APRIL 24, 1614
BEATIFICATION OF ST. TERESA OF JESUS
Soliloquies #13
The Souls of the Blessed Help Us in Our Misery
St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)
O souls that without fear already have fruition of your joy and are always absorbed in praises of my God, happy has been your lot! What great a reason you have for being ever engaged in these praises. How my soul envies you, for you are already free from the sorrow such terrible offenses committed against my God cause in these unfortunate times, and from the sorrow of seeing so much ingratitude, and seeing that there is no awareness of the multitude of souls carried away by Satan, O blessed heavenly souls! Help our misery and be our intercessors before the divine mercy that we may be given some of your joy and a share in this clear knowledge you possess.
Give us understanding my God, of what it is that is given to those who fight valiantly in the dream of this miserable life. Obtain for us, O loving souls, understanding of the joy it gives you to see the eternal character of your fruition, and how it is so delightful to see certainly that it will have no end. Oh, how fortunate we are, my Lord! For we believe in everlasting joy and know the truth well; but with so pronounced a habit of failing to reflect on these truths, they have already become so foreign to our souls that these souls neither know about them nor desire to know about them. O selfish people, greedy for your pleasures and delights; not waiting a short time in order to enjoy them in such abundance, and not waiting a year, not waiting a day, not waiting an hour--and perhaps it will take no more than a moment--you lose everything, because of the joy of that misery you see present!
Oh, oh, oh, how little we trust You, Lord! How much greater the riches and treasures You entrusted to us, since after His thirty-three years of great trials and so unbearable and pitiable a death, You have given us Your son; and so many years before we were born! Even knowing that we wouldn't repay You, You didn't want to cease trusting us with such an inestimable treasure, so that it wouldn't be your fault, merciful Father, of we fail to acquire what through Him we can obtain from you.
O blessed soul who with this precious price knew so well how to profit and buy an inheritance so delightful and permanent, tell us how you gained such an unending good! Help us, since you are so near the fount; draw water for those here below who are perishing of thirst.
Father,
By your Spirit, you raised up St. Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way of perfection.
May her inspired teachings awaken in us a
longing for true holiness.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
No comments:
Post a Comment