Like the young man spoken of at the end of the last chapter, where he was hesitant to go and sell all he had to follow Jesus, many souls desire perfection but are hesitant also and go away. Teresa laments saying, “Truly, such misery is to be pitied”. Hence, we are at the stage of prayer where there is a parting of the ways for those who would really want perfection and those who become hesitant of what is asked of them. The saints of Carmel accept the words of Christ at their full meaning. “If you want to be perfect, sell all you have.” A soul is on the way to perfection only when it has made this first renouncement or detachment. A. Folly and Perfection It seems that with the words of Our Lord and the Carmelite saints, St. Teresa and St. John, we would be left with no other alternative but to give up all that we have. But, Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene states that this would seem to make perfection of the gospel impossible for all those whose position in life could not admit of such absolute poverty. He talks of this renouncement or detachment for laymen in this chapter. Complete detachment from possessions is imposed only on certain souls; but it is the sign of a more intimate and more general renouncement within the reach of all, adapted to each one, and crucifying all equally that he talks about.
2. He states that St. Paul clearly affirms this in the Epistle to the Corinthians – “Now when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We will hear thee again on this matter.” So Paul went forth from among them. Certain persons however joined him and became believers.” (Acts 17:32-3) Also is quoted, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject.” Also – “ And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not in loftiness of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of Christ. [2] For I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. [3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in shewing of the Spirit and power; [5] That your faith might not stand on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (I Cor. 2:1-5)In these quotations, a radical opposition is evident between the wisdom of the world in which St. Paul is living, and the wisdom of God who is guiding him in his apostolate and presiding over the development of Christianity. Like St. Teresa who admonishes a soul that bases everything on reason and wishes us to love to the point of folly, St. Paul underlines that the wisdom of Christ is folly to the eyes of the world. 3. Blessed Fr. Marie-Eugene uses examples of saints who, in the eyes of the world, loved God to folly. It is obvious that it is all the saints, but he uses the examples of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Lawrence, St. John of the Cross and the Cure of Ars. They are examples of a kind of sanctity which embraces the folly of the cross leading to supernatural fruits. He then goes further by posing questions about this folly such as: In what does this folly of the cross consist? Is sanctity really in opposition to human reason? In what measure must one be foolish in the eyes of men in order to be a saint? He answers by pointing out that there are several distinctions concerning the three wisdoms which are at the foundation of the moral and the spiritual order that will shed light on this problem. B. The Three Wisdoms First, Divine Wisdom directs all things sweetly to their final end by subjecting them to laws in conformity with their nature, and so establishes order in the universe. Divine Wisdom leads man to his supernatural perfection by manifestations of the divine will that appear in three different modes.
Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene uses an analogy of a nurse. A nurse without faith and God’s grace may do her duty with imperfections of impatience, unkindness or sloth. A nurse that does her job with the necessary graces cares for a sick person with a supernatural devotedness inspired by her sense of duty; then suddenly it comes to her in a concrete and living way that this patient is a member of the suffering Christ. From then on, she sees in him only her beloved Christ, and sweetly moved by a love that makes her forgetful of self, she continues her charitable mission with incomparable gentleness and delicacy. He quotes St. John of the Cross, “God alone moves the faculties of these souls…and thus the works and prayers of these souls are always effectual. Such were those of the most glorious Virgin Our Lady.” Ascent Bk III p. 230-1 C. The Different Wisdoms and Perfection
In Conclusion: Perfection according to St. Teresa is not the good exterior order and supernatural virtue that reason illumines and inspires. There must be that love that reduces reason to folly and submits it to the light and rapture of the Holy Ghost. God alone can make His saints. Before coming under His direct action, one has not entered into the way of perfection. This way opens after the third Mansions, and it is by engaging oneself upon it that one merits the name of beginner. The poverty or detachment that Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene points out for laymen is this surrender to God, to not trust in one’s reason or self. To give up on relying on self and turn to God in prayer – turn to God for all things. I will add that all perfection comes from the hands of Our Lady – turn to Her in prayer and ask for this humility of heart to depend solely on God and to surrender to His Will, His time and His grace for your soul. No two souls are alike but we are alike in that God wants us – He wants us to be united to Him. Let us go and not wait – we do not know if we have tomorrow. My God, my God, I love You above all things! Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!
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Chapter IX – Regulated Life and Simplified Prayer
This chapter is about those who have reached the third Mansions. St. Teresa indicates that this is an important stage to be reached and is very precious. She does mention its temptations and pitfalls as well. She gives a vivid description of these souls: “They are most desirous not to offend His Majesty; they avoid committing even venial sins; they love doing penance; they spend hours in recollection; they use their time well; they practice works of charity toward their neighbors; and they are very careful in their speech and dress and in the government of their household if they have one. This is certainly a desirable state.” III Mansions I; Peers, II, p. 221 A. Regulated Life As one can see, the soul that has reached this state breathes order and correct appearance. They do not let their works or their devotions interfere with their duties of family life or of society. Their religion is of good quality. When compared to the soul in the first Mansions with its temptations of being saturated with the maxims of the world and given up to its evil tendencies so that it thought of God very little; this soul in the third Mansions seems more on the road to perfection. We can assume the tenacity of effort it required and the length of the struggle against self and others to avoid occasions of sin, to mortify evil tendencies, to put order into one’s life, to introduce into its life some regular exercises of piety, to accomplish with care all the duties of one’s state, to give to works of charity the time that pleasures or distractions formerly took, to avoid sin in every way, to acquire the virtues; in short – to regulate one’s whole exterior, ones words and actions, so that in them there might shine a discreet reflection of good interior dispositions. Good habits have been acquired and are practiced in daily life. For the soul that has entered into the third Mansion, this is a triumph that is due to the persevering energy of the will enlightened by reason. B. Simplified Prayer These souls have their hours of recollection in the third Mansions but they also have their periods of aridities. The efforts that have been exercised so perseveringly have created a certain facility for recollection. In the first and second Mansions, vocal prayers were necessary in order to remain near the Master, now there is a simplicity of activity that aids in the exchange of friendship with God. The simple gaze of the soul and to peacefully rest near the Master, replaces the noisy activity of words. This silence and rest are attitudes expressive of love; they favor excellently exchanges of friendship: “The fire of Divine love is the more readily enkindled in them (these souls); for they are so near that fire that, however little the blaze has