:
de
darnos
todas
a
ƒl
todo
: "
giving
ourselves
wholly
to Him
wholly
."
31
The
thirteenth
was
St
.
Teresa
.
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