of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
Discussion of Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
Contents of the Chapter
- How To Treat Those
Who Suffer From Melancholy.
- This Chapter Is Necessary
For The Prioresses
1. Evil effects of melancholy. —
2. Melancholy an instrument
of Satan. —
3. How it is to be corrected. —
4. Dangers of it. —
5. Need of sharp remedies. —
6. Merit of endurance. —
7. Melancholy to be treated as madness. —
8. A disease. —
9. Remedies for it. —
10. Prayer of the melancholy
to be shortened. —
11. Why the Saint dwells so much on it. —
12. The second reason.
|
Discussion of Chapter 7
St Teresa discusses "melancholy":
" to say something about
the treatment of melancholy"
██ Description of melancholy
▪ This temperament finds means
"for the purpose of doing its own will"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #1 ]
▪ "What they are most given to
is the doing of their own will,
- saying whatever
comes into their head,
- observing the faults of others
that they may hide their own,
and
- amusing themselves with that
wherein they find pleasure;
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #4 ]
▪ "the chief work ot this temper
is to bring reason under its control,
which then becomes obscured"
▪ "at times this temper is so overbearing
as to conquer reason,
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #4 ]
▪ "They who have no reason...must be mad..."
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #2 ]
▪ "...they lose all sense"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #12]
And without the discernment of reason,
"What then will our passions not do ?"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #2 ]
▪ "they are like a person
without the power of self-restraint.
Then, with passions unmortified,
...bent on having their own way"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #4 ]
▪ " their imagination...all the mischief is there"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #10 ]
|
██ Culpability of true melancholy
▪ "there is no sin then,
as there is none in madmen,
whatever disorders they may commit"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #4 ]
▪ "though once or occasionally
they may not be able
to restrain themselves,
it is not a confirmed madness,
whereby all blame is taken away;
though it may be so at times,
yet it is not so always,...
▪ the soul is in great danger
unless...they are so deprived
of their reason
as to do or say those things
which they do or say
when they cannot help themselves".
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #5 ]
|
██ Varieties of the temperament of Melancholy:
"There are varieties of this temper"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #2 ]
► Those who bear the cross of melancholy,
striving for self-knowledge and virtue:
■ Of those "who are subject to melancholy,...
(all are) not...so troublesome"
"for humble and gentle persons thus afflicted,
- though very troublesome to themselves,
- never do any harm to others,
especially if they have good sense.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #2 ]
"It is of the great compassion of God
that those who are thus disordered
are obedient to their superior,
for all their good consists in that
amid the dangers I speak of.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #5 ]
"some who very nearly lost their senses,
but who are so humble in spirit,
and so afraid of offending God,
that, though in secret
they waste away in weeping,
yet
do only what they are commanded,
and
bear their infirmity like the others.
But this is a greater martyrdom,
and they will therefore have a greater glory,
and in this life
their purgatory
that they may not have it in the next"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #6 ]
"They carry about within themselves
a cruel death
of sorrows, fancies, and scruples,
and
therefore merit very much thereby,
though they always call them temptations
for if they were once persuaded
that all flows out ot this one evil
they would be greatly relieved,
provided they made no account of it."
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #12 ]
► Character faults - mistaken as "melancholy":
■ St. Teresa said that it seemed
"more common...than it used to be"
because many types of immoderate dispositions
were referred to as melancholy:
"the reason is
that all self-will and licence
are now called melancholy.
St. Teresa seems to indicating:
• that character faults could be
not only concealed
but also bolstered
by identifying them as an illness
rather than a lack of self-government.
Thereby making allowances for self-indulgence.
"this word (melancholy) should never be uttered,
because it seems to bring licence with it"
"her melancholy shall be no defense for her".
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #8 ]
▪ "that the mischief comes very often...
from a spirit
- undisciplined,
- wanting in humility, and
- badly trained,
(while) the melancholy temper
is not so strong as this"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #7 ]"
• that it is a serious disorder
because it affects the progress of the soul
and affects those who live with her.
"and how serious it is !
and (should be) treated accordingly"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #8 ]
► Exacerbation by the devil:
▪ "Satan lays hold of it in some people
as a means whereby to draw them to himself
if he can,
and he will do so
if they are not very careful"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #2 ]
▪ "Satan,
under the pretence of this temper,
seeks to gain many souls"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #8 ]
|
██ Precautions;
▪ "careful...not to admit nuns subject to it"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #1
"and one sister in this state
is enough to disquiet a monastery.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #3 ]
▪ "the disease is so subtle
that it counterfeits death
we do not find it out
till it is too late.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #1]
▪ "they think themselves well,
for they will not confess
that they suffer from this disorder"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #11]
▪ "it is very rarely
that people recover from this
or die of it either,
but they lose all sense,
and that is a death
which kills all the others."
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #12]
|
██ Recommendations regarding Treatment:
▲ Observation and Discernment
▪ "The devices (of) this temper
are so many
that it becomes necessary
to look into them,
to enable us to
- bear with it and
- control it,
lest it should do a mischief to others".
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #1 ]
▪ "As the poor soul has nothing in herself
that can help her to defend herself
against the suggestions of the evil one,
the prioress must be very watchful
in her direction of her,
not only outwardly
but inwardly also,
for (the faculty of) reason,
which in the sickly sister,
is already darkened,
ought to be the more clear in the prioress,
that the devil,
making use of this weakness,
may not bring that soul under his own power.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #3
▲ The Necessity of Treatment:
▪ "the prioress must be their physician,
for the disease is
more hurtful to perfection
than is theirs who,
in danger of their life,
remain in their beds.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #11]
▪ "The matter is dangerous"
St. Teresa seems to indicate here
the detrimental effects of melancholy
to the person
who experiences and exhibits melancholia
and
to the convent community
who observes it.
