St Teresa Of Avila Quotes

It is love alone that gives worth to all things.

It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

Thank God for the things that I do not own.

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. Everything passes away except God.

For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.

Be gentle to all, and stern with yourself.

Untilled ground, however rich, will bring forth thistles and thorns; so also the mind of man.

Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.

Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you, all things are passing, God is unchanging. Patience gains all; nothing is lacking to those who have God: God alone is sufficient.

Union is as if in a room there were two large windows through which the light streamed in it enters in diffrent places but it all becomes one.

To reach something good, it is useful to have gone astray.

I would write a thousand foolish things that one might be to the point, if only it might make us praise God more.

At night a hooded monk passed by where there were no lamps. I could not see his face. I only heard these words he kept repeating: "Teach me, dear Lord, all that you know." I knew instantly a great treasure had entered my soul.

Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience turns a very short time into a long one.

There is a secret place. A radiant sanctuary. As real as your own kitchen. More real than that. Constructed of the purest elements. Overflowing with the ten thousand beautiful things. Worlds within worlds. Forests, rivers. Velvet coverlets thrown over featherbeds, fountains bubbling beneath a canopy of stars. Bountiful forests, universal libraries. A wine cellar offering an intoxi cation so sweet you will never be sober again. A clarity so complete you will never again forget. This magnificent refuge is inside you. Enter. Shatter the darkness that shrouds the doorway… Believe the incredible truth that the Beloved has chosen for his dwelling place the core of your own being because that is the single most beautiful place in all of creation.

Any true ecstast is a sign you are going in the right direction...don't let any prude tell you otherwise

I wanted to live, but saw clearly that I was not living - but rather wrestling with the shadow of death. There was no one to give me life, and I was not able to take it.

Tear your heart away from everything else; then seek God and you will surely find him.

St. Teresa of Avila wrote: 'All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.' This is the conviction that we bring with us from early childhood and apply to everyday life and to our lives in general. It gets stronger as we grow up, unless we are touched by the Gospel and begin the spiritual journey. This journey is a process of dismantling the monumental illusion that God is distant or absent.

The inward man is faced with a new and often dramatic task: He must come to terms with the inner tremendum. Since the God 'out there' or 'up there' is more or less dissolved in the many secular structures, the God within asks attention as never before. And just as the God outside could be experienced not only as a loving father but also as a horrible demon, the God within can be not only the source of a new creative life but also the cause of a chaotic confusion. The greatest complaint of the Spanish mystics St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross was that they lacked a spiritual guide to lead them along the right paths and enable them to distinguish between creative and destructive spirits. We hardly need emphasize how dangerous the experimentation with the interior life can be. Drugs as well as different concentration practices and withdrawal into the self often do more harm than good. On the other hand it also is becoming obvious that those who avoid the painful encounter with the unseen are doomed to live a supercilious, boring and superficial life.

Trust God that you are where you are meant to be.

Christ has no body now but mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet and loves with my heart.

For at times it happens that some trifle will cause as much suffering to one as a great trial will to another; little things can bring much distress to persons who have sensitive natures. If you are not like them, do not fail to be compassionate.

Let us not fail him; do not fear that he will fail you. And if some time he should fail you, it will be for a greater good. The

That name--my conception of Him--extended to me a hand that led to a place where even His divine name could not exist. Why?

Not a fig shall I care then for all the devils in hell: it is they who will fear me. I do not understand these fears. "Oh, the devil, the devil!" we say, when we might be saying "God! God!" and making the devil tremble. Of course we might, for we know he cannot move a finger unless the Lord permits it. Whatever are we thinking of? I am quite sure I am more afraid of people who are themselves terrified of the devil than I am of the devil himself.

She knew that it was better to have a dream and pay a price for it than to be lukewarm. - regarding St. Teresa of Avila

for mental prayer is nothing else, in my opinion, but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with Him Who, we know, loves us.

We should pray most regularly for those who give us light.

After you die, you wear what you are.