been fanned with the understanding, any small spark that flies out at them will cause them to burst into flame.” Way of Perfection, Ch. 28 P. 117 Therefore, the prayer of simplicity can be defined as a gaze of the soul upon God in silence. This gaze of the soul on a distinct truth or a living form of Christ, is active; the attractiveness of the object renders it peaceful and silent. Consequently, there is a double element of this prayer of simplicity --- the gaze fixed on its object and the calm or silence that this produces. One must have regard for the activity and for the silence (calm). This calm is more beneficial and nourishing than all the chains of reasoning, and so it must be respected and maintained. The necessary activity must not trouble the fruitful silence that pervades certain regions of the soul. St. Teresa states that the faculties of the soul must do what they must in the way of activity in this Mansion until God gives the soul a better way (in the next mansions). In this kind of prayer, made up of successive pausing at certain scenes rather than of reasoned thought, the work of the soul consists in moving from scene to scene, delaying before each in an admiring comprehensive gaze, and then passing to the next peacefully when interest in the previous one fails. But it is not the distance covered nor the multiplicity of ideas that matter; it is uniquely the strength that is left in the soul by reason of its contact with the realities that the ideas represent. The peace that results seems to indicate that such a contact is established and that the soul is drawing fruit from it. Hence, it can be said that this prayer is incomparably richer than all the more active forms even should they be more ardent and more luminous. The prayer of simplicity is the fruit of higher and finer forms of the activity of the intellect. The soul enters upon the way of perfection by putting to the service of its ideal all its intellectual and moral energies. The third Mansions show us the triumph of human effort in the search for God yet the third Mansions are still far from the summit. C. Deficiencies and Difficulties “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.” There is joy in his heart; and yet, too many dangers threaten him, for him not to be armed with fear. The progress of the soul is not yet stabilized. The soul is barely mortified in its most exterior manifestations. The well-regulated exterior might deceive us, as unfortunately it deceives the soul itself. St. Teresa says that a lack of humility prevents us from making progress. It is certainly normal that, as the soul makes progress towards sanctity, there continue to exist within it side by side evil tendencies and sublime virtue. St. Therese of the Child Jesus avows that she finds herself more and more imperfect in the measure that she advances; but she finds her joy in this, because misery draws down mercy. Many souls in the third Mansions lack the view of little St. Therese. They brood over these difficulties and woes and make up their minds that they are suffering for God’s sake and thus never really understand that it is all due to their imperfection. And in persons who have made so much progress this is a further mistake. St. Teresa adds that these persons become restless if they are despised in any way or lose some of their reputation – although they do meditate on what a good thing it is to suffer as our Lord did. St. Teresa goes further to explain that it is difficult to reach these people. Words are not enough, any more than they were for the young man who approached Jesus about what to do after he was living the commandments. Jesus told him to go and sell everything. He would not listen. St. Teresa says that when giving advice to these souls – they remain stubborn and will not listen as well. Fr. Marie-Eugene does not make it clear about what it is that would remedy these problems. I can only see that humility and persistence in prayer are the remedies. Of course, at the end of each of these chapters, I must add some words on Our Lady. She is our Teacher, Our Guide and Our Mediatrix of all Graces. As stated in the last chapter, it is difficult to obtain a good spiritual director to guide our souls when we fall into a pit. We have Our Lady, we can, with tears, pray to Her for advice and guidance. She will guide us in prayer. She will never abandon us – She is the way to find Jesus. Let us turn to Her always and at all times so that we can remain humble in knowing who we truly are before God and let Our Good Queen and Mother guide us to “The Way of Perfection”. Finally - after taking the month of December off in reading this book. I am beginning the year with Spiritual Direction. The sad part is - Spiritual Direction today is scarce. We have so many church closings, seminary closings, monastery closings, convent closings. I ask - Where are our priests? Answer: busy trying to manage a parish by themselves or worse trying to manage two or three by themselves that have been consolidated. I will begin with a sad story of my own experience. Since I was named after St. Bernadette by my Mother (at the wish of my Grandmother), I have been graced with a love of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was truly a grace that I will always thank God for. I had my grandmother's Catholic saint books to read as a child since she passed away when I was six years old and my grandfather passed these books on to us. I realized at a young age that reading saints lives was truly what we should do since we are to "die just like Grandma someday". Death became real to me - thanks be to God. To make a long story short - I desired to give my life to God as a religious. My father gave me a book he found in a garage sale on Convents in the United States. This was in the 1960's and some were already closing. I chose The Monastery of the Visitation and not the one in Toledo, OH (which was closer to me) - I had to go to Bethesda, MD so I could be near the US Capitol and pray for my country! I wrote to the monastery and Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart told me that I needed a letter of referral from my Pastor. I walked to my parish of about six blocks with the address in hand and was very nervous about what he may ask me - rehearsing my possible answers. I knocked on his rectory door and he did not invite me in (this was January) but stood at the door listening to what I was there for. He took the address written on a piece of paper that I had in hand and said that he would be glad to write that for me and closed the door. That is an example of typical Modern Day Spiritual Direction. Needless to say, I went on my retreat, came back - met my husband and married. Knowing what I know now about the Church's troubles - this was a blessing and God's Will was done. The Monastery in Bethesda, MD closed after I had been married for about 5 years and is now a government building. I cry each time I think of this sacrilege. Back to the subject of Spiritual Direction - good luck today! But read on - there is hope! With God all things are possible!! This chapter is very beautiful and St. Teresa had four spiritual directors that one day became canonized saints! Some were well known theologians. Therefore, she was blessed with good and holy men. If you remember in our previous writing and reading, she lived at a time during the Inquisition. Books were scarce and those they had - they had to burn. Our blessings are the books written by holy theologians and saints! We are living in a time when books are far from being scarce. I once detested the computer because of what it would do to society - my children will tell you - I refused to be on one. When I discovered that I could find out-of-print AMAZING Catholic books - this changed my mind! We can use this device for good - but we must be aware of its evils as my latest talk under "Talks" - presents. I do not want to keep anyone from reading this chapter but it truly belongs to those who can find a real Spiritual Director who not only is knowledgeable but is also experienced in a true life of prayer. I highly recommend the book by the late Father Thomas Dubay on Spiritual Direction call "Seeking Spiritual Direction" Here is a site that sells them: The reason I recommend this book over this chapter (although the chapter has a wealth of knowledge) is because it addresses Q & A for those who can not find a director and those who think they have found one. It will give you guidance on what to look for and ask for in a good director. It will help you to make practical decisions in your progress and growth in prayer.
