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Chapter VII

Of a zealous love for God, which belongs to a very high grade of love and is of two kinds. In the first, the soul performs great deeds in God's service solely in order to please Him; in the second, it desires and asks for crosses in imitation of Christ crucified.

1. The soul languishes with love. 2. As does the bodij. 3. How death is warded off. 4. The flowers symbolise good worhs. 5. Good works and self-interest. 6. Contrasted with pure zeal for God. 7. The woman of Samaria felt this pure zeal. 8. Sublime favours produce sublime virtues. 9. The apple-tree of the cross and its fruit. 10. This favour produces love for our neighbour. 11. Beginners do not understand this. 12. St. Teresa's aim in writing this treatise. 13. Gratitude due for such favours.

"STAY ME UP WITH FLOWERS, COMPASS ME ABOUT WITH apples: BECAUSE I LANGUISH WITH LOVE."

I. Oh, what divine language in which to express my meaning! Are you slain, then, by this sweetness, holy Bride? I have been told that sometimes it is so excessive that it exhausts the soul and seems to deprive it of life. And yet, you ask for flowers! What flowers are these? They would bring you no relief, unless you beg for them in order to end your life at once. And indeed, when the soul has reached this state, it has no dearer wish.1 Yet, this cannot be your meaning, for you say: " Stay me up with flowers," and to ask to be " sustained," does not seem to me to ask for death, but rather to seek for life that you may render some service to Him to Whom you are conscious you owe so vast a debt.

  1. Do not suppose, daughters, that I exaggerate when I say that such a person is in a dying state, as I repeat that this is really the case. Sometimes love is so strong as to dominate over the powers of nature. I know someone who during this state of prayer heard a beautiful voice singing, and she declares that unless the song had ceased she believes that her soul would have left her body from the extreme delight and sweetness which our Lord made her feel. His Majesty providentially stopped the singer, for the person in this state of trance might have died in consequence, yet she could not say a word to check the songstress, for she was incapable of any bodily action nor could she even stir. Although realising her danger, she was like one in a bad dream who tries to wake from it but cannot cry out, in spite of all her efforts.' I was told for certain by a person who I know is incapable of falsehood, that on several occasions she was at the point of death in consequence of her extreme longing to see God, and the excessive sweetness experienced by her at feeling herself caressed by Him and melted by love for Him. While plunged in this delight.

2 This is the incident described in the Castle, M. vi. ch. xi. 8, g, and Rel. iv. i. See also Poems 2, 3 and 36.

3 The following passage until the end of this paragraph is from the manuscripts of Baeza and Consuegra. her soul desired never to emerge from it, and death was no longer painful, but most delicious, for she lived by longing to die. The joys of this state of prayer and degree of love are incompatible with any sort of pain.

  1. The soul does not now wish to rouse itself, nor would death be grievous, but would bring it great joy, since it is for this that it longs. How blest the death inflicted by such love! Did not His Majesty at times bestow the light to see that it is well to live, weak nature would succumb if this favour lasted long. Thus, to be delivered from this overwhelming boon, the soul petitions for another grace, crying: " Stay me up with flowers! " These blossoms have a very difíerent perfume from those of the world.

  2. I understand by this that the Bride is begging that she may perform great works in the service of God and her neighbour,2 for the sake of which she gladly forfeits her own joys and consolations. This appears proper'

rather to the active than to the contemplative life, and

apparently she would lose rather than gain by her prayer

being granted; yet when the soul has reached this state,

Martha and Mary always act together, as we may say.3

For the soul takes its part in the outward actions which

seem merely exterior, and which, when they spring from

this root, are lovely, odoriferous flowers growing on the

tree of a love for God solely for His own sake, unmixed

with self-interest. The perfume of these blossoms is

wafted to a distance, blessing many souls, and it is

lasting, for it does not pass away without working great

good.