Reading is of great service towards procuring recollection in any one who proceeds in this way; and it is even necessary for him, however little it may be that he reads, if only as a substitute for the mental prayer which is beyond his reach.

...Since in the centre of the soul there is a mansion reserved for God Himself...

What is it we buy with this money we desire? Is it something valuable? Is it something lasting? Oh, why do we desire it? Miserable is the rest achieved that costs so dearly.

Even saints do not smile sweetly when God throws them into mud puddles. Only pigs do that.

St. Teresa of Avila once said: “We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can—namely, surrender our will and fulfill God’s will in us.” For Christians not of the prosperity persuasion, surrender is a virtue; the writings of the saints are full of commands to “let go” and to submit yourself to what seems to be the will of the Almighty. All of American culture and pop psychology scream against that. Never give up on your dreams! Just keep knocking, that door is about to open! Think positively! Self-improvement guaranteed!! The entire motivational-speaking industry rests on the assumption that you can have what you want, you can be what you want. Just do it. When prosperity believers live out their daily struggles with smiles on their faces, sometimes I want to applaud. They confront the impossible and joyfully insist that God make a way. They obediently put miracle oil on their failing bodies. They give large offerings to the church and expect great things. They stubbornly get out of their hospital beds and declare themselves healed, and every now and then, it works. They are addicted to self-rule, and so am I.

The love of God does not consist in tears or in this delight ad tenderness, which for the greater part we desire and find consolation in; but it consists in serving with justice and fortitude of soil and in humility. Without such service it seems to me we would be receiving everything and giving nothing.

Your False Self is who you think you are. Your thinking does not make it true. Your False Self is almost entirely a social construct to get you started on your life journey. It is a set of agreements between your childhood and your parents, your family, your neighbors, your school chums, your partner or spouse, and your religion. It is your “container” for your separate self. 4 Jesus would call it your “wineskin,” which he points out usually cannot hold any new wine (Mark 2: 21–22). Your ego container likes to stay “contained” and hates change. Your False Self is how you define yourself outside of love, relationship, or divine union. After you have spent many years laboriously building this separate self, with all its labels and preoccupations, you are very attached to it. And why wouldn’t you be? It’s what you know and all you know. To move beyond it will always feel like losing or dying. Perhaps you have noticed that master teachers like Jesus and the Buddha, St. Francis, all the “Teresas” (Avila, Lisieux, and Calcutta), Hafiz, Kabir, and Rumi talk about dying much more than we are comfortable with. They all know that if you do not learn the art of dying and letting go early, you will hold onto your False Self far too long, until it kills you anyway.

Dreaming Big Dreams When dreams come true, there is life and joy. Proverbs 13:12 NLT Are you willing to entertain the possibility that God has big plans in store for you? Hopefully so. Yet sometimes, especially if you’ve recently experienced a life-altering disappointment, you may find it difficult to envision a brighter future for yourself and your family. If so, it’s time to reconsider your own capabilities … and God’s. Your Heavenly Father created you with unique gifts and untapped talents; your job is to tap them. When you do, you’ll begin to feel an increasing sense of confidence in yourself and in your future. It takes courage to dream big dreams. You will discover that courage when you do three things: accept the past, trust God to handle the future, and make the most of the time He has given you today. Nothing is too difficult for God, and no dreams are too big for Him—not even yours. So start living—and dreaming—accordingly. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt The future lies all before us. Shall it only be a slight advance upon what we usually do? Ought it not to be a bound, a leap forward to altitudes of endeavor and success undreamed of before? Annie Armstrong Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie ten Boom You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him. St. Teresa of Avila Our dreams are who we are. Barbara Sher Always stay connected to people and seek out things that bring you joy. Dream with abandon. Pray confidently. Barbara Johnson God created us with an overwhelming desire to soar. He designed us to be tremendously productive and “to mount up with wings like eagles,” realistically dreaming of what He can do with our potential. Carol Kent Allow your dreams a place in your prayers and plans. God-given dreams can help you move into the future He

In choosing candidates for this challenging way of life, she emphasised intelligence and good judgment (“GOD PRESERVE US FROM STUPID NUNS !! ) . It was her conviction that intelligent people can better be aware of their faults and, at the same time, see the need to be guided.

