Conceptions of The Love of God - Chapter 4 Discussion - St. Teresa of Avila - Teresa of Jesus - On the Canticle of Canticles - On the Song of Songs

Discussion of  Chapter 4                                      of the          Conceptions of The Love of 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"

Conceptions of The Love of God           Discussion of  Chapter 4    █ Summary or Highlights  █ The Prayer of the Bride      ▀ For Divine Union           ■ For Unity                of the Bride's will with God's will      ▀ Gratitude for all God's Loving Mercy      ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  █ Answer to the Bride's Prayer      ▀ Like the Endearments of a Mother             who Tenderly Loves her Child     ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  █ Description of this State      ▀  Prayer of Quiet           ■ Strong Consciousness                    of the Lord's Presence           ■ Interior Joy and Peace            ■ The Manner and Degree of Consolation                     can be variable.           ■ A Supernatural Gift and Grace               □ Not Acquired by One's Fffort     ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  █ Effects (Fruits) of this State           ▀ Spiritual Wisdom     ▀ Growth in Virtue     ▀ Growth in Detachment from the World     ▀ Attachment to God      ▀ Desire to Suffer and Work for God

  

█ The Prayer of the Bride   ▀ For Divine Union       "...I ask Thee, O God and beseech Thee...               to grant me this grace,            'Kiss me with the kiss of Thy mouth',         for what am I without Thee, Lord ?"                            [Conception: Ch. 4: #9]           "What more do I seek in this life            than a Union so close        that there can be nothing            to divide me from Thee ?"                              [Conception: Ch. 4: #9]        "O my Bridegroom...           Thou art mine,            nor can I deny it. "                              [Conception: Ch. 4: #10]        "It is love alone            ◦ which dares to cry with the Bride:                    'I love my Beloved ! '                     and            ◦ which gives us the right to believe              -  that this our true Lover has need of us,                          and               -  that He is                      my Spouse                          and                     my chief good.        "Who can express all that we gain by           casting ourselves                 into the arms of our Lord                    and            plighting with Him this troth:                'I to my Beloved,                        and               His turning is towards me'                                                 'He cares for my affairs                       and              I care for His.'  "                                                               [Conception: Ch. 4: #8]        ■ For Unity              of the Bride's will with God's will                  'My Beloved to me                     and            I to my Beloved.'                                                                        Thou to me, Lord ?           Then, if Thou comest to me,            why doubt that I can do much                   to serve Thee ?"                                    [Conception: Ch. 4: #11]          "I desire                  to forget self,                   to seek only how to serve Thee,                             and                   to have no other will but Thine.           But, alas, my strength has no power ! ...           All that I can give Thee                   is my firm resolve...          I give it Thee,                   to serve Thee by my actions."                                        [Conception: Ch. 4: #11]   ▀ Gratitude for all God's Loving Mercy       "For my sake              didst Thou come to earth...             didst Thou undergo so many trials...              dost Thou remain                      in the most Blessed Sacrament                           and now            Thou dost show me                  such signal favours !"                                       [Conception: Ch. 4: #10]      █ Answer to the Bride's Prayer       "When His Majesty in mercy             answers this prayer of the Bride,        He begins             to enter into a friendship                 with her soul"                                       [Conception: Ch. 4: #1]        "Great mysteries are contained                   in these words !"        "they are indescribable"         "which are understood  only by those                  who have enjoyed it"                                       [Conception: Ch. 4: #1]        "Our Lord thus shows          ▪ that He desires                so close a friendship                    with the soul           ▪ that nothing may come between them."                                       [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]        "Now Christ lives in her".                        [Interior Castle:                    Mansion 7: Ch. 3: #1]    ▀ Like the Endearments of a Mother             who Tenderly Loves her Child         "As one whom the mother caresseth,                so will I comfort you"                      [ Isaias 66: 13]         "For thus saith the Lord:            Behold I will bring upon her...                  a river of peace...                        which you shall suck;              you shall be carried at the breasts,            and upon the knees                  they shall caress you.                      [ Isaias 66: 12]         "Realising its nearness to God,                 it cries with truth :           'Thy breasts are better than wine' "                                  [Conception: Ch. 4: #6]          "When, however,            this most wealthy Bridegroom wishes                 to enrich and caress her still more,          He so draws her to Him"                                    [Conception: Ch. 4: #4]           "The soul appears to itself to be                    upheld in those divine arms                            and                    pressed to His sacred side                         and divine breasts."          "Sustained...by the divine milk               with which its Spouse continues                    to nourish it,                                                             and                    to increase its virtues            that He may caress it more,                    and            that it may deserve daily                    to receive new favours from Him.                                        [Conception: Ch. 4: #4]           "For, as an infant does not know            how it grows or is nourished              — indeed often,                    without any effort of its own,                    the milk is put into its mouth —             so it is in this case             with the graces infused into the soul"                                               [Conception: Ch. 4: #5]          "It knows not to what to compare this            except the endearments of a mother            who tenderly loves her child,                   and feeds and fondles it.                                                          [Conception: Ch. 4: #5]           "This metaphor is most appropriate,                   for the soul is upraised                   without using the powers of the mind,            much in the same way as a babe,                   who when he is                          thus feasted and pleased,                   yet has not the intelligence                          to grasp the reason why."                                      [Conception: Ch. 4: #6]           "The soul is here                  like a babe              at the breast of its mother,                  who, to please it, feeds it             Our Lord wishes it to realise...                  that it is in His company...            the milk...                  is the divine nourishment."                                  [ WofP:Ch. 31: #7]                  "...intimate and secret communications                     there between the soul and God."                        [Dark Night: Bk 2: Ch. 23: #11 ]          "These are the touches             the soul began to ask for                    in the Song of Songs              on saying:                     'Let him kiss me                       with the kiss of the mouth.                             [Sg. 1:1].'              Since a substantial touch is wrought                    in such close intimacy with God,               for which the soul longs...                After the bride in the Song                    had received many favors...              she was unsatisfied and                    asked for these divine touches              '...so that with the mouth of my soul                    I might kiss you  [Sg. 8:1].'             This passage refers to the communication                   God gives to the soul...                        [Dark Night: Bk 2: Ch. 23: # 12]

