The Relations
or
Manifestations
or
Spiritual Testimonies
or
Relations of the Spirit
Relation IX.
Discussion of Relation 9
Of Certain Spiritual Graces She Received
in Toledo and Avila
in the Years 1576 and 1577.
|
There are many themes in Relation 9.
Some of the themes are interconnected.
- The desire to die,
to leave this life of exile from God
and to go to God
- The desire to live
to follow God's will as long as he wills it
-- to provide service to God
-- to suffer for God
[Relations 9: #9 ]
In regard to the desire to
suffer for God and to do penance:
it may stem from
self-love or
attachment to the penance itself
[Relations 9: #3 ]
In regard to the desire to do penance:
Would weak health then
be a hinderance to
the attainment of perfection?
[Relations 9: #2, 3 ]
|
___________________________
Discussion Topics / Questions:
1). What did St. Teresa say about the
change of her Confessors
in approximately 1576?
[Relations 9: #1 ]
[Relations 4: #3]
[The Life: Ch28: #23]
2). Discuss St. Teresa's reference to
"the absence of God" and
"this land of exile" ?
[ Relations 9: #1 ]
[ Relations 8: #15]
[ Relations 7: # 20]
3). In Paragraph #2, St. Teresa was
concerned regarding
"a certain person"
because she thought
his possessions may hinder
his attainment to perfection.
How did God reassure her?
[Relations 9: #2]
4). In Paragraph #3, St. Teresa expresses
her concern regarding
her own lack of doing penances.
(Perhaps, here, implicitly, is another
concern with weak health as a cause
of this inability to do penances
and therefore a hinderance to
advancement in perfection)
What inspiration helped her
in resolving this concern?
[Relations 9: #3]
5). What did St. Teresa say regarding
the state of her Bethrothal?
[Relations 9: #8, 22 ]
6). Although St. Teresa often wrote
of life on earth as "exile",
she wanted to follow God's will
for her in this life.
What did she say regarding this?
[Relations 9: #9, 12, 19, 20]
7). St. Teresa spoke about the graces
that she received by which
she was given Spiritual Wisdom
to understand spiritual concepts
in a way "very different
from that which I have by faith".
How did she discuss this?
[Relations 9: #5, 8, 9, 12, 13,
17, 19, 20, 22 ]
8). What did St. Teresa say regarding
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist
when offered by a priest
who is not in the state of grace?
[Relations 9: #20]
9). What did St. Teresa say about
being the Bride of Christ ?
[Relations 9: # 25 ]
10). Are hermits
who dwell in deserted environs
free of distractions from prayer?
[Relations 9: #26]
11). What does St. Teresa discuss
regarding Fr. Gratian?
[Relations 9: # 7, 18, 21, 23, 26, 27]
[Relation 6: #1]
12). What conflict did St. Teresa
describe regarding
spending time with her relatives?
[Relations 9: #11]
[The Way of Perfection: Chapter 9]
|
______________________________
1). What did St. Teresa say about the
change of her Confessors
in approximately 1576?
[Relations 9: #1 ]
[Relations 4: #3]
[The Life: Ch28: #23]
Regarding the change of her confessors in
approximately 1576, St. Teresa said:
~ Her Confessor had been Fr. Yepes
- who "took upon himself
the charge of my soul".
- She was distressed
because she needed his counsel
but he was no longer available.
But he had "ceased to come here"
- In prayer, later, she felt
that God's Providence was leading her
toward another Confessor,
Don Alonzo Velasquez,
through the absence of Fr. Yepes.
"I understood that God
kept him (Fr. Yepes) from coming
because it was expedient for me
to treat of the affairs of my soul
with a certain person on the spot". [710]
[Relations 9: #1]
Don Alonzo Velasquez
Canon of Toledo,
later, Bishop of Osma
[710] Don Alonzo Velasquez,
canon of Toledo,
to whom [514]Relation 11 is addressed.
