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St. Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection
IntraText CT - Text
The Way of Perfection
CHAPTER 24 - Describes how vocal prayer may be practised with perfection and how closely allied it is to mental prayer.
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CHAPTER
24
-
Describes
how
vocal
prayer
may
be
practised
with
perfection
and how
closely
allied
it is to
mental
prayer
.
Let us now
return
to
speak
of those
souls
I have
mentioned
who cannot
practise
recollection
or
tie
down their
minds
to
mental
prayer
or make a
meditation
. We must not
talk
to them of either of those
two
things
-- they will not
hear
of them; as a
matter
of
fact
, there are a
great
many
people
who seem
terrified
at the very
name
of
contemplation
or
mental
prayer
.
In
case
any such
person
should
come
to this
house
(for, as I have
said
, not all are
led
by the same
path
), I
want
to
advise
you, or, I might even
say
, to
teach
you (for, as your
mother
, and by the
office
of
prioress
which I
hold
, I have the
right
to do so) how you must
practise
vocal
prayer
, for it is
right
that you should
understand
what you are
saying
. Anyone
unable
to
think
of
God
may
find
herself
wearied
by
long
prayers
, and so I will not begin to
discuss
these, but will
speak
simply
of
prayers
which, as
Christians
, we must
perforce
recite
-- namely, the
Paternoster
and the
Ave
Maria
-- and then no one will be
able
to
say
of us that we are
repeating
words
without
understanding
what we are
saying
. We
may
, of
course
,
consider
it enough to
say
our
prayers
as a
mere
habit
,
repeating
the
words
and
thinking
that this will
suffice
. Whether it
suffices
or no I will not now
discuss
.
93
Learned
men
must
decide
: they will
instruct
people
to whom
God
gives
light
to
consult
them, and I will not
discuss
the
position
of those who have not made a
profession
like our own. But what I should like,
daughters
, is for us not to be
satisfied
with that alone: when I
say
the
Creed
, it seems to me
right
, and indeed
obligatory
, that I should
understand
and
know
what it is that I
believe
; and, when I
repeat
the "Our
Father
", my
love
should make me
want
to
understand
Who this
Father
of ours is and Who the
Master
is that
taught
us this
prayer
.
If you
assert
that you
know
Who He is already, and so there is no
need
for you to
think
about Him, you are not
right
; there is a
great
deal
of
difference
between one
master
and another, and it would be very
wrong
of us not to
think
about those who
teach
us, even on
earth
; if they are
holy
men
and
spiritual
masters
, and we are
good
pupils
, it is
impossible
for us not to have
great
love
for them, and indeed to
hold
them in
honour
and often to
talk
about them. And when it
comes
to the
Master
Who
taught
us this
prayer
, and Who
loves
us so much and is so
anxious
for us to
profit
by it,
may
God
forbid
that we should
fail
to
think
of Him often when we
repeat
it, although our own
weakness
may
prevent
us from
doing
so every
time
.
Now, in the first
place
, you
know
that His
Majesty
teaches
that this
prayer
must be made when we are alone,
just
as He was often alone when He
prayed
, not because this was
necessary
for Him, but for our
edification
. It has already been
said
that it is
impossible
to
speak
to
God
and to the
world
at the same
time
; yet this is
just
what we are
trying
to do when we are
saying
our
prayers
and at the same
time
listening
to the
conversation
of others or
letting
our
thoughts
wander
on any
matter
that
occurs
to us, without
making
an
effort
to
control
them. There are
occasions
when one cannot
help
doing
this:
times
of
ill-health
(
especially
in
persons
who
suffer
from
melancholia
); or
times
when our
heads
are
tired
, and, however
hard
we
try
, we cannot
concentrate
; or
times
when, for their own
good
,
God
allows
His
servants
for
days
on end to
go
through
great
storms
. And, although they are
distressed
and
strive
to
calm
themselves, they are
unable
to do so and
incapable
of
attending
to what they are
saying
, however
hard
they
try
, nor can they
fix
their
understanding
on anything: they seem to be in a
frenzy
, so
distraught
are they.
The very
suffering
of anyone in this
state
will
show
her that she is not to
blame
, and she must not
worry
, for that only makes
matters
worse
, nor must she
weary
herself by
trying
to
put
sense
into something -- namely, her
mind
-- which for the
moment
is without any. She should
pray
as
best
she can: indeed, she
need
not
pray
at all, but
may
try
to
rest
her
spirit
as though she were
ill
and
busy
herself with some other
virtuous
action
. These
directions
are
meant
for
persons
who
keep
careful
guard
over themselves and
know
that they must not
speak
to
God
and to the
world
at the same
time
. What we can do ourselves is to
try
to be alone -- and
God
grant
that this
may
suffice
, as I
say
, to make us
realize
in Whose
presence
we are and how the
Lord
answers
our
petitions
. Do you
suppose
that, because we cannot
hear
Him, He is
silent
? He
speaks
clearly
to the
heart
when we
beg
Him from our
hearts
to do so. It would be a
good
idea
for us to
imagine
94
that He has
taught
this
prayer
to each one of us
individually
, and that He is
continually
expounding
it to us. The
Master
is never so
far
away that the
disciple
needs
to
raise
his
voice
in
order
to be
heard
: He is always
right
at his
side
. I
want
you to
understand
that, if you are to
recite
the
Paternoster
well, one
thing
is
needful
: you must not
leave
the
side
of the
Master
Who has
taught
it you.
You will
say
at once that this is
meditation
, and that you are not
capable
of it, and do not even
wish
to
practise
it, but are
content
with
vocal
prayer
. For there are
impatient
people
who
dislike
giving
themselves
trouble
, and it is
troublesome
at first to
practise
recollection
of the
mind
when one has not made it a
habit
. So, in
order
not to make themselves the least
bit
tired
, they
say
they are
incapable
of anything but
vocal
prayer
and do not
know
how to do anything further. You are
right
to
say
that what we have
described
is
mental
prayer
; but I
assure
you that I cannot
distinguish
it from
vocal
prayer
faithfully
recited
with a
realization
of Who it is that we are
addressing
. Further, we are under the
obligation
of
trying
to
pray
attentively
:
may
God
grant
that, by using these
means
, we
may
learn
to
say
the
Paternoster
well and not
find
ourselves
thinking
of something
irrelevant
. I have sometimes
experienced
this myself, and the
best
remedy
I have found for it is to
try
to
fix
my
mind
on the
Person
by Whom the
words
were first
spoken
. Have
patience
, then, and
try
to make this
necessary
practice
into a
habit
, for
necessary
it is, in my
opinion
, for those who would be
nuns
, and indeed for all who would
pray
like
good
Christians
.
93
The
word
rendered
"
discuss
", both here and below, is a
strong
one,
entrometerse
, to
intermeddle
.
94
More
literally
: "
consider
", "
reflect
".
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