Relation 4
or
Manifestations of her Spiritual State
which St. Teresa Submitted to Her Confessors
or
Spiritual Testimonies
or
Relations of the Spirit
.
.Of the Graces the Saint Received . in Salamanca at the End of Lent, 1571. . |
.
Discussion Topics / Questions
to keep in mind
as we read along:
1). St. Teresa wrote of a
"profound trance" or deep rapture
in which Our Lord appeared
and spoke to her.
Does this call to mind
the Gospel passage of John:17?
How did she describe this rapture ?
[ Relations 4: # 2 ]
2). St. Teresa spoke of the desolation
that she experienced
when her Confessor had
"went away" and was unavailable
because of his many urgent duties.
"...it is impossible for me to have
recourse to you for comfort
even when necessary..."
Then she began to fear
that her need for comfort
was a lack of detachment.
How did she describe this concern?
How was it resolved?
[ Relations 4: # 3 ]
3). St. Teresa received many different
types of graces/gifts from God
at different times.
Is there a "fixed rule" regarding
how/when these special graces
are granted?
What did she say about this?
[ Relations 4: # 3 ]
4). What did St. Teresa say regarding
the sorrows of Our Lady?
[ Relations 4: # 4, 1 ]
5). What did St. Teresa say
regarding her prayers and services
which were pleasing to God?
[ Relations 4: # 5 ]
.
.
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Relation IV
1. I found myself
the whole of yesterday
in great desolation,
and, except at Communion,
did not feel
that it was the day of the Resurrection.
Last night, being with the community,
I heard one [663] of them singing
how hard it is to be living away from God.
As I was then suffering,
the effect of that singing on me
was such
that a numbness began in my hands, and
no efforts of mine could hinder it;
but as I go out of myself
in raptures of joy,
so then my soul was thrown
into a trance
through the excessive pain, and
remained entranced;
and until this day I had not felt this.
A few days previously I thought
that the vehement impulses
were not so great
as they used to be, and
now it seems to be
that the reason is
what I have described;
I know not if it is so.
Hitherto the pain had not gone so far
as to make me beside myself;
and as it is so unendurable,
and as I retained
the control of my senses,
it made me utter loud cries
beyond my power to restrain.
Now that it has grown,
it has reached this point of piercing me;
and I understand more of that piercing
which our Lady suffered;
for until to-day,
as I have just said,
I never knew what that piercing was.
My body was so bruised,
that I suffer even now
when I am writing this;
for my hands are
as if the joints were loosed, and
in pain. [664]
You, my father,
will tell me
when you see me
whether this trance be
the effect of suffering, or
whether I felt it, or
whether I am deceived.
2. I was in this great pain
till this morning;
and, being in prayer,
I fell into a profound trance;
and it seemed to me
that our Lord had
taken me up in spirit to His Father, and
said to Him:
"Whom Thou hast given to Me,
I give to Thee;" [665] and
He seemed to draw me near to Himself.
This is not an imaginary vision,
but one
most certain, and
so spiritually subtile
that it cannot be explained.
He spoke certain words to me
which I do not remember.
Some of them referred to His grace,
which He bestows on me.
He kept me by Him for some time.
3. 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 createdthing on earth
to which I am bound by attachment,
I began
to have some scruples about this,
and feared I was beginning
to lose this freedom.
- Spiritual Relations (IV) XV
Peer's translation )
This took place last night;
and to-day our Lord answered my doubt,
and said to me
"that I was not to be surprised;
for as men seek for companions
with whom they may speak
of their sensual satisfactions,
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."
As He remained with me for some time,
I remembered
that I had told you, my father,
that these visions pass quickly away;
He said to me
"that there was a difference
between these and
the imaginary visions, and
that there could not be an invariable law
concerning the graces
He bestowed on us;
for it was expedient to give them
now in one way,
now in another."
4. After Communion,
I saw our Lord most distinctly
close beside me;
and He began to comfort me
with great sweetness,
and said to me, among other things:
"Thou beholdest Me present,
My daughter, - it is I.
Show me thy hands."
And to me He seemed
to take them and
to put them to His side,
and said:
"Behold My wounds;
thou art not without Me.
Finish the short course of thy life."
By some things He said to me,
I understood
that, after His Ascension,
He never came down to the earth
except in the most Holy Sacrament
to communicate Himself to any one.
He said to me,
that when He rose again
He showed Himself to our Lady,
because she was in great trouble;
for sorrow had so pierced her soul
that she did not even recover herself
at once in order to have
the fruition of that joy.
By this I saw
how different was my piercing. [666]
But what must that
of the Virgin have been?
He remained long with her then
because it was necessary to console her.
5. On Palm Sunday, at Communion,
I was in a deep trance, -
so much so, that I was not able
even to swallow the Host;
and, still having It in my mouth,
when I had come a little to myself,
I verily believed
that my mouth was all filled with Blood;
and my face and my whole body
seemed to be covered with It,
as if our Lord had been shedding It
at that moment.
I thought It was warm,
and the sweetness I then felt
was exceedingly great;
and our Lord said to me:
"Daughter, My will is
that My Blood should profit thee;
and be not thou afraid
that My compassion will fail thee.
I shed It in much suffering,
and, as thou seest,
thou hast the fruition of It
in great joy.
I reward thee well
for the pleasure
thou gavest me to-day."
He said this
because I have been in the habit
- of going to Communion,
if possible, on this day
for more than thirty years, and
- of labouring to prepare my soul
to be the host of our Lord;
for I considered the cruelty of them
to be very great,
who after giving Him
so grand a reception,
in letting Him go so far for supper;
and I used to picture Him
as remaining with me,
and truly in a poor lodging,
as I see now.
( "I used to think of Him
as staying with me
in a poor enough inn...
- Spiritual Relations (IV) XXVI
Peer's translation )
And thus
I used to have such foolish thoughts
- they must have been acceptable
to our Lord,
for this was one of the visions
which I regard as most certain;
and, accordingly
it has been a great blessing to me
in the matter of Communion.
6. Previous to this,
I had been, I believe,
for three days in that great pain,
which I feel sometimes
more than at others,
because I am away from God;
and during those days
it had been very great,
and seemingly more than I could bear.
Being thus exceedingly wearied by it,
I saw it was late to take my collation,
nor could I do so,
- for if I do not take it a little earlier,
it occasions great weakness
because of my sickness;
and then, doing violence to myself,
( "I made a great effort..."
- Spiritual Relations (IV) XXVI
Peer's translation )
I took up some bread
to prepare for collation,
and on the instant
Christ appeared, and
seemed to be breaking the bread and
putting it into my mouth.
He said to me:
"Eat, My daughter, and
bear it as well as thou canst.
I condole with thee in thy suffering;
but it is good for thee now."
My pain was gone, and
I was comforted;
for He seemed to be
really with me then,
and the whole of the next day;
and with this my desires
were then satisfied.
The word "condole" made me strong;
for now
I do not think I am suffering at all.
__________________________
Foot Notes:
[663] Isabel of Jesus, born in Segovia,
and whose family name was Jimena,
told Ribera (vide lib. iv. c. v.)
that she was the singer,
being then a novice in Salamanca.
[664] See Fortress of the Soul, vi. ch. xi.
[665] See [486]Relation, iii. § 16.
[666] See above, [487]§ 1.
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| ~ End of Relation IV ~ |