If you are serious about prayer and serious about progress - this book is a must. In this Chapter VIII of "I Want to See God", the following: Characteristics are Needed in a Director: 1. Holiness 2. Prudence 3. Experience 4. Learning Characteristics needed in a Directee: 1. Spirit of Faith 2. Affectionate Confidence 3. Simplicity and Discretion 4.Obedience The director is someone that submission is due as he guides the spiritual progress of the soul. Again, St. Teresa had accessibility to true theologians and saints. If we are lacking in this today, we have the writings of the saints. It is even said of St. Alphonsus deLiguori when writing "The True Spouse of Jesus Christ" for religious sisters, that many sisters come to him with concerns that they can find answers for in a book. Use prudence and discretion when getting advice today. Truly read "Seeking Spiritual Direction" by Fr. Thomas Dubay and this book will answer your concerns and questions. May Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and all the Carmelite saints pray for us! In this chapter, Father Marie Eugene points out through the writings of St. Teresa of Jesus, that it is necessary for us to have spiritual friendships. God created it that way. As all of us know, today we are very divided. Satan is unleashed like never before. He is dividing and conquering families, relationships, parishes and religious communities. God is love - therefore His love must be an ingredient in our friendships or they will fail and Satan will win.
The weakness of the soul is indeed great, especially in beginners of the spiritual life. When one tries to find God, it has perhaps left its family and social milieu; the sensible consolations and easiness of the first days have given way to dryness in prayer and difficulties in the practice of virtue. In order to remain faithful to its commitment to prayer – it needs the company and help of its neighbor. St. Teresa stresses the particular weakness of woman and her more real and strongly felt need of support and of the help of man who completes and sustains her. All her life long she was in quest of support and of help. It is pointed out that God wanted to reveal the mysteries of this friendship through the relationship of the Son with the Blessed Mother. He took a collaborator, the Virgin Mary, whom He associated, as Mother, with His whole work of spiritual paternity. Our sanctification cannot be the exclusive fruit of our personal activity, it requires collaboration.
St. Teresa mentions one nun in particular who stressed to St. Teresa the words of Gospel that many are called but few are chosen. She used to describe to her the reward which the Lord gives to those who leave everything for His sake. She soon had desires for the eternal things. At the convent of the Incarnation, where she lived for nearly 30 years, the saint did not fall into any of the grave faults to which the absence of cloister exposes one but she wrote that she lamented that there was one person for whom she had a growing affection, who distracted her a great deal. Our Lord reproaches her for these conversations by revealing Himself to her with a stern countenance. On another occasion, a huge toad crosses the parlor when she is with that same person; this makes a strong impression on her. God wants no more of these worldly friendships for Teresa. Her spiritual director notices that certain friendships were still keeping her from spiritual advancement. She was instructed to pray to God for discernment and to sing the hymn “Veni Creator”. So she spent the greater part of one whole day in prayer; and then, beseeching the Lord that He would help her to please Him in everything, she began the hymn and she received her first rapture with the words from Jesus, “I will have thee converse now, not with men, but with angels.” The words came true. From then on end, she only had friendships with people who she believed loved God and tried to serve Him. Now she grows in her spiritual life so much that spiritual love overflows from the maternal heart of Teresa, more ardent and stronger than ever. It goes out to souls; and if it discovers in them gifts for working for the kingdom of God, it cannot but love them deeply and desire to see them belong entirely to God. Even at the summits of transforming union, Saint Teresa keeps her specially loved friends, and to justify them she avails herself of the example of Christ.
The senses are to the supernatural life what roots are to the plant; it is through them that nourishment reaches it. The beginner will be, ordinarily, more sensitive to the influence of friendship. St. Teresa stresses and explains how this can be beneficial: “For people trouble so little about things pertaining to the service of God that we must all back each other up if those of us who serve Him are to make progress. If a single person begins to devote himself to God, there are so many to speak ill of him that self-defense compels him to seek the companionship of others until he is strong enough not to be depressed by suffering. Charity grows when it is communicated to others and from this there results a thousand blessings.”
Love is the law of every life and of every being. God has put this law in every creature to regulate its movement towards its providential end, but He has adapted it to the nature of each being. In man, we find the three forms of the law of love, adapted to the three levels of life in the baptized Christian; sensible love, proper to the life of the body; rational love, which belongs to the soul; and supernatural love, which is essential to the life of grace. All come from God and so are good in themselves. These different loves are united in various degrees.
In our nature wounded by sin, love tends to descend to the lower powers and to pour itself out through the senses. This break in balance threatens the most sincere strivings for spiritual good and makes them flounder in the culpable liberties of sensuous love, or even the deplorable deviations of mystical sensualism leading to disorders. She mentions the caution of becoming too fond of our confessor. She goes at length with this for her sisters. In a nutshell, this fondness must be ordered. We can like a good and holy man but not if he is vain. We must be prudent and if it becomes a distraction, then it may be necessary to switch confessors. The tree is recognized by its fruits. 3. Spiritual Love The spiritual love of which St. Teresa speaks in the sixth and seventh chapters of the “Way of Perfection” is a highly perfect love: “Few I fear, possess it; let any one of you to whom the Lord has given it praise Him fervently, for she must be a person of the greatest perfection.” It is a love which is enlightened by a clear view on God and on the creature. These souls have a great capacity for loving and for serving God, which justifies their preferences for certain souls. This love is so pure in its object only because it is entirely spiritual and it has dominated all the natural tendencies in the soul. It is ardent and strong like the love of Christ. Those who possess it are neither blind in their love nor too complacent. St. Teresa was delicately human in her spiritual love of neighbor. This spiritual love is full of divine riches and human delicacy. St Teresa states: Happy the souls that are loved by such as these! Happy the day on which they came to know them! O my Lord, will Thou not grant me the favor of giving me many who have such love for me? Truly, Lord, I would rather have this than be loved by all the kings and lords of the world – and rightly so, for such friends use every means in their power to make us lords of the whole world… When you make the acquaintance of any such persons, sisters, the Mother Prioress should employ every possible effort to keep you in touch with them. Love such persons as much as you like. There can be very few of them… When one of you is striving after perfection, she will at once be told that she has no need to know such people – that it is enough for her to have God. But to get to know God’s friends is a very good way of “having” Him; as I have discovered by experience, it is most helpful. For, under the Lord, I owe it to such persons that I am not in hell.” Way of Perfection p. 33 As we can see from St. Teresa’s writings, the Spiritual Love just explained now causes us to wonder why there is so much division and hatred in the world. When we speak to each other, it should always be to help that person get to Heaven. We need to see eternity in each moment that we breathe. A community, family, parish that lives by this love (which can only be attained by a deep prayer life) would be without trouble or at least very little trouble which could be repaired with a humble act of apology and/or forgiveness. It would be Heaven on Earth! Our Lady of Mt. Carmel pray for us to attain this Spiritual Love that unites us to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary with all those we meet and are loved by God. This is a chapter we can ALL relate to. Satan does not want any of us to develop a prayer life. Distractions and Dryness are temptations that every saint has experienced. What do we do with it and how do we identify it is what this chapter is about.
