Exclamations, Or Meditations of The Soul on Its God Exclamation V 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 5 |
Exclamation V
1.
O my Lord !
After having
served Thee so ill
and
known so little
how to preserve past graces,
how dare I ask for more ?
How canst Thou trust one
who has so often proved a traitor ?
What then shall I do,
Consoler of the disconsolate
and
Refuge of all those
who come to Thee for help ?
Is it better to say nothing of my wants
in the hope of Thy relieving them ?
Not so,
for Thou, my Lord and my joy,
knowing
how numerous would be our needs
and
what solace we should find
in confiding them to Thee,
didst bid us pray to Thee,
for Thou wouldst not fail to give.
2.
Sometimes I think
of the holy woman Martha's complaint;
She was not merely blaming her sister,
but I am convinced
that what she felt most keenly
was the thought
that Thou didst not care for her labours,
nor wish to have her near Thee.
Perhaps she thought
that Thou hadst less love for her
than for her sister,
which would have tried her more
than labouring for the Lord
Who was so dear
that work for Him was but a pleasure.
This seems clear,
since she addressed Thee,
and
not her sister Mary :
but, Lord,
her love emboldened her
her love emboldened her
to ask Thee
why Thou hadst no care for her.
3.
Thine answer shows [1]
that love alone gives value
to our actions
— that "the one thing necessary"
is to possess a love so strong
that it cannot leave Thee.
But, my God,
how can we obtain a love worthy
of our Beloved,
unless Thy love for us be united to it ?
Shall I make the same complaint
as this saintly woman ?
4.
Ah, I have no cause for that,
having ever found in my God
greater and stronger proofs of tenderness
than I have known
how to ask or even to desire.
— Were I to complain,
it could only be
that Thy mercy has borne with me
too long. —
What request
can so miserable a wretch as myself
make of Thee,
save that of St. Augustine:
"that Thou wilt give me
what to give to Thee," [2]
to repay somewhat of the heavy debt
I owe Thee :
that Thou
wilt remember
I am the work of Thy hands,
I am the work of Thy hands,
and
wilt teach me to know Thee, my Creator,
so that I may love Thee.
Foot Notes: [1] St. Luke, x. 41, 42: Martha, Martha, sollicita es, et turbaris erga plurima. Porro unum est necessarinm. Maria optimam partem elegit, quae non auferetur ab ea, Castle, M. vii. ch. iv. 17, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blog Addition: Regarding Footnote reference #1 Martha, Martha, you are anxious, and troubled about many things. But one thing is a necessity. Mary hath chosen that good part, will not be taken from her, Castle, M. vii. ch. iv. 17 ...Believe me, both Martha and Mary must entertain our Lord and keep Him as their Guest, nor must they be so inhospitable as to offer Him no food. How can Mary do this while she sits at His feet, if her sister does not help her? [ Interior Castle: Mansion 6: Ch. 4: # 17 ] His food is that in every possible way we should draw souls to Him so that they may be saved and may praise Him for ever. ... [ Interior Castle: Mansion 6: Ch. 4: # 18 ] ______________________________ [2] Confessions of Saint Aug., Bk. xi. ch. ii: " Give me somewhat to offer to Thee, for I am poor and needy, whilst Thou art rich to all who call upon Thee." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blog Addition: Regarding Footnote reference #1 St. Augustine: "that Thou wilt give me what to give to Thee," [2] |
End of Exclamation V 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. |