The Saint speaks of this in a letter
to Fra Gratian in 1576.
The letter is numbered:
82 in the edition of Don Vicente, and
23 in the fourth volume of the edition
of Doblado. |
Excerpt from: (current book)
Table of contents of "The Relations"
in the (current) book,
"The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel."
Written by Herself.
Translated from the Spanish
by David Lewis.
"Relation XI.
Written from Palencia in May, 1581,
and addressed to
Don Alonzo Velasquez,
Bishop of Osma,
who had been
when Canon of Toledo, one of the Saint's Confessors. |
~ She was disturbed
at the loss of her Confessor
and feared that a new Confessor
would not understand her:
"I was distressed
- because I had to form new relations
it might be he
would not understand me, and
would disturb me and
- because I had a great affection for him
who did me this charity,
though I was
always spiritually content
when I saw or heard the latter preach;
also, I thought it would not do
- because of his many occupations.
~ The Lord comforted her and told her
that the new Confessor
would understand and help her:
"Our Lord said to me:
'I will cause him
to hear and understand thee.
Make thyself known unto him;
it will be some relief to thee
in thy troubles.' "
~ The new Confessor,
Don Alonzo Velasquez,
did understand her
and she benefited greatly
under his guidance:
"All was for my good;
and he comforted me greatly.
So it has been:
he
comforts me, and
seeks opportunities to do so;
he has
understood me, and
given me great relief;
he is a most learned and holy man".
[Relations 9: #1]
St. Teresa had often suffered
the loss of Confessors
due to various circumstances.
For example, she might be traveling
or her Confessor might be relocated
to another site by his Superiors.
She was often distressed at this loss
of a Confessor who understood her.
In 1571 in Relations 4,
her loss was also compounded
with a fear of attachment and dependence
on one Confessor.
From Relations 4:
"As you, my father,
went away yesterday so soon,
and I consider the many affairs
which detain you,
so that it is impossible for me
to have recourse to you for comfort
even when necessary,
- for I see
that your occupations are most urgent,-
I was for some time in pain and sadness.
As I was then in desolation,
-- as I said before,--
that helped me; and
as nothing on earth, I thought,
had any attractions for me,
I had a scruple, and feared
I was beginning to lose that liberty.
"and as I believe
there is no created thing on earth
to which I am bound by attachment,
I began
to have some scruples about this"
But God reassured her:
"...so the soul
- when there is any one
who understands it -
seeks those
to whom it may communicate
its pleasures and its pains, and
is sad and mourns
when it can find none."
He said to me:
"Thou art prosperous now, and
thy works please Me."
[Relations 4: #3] |
From The Life: Ch28: #23
Those servants of God,
who were not satisfied,
had many conversations with me.
As I spoke to them carelessly,
so they misunderstood my meaning
in many things.
I had a great regard for one of them;
for my soul owed him
more than I can tell.
He was a most holy man,
and I felt it most acutely
when I saw
that he did not understand me. |
_________________________
2). Discuss St. Teresa's reference to
"the absence of God" and
"this land of exile" ?
[ Relations 9: #1 ]
[ Relations 8: #15]
[ Relations 7: # 20]
St. Teresa stated:
- that "I was then so worn out
by the absence of God"
- that the Lord, knowing her distress,
comforted her and reassured her
that her new Confessor,
Don Alonzo Velasquez,
would help her.
"it will be some relief to thee
in thy troubles."
"The latter part was addressed
to me, I think,
because I was then so worn out
by the absence of God.
His Majesty also said
that He saw very well
the trouble I was in"
- that this life was a life of exile
with its troubles and separation from God
"but it could not be otherwise
while I lived in this land of exile"
[Relations 9: #1]
From the Poetry of St. Teresa:
I live now outside of myself
for I die of love...
I die because I do not die.
This divine prison of love
with which I live...
Oh, how long is this life!
How hard these exiles...
