Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Chapter 3- The Way of Perfection - Teresa of Jesus - St Teresa of Avila



- Continues the subject begun

              in the first chapter and
- persuades the sisters to  busy themselves
      constantly in beseeching God
    to help those who work for the  Church.
- Ends with an exclamatory prayer.



                 CHAPTER 3

   Let us now return
           to the principal reason
    for which the Lord has  brought us
           together in this house,

    for which reason I am most desirous
  that we may be able to please His
     Majesty.

Seeing
  - how great are the evils
        of the present day and
  - how no human strength will suffice to
       quench the fire
     kindled by these heretics
       (though attempts have been   made
          to organize opposition to them,
         as though such a great and
           rapidly spreading evil
         could be remedied by force of arms),

    it seems to me
        that it is like a war
    in which the enemy
      has overrun the whole country, and
   the Lord of the country,
        hard pressed, retires into a city,
   which he causes to be well fortified,  
    and whence from time to time
        he is able to attack.

   Those who are in the city are picked men
     who can do
              more by  themselves
              than they could do with the aid
                   of many soldiers
              if they were cowards.

Often this method gains the victory;
 or, if the garrison  does not conquer,
     it is at least not conquered;
for, as it contains no traitors,
   but picked men,
       it can be reduced only by hunger.

In our own  conflict, however,
     we cannot be forced to surrender
          by hunger;
     we can die but we cannot be conquered.

   Now why have I said this?

   So that you may understand, my sisters,
   that  what we have to ask of God is
  that,
       in this little castle of ours,
          inhabited as it is by good Christians,
      none of us may go over to the  enemy.

 We must ask God, too,
    to make the captains
            in this castle or city
    -- that is, the preachers
        and theologians--
           highly proficient in the way
              of the Lord.

 And as most of these are religious,
    we must pray
  that  they may advance
        - in perfection, and
        - in the fulfilment of their vocation,
     for this is very needful.

For, as I have already said,
   it is the ecclesiastical and
   not the secular arm
         which must defend us.

And as we can do nothing
    by either of these means
          to help our King,
    let us strive to live in such a way
     that our prayers may be of avail
        to help these servants of God,
     who, at the cost of so much toil,
       have fortified themselves with
          learning and
          virtuous living and
       have laboured to help  the Lord.

You may ask
   why I emphasize this so much and
   why I say we must help people
       who are better than ourselves.

     I will tell you, for I am not sure
         if you properly understand as yet
       how much we owe to the Lord
         for bringing us to a place
       where we are so free from
             business matters,
             occasions of sin and
             the society of worldly people.

   This is a very great favour and
       one which is
        not granted  to the persons
          of whom I have been speaking,
        nor is it fitting
           that it should be granted to them;

     it would be less so now,
            indeed, than at any other time,
        for it is they who must
             strengthen the weak and
             give courage to God's little ones.

    A fine thing it would be for soldiers
       if they lost their captains!

   These preachers and theologians
      have to
           live among men and
           associate with men and
           stay in palaces and
           sometimes even behave
               as people in palaces do
                     in outward matters.

Do you think, my daughters,
   that it is an easy matter to have
          to do business with the world,
          to live in the world,
          to engage in the affairs
                   of the world,
             and, as I have said,
          to live as worldly men do, and

   yet inwardly
      to be
          strangers to the world, and
          enemies of the world,
            like persons who are in exile--
     to be, in short,
          not men but angels?

   Yet unless these persons act thus, they
      neither deserve to bear
             the title of captain
      nor to be allowed by the Lord
             to leave their cells,
    for they would do more harm than good.

   This is no time for imperfections in those
             whose duty it is to teach.

   And if these teachers
          are not inwardly fortified
    by realizing the great importance
          of spurning everything
        beneath their feet and
    by being  
        detached from things
             which come to an end on earth, and
        attached to things eternal,
           they will betray this defect
               in themselves,
        however much they may try to hide it.

     For with whom are they dealing
         but with the world?

     They need not fear:
      the world will not
              pardon them or
              fail to observe their imperfections.