  1. I will explain myself more fully for your benefit.

A preacher delivers his sermon for the profit of soiils,

yet is not so free from desire of worldly advantages as

not to try to please his audience,' either to win honour

and credit for himself, or to obtain preferment by his

eloquence. It is the same in other ways; certain people

are anxious to help their neighbour notably and with a

good intention, still they are very wary about losing

by it or giving ofience. They dread persecution, wish

to keep on good terms with royalty, the higher classes.

Me " {Rel. ix. 19). By means of these " flowers " and " apples " God strengthened her weakness and rendered life pleasant to her, although she was sick of love. See also Exclam. ii. 3, 4. and the general public, and act with the moderation highly rated by the world, but which screens many imperfections under the name of prudence. God grant that it is prudence!

  1. Such people serve God and do great good, yet I do not think that these are the flowers for which the Bride begs, but that she is petitioning for an intention of seeking solely for the honour and glory of God in all things. For truly, as I have seen in several cases, souls raised by Him to this state are as oblivious as if they no longer existed, of their own loss or gain.- Their one thought is to serve and please God, for, knowing his love for His creatures, they delight in leaving their own comfort and advantages to gratify Him by helping and teaching their neighbour in order that they may proñt his soul. They never calculate as to whether they will lose by it themselves, but think about the welfare of others and of nothing else, forgetting themselves for the sake of God in order to please Him better, — and they will even lose their lives if need be, as did many of the martyrs. Their words are interpenetrated with this supreme love for God, so that they never think, or if they think, they do not care, whether they offend men by what they say. Such people do immense good. 7. Often have I thought of the woman of Samaria,

® Castle, M. v. ch. iii. 8; M. vii. ch. iv. 10, 11. who must have been intoxicated with this draught.' How well her heart must have mastered our Lord's teaching, since she actually left Him that she might profit her fellow-citizens by winning them to Him! How this striking instance enforces the reality of what I have described! In return for her fervent charity, her neighbours believed her words, and she witnessed the great good that Christ worked in her town. I think that to see souls helped by our means must be one of the greatest joys in this world; then it is, as it appears to me, that we eat the most delicious fruit of these flowers. Blessed are the souls on whom our Lord bestows these graces! How strictly are they bound to serve Him! 8. The holy Samaritan, divinely inebriated as she was, cried aloud as she passed through the streets. I am surprised at men believing her, for she was only a woman and must have belonged to the lower classes, as she went to fetch water herself. She was indeed most humble, for when our Lord told her of her sins, she showed no such resentment as the world does nowadays, when people can hardly endure to hear the truth, but she told Him that He must be a prophet. In fact, her neighbours believed her word, and, with no other evidence, large numbers flocked out of the town to see our Lord. I maintain that, in the same way, those persons do great good who,

' St. John iv. 5-42. Life, ch. xxx. 24. Way of Perf., ch. xÍ3^. 4. Castle, M. vi. ch. xi. 5. Found., ch. xxxi. 42. after having been in intimate converse wish His Majesty for several years, now that they receive caresses and consolations from Him, do not hesitate to undergo fatiguing labours for Him even at the cost of these delights and joys. In my opinion these flowers * are good works, springing from and produced as they are by the tree of fervent love; therefore they have a far more lasting perfume, and one such soul profits others in a wider manner by its words and actions than do the deeds and words of a number of people whose intentions are soiled by the dust of human sensuality and are not unmixed with self-interest.

g. These are the flowers that produce fruit! these are the apples of which the Bride cries: ' ' Compass me about with apples! — Send me crosses, Lord! Send me persecutions! " Indeed, she sincerely desires them and comes forth from them with profit; for as she no longer cares for her own pleasure, but solely for pleasing God,' she delights in imitating, in some degree, that most painful life led by Christ. I believe that the apple tree signifies the tree of the cross/ for in another part of the

8 Exclani. ii. 3, 4.

9 " As it was by the forbidden tree of paradise that our nature was corrupted by Adam and lost, so it was by the tree of the cross that it was redeemed and restored. The apple tree is the wood of the cross where the Son of God was conqueror, and where He betrothed our human nature to Himself, and, by consequence, every soul of man. There, on the cross, He gave us grace and Canticles the words occur: ' ' Under the apple tree I raised thee up," ^^ and a soul that is compassed about with crosses of sufferings expects to benefit greatly by them. As a rule it does not enjoy the delight of contemplation, but finds keen joy in its trials by which the bodily strength is not enervated and wasted as it usually is by frequent suspension of the faculties during contemplation.

