Discussion Of Chapter 4

            The Way of Perfection

In Chapter 4, St. Teresa advised her nuns:

 - that "Our Primitive Rules tells us

           to pray without ceasing" and

 - that  prayer

           "is the most important thing of all", and

 - that if "we do this with all possible care

           ...we shall not fail to observe

           (that) which the Order commands".

Regarding prayer, she says:

  - "Prayer must be the foundation"

        

  - "...it is necessary for us
              to learn to (recognize and utilize)

          whatever gives us the greatest help in it".

  - "...getting used to solitude is a great help to prayer"

  -  to do what we can,

      all the while offering our thoughts and efforts to God

             as prayers of praise and thankfulness:

             "It is clear that we need to labour hard and

               it will be a great help to us

                   if we have sublime thoughts

               so that we may strive

                   to make our actions sublime also".

St. Teresa advises:   

  "to read frequently and with a good will

      what I have said about (prayer) thus far and

   to put this into practice".

   But before one can progress in prayer,

       she reminds of  "3 essential things"

   "which are taken from our Constitution, itself"

     
   that are:

   - so important "in helping us
        to preserve that peace,

      both inward and outward...

   - "So necessary are these

       that people who have them

           can advance a long way in the Lord's service":

       1).  "love for each other"

       2). "detachment from all created things"

       3). "true humility,

               which,  

                            -- is the most important...and

                            -- embraces all the rest"

 

In this chapter,  she discusses the first essential thing:
       "love for each other"

She talks about a possible problem in a convent:

        the problem of  having preferences  

                among those whom we love;

        the problem of

              "loving  some   too much and

                loving others, too little",
        

             we never manage to keep it perfectly"

         "rather than (focusing on)

                how much she loves God"

But this is true to some extent in every life.

    "our will becomes inclined  

                more to one person

                than to another "

     ( "this cannot be helped,

               because it is natural".)

    But, "it often leads us to love the person

               who has the most faults"

     especially, if  they are charming, humourous,
               or compliment us.

          

In her discussion of the two kinds of love,  

She says:

    "The one

             is purely spiritual, and

             apparently has nothing to do with

                     sensuality or the tenderness

                        of our nature,

                   either of which might stain its purity"

             It is a selfless love whereby

              "a friendship has for its object

                     the service of His Majesty"

              and does not rely on emotion

               or feelings.

  

    Regarding the other kind of love,

         St. Teresa describes " a worthy love,

         which, as between relatives and friends, seems lawful".

    She said it is,

          "also spiritual,

            but mingled with it

                 are our sensuality and weakness".     

    

    and advises:  

      that "the two may be so closely intertwined

            with one another

       that it is sometimes impossible

            to distinguish them"

     So,

       "Let us love the virtues and inward goodness, and

         Let us always take care

                 to avoid attaching importance to externals".

        Remembering that our affections,
             if  attached to unworthy objects

        can "little by little...
             deprive the will of the strength"

        which it needs ...to employ itself toward  God.

~   End of  Discussion of Chapter  4   ~