Oh, how bitter this life
where one does not enjoy the Lord!
For if love is sweet,
long waiting is not...
Life, what can I give
my God, who lives in me,
if not the loosing of you,
to enjoy him more?
I want to attain him dying,
for so much do I love my Lover,
that I die because I do not die.
- St. Teresa
|
"The ordinary impetus is,
that this desire of serving God
comes on
with a certain tenderness,
accompanied with tears,
out of a longing to depart
from this land of exile"
[Relations 8: #15] |
"She had a great desire
to be poor and lonely, and
to depart out of this land of exile
in order to see God."
[Relations 7: #20] |
____________________________
3). In Paragraph #2, St. Teresa was
concerned regarding
"a certain person"
because she thought
his possessions may hinder
his attainment to perfection.
How did God reassure her?
[Relations 9: #2]
~ Her concerns
Although St. Teresa
recognized the spiritual guidance
that "a certain person"
was providing to souls
She was concerned that:
- his weak condition
would hinder him
in attaining perfection
- his possession
of property and
of freedom
would also be a hinderance.
"I was
praying earnestly to God
for a certain person, and
thinking that after all
the possession
of property and
of freedom
was unfitting
for that high sanctity
which I wished him to attain to;
I reflected
on his weak health, and
on the spiritual health
which he communicated to souls;"
~ How God reassured her:
St. Teresa stated
that God reassured her
that
- this person "served (Him) greatly"
- the "great thing" is
-- attachment to God and
conformity to His will.
-- detachment from temporal objects
"and I heard these words:
"He serves Me greatly;
but the great thing is
to follow Me
stripped of everything,
as I was on the cross.
Tell him to trust in Me."
These last words were said
because I thought
he could not,
with his weak health,
attain to such perfection.
[Relations 9: #2]
________________________
4). In Paragraph #3, St. Teresa expresses
her concern regarding
her own lack of doing penances.
(Perhaps, here, implicitly, is another
concern with weak health as a cause
of this inability to do penances
and therefore a hinderance to
advancement in perfection)
What inspiration helped her
in resolving this concern?
[Relations 9: #3]
St. Teresa stated that there was:
- more self-love
than a desire to do penances
for God's glory
- more of an attachment
than of conformity with God's will.
"when I was thinking of the pain
it was to me
to eat meat and
do no penance,
I understood that there was at times
more of self-love in that feeling
than of a desire for penance."
[Relations 9: #3]
_____________________________
5). What did St. Teresa say regarding
the state of her Betrothal?
[Relations 9: #8, 22 ]
Regarding her Betrothal, St. Teresa spoke of
- not only the Presence and Closeness of God
- but also, an intimate sharing
of His sufferings and sorrows.
St. Teresa said:
"Our Lord said to me:
'Thou knowest of the betrothal
between thee and Myself, and
therefore all I have is thine; and
so I give thee
all the labours and sorrows I endured,
and thou canst therefore
ask of My Father
as if they were thine.' "
Though I have heard
that we are partakers therein, [712]
[712] 1 St. Peter iv. 13:
"Communicantes
Christi passionibus,
gaudete."
"But if you partake
of the sufferings of Christ,
rejoice
that when his glory shall be revealed,
you may also be glad with exceeding joy. |
now it was in a way so different
that it seemed
as if I had become possessed
of a great principality;
for the affection with which
He wrought this grace
cannot be described.
The Father seemed to ratify the gift;
and from that time forth
I look at our Lord's Passion
in a very different light,
as on something that belongs to me;
and that gives me great comfort. [713]
[Relations 9: #8]
[713] This took place in 1575,
when she was going
to found her monastery
in Seville
(Ribera, l. iv. c. v. n. 110).
|
"Our Lord Himself,
in an intellectual vision
so clear ...
laid Himself in my arms,
as He is painted in the pictures
of our Lady of Anguish"...