 Of the good things they do many
      will pass unnoticed, or
      will even not be considered good at all;

 but they need not fear
    that any evil or imperfect thing they do
      will be overlooked.

I am amazed
    when I wonder 
           from whom
           they learned about perfection,
    when, instead of practising it themselves
        (for they think they
           have no obligation to do that and  
           have done quite enough
                  by a reasonable observance
                    of the Commandments),
   they condemn others,
   and at times
            mistake virtue for indulgence.

Do not think, then,
   that they need
      but little Divine favour
                in this great battle
          upon which they have entered;
     on the contrary, they need a great deal.

   I beg you to try to live
           in such a way
      as to be worthy
            to obtain two things from God.

First,
    that there may be many
         of these very learned
               and religious men
        who have the qualifications
               for their task
         which I  have described, and

    that the Lord may prepare those
         who are not completely prepared
                already and
         who lack anything,
    for a single one
          who is perfect will do more
      than many who are not.

Secondly, that after
   they have entered upon this struggle,
             which, as I say, is not light,
             but a very heavy one,
   the Lord may have them in His hand
       so that they may be delivered
            from all the dangers
               that are in the world, and,

      while sailing on this perilous sea,
         may shut their ears
             to the song of the sirens.

       If we can prevail with God
          in the smallest degree about this,
       we shall be fighting His battle
          even while living a cloistered life

      and I shall consider as well spent
         all the trouble to which I have gone
      in founding this retreat, [17]
         where I have also tried to ensure
      that this Rule of Our Lady and Empress
         shall be kept in its original perfection.

   Do not think
       that offering this petition continually
              is useless.
    Some people think it a hardship
        not to be praying all the time
              for their own souls.

    Yet what better prayer
        could there be than this?

You may be worried
       because you think
    it will do nothing
       to lessen your pains in Purgatory,
    but actually praying in this way
       will relieve you of some of  them

    and anything else that is left--
         well, let it remain.

   After all,  what does it matter
       if I am in Purgatory
     until the Day of Judgment
       provided a single soul should be saved
           through my prayer?

    And how much less does it matter
     if many souls profit by it
        and the Lord is honoured!

     Make no account of any pain
          which has an end
     if by means of  it
        any greater service can be rendered
        to Him Who bore such pains for us.

     Always try to find out
          wherein lies the greatest perfection.
    And for the love of the Lord
         I beg you to beseech His Majesty
                 to hear us in this;

         I, miserable creature though I am,
            beseech this of His Majesty,
         since it is for His glory
            and the good of His Church,
          which are my only wishes.

   It seems over-bold of me
       to think that I can do anything
     towards obtaining this.

    But I have confidence, my Lord,
        in these servants of  Thine
      who are here,
            knowing that they
                neither desire
                nor strive after anything
             but to please Thee.

   For Thy sake they have left
       the little they possessed,
    wishing they had more
      so that they might serve Thee with it.

Since Thou, my Creator,
     art not ungrateful,
   I do not think Thou wilt fail to do
     what they beseech of Thee,

   for when Thou wert in the world, Lord,
        Thou didst not despise women,
    but didst always help them
        and show them great compassion. [18]

  Thou didst find
         more faith and
         no less love in them
      than in men,

    and one of them was
         Thy most sacred Mother,
    from
         whose merits we derive merit, and
         whose habit we wear,
             though our sins make us unworthy
                  to do so. [19]

   We can do nothing in public
        that is of any use to Thee,
    nor dare we speak of some
         of the truths
       over which we weep in secret
     lest Thou shouldst not hear this
         our just petition.

    Yet, Lord
       I cannot believe this
         of Thy goodness and  righteousness,
       for Thou art a righteous Judge,
            not like judges in the world,
        who, being,
              after all, men and sons of Adam,
         refuse to consider any woman's virtue
              as above suspicion.

    Yes, my King,
         but the day will come
     when all will be known.

   I am not speaking on my own account,
     for the whole world is already aware
            of my wickedness,
      and I am glad
         that it should become known;

     but, when I see what the times are like,
    I feel it is not right to repel spirits
        which are virtuous and brave,
    even though they be
         the spirits of women.