Father Marie Eugene states that neither the most vital methods, or the best ordered prayers, nor even assiduous spiritual reading can make one wholly secure against distractions and dryness in prayer. We must educate ourselves in this topic because ignorance of this topic will contribute toward increasing our suffering and increase the dangers. St. Teresa states in the fourth book of Interior Castle, “We suffer terrible trials because we do not understand ourselves; and we worry over what is not bad at all, but good, and think it very wrong. They risk becoming melancholy and their health declines causing them to abandon prayer all together.” To receive more light on so important a subject, we must study the nature and the causes of distractions and dryness so as to discover the remedies. A. Nature of Distractions and of Dryness While recollection is a concentration of the activity of our faculties on a supernatural reality, distraction is an evasion of one or of all the faculties towards another object, which interrupts recollection. St. Teresa was consoled when she discovered that imagination was not the same as understanding. She realized then that our imagination can sometimes interfere and cause us great harm. The external and internal senses that can perceive or experience impressions can cause distraction. She uses the following examples of walking through the country and hearing the song of birds, or experiencing some physical or emotional pain. The imagination whose activity is so closely bound up with that of the senses can also stray away. St. Teresa states, “It exasperated me to see the faculties of the soul, as I thought, occupied with God and recollected in Him, and the imagination on the other hand, confused and excited.” Interior Castle p. 233. St. Teresa is explaining that while the will is sweetly bound in the prayer of quiet and enjoying the divine delights, the imagination may be agitated and restless. Distraction is called voluntary when, willingly and with full intention, the mind turns from the supernatural reality to give its attention to another object. It is involuntary when this movement is produced involuntarily or without full intention, ordinarily by yielding to the attraction of a sensation or an image. Knowing that St. Teresa has experienced these and overcame them gives us great hope. They are certainly trials but we must recognize and fight them off as best as possible but not be too hard on ourselves lest we give up hope. We must be gentle but not careless. B. Causes of Distractions and Dryness The very nature of supernatural truths is the primary cause of distractions and dryness. Our intellects power to penetrate such mysteries of the supernatural is strictly limited. It only draws so much light depending on the person’s amount of grace and time spent in prayer. Therefore, there is great risk of becoming weary in not making progress or losing its taste for new light. In a nutshell: the enemy must be acknowledged as being a deterrent – we must be persistent and determined because Jesus wants this! He wants our determination to draw closer to Him. 1. The Instability of the Powers of the Soul The sense powers as well as the understanding whose activity is so closely bound up with that of the senses, are unstable and fickle. The will can direct them to an object and hold them to it; but as soon as the will lets go its grasp, the senses reassert their independence. A patient and persevering discipline is necessary to maintain recollection but it cannot change the nature of the senses. It is only in the sacred humanity of our Savior and in Our Lady that we find the sense faculties marvelously developed and yet at the same time perfectly submissive to the will. This should give us courage to try to persevere – knowing we are not perfect. We must not give up. 2. Illness Obviously, physical or mental anguish will be a huge distraction. We must do all that we can to be patient and persevering during these trials. Always know that offering up this anguish is a prayer as long as we submit to the Will of God with pure love in our hearts for Him. As one suffers, the suffering must be united to the cross of Christ and it then becomes a prayer. To love in this situation is more important than to think. Also, under this category we must mention that pathological tendencies or defects that are imbedded in our character or temperament are distractions to our prayer life. Not everyone is wired the same, not everyone was brought up in the same household, not everyone had the same experiences or trials along the way. The melancholic type who is forever accusing himself; the scrupulous person, continually preoccupied with his doubts; the highly imaginative, who cannot check his mental wanderings; the restless and excitable, whose faculties are always in movement; these find special difficulties in the way of recollection. The key is to be gentle on oneself and remain fervent in one’s desire to grow close to God in prayer no matter what. He knows the load we carry on our back. Persevere in drawing close to God without giving up or being discouraged. God can do miracles with our soul. 3. The Devil Last but not least – the enemy! He wants you to have no part in prayer! This could encourage us daily – knowing that we enter into a battlefield each and every day – no exception! “When the distractions and disturbances of the understanding are excessive… the devil is their author,” declared St. Teresa. She continues, “He confuses the understanding and does whatever he likes with it, so that the soul, fettered as it is and no longer its own mistress, can think of nothing but the absurdities which he presents to it – things of no importance…It has sometimes seemed to me, indeed, that the devils behave as though they were playing ball with the soul, so incapable is it of freeing itself from their power.” Life, p. 198-9. Worry is a state of the soul that is caused by the devil. If all things are surrendered to God and He is in charge – why worry! C. The Action, At Least Permissive, Of God The action of these natural and preternatural causes enters into the plan of God who uses everything for the good of those whom He loves. St. Teresa states, “I believe myself that often in the early stages, and again later, it is the Lord’s will to give us these tortures, and many other temptations which present themselves, in order to test His lovers and discover if they can drink of the chalice and help Him to bear the Cross before He trusts them with His great treasures.” Life, p. 67. Ah! This quote speaks volumes!! A meditation all in itself and should be read daily – because we all struggle yet God wants us to bear His Cross for the sake of souls and His Kingdom! D. Remedies
2. Perseverance Everything passes, Patience obtains all things! It was through perseverance that St. Teresa and the saints obtain their supernatural riches. We must keep a guard over the senses during the day, abstain from dissipating frivolities and turn our minds and hearts to the Master as frequently as possible by ejaculatory prayers or acts of the theological virtues. Our Fatima Reparation prayers should be a constant prayer or turning to God throughout our day. Let the soul persevere, St. Teresa assures us, and even though one be a sinner, God will be merciful. We must have determined determination – why? Because God wants it! 3. Humility What is humility? Humility is truth – truth that God is the Creator and we are the creatures. Therefore, we need dependence on Him in ALL THINGS! If we can always keep this before us, we will be humble. We need to remember that whatever good we can ever do, it is because God has given us the grace and the health to do it – the glory ALWAYS belongs to Him. If we can remember these two things – we can remain humble. Of course, we cannot close this Chapter without mention of Our Lady – our true model, mentor and advocate in our journey toward perfect union with Her Son in prayer. She is there. She is the channel of all of God’s grace. May we remember to ALWAYS turn to Her and beg Her for the help we need in combating distractions, in combating the devil, in persevering in God’s grace to seek Him in all things. Finally, may we ask Her to make us saints by giving us the grace to seek God in prayer throughout our day until we are finally safe in Heaven. Our Lady of Fatima – pray for us! The needs of beginners in the life of prayer are spiritual reading and solitude. These are equally necessary. Silence creates the atmosphere of prayer; reading gives it sustenance.