( our Lady of Dolors; of sorrows)
He said to me,
"Be not afraid of it,
for the union of My Father
with thy soul
is incomparably closer than this."
[Relations 9: #22]
______________________________
6). Although St. Teresa often wrote
of life on earth as "exile",
she wanted to follow God's will
for her in this life.
What did she say regarding this?
[Relations 9: #9, 12, 19, 20]
◊ St. Teresa spoke of "living in exile"
because she felt life on earth
was living separated from God.
When referring to the special graces
which she received from God,
she said:
"These are marvels
which make the soul desire anew
to be rid of the hindrances
which the body interposes
between it and the fruition of them.
[Relations 9: #12]
"It is sad that these bodies of ours
do not allow us
to have the fruition thereof"
[Relations 9: #20]
◊ Although she would sometimes express
this longing to die in order to be with God,
she would inevitable conclude
with the expressed desire to live
in order to:
- follow God's will for her
- suffer for God and
- give service and
- glory to God.
"Our Lord...said,
I was to be henceforward strong;
for I had to serve Him more
than I had hitherto done. [714]
He filled me with a desire
not to die so soon,
that I might have the time
to occupy myself therein
( serving Him more) ; and
I remained with a great resolution
to suffer."
[Relations 9: #9]
[714] See … Paragraph # 4, above.
"For the future, be strong;
for thy troubles are not over."
|
"I was thinking
how hard it was
to remain alive,
seeing that
it was living on
that robbed us of
that marvellous companionship;
and so I said to myself:
"O Lord, show me some way
whereby I may bear this life!"
He said unto me:
"Think, my child,
when life is over,
thou canst not
- serve Me
as thou art serving Me now, and
- eat for Me, and
- sleep for Me.
Whatsoever thou doest,
let it be done for Me
as if thou wert no longer living,
but I;
for that is what St. Paul said." [721]
[Relations 9: #19]
[721] Galat. ii. 20:
"Vivo autem, jam non ego:
vivit vero in me Christus."
And I live, now not I;
but Christ liveth in me.
And that I live now in the flesh:
I live in the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and
delivered himself for me. |
__________________________
7). St. Teresa spoke about the graces
that she received by which
she was given Spiritual Wisdom
to understand spiritual concepts
in a way "very different
from that which I have by faith".
How did she discuss this?
[Relations 9: #5, 8, 9, 12, 13,
17, 19, 20, 22 ]
St. Teresa said
that she was granted from God
the grace of a deeper understanding
of many mysteries of Faith, including
Christ's passion and the Blessed Trinity.
~ Regarding the suffering of Christ:
This understanding
that was revealed to her
was deeper
than that which she held
by Faith and the Church's teaching,
in that she experienced
not only participation,
but also a "possession"
"Though I have heard
that we are partakers therein, [712]
[712] 1 St. Peter iv. 13:
"Communicantes Christi passionibus,
gaudete."
"But if you partake
of the sufferings of Christ,
rejoice
that when his glory shall be revealed,
you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
|
now it was in a way so different
that it seemed
as if I had become possessed
of a great principality;
for the affection with which
He wrought this grace
cannot be described.
The Father seemed to ratify the gift;
and from that time forth
I look at our Lord's Passion
in a very different light,
as on something that belongs to me;
[Relations 9: #8]
~ Regarding the Blessed Trinity:
"...I understood, and...saw,
I cannot tell how,
unless it was
by an intellectual vision...
how the Three Persons
of the most Holy Trinity,
whom I have always imprinted
in my soul,
are One.
This was revealed
in a representation so strange, and
in a light so clear,
that the impression made upon me
was very different
from that which I have by faith.
From that time forth
I have never been able to think
of One of the Three Divine Persons
without thinking of the Three;
so that to-day,
when I was considering how,
the Three being One,
the Son alone
took our flesh upon Him,
our Lord showed me how, though
They are One,
They are also distinct.
