. Discussion of CHAPTER 29 The Way of Perfection - Continues to describe methods for achieving this Prayer of Recollection. - Says what little account we should make of being favoured by our superiors. . |
In this chapter, St. Teresa continues to discuss
Detachment and Prayer.
Regarding Recollective Prayer, she said:
"...this holy companionship
with our great Companion,
the Holiest of the holy"
. █ Recollection is possible with the help of God "when the soul desires • to enter within herself, • to shut the door behind her so as to keep out all that is worldly and • to dwell in that Paradise with her God" "there is nothing to hinder the soul and her Spouse from remaining alone together" ◘ "...this is not a supernatural state but depends upon our volition, and that, by God's favour, we can enter it of our own accord" "this condition (with God's help, grace, and favour) must be understood of everything that we say in this book can be done, for without (the help of God) ˚ nothing can be accomplished and ˚ we have not the power to think a single good thought" "For this is not a silence of the faculties: it is a shutting-up of the faculties within itself by the soul". ◘ "...anyone who wishes to acquire it (since...it is in our power to do so) not to grow weary of trying to get used to the method" "...even at the cost of a little trouble, which always results when we try to form a new habit. "Nothing....can be learned without a little trouble, so...look upon any care which you take about this as well spent" ◘ "To conquer oneself for one's own good is to make use of the senses in the service of the interior life". God "will not fail you: indeed, the less outward comfort you have, the [much] greater the joy He will give you" . |
. █ To acquire Recollection with the help of God "There are many ways in which we can gradually acquire this habit, as various books tell us" ♦ "We must cast aside everything else, in order to approach God inwardly" Detachment: "...earthly things and favours - deflect the soul in any way from its course and - hinder it from entering within itself" "We did not come here to seek rewards in this life, but only in the life to come. Let our thoughts always be fixed upon what endures, and not trouble themselves with earthly things "these thoughts, begin in a small way but may cost you a great deal of unrest" ♦ "we must retire within ourselves even during our ordinary occupations" "Turn your eyes upon yourself and look at yourself inwardly, and You will find your Master" ♦ "...recall the companionship which I have within my soul" when possible, even if for a short duration "...that we have Heaven within ourselves since the Lord of Heaven is there" "let her practise recollection many times daily; if not, let her do so occasionally" • "If she is speaking she must try to remember that there is One within her to Whom she can speak; • if she is listening, let her remember that she can listen to Him Who is nearer to her than anyone else" • "She need never withdraw from this good companionship, and let her grieve when she has left her Father alone for so long though her need of Him is so sore" ♦ "we should • know and • abide with the Person with Whom we are speaking, and • not turn our backs upon Him" " ...when we talk to God (not to) think of all kinds of vanity" "The whole mischief comes from our • not really grasping the fact that He is near us, and • imagining Him far away-- so far, that we shall have to go to Heaven in order to find Him" ♦ "...in order to accustom ourselves gradually (and)... giving our minds confidence, so that we may readily understand ▪ what we are saying, and ▪ with Whom we are speaking, we must • recollect our outward senses, • take charge of them ourselves and • give them something which will occupy them. ♦ With the recognition that God is with us, there is no need to "raise our voices" or repeat multiple prayers. "there is no need to raise our voices in order to speak to Him, since His Majesty will make us conscious that He is there, we shall be able to say the Paternoster and whatever other prayers we like with great peace of mind, and the Lord Himself will help us not to grow tired... He will give us indications by which we may understand that, though we have had to say the Paternoster many times, He heard us the first time. For He loves to save us worry; and, even though we may take a whole hour over saying it once, if we can realize that • we are with Him, and • what it is we are asking Him, and • how willing He is, like any father, to grant it to us, and • how He loves to be with us, and comfort us, •He has no wish for us to tire our brains by a great deal of talking" "you will have the great comfort of finding it unnecessary to tire yourselves with seeking this holy Father to Whom you pray, for you will discover Him within you. ♦ "accustom yourselves to saying the Pater Noster in this recollected way, and before long you will see how you gain by doing so" It is a method of prayer which establishes habits that prevent ˚ the soul from going astray and ˚ the faculties from becoming restless. I have always gained such great benefits from this custom of interior recollection" Think what a short time that is for acquiring so great a benefit, for you will be laying a good foundation, so that, if the Lord desires to raise you up to achieve great things, He will find you ready, because you will be close to Himself. May His Majesty never allow us to withdraw ourselves from His presence. . |
| . End of Discussion of Chapter 29 The Way of Perfection . |