This law, at the same time divine and human, governs the life of grace, which is a created participation in the life of the Trinity. The development of charity, which is the very essence of the life of grace, is linked with the development of faith which gives it light; and faith itself, for its own growth, must nourish itself on dogmatic truth. Faith has its root in the senses. Therefore, what we hear from preaching and what we read will help spur our faith and consequently our love. Love begins to yearn to know that which is love. With good books, the soul can go into solitude and be occupied with God. The need for distinct lights on particular truths of faith are different according to souls but there are none; however, whose faith can develop without sustenance drawn from the knowledge of revealed truth. If faith is to be nourished and strengthened sufficiently to withstand all the weakening influences which threaten it; spiritual reading is a remedy to give this enlightenment. If faith is not nourished according to this wise measure, scarcely can it escape ruin; it cannot hope to develop a deep spiritual life.
All knowledge of spiritual things is contained in Christ Jesus, for He is the eternal Word as well as the Word uttered in time. He is the Light that enlightens every mind coming into this world, the Light that shines in our darkness, and that we can follow without fear of going astray. Thus the soul hungering for God wants to know no other thing than Christ, and Christ crucified. “I am the door. If anyone enter by me he shall be safe, and shall go in and out and shall find pastures.” She was now more fully opened to the Book of Christ – His resurrection, His sorrowful Passion, and His mysterious depths of the human soul and of the divinity of the Incarnate Word. This led St. Teresa to explain the teaching on the prayer of recollection and the simple and constant union with Christ which is its foundation. If we are to acquire and maintain in our daily life a loving and constant intimacy with Christ Jesus, which is the food of the prayer of recollection, we must know the living Christ, see Him as He lived, know how and in what interior and exterior conditions He acted and spoke. In the case of the beginner, who is usually in the first and second Mansions, love is not yet penetrating enough and faith is weak; therefore, good spiritual reading is essential if he is going to place himself in the school of Jesus Christ.
The paths are many. The Ignatian school will show us the importance of asceticism and the means of practicing it; the Benedictine School will instruct us on the virtue of religion and the spiritual value of the liturgy; Saint Teresa and St. John of the Cross will teach us the interior cult of prayer and will enlarge our horizons of the spiritual life. We can draw from all of these and St. Teresa of Jesus, herself, was guided by Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans. She ultimately grafted all that she received from them into the Carmelite life. The grace of God is multiform; the delicate anointings of the Holy Ghost are so diverse that even in the same group and under the same influence there are not two souls that resemble each other. It is ultimately the Holy Ghost Himself who guides us to God by the Way that is Christ Jesus.
The life that comes from Christ triumphs especially in the saints. The lives of saints explain, complete, and bring to a point the Gospel teachings and spiritual doctrines. Examples have a force that draws others after them, comparable to no other. From reading the lives of the saints, the supernatural grace awakens us by their sanctity. St. Teresa tells of the decisive influence that the Confessions of St. Augustine had on her life. Tremendous is the influence of reading in the development of the spiritual life. I will add to the end of this Chapter that during this time of Great Apostasy, there are many new ways of prayer that are not of the Holy Ghost. We must beware that there are temptations thrown out there by the devil to keep us from these Mansions that St. Teresa talks about. If we stick to Tradition and to the writings of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross – we will not go wrong. If these prayer groups go contrary to Traditional Church Teaching – then we must beware that we could be deceived and are not travelling the road to Christ. I will be bold and state that the Charismatic Movement is full of deceptions! How can I say that boldly? Read the writings of St. Teresa and St. John and you will see that this cannot be the way to Christ. I would have to write a whole chapter on this and maybe I will soon in my talk section. We had always hoped that Father John Hardon, who was against this Movement, would write something – but never did. I will just summarize it by saying that these are people in the first mansions receiving gifts from the 5, 6 and 7th mansions. This is impossible and if it is happening – it is a deception. St Teresa and St. John received all of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and state that when they did – they are always received with falsehoods from the devil because he sees that this soul is close to God and will seek to trick it. Conclusion: if you are speaking in tongues or have the gift of prophecy – you are most assuredly receiving deceptions from the devil as well if not explicitly. This is planet earth – not Heaven. Satan tempts those who are close to God and are receiving mystical gifts. The saints tell us not to seek them because of this! God gives these gifts to those who are ready and know better such as St. Teresa and St. John – not someone in the first or second mansion. BEWARE and get yourself a good spiritual director if you do think you have these gifts – one cannot discern this on their own. Finally – Our Blessed Mother is the Queen of all Saints. That means that there is no gift of the Holy Ghost that is given to a saint that was not ever received by Our Lady and Queen - Herself. She is our greatest mentor and greatest advocate before the throne of God ALWAYS!! Go to Her in ALL YOUR NEEDS! She will NEVER FAIL YOU!! Wear your Scapular – Say your Rosary! Good spiritual reading on Our Lady would be: St. Francis de Sales, St. Alphonsus deLiguori, St. John Eudes, St. Louis deMontfort and Blessed Mother Mary of Agreda. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel – Pray for us!! The method of prayer that succeed so well with St. Teresa is the Prayer of Recollection, and beyond a doubt, it is the method that she wants her disciples to adopt.
