Exclamations, Or Meditations of The Soul on Its God Exclamation III S. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of our Lady of Carmel St. Teresa of Avila ░░░░░░░░░░░░ "Written By The Holy Mother Teresa Of Jesus On Different Occasions, According To The Devotion Imparted To Her By Our Lord After Holy ComMunion. A.D. 1569." ░░░░░░░░░░░░ From the Book, "Minor Works Of St. Teresa Conceptions Of The Love Of God Exclamations, Maxims And Poems" |
Exclamations, Or Meditations of The Soul on Its God Exclamation 3 |
Exclamation III
1.
On reflecting, O my God !
On the glory prepared by Thee
for those who persevere
in doing Thy will,
and
on the many labours and pains
with which Thy Son purchased us
this glory
— remembering our unworthiness
and our obligation to be grateful
for this immense love,
which, at so dear a cost to self,
taught us how to love—
my soul is wrung with anguish.
How is it possible, Lord,
to forget those mercies,
as souls forget them
when offending Thee ?
2.
O my Redeemer,
how oblivious are men
of their own interest !
How excessive is Thy bounty !
Thou Who art ever mindful of us,
when by our fall
we have struck Thee a mortal blow,
dost forget it,
and
stretch forth Thy hand anew
to preserve us, [1]
recalling us from our hopeless frenzy
to petition Thee for health.
Blessed be such a Master
for His infinite mercy;
May He be eternally praised
for His tender compassion !
3.
My soul, do thou for ever glorify
so great a God.
How can men rebel against Him ?
Do not the wicked stand condemned
by His excessive mercies to them ?
Redress this evil, my God !
Oh, children of men,
how long will you
be hard-hearted, [2]
and
steel yourselves
against this most meek Jesus ?
What ?
Can our malice endure
against Him for ever ?
No !
For the life of man passes away
like the flower of the field,
and
the Son of the Virgin will come at last
to pronounce the terrible sentence.
4.
Almighty God of mine,
Who, though we will it not,
must be our Judge,
why do we not realise the need
to propitiate Thee before that hour ?
Yet who, who indeed,
would not desire
to have so just a Judge ? [3]
Happy the souls
who, at that dread time,
shall rejoice with Thee !
O my God and my Lord !
What help is there for one
whom Thou hast raised from his sins,
who, seeing how miserably he had lost all
for the sake of a momentary pleasure,
is now resolved with the aid of Thy grace
to spend his life in pleasing Thee ?
Thou Treasure of my soul,
Who never forsakest those
who love Thee,
and
ever hearest those who cry to Thee —
How can man live
and
stave off death,
at the thought of all he lost
by forfeiting his baptismal innocence ?
The happiest life for him is
for sorrow to render his life a living death.
Yet, how can the soul
that loves Thee tenderly
endure this ?
5.
What foolish questions
do I ask Thee, Lord !
I seem to have forgotten
all Thy mighty works and mercies
— how Thou camest into the world
for sinners' sakes,
didst purchase us
by such a precious ransom,
expiating our evil pleasures
by agonising torments and scourging.
Thou hast cured my blindness
by the blindfolding of Thy sacred eyes,
and
healed my vanity
by the cruel crown of thorns.
6.
O Lord, Lord !
All this does but embitter the grief
of one who loves Thee !
My only consolation is to think
of the eternal praise
that will be rendered to Thy mercy
when my sins are revealed.
Yet I know not
if my grief will ever heal,
until, on seeing Thee,
all the miseries of this mortal life
shall vanish.
Foot Notes: [1] Prov. xxiv. 16: Septies cadet Justus, et resurget. The just man shall fall seven times, and shall rise again. _____________________ [2] Ps. iv. 3: Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde ? 2 O ye sons of men, How long will you be dull of heart? Why do you love vanity, and seek after lying? 3 Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful: The Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him. [Psalm 4: 2-3] _____________________ [3] Way of Perf., ch. xl. 7 O God ! What a vast contrast between the one love and the other must be felt by the soul that has tried them both ! May His Majesty give us grace to prove it before He takes us from this life ! What a boon it will be, at the hour of death when we are going we know not where, to think that we are to be judged by Him Whom we have loved above all things, with an ardour that has crushed self-love. We may feel safe concerning the acquittal of our debts: We shall not be going into a foreign country but into our fatherland, for it belongs to Him Whom we love so dearly and Who loves us in return. For this affection excels all earthly fondness, because if we love Him, we are assured of His love for us. [Way of Perfection: Ch. 40: #7 ] |
End of Exclamation 3 Exclamations, Or Meditations Of The Soul On Its God S. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of our Lady of Carmel St. Teresa of Avila From the Book, "Minor Works Of St. Teresa Conceptions Of The Love Of God Exclamations, Maxims And Poems" |
Note: Attempt was made to display the quotes of the other books being cited by the editor's foot notes. But, they may not be the actual intended passages that were cited by the editor since the editions/translations used by the editor may have different paragraph numbering than those available to this blog. |
