Thursday, July 5, 2012

Exclamation 7 - Exclamations, or Meditations of the Soul on Its God - St. Teresa of Avila - Teresa of Jesus


                         Exclamations, 

                             Or 
    Meditations of The Soul on Its God    


                    Exclamation 7  
                  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 7  
  


                       Exclamation VII. 
1
O my hope, my Father, my Creator, 
my true Lord, my Brother ! 
My soul overflows 
    with joy at remembering 
how Thou hast said : 
"My delight is to be 
    with the sons of men."             [l]
 O Sovereign of heaven and earth ! 
After such words as these 
    what sinner should despair ? 
Canst Thou find no one else 
    in whom to delight, 
that Thou dost seek out 
    such a repulsive worm as myself ? 
At the baptism of Thy Son, 
Thy voice was heard to say 
    Thou didst delight in Him.       [2] 
Dost Thou, then, 
    put us on a par with Him, Lord ? 
2
What infinite mercy ! 
What favour, 
    far transcending our deserts ! 
Can we mortals forget all this ? 
Call to mind, my God, 
    our great misery, 
        and 
look upon our frailty, 
    for Thou knowest all things. 
3
Ponder, then, my soul,  over 
    the great delight and love 
         of the Father 
                in knowing His Son, 
         of the Son 
                in knowing His Father, 
                       and 
    the ardour wherewith the Holy Ghost
         unites with Them, 
                and 
    how none of the Three Persons 
         can cease 
                loving and knowing the others, 
because They are one and the same God. 
These Sovereign Persons mutually 
    know, love, and delight in one another. 
Why, then, do they need my love ? 
Why seek it, O my God ? 
What does it profit Thee ? 
4
Blessed, oh blessed 
    for ever mayest Thou be, my God ! 
May all things praise Thee without end, 
    O Lord, 
for Thou art infinite ! 
Rejoice, my soul, 
    that there is One 
Who loves thy God as He deserves, 
Who knows His goodness and perfections: 
Thank Him for having given us on earth 
    One Who knows Him 
        as does His only begotten Son. 
5
Under His protection, 
thou canst 
    approach His Majesty 
                and 
    beseech Him, 
           since He delights Himself in thee, 
    to let no earthly thing prevent thy
       delighting in Him, 
                and 
       rejoicing 
           in the perfections of thy God 
                and 
           in the thought 
                that He deserves to be loved and praised. 
Beg Him to aid thee to further, 
    in some small degree, 
the glory of His Name, 
that thou mayest truly say: 
   " My soul doth magnify " 
         and praise "the Lord ! "      [3]




          Foot Notes:

[1]
  Prov. viii. 31: 
  Deliciae meae, 
     esse cum filiis hominum. 


  "My delight 
    is to be with the sons of men."
_____________________
[2]
   St. Matt. iii. 17: 
   Hic est filius meus dilectus, 
     in quo mihi complacui. 
  "This is my beloved Son
    In Whom I am well pleased."
_____________________
[3]
   St. Luke i. 46 : 
   Magnificat anima mea Dominum. 
   "My soul magnifies the Lord"







                            End of  



                      Exclamation 7  
                      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"   




No comments:

Post a Comment