  1. The Bride is right in making this request, for we ought not to spend all our time in joy without any work or suffering. I have often noticed in certain persons, — there are very few of them on account of our sins, — that as they advance farther in this prayer and receive more consolations from our Lord, they become more anxious about the happiness and salvation of their neighbour, especially as regards his soul, for, as I said above, they would sacrifice their lives again and again to rescue one soul from mortal sin.

  2. Who could teach this to people to whom our Lord is only just beginning to give consolations? Perhaps they fancy the others have made but little progress and that to stay in a corner enjoying these favours is the essential thing. I believe that it is by divine Providence

pledges of love " (St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, Stanza xxiii. i, 2).

^^ Cant. viii. 5: Sttb arbore malo suscitavi ie,

W (Castle, M. vii. ch. iv. 14-16. that such persons do not realise how high these other souls have risen, for in their first fervour they would rush after them. This would not be well for beginners, because they are still children and need to be fed with the milk of which I spoke. Let these souls keep close to those divine ' ' breasts ' ': our Lord will take care, when they are strong enough, to advance them farther, but at present they would not do good to others as they imagine, but would injure themselves."

  1. From the book I spoke of you will have learnt when the soul ought to wish to help others, and the danger of doing so before the proper time; I will say no more about it now.' My intention, when I began to write the present book, was to show you how to enjoy the words of the Canticle of Canticles when you hear them, and the way to meditate on the great mysteries which they contain, obscure as they may seem to you. It would be audacious of me to attempt to say more. God grant that I have not committed this audacity already, although this has been written only in obedience to authority.

  2. May it all tend to serve His Majesty! If there is anything good in these writings you may be sure it is not my own, as the sisters here can bear witness, for

12 Life, ch. xiii. II. Castle, M. i. ch. ii. 19, 21; M. iii. ch. ii. 19.

13 Life, ch. xiii. they know how hurriedly I have written it, because of my many duties. Beg His Majesty to teach me to understand it by experience. Let any one among you who thinks that she has received some of these favours thank our Lord for them and ask Him to grant them to me, so that she may not be the only one who profits. May our Master uphold us with His hand, and teach us ever to fulfil His will! Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Castle, M. vi. ch. xi. i-6; M. vii. ch. iii. 14. Exclam. vi. and xiv. Poem, " I die because I do not die." ↩

  2. Yepes, in a long letter to Fray Luis de Leon (Fuente, Obras, vi. 139), says that though St. Teresa vehemently longed for the sight of God, yet she wished to live in order to suffer for Him. She cried, like the Bride in the Canticles: " Stay me up with flowers," which she thus explained: Wh}^ Bride of God, do you ask to be strengthened so that you may live? What better end could you desire than to die of love? Do you love and see that love is killing you, and yet want to live? " Yes, for I desire to preserve my life in order to serve God and to suffer for Him." Burning with this flame of love, St. Teresa asked our Lord: " How can I live while I am dáng? " His Majesty replied: " Daughter, thou canst do so by reflecting that, once this life is ended, thou canst no longer serve Me nor suffer for ↩

  3. Life, ch. xvii. 6; ch. xxii. 13. Rel. viii. 6. Way of Perf., ch, yivii. 4; ch, xjxi. 4. Cattle, M. vii, ch, i. 14; cji. iv. 17. ↩

Chapter 8 of 8