I believe we shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavouring to know God, for, beholding His greatness we are struck by our own baseness, His purity shows our foulness, and by meditating on His humility we find how very far we are from being humble. 11.

The happy result of detachment is inner freedom, freedom from worry about bodily comfort, honor, and wealth. Considering

63 St. John of the Cross, Counsels to a Religious on How to Reach Perfection, no. 2, p. 662. 

Before we had this true fear of God worldly people would have been poisonous to us and would have helped to ruin our souls; but now they will often help us to love God more and to praise Him for having delivered us from what we see to be a notorious danger. And whereas we for our part may previously have helped to foster their weakness, we shall now be helping to repress them, because they will restrain themselves in our presence, and this is a compliment which they will pay us without our desiring it.

Love makes labour light. Love alone gives value to all things.

St. Teresa of Avila writes: “The devil gives us great desires so that we will avoid setting ourselves to the task at hand, serving our Lord in possible things, and instead be content with having desired the impossible.

If we are truly striving to focus on Christ, rather than just being lazy in our prayer, Saint Teresa counsels us not to worry about distractions and difficulties. Worrying will only make them worse. We must do the best we can and most of all simply show up every day to be with God in prayer.

But very few of us were taught how to practice mental prayer. We feel embarrassed or tongue-tied when we try to speak to God from our hearts. What are we supposed to say? Unless someone instructs us as adults, our mental prayer is likely to be a rambling monologue about our day or a list of petitions.

A prayer in which a person is not aware of whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of whom, I do not call prayer, however much the lips move.

Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: “In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words.

The soul lets out some sighs — not great ones — because it can do no more; they are felt within.

It is certain, my Lord, that in these days withdrawal from the world means no sacrifice at all.

It is certain that a man who has no need of anyone has many friends: in my own experience I have found this to be very true.

how much we owe to the Lord for bringing us to a place where we are so free from business matters, occasions of sin and the society of worldly people.

we shall not fail to observe the fasts, disciplines and periods of silence which the Order commands; for, as you know, if prayer is to be genuine it must be reinforced with these things--prayer cannot be accompanied by self-indulgence.

Questions. Teresa's communities, like any group, were composed of both introverts who gravitated toward solitude and extroverts who had a proclivity to make beelines to the front parlor. She also knew that we all tend to justify our natural bent. However, to do God's will, sometimes demands that we go against the grain of our personalities. In what ways does God frequently ask you to do things that go against your temperament?

Teresa says that false peace in the spiritual life is a state of complacency, which is the result of two factors working together. The first is the untroubled conscience of a soul that has gradually grown lax in the obligations of life. The second is settling into a comfortable lifestyle. The false peace that is engendered by these two factors is not the peace that is the fruit of doing God's will but of the complacent soul that lives an unruffled, undisturbed life because it has cloistered itself from the demands of charity (See Teresa's Meditations of Song of Songs , ch. 2).

The underlying dynamic here is that a want can easily be interpreted as a need. This happens in two ways. First, we can make our emotions the criteria of reality. "If I feel that something is true, then it must be true." Second, we can indulge a desire for so long that we become dependent upon its fulfillment. Eventually, we believe that we cannot live without the object to which we have become attached. We become trapped by our desires.

0 Lord! What a great favor You grant to those children whose parents love them so much as to want them to possess their estates, inheritance, and riches in that blessed life that has no end! It is a great pity the world is now so unfortunate and blind that it seems to parents their honor lies in not letting the dung of this world's goods be forgotten and in not remembering that sooner or later these things will come to an end. And everything that has limits, even though it lasts a while, will eventually come to an end; and little importance should be given to it. Such parents want to sustain their own vanities at a cost to their children, and very boldly take from God souls that He wants for Himself. And they take from these souls a good so great (God inviting them to be His guest) that, even were the good not to last forever, it would still be extraordinary to see oneself freed from the tiresomeness of the world and its laws; and the more goods people possess, the greater the tedium. Open the eyes of parents, my God.