These are marvels
which make the soul desire anew
to be rid of the hindrances
which the body interposes
between it and the fruition of them.
Though this passes away
in a moment,
there remains a gain to the soul
incomparably greater than any
it might have made
by meditation during many years;
and all without knowing
how it happens".
[Relations 9: #12]
"Once, with that presence
of the Three Persons
which I have in my soul,
I was in light so clear
that no doubt of the presence
of the true and living God
was possible;
and I then came to the knowledge
of things
which afterwards
I could not speak of.
One of these things was,
how the person of the Son only
took human flesh.
I cannot...explain it at all;
for some of these things
were wrought
in the secret recesses
of the soul, and
the understanding seems
to grasp them
only as one who is
in his sleep, or half awake,
thinks he comprehends
what is told him.
[Relations 9: #19]
~ Regarding The Holy Eucharist
"One day, after Communion,
it seemed to me
- that my soul was really one
with the most Holy Body
of our Lord,
then present before me; and
- that wrought a great work and
blessing in me.
[Relations 9: #13]
"Once, after Communion,
I saw how His Father
within our soul
accepts the most Holy Body
of Christ.
I have understood and seen
how the Divine Persons are there…
how pleasing is this offering
of His Son,
because He has
His joy and delight in Him,
so to speak,
here on earth;
for it is not the Humanity only
that is with us in our souls,
but the Divinity as well, and
thus is it
so pleasing and acceptable
unto Him,
and gives us graces so great.
I understood also
that He accepts the sacrifice,
though the priest be in sin;
but then the grace of it
is not communicated to his soul
as it is to their souls
who are in a state of grace:
not that the inflowings of grace,
which proceed
from this Communion
wherein the Father
accepts the sacrifice,
cease to flow in their strength,
but because of his fault
who has to receive them;
as it is not
the fault of the sun
that it does not illumine
a lump of pitch,
when its rays strike it
as it illumines a globe of crystal.
If I could now describe it,
I should be better understood;
it is a great matter to know this,
because there are grand secrets
within us
when we are at Communion.
It is sad that these bodies of ours
do not allow us
to have the fruition thereof.
[Relations 9: #20]
~ Regarding the Presence of God:
"I was once recollected
in that companionship
which I ever have in my soul,
and it seemed to me
that God was present therein
in such a way
that I remembered
how St. Peter said:
"Thou art Christ,
the Son of the living God;" [718]
for the living God was in my soul.
This is not like other visions,
for it overpowers faith;
so that it is
impossible to doubt
of the indwelling of the Trinity
in our souls,
by presence, power, and essence.
To know this truth is
of the very highest gain;
and as I stood amazed
to see His Majesty
in a thing so vile as my soul,
I heard:
"It is not vile, My child,
for it is made in My image." [719]
I also learnt something
of the reason
why God delights in souls
more than in any other creatures:
it is so subtle that,
though the understanding
quickly comprehended it,
I cannot tell it.
[Relations 9: #17]
[719] Gen. 1. 26:
And he said: Let us make man
to our image and likeness:
and let him have dominion over
the fishes of the sea, and
the fowls of the air, and
the beasts, and
the whole earth, and
every creeping creature
that moveth upon the earth.
|
"being slightly recollected,
I remained thinking
how I had our Lord before
present within me,
so that I truly saw Him
to be the living God.
While thinking on this
He spoke to me,
and I saw Him
in my inmost being,
as it were beside my heart,
in an intellectual vision;
His words were:
"I am here,
only I will have thee see
how little thou canst do without Me."
I was on the instant reassured,
and my fears left me"
[Relations 9: #22]
"our Lord Himself,
in an intellectual vision
so clear
as to seem almost imaginary,
laid Himself in my arms,
as He is painted in the pictures
of our Lady of Anguish.
( our Lady of Dolors; of sorrows)
The vision made me
very much afraid,
for it was
so clear, and
so close to me,
that it made me think
whether it was an illusion or not.