█ Description of this State    ▀  'Prayer of Quiet'      "In this state,            which I call the  'Prayer of Quiet'        because of the peace            it brings to the powers,         the soul receives great consolations.                [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]       "this Prayer of Quiet...           it is in this kind of prayer...        that the Lord seems to me            to begin to show us         that He is hearing our petition:         He begins to give us             His Kingdom on earth        it is a state             in which the soul enters into peace,                    or rather             in which the Lord gives it peace                   through His presence"                         [ WofP:Ch. 31: #1]       ■ Strong Consciousness               of the Lord's Presence          "feeling...that it must be near our Lord."                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]           "most sweet love of our God"                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]           "clearly conscious of His presence"                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]           "Realising its nearness to God,            it cries with truth :                   'Thy breasts are better than wine.' "                                            [Conception: Ch. 4: #6]              ■ Interior Joy and Peace            "Great are the joy and delight                  of the soul which advances thus far"           "If the earth could collect together all                 its riches, its pleasures...simultaneously...              yet in a thousand years,                they could not bring the bliss              that is enjoyed in ...a single moment                  by the soul God has brought thus far.                                            [Conception: Ch. 4: #7]       ■ The Manner and Degree of consolation                can be variable.                   "a feeling of extreme internal sweetness"                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]          "...sometimes...when the spirit                 is not so absorbed by sweetness,           it enjoys in a different manner."                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]          "body and soul, is enraptured                as if some very fragrant ointment...           had been infused into the very centre                 of the being"                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]          "while in this excess of delight                 she is so inebriated and absorbed            as to appear beside herself.            Indeed, she                 seems in a state of divine intoxication,                        and                 does not know                      what she wants, or says,                                 or                      for what she asks."           "unconscious of self,                 and              not so absorbed             but that she understands something                 of what is happening."                                           [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]           "On awaking             from this slumber and heavenly inebriation,                it feels amazed and confused"                                           [Conception: Ch. 4: #4]     ■ A  Supernatural Gift and Grace;           not just a feeling                  of devotion and repentance.                       "This sweetness is                  not a simple feeling of devotion                      which moves us pleasantly               so that we shed tears abundantly                  either over the Passion of our Lord                  or our past sins.                                      [Conception: Ch. 4: #2]       □ Not Acquired by One's Fffort         Great is this favour                   and unmerited by me !                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #6]          "I take less share in it myself,                                         [Conception: Ch. 4: #6]          "nor could they earn one hour                 of this gladness, satisfaction,                 joy and delight            here given to the soul by God Himself."                                        [Conception: Ch. 4: #7]             "What can a soul do for Thee            which is given to such evil habits as mine,           except lose the graces Thou hast given it ?           What service can Thou hope for                 on my part ?           And even if, by Thine aid,                 I should accomplish something,           what need can an all-powerful God have                 of the deeds of a wretched worm ?                                   [ Conception: Ch. 4: #10]          "This is a supernatural state,                 and,            however hard we try,              we cannot reach it for ourselves"                            [ WofP:Ch. 31: #1]         "I was struck by the words                of the Bride in the Canticles...               'The King brought me                         into the cellar of wine,'...                                She does not say               she went of her own accord,           although telling us                how she wandered up and down                       seeking her Beloved.                         I think the Prayer of Union                is the 'cellar'         in which our Lord places us             when and how He chooses,          but we cannot enter it             through any effort of our own.          His Majesty alone                 - can bring us there                     and                 - come into the centre of our souls.          In order to declare His wondrous works                more clearly,          He will leave us no share in them          except                 - complete conformity                    of our wills to His                             and                  - abandonment of all things"                       [ Interior Castle: Mansion 5:                          Ch. 1: #10]

