Exclamations, Or Meditations of The Soul on Its God Exclamation 14 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 14 |
Exclamation XIV [1]
1.
Alas, alas, Lord !
How long this exile lasts !
What torture does it give me
from my yearning to possess my God !
Yet, Lord,
what can the soul do,
held fast in this prison ?
2.
Ah, Jesus,
how long is mortal life,
though men call it short !
Short, indeed,
in which to gain eternal life,
but very long and weary to the soul
that desires to be in God's presence !
What medicine hast Thou
for such suffering ?
None, save to suffer for Thy sake !
3.
O sweet comfort of those
who love my God,
never desert thy lovers,
for thou dost
increase, yet solace, the pain
caused by the Beloved
in the soul that pines for Him !
I desire, Lord, to please Thee,
and
well I know
that I can find happiness
in no human being, [2]
therefore,
Thou wilt not blame me
for desiring Thee.
4.
Behold me here, Lord !
If there is need for me to live
to render Thee some service,
like St. Martin
who loved Thee so fervently; [3]
I refuse no trials
that may await me on earth. [4]
But alas, my Lord,
he gave Thee works,
while I only render Thee empty words,
for I can do no more.
5.
Let my words prevail
in Thy divine presence,
and
look not on my feeble merits.
May we all attain
to the love of Thee, O Lord !
Since we must live,
let us live solely for Thee,
relinquishing
all desires, all self-interest,
for what can profit us more
than to please Thee ?
6.
O my joy and my God !
What can I do to please Thee ?
My services are contemptible,
however many I may perform
for my God !
Why then should I remain
in such utter misery ?
That the will of God may be done:
— is there aught better than that ?
My soul, hope, hope on,
for thou knowest not
when the day or the hour will come.
Keep constant watch,
for all is swiftly fleeting,
though thy longing makes thee
doubt the inevitable,
and
lengthens the brief time.
Remember —
the longer thy battle,
the more thou provest thy love
for thy God,
and
the greater thy never-ending
bliss and delight with thy Beloved.
Foot Notes: [1] Milner, etc., Excl. XV. ___________________ [2] Life, ch. xxiv. 7, 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blog Addition: Regarding Footnote reference # 2 I desire, Lord, to please Thee, and well I know that I can find happiness in no human being, [2] Life, ch. xxiv. 7, 8. ...I heard these words: "I will not have thee converse with men, but with angels." [ Life: Ch. 24: #7] ...Those words have been fulfilled; for I have never been able to form friendship with, nor have any comfort in, nor any particular love for, any persons whatever except those who, as I believe, love God, and who strive to serve Him. ... From that day forth, I have had courage so great as to leave all things for God, who in one moment and it seems to me but a moment was pleased to change His servant into another person. [ Life: Ch. 24: #8] ___________________ [3] See note on St. Martin, Castle, M. vi. ch. vi. 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blog Addition: Regarding Footnote reference # 3 Castle, M. vi. ch. vi. 6. ...the reason (intellect /understanding) is at liberty to conform to the will of God and can quote the words of St. Martin; [ Interior Castle: Mansion 6: Ch. 6: # 6 ] 'When St. Martin was dying, his brethren said to him: Why, dear Father, will you leave us? Or to whom can you commit us in our desolation? We know, indeed, that you desire to be with Christ, but your reward above is safe and will not be diminished by delay; rather have pity on us whom you are leaving desolate.' Then Martin, always pitiful, moved by these lamentations, is said to have burst into tears. Turning to God, he replied to the mourners around him only by crying: O Lord, if I am still necessary to Thy people, I do not shrink from toil; Thy will be done.' (Sulpitius Severus, Life of St. Martin, letter 3.) ___________________ [4] Way of Perf. ch. xix. 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blog Addition: Regarding Footnote reference #4 I refuse no trials that may await me on earth. [4] Way of Perf. ch. xix. 12 We may consider that by living longer" we might serve God more, and might be able to enlighten some soul that would otherwise be lost; and that if we did more for God, we should deserve to enjoy Him more. Besides, we ought to feel alarm at thinking how little we have done for our Creator. These are fitting consolations for this great distress. Thus we shall assuage our pain and gain great merit, since for the sake of serving the God we long for so keenly we are willing to suffer and to bear our cross. It is like comforting some one who is in great sorrow by bidding him to be patient and to resign himself into the hands of God, that the divine will may be done in him: this resignation of ourselves is always the safest course to take. [Way of Perfection: Ch. 19: #12 ] |
End of Exclamation 14 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. |
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