The activities of the powers of the soul, detaching themselves from exterior things in order to turn towards God in the center, is the first phase of the prayer of recollection. The faculties withdraw to the center of the soul only because God is there in a very special way. The soul is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Recollection has no other end than to lead the soul into the most deeply intimate part of the temple of God. One must have real contact with God and be lovingly attentive to Him. St Teresa states that we must recollect our outward senses, take charge of them ourselves and give them something which will occupy them. She warns of a laziness that the natural passivity of some souls runs which is the danger of confusing the sweetness of repose with the peace that comes from the action of God, and hence of giving themselves up to a lazy inactivity and enjoying a tranquility that has nothing divine in it. We must actively seek God and His presence with each act of recollection. As the Word, Jesus is present in the soul with the Father and the Holy Ghost, as the Word Incarnate, He is the only mediator; He is the Word of God that we must hear in the silence. We must retire within ourselves even during our ordinary occupations. If I can recall the companionship which I have within my soul for as much as a moment, that is of great utility. To the presence of God, abiding and always acting in us, there must correspond a striving for intimacy as constant as possible. The Prayer of Recollection must overflow progressively into all of our life. He manifests Himself to those who seek Him. “If anyone love Me, We will come to him, and will make our abode with him.” (John 14:23). Recollection aims at constant union with God.
In the Interior Castle, she tells us that “the soul will certainly suffer great trials at this time.” Violent attempts made on our own for progress, however, are also dangerous; for Recollection “cannot be begun by making strenuous efforts, but must come gently.” What she is saying is that we do not have to make strenuous efforts on our own – but to seek the very Master Who taught us to pray. The best method of Recollection is to fix one’s thought on God Who is present. In her Autobiography, St. Teresa says that we must not always tire ourselves by going in search of such ideas, we must sometimes remain by His side with our minds hushed in silence. She suggests a few helpful little practices to keep this presence of God when this becomes difficult. First is vocal prayer and also meditated reading which we will get into a little more in the next chapter. These two means are used to win the attention of our faculties and assist us in coming closer to Jesus. The Prayer of Recollection, as stated above, must extend over the entire day and penetrate the whole of life. Little vocal prayers, sent as acts of love, throughout the day are helpful when we are not sitting in silence with a book at hand. The divine Presence will be sought under the different veils that both hide it and reveal it; in the tabernacle, in the soul and in the people we meet. By practicing these acts of the presence of God through prayer, this form of Recollection will become familiar to us.
The Prayer of Recollection makes us seek God in the center of our soul. Heaven is in my soul (as long as we are in the state of God’s grace). By keeping the soul in the company of the Holy Trinity that inhabits it, the Prayer of Recollection is more than a preparation for eternal life; it is a real beginning of it under the veil of faith. In this Holy Trinity, whose three Persons act in us by a single operation, St. Teresa asks us to go to the Incarnate Word. It is Jesus, the Incarnate Word, who came to us here on earth, saved us, purified and adopted us. By attaching us to Christ, the Prayer of Recollection brings us to our proper place, makes us discover our riches, centers us in Him who is all, and gives us everything in the supernatural order. I will add here that this is what St. Louis deMontfort stresses in True Devotion to Mary. He stresses a true study and a true understanding (as best as we can) to the Incarnation. To understand the humility of God becoming Man helps us to come to Him more intimately. The habit of fixing our gaze on our Lord produces such effects that the soul returns to it constantly: “If you become accustomed to having Him at your side, and if He sees that you love Him to be there and are always trying to please Him, you will never be able, as we put it, to send Him away.” Way of Perfection Ch. 26 St. Teresa states: “Souls who do so are more secure from many occasions of sin, and the fire of Divine Love is the more readily enkindled in them; for they are so near that fire that, however little the blaze has been fanned with the understanding, any small spark that flies out at them will cause them to burst into flame. When no hindrance comes to it from outside, the soul remains alone with its God and is thoroughly prepared to become enkindled.” Way of Perfection Ch. 29 The above quote should inspire anyone to take time out in their day for deep intimate prayer with the one who loves us – JESUS! She adds to this the assurance that the soul that practices the Prayer of Recollection such as she teaches it, will certainly arrive at the Prayer of Quiet which is the next stage of prayer where God sees the faithfulness of the soul in prayer and gives that soul a deeper sense of His Presence. Fr. Marie Eugene ends with reminding us that the Prayer of Recollection attains to a living contact with God; it is a sure way to deep and delightful intimacies and bears within itself the pledge of them. No promise could be more consoling for the beginner, no encouragement more precious! The fact that Jesus wants this more than we do is so true – we were created for this! I must always add that we must turn to Our Lady for help in this Prayer of Recollection. She is our Mother and our perfect model! She wants to guide us to Jesus and if this Prayer of Recollection is a means to Jesus – She most definitely will show us the way. Let us make a resolution to never go to prayer even for a moment without asking Her for guidance or for offering our little prayers to Her to give to Her Son. We will most assuredly receive the most profound graces and also receive a quick portal to the Heart of Jesus. Thank You, Eternal Father for such a Mother and for Your Son Jesus Christ! Thank You, Jesus for giving us Yourself! Come Holy Ghost by the power of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – Your well Beloved Spouse! Blessed be the Most Holy Trinity which dwells in our souls thanks to the prayers and intercession of our good Queen and Mother! Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-pray for us!! Now is the leap from the first mansions to sincere prayer. To turn towards God is already to pray, since prayer is a friendly conversation with God and is nothing more than the movement of grace towards God who is our Father. Prayer requires supernatural dispositions and great patience but do not despair - God wants to supply this to you. God is Love and Love waits to be loved.
Father Marie Eugene breaks down the four types of prayer for us and they are simply explained here below.
St. Teresa of Jesus in the Way of Perfection says the you need nothing more than the Our Father – for all is contained in it. Our Lady prayed it with St. Bernadette as they prayed the Rosary together at Lourdes. Of course, all vocal prayer must be interior for it to be efficacious. We must unite our hearts and minds to our voices when we pray vocally. St. Teresa says in the Way of Perfection: “In case you should think there is little gain to be derived from practicing vocal prayer perfectly, I must tell you that, while you are repeating the Paternoster or some other vocal prayer, it is quite possible for the Lord to grant you perfect contemplation.”
Like the saints, we should go to daily Mass if possible or as often as we can. We can live by the liturgical calendar by prayer The Office of Hours, The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by dating our letters with the feast days, and by participating in Novenas in preparation for the important dates in the liturgical year with extra prayer and fasting. An example of St. Teresa of Jesus's love is that in order to thank St. Joseph, St. Teresa used to try to keep his feast with the greatest possible solemnity.