The art of the saints is the ability to draw good out of every situation, no matter how bitter or painful.

People still complain, however, as did St. Teresa of Avila four centuries ago, of the lack of knowledgeable spiritual guides. What should one do if he cannot find a competent director? It is my opinion that in the area of advancing prayer, as also in this matter of alleged communications, no direction is preferable to probably incompetent direction

The truly humble person always walks in doubt about his own virtues, and usually those he sees in his neighbors seem more certain and more valuable.

The devil makes you think you are poor and makes even others who practice prayer think this of themselves. And he is somewhat right because you have promised poverty -- orally, that is. I say orally, for it is impossible that, if with the heart we understand what we promise and then promise it, the devil could draw us for twenty years and even our whole lives into this temptation; 'impossible,' because we would see that we are deceiving the world and our own selves.

The indwelling presence is the focal point of prayer. We need no wings, only a place of silence where we can center our gaze (upon Him).” —St. Teresa of Avila

Let’s make the best possible use of our feet first and learn to know ourselves. And yet it seems to me that we will never know ourselves unless we seek to know God. Glimpsing his greatness, we recognize our own powerlessness; gazing upon his purity, we notice where we are impure; pondering his humility, we see how far from humble we are.

At the outset I must confess that I am no longer very good at telling the difference between good things and bad things. Of course there are many events in human history that can only be labeled as evil, but from the standpoint of inner individual experience the distinction has become blurred for me. Some things start out looking great but wind up terribly, while other things seem bad in the beginning but turn out to be blessings in disguise. I was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, which I thought was a bad thing. But the experience brought me closer to God and to my loved ones than I'd ever been, and that was wonderfully good. The chemotherapy felt awful, but it resulted in a complete cure, which I decided was good. I later found out it may also have caused the heart disease that now has me waiting for a heart transplant. At some point I gave up trying to decide what's ultimately good or bad. I truly do not know....Although not knowing may itself seem like a bad thing, I am convinced it is one of the great gifts of the dark night of the soul. To be immersed in mystery can be very distressing at first, but over time I have found immense relief in it. It takes the pressure off. I no longer have to worry myself to death about what I did right or wrong to cause a good or bad experience-because there really is no way of knowing. I don't have to look for spiritual lessons in every trouble that comes along. There have been many spiritual lessons to be sure, but they've given to me in the course of life; I haven't had to figure out a single one.

One of the biggest lessons-and another gift of the dark night-is the realization that I'm not as much in control of life as I'd like to be. This is not an easy learning, especially for take-charge people like me, people who think the can-and more important, should-be in control of things. Other people are more naturally able to go with the flow of life. They deal with things as best they can and then go on to the next moment. They too have their dark nights, but they don't pester themselves. Either way, each experience of the dark night gives its gifts, leaving us freer than we were before, more available, more responsive, and more grateful. Like not knowing and lack of control, freedom and gratitude are abiding characteristics of the dark night. But they don't arrive until the darkness passes. They come with the dawn.

God gives to whom He wills, what He wills, when He wills - which pretty much includes everybody. But if we don't know where we're going, the unenlightened soul may actually flee in fear from advanced favors from God because they don't understand what's happening to them.

the person who lacks a practical understanding of the stages of prayer and the mystical life places themselves at a distinct disadvantage, especially when hardships come. For instance, the person who doesn't understand that progress in prayer often means long dry spells devoid of all consolation can easily turn away from the true path and become a kind of religious "thrill seeker", gladly pursuing all those trendy New Age styles of mind-blanking prayer and a preoccupation with the self rather than the Divine.

excessive attachments are to be avoided, especially in relationships. For example, a parent can be so possessive of a child it becomes harmful to the child, a friend may lead one to sin, and so on. Excessive desires cloud our recognition of truth. They keep us from thinking clearly and cause anxiety. It is why you see agitation in so many persons here.