He said to me,
"Be not afraid of it,
for the union of My Father
with thy soul
is incomparably closer than this."
The vision has remained with me
till now.
[Relations 9: #22]
"One day, in prayer,
I felt my soul in God
in such a way
in such a way
that it seemed to me
as if the world did not exist,
I was so absorbed in Him.
He made me then understand
that verse of the Magnificat,
"Et exultavit spiritus meus,"
so that I can never forget it.
[Relations 9: #5]
~ Regarding the Bessed Mother
"...on the Feast of our Lady's Nativity...
I thought it would be well
to renew our vows;
and thereupon I saw our Lady,
by an illuminative vision;
and it seemed
- as if we made them before her and
- that they were pleasing unto her.
I had this vision constantly
for some days,
and our Lady was by me
on my left hand.
[Relations 9: #13]
____________________________
8). What did St. Teresa say regarding
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist
when offered by a priest
who is not in the state of grace?
[Relations 9: #20]
St. Teresa stated that
if a priest is in the state of sin.
the graces are communicated
to those souls
who are in the state of grace.
"I understood also
that He accepts the sacrifice,
though the priest be in sin;
but then the grace of it
is not communicated to his soul
as it is to their souls
who are in a state of grace:
not that the inflowings of grace,
which proceed
from this Communion
wherein the Father
accepts the sacrifice,
cease to flow in their strength,
but because of his fault
who has to receive them;
as it is not
the fault of the sun
that it does not illumine
a lump of pitch,
when its rays strike it
as it illumines a globe of crystal.
If I could now describe it,
I should be better understood;
it is a great matter to know this,
because there are grand secrets
within us
when we are at Communion.
[Relations 9: #20]
____________________
9). What did St. Teresa say about
being the Bride of Christ ?
[Relations 9: # 25 ]
St. Teresa said:
"Our Lord said to me one day,
in the monastery of Veas,
that I was to present my petition to Him,
for I was His bride.
He promised to grant
whatever I might ask of Him,
and, as a pledge,
gave me a very beautiful ring,
with a stone set in it like an amethyst,
but of a brilliancy very unlike,
which He put on my finger.
I write this to my own confusion,
considering
the goodness of God, and
my wretched life;
for I have deserved hell.
[Relations 9: #25]
__________________________
10). Are hermits
who dwell in deserted environs
free of distractions from prayer?
[Relations 9: #26]
St. Teresa originally thought
- that such hermits,
because of their solitude,
would encounter little that could
interrupt or distract them in prayer.
- But God informed her
that temptations are stronger there.
St. Teresa said:
"On the eve of St. Laurence,
at Communion,
I was so
distracted and
dissipated in mind,
that I
had no power over it, and
began to envy those
who dwell in desert places;
thinking that,
as they see and hear nothing,
they are exempt from distractions.
I heard this:
"Thou art greatly deceived,
My daughter;
on the contrary,
the temptations of Satan
are more violent there.
Have patience while life lasts,
it cannot be helped."
( And then from the thought of
dwelling in a desert,
St. Teresa had a vision
of a fruitful garden
with angels, and the saintly priest,
Fr. Gratian. )
( And then from the thought of
dwelling in a desert,
St. Teresa had a vision
of a fruitful garden
with angels, and the saintly priest,
Fr. Gratian. )
While dwelling on this,
I became suddenly recollected, and
I saw a great light within me,
so that I thought I was in another world,
and my spirit found itself interiorly
in a forest and
in a garden of delights,
which made me remember
those words of the Canticle: [727]
"Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum."
[Relations 9: #26]
[727] Cant. v. 1.
"Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum."
Let my beloved come into his garden,
and eat the fruit of his apple trees.
I am come into my garden,
O my sister, my spouse,
|
_____________________________
11). What does St. Teresa discuss
regarding Fr. Gratian?