 

█ Effects (Fruits) of this State     "The after effects on the soul,                and        the subsequent behaviour of the person,           show whether this prayer was genuine or no:        this is the best crucible            by which to test it.                 [Interior Castle: Mansion 4: Ch. 2: #6]      "Let us see the difference             between her present and her former life,         for the effects will prove             whether what I told you was true."                 [Interior Castle: Mansion 7: Ch. 3: #1]      ▀ Spiritual Wisdom           "Great truths are here imparted                 to the mind"                                           [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]            "It is left                 with greatly increased knowledge                                            [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]            "It has been taught great truths                 without seeing its Teacher,                                            [Conception: Ch. 4: #5]                           "although too dazzled              to realise what the light is"           "The soul does not see the good Master                 who teaches it"                                           [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]         ▀ Growth in Virtue           "It is left with...                 such growth and strength of  virtue              as to be unable                  to recognise its former self."                                          [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]            "It has been confirmed in virtue"                                           [Conception: Ch. 4: #5]      ▀ Growth in Detachment            from the World          "now perceives the vanity of the world"                                           [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]           "what precious wine dost Thou give me,                 one drop of which makes me                 - forget all created things                       and                 - go forth                        from all creatures                               and                        from myself;           No longer to crave                 for the pleasures and delights             that my sensual heart has longed for                 until now !"                                     [Conception: Ch. 4: # 6]      ▀ Attachment to God        "The one desire of such a person                is to praise God,                                             [Conception: Ch. 4: #3]          "a self-forgetfulness so complete                that she really appears not to exist...          for such a transformation                 has been worked in her           that she                 no longer recognizes herself...              but seems entirely occupied             in seeking God's interests."                     [Interior Castle:                        Mansion 7: Ch. 3: #1]        "Apparently the words spoken                by His Majesty          have done their work:              'that she was to care for His affairs,                and            He would care for hers.' "                          [Interior Castle: Mansion 7: Ch. 3: #1]     ▀ Desire to Suffer and Work for God        "Unless (trials are) borne for God,                they are worthless"         "even then            His Majesty proportions them                to our strength,            because our misery and cowardice                make us dread them so keenly."                                      [Conception: Ch. 4: #8]          "With Thee by my side,              what dare I not attempt for Thy sake ?                        ...and..          with Thine aid I will recoil from nothing."                                      [Conception: Ch. 4: #9]          "God leads those                  whom He most loves            by the way of trials,          The more He loves them,           The greater will be their trials;           Then His Majesty is obliged                  to give them sustenance                 -- not water,                      but wine,            so that they may                  become inebriated by it and           not realize                  what they are going through and                  what they are capable of bearing."                           [ WofP:Ch. 18: #1]         "for, if they are weak,           the first thing the Lord does                  is to give them courage            so that they may fear no trials                  that may come to them."                            [ WofP:Ch. 18: #1]

End of the Discussion of                                Conceptions of The Love of God                                 Chapter 4                      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"