Catholics believe that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God and is not produced by the parents.[9] We also believe that the soul is immortal. "It does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection."[10] As Dr. Richard Geraghty explains for EWTN, the soul is a spiritual or immaterial thing which means it has no physical parts that can fall apart, get sick, be crushed, or otherwise put out of existence. This is how we know that it will live forever.

Black water and mud emitting a foul odor oozed from the darkness. A person stepped out of the building. Mundana stared in horror. Rats, insects, and evil-looking creatures swarmed around him, attempting to nip or crawl on him. He made no attempt to brush them away. Instead he turned and re-entered the house. “You have seen the soul of a person living in serious sin. Mortal sin, the one and only thing you should fear,” said Wisdom. “Why doesn’t he run away from that horrible place?” Sadness in her eyes, Wisdom answered. “Jesus said, ‘I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave to sin.’ ” (John 8:34) Sighing, she added, “Slaves are not free to run away, my dear.

Why do so many have chains?” “You have seen souls burdened with attachments, but these souls are also bound in fear. They are free to go, but lack of trust in God keeps them prisoners here, afraid to venture forth.” “They look so unhappy.” “If you wish to avoid their misery, listen to what I tell you now, Mundana. It is most important.” Fidelity stopped walking and gazed at her intently. “Know yourself! There is no growth without self-knowledge. It is the first step to freedom.

It is unfortunate that one of the most common false teachings in the Church (even among faithful Catholics) is that if a person has peace, he is in God’s will or in a good place spiritually. It is very common to hear people offer the advice: “If you have peace in your decision, then it is the right decision.” The only way to determine if peace is an indication of God’s will or blessings is to know the entire context of a person’s spiritual life. This cannot be emphasized enough. All those who give this advice should simply cease to do so and instead begin to study Ignatian discernment of spirits, both first and second rules, begin to practice them diligently in daily life according to their spiritual progress, and study the writings of St. John of the Cross.

At the end of your life, you will be recognized if you are familiar and intimate with the King of Kings, as one who is not a stranger but a friend. You cannot claim friendship and intimacy with someone you do not know or ever speak to. Prayer is nothing less than an intimate relationship with the loving God who Himself is your life and salvation. God came in the flesh so that you might know Him as both fully human and fully divine. You must commit to knowing Him in the same way you know your closest friend — and more so — and this is done through prayer. Without prayer, you will never find your way into and through the castle.

determined to ask those of heaven to heal me--for I wished, nevertheless, to be well, though I bore my illness with great joy. Sometimes, too, I used to think that if I recovered my health, and yet were lost for ever, I was better as I was. But, for all that, I thought I might serve God much better if I were well. This is our delusion; we do not resign ourselves absolutely to the disposition of our Lord, Who knows best what is for our good.

Men think it lacking in humility and suppose that it is trying to teach those from whom it should learn, especially if the person in question is a woman.

Truth suffers, but never dies.

first, she spent a great deal of time in the Outer area. Everything there beckoned to her. Shops, theaters, restaurants - all crooned a siren song of attraction, craving, and the “easy familiarity” of her former life. But, as time passed, the alluring melody rang off-key and she began to feel the weight of invisible burdens. In contrast, whenever she stole away to the Temple of Prayer, Mundana felt a return of the peace and delight given to her by the touch of God’s love. She experienced pleasure in prayer, which now flowed freely from her lips and heart.

You know,” Mundana sighed, “I always told myself I’m not like the people we hear about in the news. I never murdered anyone or robbed a bank, so I thought I was okay. Now I see how sinful I am.” “My dear child, you have repented. You made peace with your sister and contacted friends you may have hurt in the past. And most important, you went to confession and received forgiveness. Trust in the power of that sacrament. You have been forgiven; now you must forgive yourself.

My fondness for good books was my salvation.

But I most earnestly advise you, when you know or hear of God’s bestowing these graces on others, never to pray nor desire to be led by this way yourself though it may appear to you to be very good;

Truth suffers, but never dies.” – St. Teresa of Avila