   Hear us not
       when we ask Thee for
            honours,
            endowments,
            money, or
            anything
                that has to do with the world;

    but why shouldst Thou not hear  us,
      Eternal Father,
    when we ask only for the honour
                    of Thy Son,
    when we would forfeit
              a thousand honours and
              a thousand lives
           for Thy sake?
         
      Not for ourselves, Lord,
         for we do not deserve to be heard,
       but for the blood of Thy Son and
             for His merits.

   Oh, Eternal Father!
    Surely all these
           scourgings and
           insults and
          grievous tortures
            will not be forgotten.

  How, then, my Creator,
     can a  heart so [merciful and] loving
             as Thine endure
    that an act which was performed
         by Thy Son
       in order to please Thee the more
     (for He loved Thee most deeply and
       Thou didst command Him to love us)
    should be treated as lightly
          as those heretics treat
       the Most Holy Sacrament today,
            in taking it from its resting-place
      when they destroy the churches?

 Could it be
    that [Thy Son and our Redeemer]
       had failed to do something
            to please Thee?

     No: He fulfilled everything.

Was it not enough, Eternal Father,
  that while He lived He
       had no place to lay His head and
       had always to endure so many trials?

Must they now deprive Him of the places
    [20] to which He can invite His friends,
     seeing how weak  we are and
     knowing that those who have to labour
         need such food to sustain them?

Had He not already more than
   sufficiently paid for the sin of Adam? 
Has this most loving Lamb to pay
   once more whenever we relapse into sin?

Permit it not, my Emperor;
   let Thy Majesty be appeased;

 look not upon our sins
    but upon our redemption
       by Thy Most Sacred Son,
          upon His merits and
          upon those of His glorious Mother
                  and of all the saints and martyrs
                     who have died for Thee.

 Alas, Lord,
      who is it that has dared to make
              this petition in the name of all?

What a poor mediator am I, my daughters,
    to gain a hearing for you and
    to present your petition!

When this Sovereign Judge sees
        how  bold I am,
     it may well move Him to anger,
        as would be both right and  just.

But behold, Lord,
     Thou art a God of mercy;
  have mercy upon this  poor sinner,
            this miserable worm
            who is so bold with Thee.

Behold my desires, my God,
             and the tears
      with which I beg this of Thee;

 forget my deeds, for Thy name's sake, and
 have pity upon all these souls
             who are  being lost, and
  help Thy Church.

   Do not permit more harm
         to be wrought to Christendom, Lord;
   give light to this darkness.

   For the love of the Lord, my sisters,
       I beg you
           to commend this poor sinner [21]
               to His Majesty and
           to beseech Him to give her humility,
               as you are bound to do.

I do not charge you to pray
   particularly for kings  
           and prelates of the Church,
  especially for our Bishop,
 for I know
   that those of you now here
        are very careful about this and
    so I think it is needless for me
          to say more.


Let those, who are to come, remember
  that, if they have a prelate who is holy,
      those under him will be holy too,

  and let them realize how important it is
    to bring him continually before the Lord.

If your prayers and desires and
    disciplines and fasts
      are not performed for the intentions
            of which I have spoken,
     reflect  [and believe]
that you are not
      carrying out the work or
      fulfilling the object
   for which the Lord
         has brought you here.
     _____________________





               .
              Foot Notes

[17] Lit.: "making this corner."
The reference is to St. Joseph's, Avila.

[18] The italicized lines which follow,
and are in the nature of a digression,
do not appear in V., and in E.
   they have been crossed out.

[19] Here follow two erased lines
which are illegible but for the words
 "Thou didst honour the world".
The exact sense of the following words
   ("We can . . . in secret") is affected
by these illegible lines and
   must be considered uncertain.

[20] Lit.: "of those." P. Banez wrote
in the margin "of the mansions"
using the word which is thus translated
in the titles of the seven main    divisions
of the Interior Castle.
T. has: "of the houses."

[21] Lit., "poor little one."
              .

                
  -  End of Chapter  3   -