[Relations 9: # 7, 18, 21, 23, 26, 27]
[Relation 6: #1]
~ St. Teresa described how she
- often prayed for him
- was concerned for his welfare
She said:
"Once, in deep recollection,
I was praying to God for Eliseus; [711]
[711] Fra Jerome Gratian ]
[728] (Eliseus)
This was the name given
to Fra Jerome Gratian,
when the Saint was driven,
by the persecution raised against her,
to distinguish her friends
by other designations than those
by which they were usually known. |
I heard this:
"He is My true son;
I will never fail him,"
or to that effect;
but I am not sure of the latter words"
[Relations 9: #7 ]
"When I was in such distress,
because of the troubles
of our father, [720]
[720 Fra Jerome Gratian ]
that I had no rest,
and after Communion one day
was making most earnestly
my petition to our Lord
that, as He had given him to me,
I might not lose him,
He said to me:
"Have no fear."
[Relations 9: #18 ]
[720] Fra Jerome Gratian.
This took place during the persecution
that fell on the reformed Carmelites
at the end of the year 1575,
and during the following year.
See the last paragraph of this Relation
See, also, Relation 6 #1).
|
Relation 6: #1:
1. In the year 1575...
Fra Jerome of the Mother of God Gratian
happened to come thither.
I began to go to confession to him
from time to time,
...and I had a vision…
I seemed to see close beside me
Jesus Christ our Lord,
in the form wherein His Majesty
is wont to reveal Himself,
with F. Gratian on His right.
Our Lord
took his right hand and mine, and,
joining them together,
said to me
that He would have me
accept him (Fr. Gratian) in His place
for my whole life, and
that we were both to have
one mind in all things,
for so it was fitting.
...that I was not to be afraid,
that He wished this,
I made up my mind at last
to act upon them,
understanding it
to be our Lord's will, and
to follow that counsel
so long as I should live.
|
~ St. Teresa spoke of
the teaching and encouragement
which she received from Fr. Gratian
in her sufferings:
"of exceeding anguish,
the result of my remembrance
of my great sins"
"great dread of persecutions,
which had no foundation
except that great accusations
were brought against me,
and all my resolutions
to suffer anything for God
failed me...
I came across a letter, in which
my good father [723] had written
[ [723] Jerome Gratian ]
that St. Paul said
that our God does not suffer us
to be tempted
beyond our power to bear. [724]
[Relations 9: #21]
[724] 1 Cor. x. 13:
"Fidelis autem Deus est
qui non patietur vos tentari
supra id quod potestis."
And God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that which you are able:
but will make also with temptation issue,
that you may be able to bear it.
|
This was a very great relief to me,
but was not enough;
yea, rather, on the next day
I was in great distress at his absence,
for I had no one to go to
in this trouble,
for I seemed to be living
in great loneliness.
And it added to my grief to see
that I now find no one but he
who can comfort me,
and he must be more than ever away,
which is a very sore trouble".
[Relations 9: #21]
~ When St. Teresa was concerned
regarding Fr. Gratian, she
received a vision of him and
heard the words of God:
"I was one night in great distress,
because it was then a long time
since I had heard anything
of my father; [726]
[ [726] Fra Jerome Gratian]
and, moreover, he was not well
the last time he wrote to me.
However, my distress was not so great
as that I felt before,
for I had hopes, and distress
like that I never was in since;
but still my anxiety hindered my prayer.
He appeared to me on the instant;
it could not have been
the effect of imagination,
for I saw
a light within me,
and himself coming by the way joyous,
with a face all fair.
It must have been the light
I saw that made his face fair,
for all the saints in heaven
seem so;
and I considered
whether it be
the light and splendour
proceeding from our Lord
that render them thus fair.
I heard this:
"Tell him to begin at once without fear,
for the victory is his."
[Relations 9: #23]
~ Another time, while recollected, she
- received a vision of Fr. Gratian and
- heard the words of God
"On the eve of St. Laurence,
at Communion,
I was so
distracted and
dissipated in mind,
that I ...
