Thursday, October 23, 2008

Week of St Teresa of Avila


It seems to me the Holy Spirit must be a mediator between the soul and God, the One who moves it with such ardent desires, for He enkindles it is a supreme fire, which is so near.

O Lord, how great are these mercies You show to the soul here! May You be blessed and praised forever, for You are so good a Lover. O my God and my creator! Is it possible that there is no one who loves You? Oh, alas, and how often it is I who do not love You!....
And the Lord is not content with all this - something marvelous, worthy of careful attention - for He understands that the soul is totally His, without any other interests. This means that things must not move it because of what they are, but that it be moved because of Who its God is and out of love for Him, since He never ceases to commune with it in so many ways and manners, as One Who is Wisdom itself....
Well now, what more could we desire than this favour just mentioned? Oh, God help me, how little we desire to reach Your grandeurs, Lord! How miserable we would remain if Your giving were in conformity with our asking! (Meditations on the Song of Songs 5:5-6)