Simply reading is not meditated reading. Meditated reading must be interrupted for deeper reflections in the presence of God, to express to Him our love, to enter into conversation with Him. If the reading should distract from God by stimulating the thoughts and affections excessively, then it fails in its purpose, as spiritual reading has only one purpose, the facilitating of mental prayer. St. Teresa pointed out that she herself spent over fourteen years without ever being able to meditate except while reading. She says that for those years she would not dare to begin prayer without a book. We too, should feel the same. The world takes us in its grip and we find it difficult to draw our minds to God. A book can place us there and at times can even stir our emotions with great ease.
There are books of these well-arranged meditations that provide models adapted to the needs of various souls. Some of the saints who have mastered spiritual exercises have given us these: St. Teresa, St. Ignatius, St. Francis de Sales are just a few. Father Marie Eugene ends this chapter reminding us that mental prayer is an exchange of friendship with God. Always remember that when you go to prayer – God called you first! All good inspirations come from the Holy Spirit – He wants you! He calls you! He loves you! In the Interior Castle, St. Teresa states: “I only want you to be warned that, if you would progress a long way on this road and ascend to the Mansions of your desires, the important thing is not to think much, but to love much!” St. Teresa in her writings feared that souls would get caught up in intellectual activity and not orientate themselves to God sufficiently – the source of living water! May we pray to Our Lady – Spouse of the Holy Spirit to give us love which with to love the God of Love! In the first mansions, the soul is an easy prey. It has only one means of escape; to retire into the inner Mansions where the light shines more brightly, where life is invigorated, where peace reigns and fruit is gathered in. The soul must flee to God!
The quest for God must guide its steps and inspire all its actions. St. Teresa of Jesus invites the soul to enter into itself by the door of “prayer and meditation”. To know God in Himself and the riches that he pours into the soul is why prayer is necessary. The knowledge of self also depends on the knowledge of God. A loving converse of Him leads us to a knowledge of self and of God – this is the source of all we need in the spiritual life. Beginners in the first Mansions pray only a few times a month, and as a rule they are thinking all the time of their preoccupations. These preoccupations make it easy for the evil spirits to cause havoc to the soul. St. Teresa says, “If we fill the palace with vulgar people and all kinds of junk, how can the Lord and His Court occupy it?” (Mansion II Interior Castle) The effort of detachment to “things” must be persevering. A person living in the world must create a rule of life, a plan that is stable, yet flexible, in order to have the time for prayerful converse with God. St. Teresa states that this King does not allow Himself to be taken except by one who surrenders wholly to Him. Detachment, humility and absolute poverty (not being attached to our material goods) and perfect charity for the love of God and neighbor, draws down the outpouring of divine love and prepares the soul for divine union. Therefore, determination and courage are necessary for beginners.
St. Teresa demands courage for the beginner. Entering into the second Mansions with a resolute spirit and courageous will – will experience trials. Satan will do all he can to keep a soul from entering deeper into the castle of one’s soul. St. Teresa says: “The soul will certainly suffer great trials at this time, especially if the devil sees that its character and habits are such that it is ready to make further progress.” (Interior Castle, II Mansions) The soul will require a certain violence to turn to God to renounce bad habits, to be more alone in order to freely seek God and live according to His light. It is in these early steps that their labor is harder. We need to remember that God is merciful and is so anxious for our friendship and our sanctity that we should desire Him and strive after His companionship. He calls us ceaselessly, time and time again to approach Him; and this voice of His is so sweet that the poor soul is consumed with grief at being unable to do His bidding immediately; and therefore it suffers more than if it could not hear Him. These appeals come to us through our conversations of good people, or from sermons, or through reading of good books; and there are many other ways of which God calls us. The evil spirits cannot let that soul escape to God without exerting all their efforts to bring it back or to bar its way, especially when they understand that “its character and habits are such that it is ready to make further progress. The devil brings great confusion into the soul and distresses it. The devils once more show the soul the things of the world and they pretend that earthly pleasures are almost eternal. They remind the soul of the esteem in which it is held in the world, of its friends and relatives, of the way in which its health will be endangered by penances and of impediments of a thousand other kinds. Fighting off these temptations with more fervent prayer and self-denial will allow our Saviour to recognize His valiant friends. At this point, discouragement is a great temptation; and if one gives in to it, it has disastrous consequences. The soul must set its courage and persevere in spite of all. St Teresa says: “His Majesty is quite prepared to wait for many days, and even years, especially when He sees we are persevering and have good desires. This is the most necessary thing here; if we have this, we cannot fail to gain greatly.” (II Mansions of Interior Castle) We must persevere in the struggle despite all obstacles, not to halt until the goal is reached. All that one has to do is be resolute and prepare himself with all possible diligence to bring his will into conformity with the will of God. This is what constitutes the greatest perfection on the spiritual road to union with God – says St. Teresa. 2. DISCRETION AND LIBERTY OF SPIRIT Perseverance rather than violence and intermittent effort is important and effective in the way of prayer. Recollection cannot be begun by making strenuous efforts but must come gently, after which you will be able to practice it for longer periods at a time. Violence can spoil everything and will foster discouragement. The tricks of the devil must be noticed, otherwise, he will do all to stifle the good will of a soul on its journey toward God. St. Teresa says: “In the early stages, then, one should strive to feel happy and free. There are some people who think that devotion will slip from them if they relax a little. It is good to have misgivings about oneself and not to allow self-confidence to lead one into occasions which habitually involve offences against God… Yet there are many circumstances in which… it is permissible for us to take some recreation, in order that we may be stronger when we return to prayer. In everything we need discretion.” (Life, p. 74) 3. GREAT DESIRES It is known that St. Teresa of Jesus has a magnanimous soul. She had great desires and great desires are the hallmark of a great soul. Great desires alone can inspire courage necessary to surmount the obstacles that beset its way. They are the wind that carries the soul high and far. St. Teresa say: “We must have great confidence, for it is most important that we should not cramp our good desires, but should believe that, with God’s help, if we make continual efforts to do so, we shall attain, though perhaps not at once, to that which many saints have reached through His favor. If they had never resolved to desire to attain this and to carry their desires continually into effect, they would never have risen to as high a state as they did. His Majesty desires and loves courageous souls if they have no confidence in themselves but walk in humility; and I have never seen any such person hanging back on this road, nor any soul that, under the guise of humility, acted like a