Letter 372. To the Licentiate Ruiz de la Pena, Royal Chaplain, and Almoner, Also Confessor to Cardinal Quiroga, Soria, June 30, 1581

The Saint clears herself of the charge of having persuaded Elena de Quiroga to become a Carmelite, against Cardinal Quiroga’s wish,

JESUS! May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Honour.

gl Bea very day after I had despatched a private messenger who had brought me a letter from Dofia Luisa, your letter arrived. I am very sorry, as I should have liked to answer you at once, and since there is no regular carrier here, I do not know when my reply will be sent off. I hope it will be soon, so that you may understand clearly how little I am at, fault—or rather, that I am not at fault at all. This is so true, that it is only out of respeét for the near relationship between the lady you mention and the Cardinal that I have not told his Eminence of the efforts I have made to prevent her entering any of our convents.’ If Father Baltasar Alvarez, the

TO RUIZ DE LA PENA 189 former Provincial of the Society of Jesus in this province, were alive, he could bear witness of the truth of what I say. I begged him to persuade her to renounce her intention, as she put more confidence in his opinion than in any other, and he promised me to do so.

I have opposed her design for many years, and believe me, I did so not because his Eminence objected to it, but because I dreaded lest we might have the same trouble as we had with another widow who entered one of our convents, leaving her daughters in the world’— though it was not by my will that she was received as I was far away at the time. I assure you that the ten years since she entered have been full of uneasiness and severe trouble, though she serves God fervently. But, as she did not keep the order in her duties that charity required, I think that God has allowed her, and the nuns as well, to suffer for it. I have so insisted on this point in our communities that I know for certain that the Prioress of Medina‘ is greatly distressed whenever there seems any prospect of Dojfia Elena’s wish being realized. This being so, it is evident that the charge brought against me to the contrary is an invention of the devil.

Our Lord usually gives me grace to rejoice when slanders are brought against me, and I have suffered from no small number during my life, but this one really pained me, for it would have sufficed had I for resisting the efforts to alter St. Teresa’s Constitutions. She died at Medina in 1596 with the reputation of a saint. (Eweres ili, 367).

owed gratitude to his Eminence merely for allowing me to kiss his hands when I was at Toledo, without his having shown me repeated kindnesses and favours, many of which he thinks are unknown to me. When once I knew his wish about the matter, never, while in my right mind, would I consent to the plan. It is true that sometimes, when I was raising objections to her entrance, the sefiora wept so bitterly that I may have spoken some encouraging words to soothe her grief, which she must have thought meant that I wished her to enter our Order, though I cannot remember distin@ly what I said.

I certainly love her dearly as indeed I ought, so that setting aside what affects us Carmelites, I am anxious that all her wishes should be realized, even though, for my sins, the plan I speak of should be carried out. The prioress of this convent,’ who caine from Medina, told me yesterday that Dofia Elena, who is very intimate with her, declared that she had made a vow to enter our Order when possible, but that if she were convinced she would serve God better by remaining in the world, she would do so. It appears to me that as she has her children to establish and her daughter-in-law is very young, she cannot become a nun. If you think well, will your Reverence kindly explain the nature of her vow to his Eminence. As some of the theologians she consulted have made her feel undecided, a word would suffice to one in her state of mind.

Had I received your letter before reading one which came from Dofia Luisa, I should have been serve his Eminence by my deeds, but only by never consciously opposing his will. Do not forget me in your holy sacrifices for we made that compact together. As the Mother Prioress of Toledo will tell you all about my travels, I will say nothing about them. My health is better than usual at Soria; Iam always very glad to hear that his Eminence is well. May His Majesty grant you health and the sanctity I ask for you! Amen.

From the convent of the Trinity, Soria, on the last day of June.

Your Honour’s unworthy servant, Teresa de Jesus.

CCCXG ‘ TO THE LICENTIATE RUIZ DE LA PENA, CONFESSOR TO CARDINAL QUIROGA, TOLEDO

The theologian, Fray Diego de Alderete, decides against the entrance of Dofia Elena into Carmel.

TO RUIZ DF LA PENA 193 in which we fully discussed Dofia Elena’s affair. I told his Paternity that when she left me after visiting me a few days ago she was more scrupulous than ever about fulfilling her vow. His Paternity is as averse as I am to her entrance, and I can say nothing stronger than that. After I had told him of the troubles that might result, which are of a kind that I greatly dread, he decided that it would be far better for her to remain at home; that as we do not wish to receive her, she is freed from her vow of entering our Order which only obliged her to seek admittance. This was a great comfort to me as I was not aware of it.

This father has lived at Soria for the last eight years and has the reputation of being very holy and learned, and this was my impression. He lives a very austere life. I had never seen him and was most happy to make his acquaintance. This is his opinion on the matter, and as I and all the nuns at Medina are fully determined not to receive Dojfia Elena, she should be told that she will never become a Carmelite, so that she may be at rest about it, for as long as she is not spoken to decisively, she will always feel uneasy. The Prior agrees with me that she would not be rendering service to God by deserting her children, but he said he had been told that Dofia Elena had received the approbation of so learned a theologian that he dared not gainsay it. His Eminence need feel no more anxiety about the matter as I have given orders that, even should heaccord permission, Dofia Elena is not to be received into the Order, as I shall inform the Provincial. Will you therefore tell the Cardinal as much as you

Vol. iv, 13 think well, so that he may not be fatigued by too long an account, and will you kiss his hands for me.

May God preserve you to us for many years, and give you such love for Him as I wish and ask for you!

Soria, July 8. Your unworthy servant, Teresa de Jesus.