I heard this:
'...Have patience while life lasts,
it cannot be helped.'
While dwelling on this,
I became suddenly recollected, and
I saw a great light within me,
so that I thought
I was in another world,
and my spirit found itself interiorly
in a forest and
in a garden of delights,
which made me remember
those words of the Canticle: [727]
"Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum."
[727] Cant. v. 1.
Let my beloved come into his garden…
|
I saw my Eliseus there, [728]
not at all swarthy,
but in strange beauty:
[728] This was the name given
to Fra Jerome Gratian,
when the Saint was driven,
by the persecution raised against her,
to distinguish her friends
by other designations than those
by which they were usually known:
this fragment cannot have been written
before the year 1578 (De la Fuente).
|
around his head was
a garland of precious stones;
a multitude of damsels went before him
with palms in their hands,
all singing hymns of praise unto God.
...and I thought there was music also,
the singing of birds and of angels,
which filled my soul with joy,
though I did not hear any.
My soul was in joy...
I heard these words:
"He has merited to be among you,
and all this rejoicing
which thou beholdest
will take place on the day
he shall set aside for the honour
of My Mother;
and do thou make haste,
if thou wouldst reach the place
where he is."
...
The effect of the vision was
a great affection for Eliseus, and
a more frequent thinking of him
in that beauty.
[Relations 9: #26]
The day after the presentation
of the Brief, [731]
[731] Fra Jerome Gratian
exhibited the brief
which made him Visitor-Apostolic
to the unreformed Carmelites,
who were very angry thereat,
and rude in their vexation.
|
as I was in the most eager expectation,
which utterly disturbed me,
so that I could not even pray,
for I had been told
- that our father was in great straits
because they would not
let him come away, and
- that there was a great tumult,
I heard these words:
"O woman of little faith, be quiet;
everything is going on perfectly well."
It was the Feast of the Presentation
of our Lady, in the year 1575.
I resolved within myself,
if our Lady obtained from her Son
that we might see
ourselves and our father
free of these friars,
to ask him (Fr Gratian) to order
the solemn celebration
of that feast
every year in our monasteries
of the Barefooted Carmelites.
When I made this resolution,
I did not remember
what I had heard in a former vision,
that he would establish this solemnity.
[Relations 9: #27]
_______________________
12). What conflict did St. Teresa
describe regarding
spending time with her relatives?
[Relations 9: #11]
[The Way of Perfection: Chapter 9]
While St. Teresa
- acknowledged the debt which she owed
to her brothers and family
- described the need (in her writings)
to pray for relatives,
to help them in their need
- she also acknowledged the problem of:
-- becoming attachment to them and
through them, becoming attached
to worldly affairs
to worldly affairs
-- focusing on them
the time and effort
that should be focused
on God and
that should be focused
on God and
on the needs/duties of the Order.
The Way of Perfection: Chapter 9
"we must be most careful
to commend our relatives to God"
Regarding Parents and family, she said:
"when they need our comfort
we should not refuse it them"
" if we find
our main purpose is not harmed
by our so doing
we can give it them
and yet be completely detached"
|
St. Teresa wrote:
"When my brothers came,
and I owe so much to one of them,
I remained in conversation with him
concerning his soul and his affairs,
which wearied and distressed me;
and as I was
offering this up to our Lord, and
thinking that I did it all
because I was under obligations to him,
I remembered
that by our Constitutions
we are commanded
to separate ourselves
from our kindred, and
I was set thinking
whether I was under any obligation,
our Lord said to me:
"No, My daughter;
the regulations of the Order must be
only in conformity with My law."
The truth is,
that the end of the Constitutions is,
that we are not to be attached
to our kindred;
and to converse with them,
as it seems to me,
is rather wearisome, and
it is painful to have anything
to do with them.
[Relations 9: #11]
__________________
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| End Of Discussion of Relation 9 |