coward, go as far in many years as the courageous soul can in a few.” (Life, p. 74) St. Therese of Lisieux writes in her “Story of A Soul”: “As I reflected that I was born for great things, and sought the means to attain them, it was made known to me interiorly that my personal glory would never reveal itself before the eyes of men, but that it would consist in becoming a Saint. This aspiration may very well appear rash, seeing how imperfect I was, and am, even now, after so many years of religious life; yet I still feel the same daring confidence that one day I shall become a great Saint. I am not trusting in my own merits, for I have none; but I trust in Him Who is Virtue and Holiness itself. It is He alone Who pleased with my feeble efforts, will raise me to Himself, and by clothing me with His merits, make me a Saint.” (Autobiography, p. 55) Fr. Marie Eugene ends with the conclusion that at the point of departure, a soul must be thirsty for God, have a true judgement, a great desire for great things and hasten on with all the energy of their soul to those summits where shines the light of God that is drawing them irresistibly on. I will of course add that we can do none of this without the aid of our good Mother and Queen. We must live in true imitation of Her humility and love. We must beg Her at every step to help us as we are too feeble to walk alone without the hand and help of our generous and loving Mother. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us. Good St. Joseph, pray for us. All ye holy saints and angels, pray for us CHAPTER 1 – THE FIRST MANSIONS
They are in a state of grace as they are called to enter. Only those who are in the state of grace can enter the castle for grace alone permits one to establish with God that exchange of friendship that is prayer and the spiritual life. Grace is somewhat anemic though. They come with good intentions but are full of preoccupations. They only pray a few times a month. The soul is still absorbed in worldly affairs, engulfed in worldly pleasures and puffed up with worldly honors and ambitions. So many reptiles get in with them that they are unable to appreciate the beauty of the castle or to find any peace within it. It is noted that the light which comes from the palace occupied by the King hardly reaches these first Mansions at all. These rooms are to some extent darkened. The soul cannot enjoy the light because he is prevented from doing so by these wild beasts and animals, which force him to close his eyes to everything but themselves. As the devil’s intentions are always very bad, he has many legions of evil spirits in each room to prevent souls from passing from one to another, and as we, poor souls, fail to realize this, we are tricked by all kinds of deceptions. (This is why good spiritual direction is crucial but also unfortunately scarce, as our priests are many times too busy to have a prayer life of their own – This should not discourage us – It will be hard but if God sees our resolute ambition to grow closer to Him, He is God and can provide assistance whether it be through books, our patron saints or angels, our Blessed Mother herself and of course – the Holy Spirit. Think of the hermit saints. Of course, there is danger into thinking one can go “alone”. Satan will deceive you and only deep prayer – especially prayer to Our Lady will help you discern these deceptions. One must be humble enough to know that knowledge ONLY COMES FROM GOD.) St. Teresa talks about how in the higher Mansions, the faculties of the soul have enough “strength for the fight”. Once a soul has climbed the mountain away from the serpents and reptiles of deception, it will have more grace to discern and fight off temptation. It is critical for the soul to know that it is only by God’s grace and not to be attributed to his own “gifts” – they came from God. She goes on to talk about the bite of Satan which is sin and sometimes grave sin.
As long as the soul has not, by contrition and firm purpose, retracted its attitude of sin and returned to God, it remains deprived of all the spiritual advantages that ensure its right orientation and union with Him. A soul in the state of grace resembles the tree of life, planted in the living waters of life – namely, in God. If a soul commits mortal sin, it loses that life. Charity alone can vivify good work; without it, every work is dead. But a soul in the state of sin has lost contact with the divine source of Love; charity is no longer poured out within it. It gives no shade and yields no fruit. Dead to the supernatural life, it is condemned by its state to a complete sterility. Teresa says: None of the good works it may do will be of any avail to win it glory; for they will not have their origin in that First Principle, which is God, through Whom alone our virtue is true virtue. After all, what kind of fruit can one expect to be borne by a tree rooted in the devil? St. Teresa lays stress on the profit she had gained from the vision of a soul in the state of mortal sin; the principal benefit was that she “had learned to have the greatest fear of offending God”. After the Last Supper, when He had crossed the Cedron, Jesus makes known a change in His soul; “My soul is sorrowful unto death. It is the hour of the power of darkness.” On hearing this cry of sadness, we are led to think of the word of St. Paul: “The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23 During the Agony in the Garden, Jesus’ holy humanity becomes the battle ground of the two most powerful forces; that of the divinity which sanctifies it; and that of the sin of the world of all time. Hell rises to the attack of Heaven, to spread its darkness, its hatred, its death. It is the hour of the power of darkness. Jesus who without weakening had borne the weight of the divinity, falls to the ground, groans, and sweats blood under the weight of sin. Humanly, He would have died if God had not sent an angel to sustain Him and to assure Him of sufficient strength to go through all the stages of His sacrifice. More eloquently than all speeches and all visions, the drama of Gethsemane discloses the destructive power of sin.
O souls redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ! Learn to understand yourselves and take pity on yourselves! Surely, if you understand your own natures, it is impossible that you will not strive to remove the pitch which blackens the crystal? Remember, if your life were to end now, you would never enjoy this light again. (I Mansions, Chapter ii Peers. Pg. 206) She then goes into explaining her visit to Hell which God afforded her so that she would explain it to us and experience it to increase within her a greater love for God and His Most Holy Will (read pages 162-163 in I Want to See God) The vision of hell arouses in St. Teresa an immense pity. She writes: This vision, too, was the cause of the very deep distress which I experience because of the great number of souls who are bringing damnation upon themselves. It also inspired me with fervent impulses for the good of souls: for I really believe that, to deliver a single one of them from such dreadful tortures, I would willingly die many deaths. I do not know how we can look on so calmly and see the devil carrying off as many souls as he does daily. (Life, xxxii; Peers p. 215-7) She adds: May God, in His mercy, deliver us from such great evil, for there is nothing in the whole of our lives that so thoroughly deserves to be called evil as this, since it brings endless and eternal evils in its train. (1 Mansions,ii, Peers p 206) Blessed Father Marie-Eugene states that the writings of St. Teresa about the First Mansions should stir a soul to have salutary fear in order to prod it on to an effort to leave the regions they inhabit and enter resolutely into a more profound interior life. Unless one does so, a terrible danger threatens it, the evil of mortal sin with its train of further evils. May we make an energetic resolution in order to find ourselves already in the second Mansions. Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us. All ye holy angels and saints, Pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus – Have mercy upon us! |
Blessed Fr. Marie-Eugene
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