This can include:
- irrational and inappropriate words and actions
- overbearing temper
- unbridled emotions
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #4 ]
▪ "there is no other remedy
but to conquer them
by every way and means in our power".
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #5 ]
▪ Regardless of the severity of the conditon,
all, who are melancholic, should be treated.
"Those in whom this evil...has
- only begun,
- not have gained so much strength...
must be treated in the same way
(as those with extensive melancholy)
if other remedies be not sufficient...
because...
it grows from the same root...
it has the same nature and source"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #3 ]
▪ "it is necessary
that those sisters
- who are not so overcome,
- in whom reason is only weakened,
- not lost altogether, and
- who are good at other times,
should not,
on those occasions when they are afflicted,
begin to take any liberties,
lest they should be unable
when well to control themselves,
for the cunning of Satan is fearful.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #4 ]
▲ Instill the importance
of Humble acceptance and endurance
of this suffering of melancholy:
▲ Instill the importance of Obedience
and Submission of the will:
▪ "and the sister should be
made to understand...
that she must be humble and obedient
like everybody else,
and
that...her melancholy shall be no defence for her
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #8 ]
▪ "they who will not do this with a willing heart
must be compelled to submit
by the prioress,
and
they must not delude themselves
by their indiscreet devotions
in their disorderliness
so as to be a trouble to all their sisters.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #6 ]
▪ "the prioresses must strive...
to bring under subjection
nuns who thus suffer,
that they may feel they are
never, and in nothing,
to do their own will;
for if they find that
- their clamour,
and
- the despondency
into which Satan casts them
for the purpose of driving them,
if he can,
to destruction,
can at any time prevail,
they are lost"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #3 ]
▪ "they should
- never be allowed to feel
that they may have their own way,
- neither should they have it,
it being a settled thing
that they shall be obedient,
for the evil consists in their feeling that
they can have liberty.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #9 ]
▪ Assignment of their tasks
should be adjudicated
according to their ability and self-discipline.
In this way, one will not be apt to disobey.
"However, the prioress may refrain
from laying upon them a command
which she knows they will disobey;
because they are not strong enough
to (force) themselves (to complete it)"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #9 ]
▲ No tolerance for disobedience
or improper behavior:
"the melancholy sister,
if disobedient to the superior,
must suffer for it
as if she were in her right mind,
and
nothing must be forgiven her:
if she speaks in an unbecoming manner
to any of her sisters
she must be punished
as the others,
and
for every imperfection of the same kind.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #6 ]
▪ Avoidance of the detrimental
influence on others and
propagation of the melancholic behavior
to others
"It must be done,
because of another very grave evil
over and above the danger
to the weak sister herself:
for when the others see her,
to all appearance in good health,
not knowing what her soul suffers interiorly
from the violence of her disorder
— we are naturally so miserable —
they will all think themselves
subject to melancholy,
that they may be borne
with in the same way:
moreover,
Satan will make them think so,
and
the havoc he will then make
will be,
when found out,
very difficult to undo."
___________
"...It seems unjust
to punish the sick sister,
when she cannot help herself,
as if she were well...
And the prioress
who, out of pity,
will have allowed these
to begin with taking liberties,
will not be able to bear with them
in the end;
and when she comes to correct them
she will find
that much harm
has been done to the others.
If madmen are bound and chastised
to keep them from killing people
( and that is rightly done ; yea,
and seems a great kindness,
because they cannot help themselves),
how much more
must these sickly sisters
be looked after,
that they,
with the liberties they take,
may not do harm to the souls of others !
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #6 ]
▲ Fear
▪ "if there be any means
whereby they may be kept under control,
those means are fear."
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #2 ]
"...I have seen them
obey, and
control themselves
in the presence of one they fear;
Why, then, not do as much for God ?"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #7 ]
▲ Kindliness
▪ "It is necessary
that the prioress,
but without letting them know it,
should
- treat them with great tenderness,
like a true mother, and
- search out every means she can
to cure them."
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #8 ]
▪ "she should
- manage them and
- influence them by affection
to do that which is required of them,
in order, if possible,
to make them submit out of affection,
which
- will be far better,
and
- is generally successful
when the prioress
- shows them much affection, and
- makes them feel it
by her acts and words.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #9 ]
▪ "though they may not do their work very well,
their faults must be borne with,
in order that there may be no occasion
for bearing with greater
after they shall have been ruined".
St. Teresa states the advantage
of accepting and bearing
the shortcomings of the melancholic one,
while assisting her
because these faults will become greater
if she is not helped.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #10 ]
▪ "Deeply, indeed, do I feel for them,
and it is right
that all who are living with them
should feel for them in the same way,
considering that our Lord
might have visited us
with a like affliction;
and above all, bearing with them...
without letting them know
that we are doing so.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #12 ]
▲ Involvement in Duties and Activities
to suppress and engage the imagination:
▪ "the best remedy within their reach
is to employ them largely
in the duties of the house,
that they may have no opportunity
of giving way to their imagination,
for all the mischief is there"
"I know this to be the most complete remedy
that can be furnished them"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #10 ]
▲ Supervision of Prayer Time
(also) to constrict the imagination:
▪ "Prayer of the melancholy to be shortened."
"Means also must be found
to keep them in general
from spending too much time in prayer,
seeing that for the most part
their imagination is weak,
and that will do them much harm ;
if that be not done,
they will be filled with fancies,
which neither they nor those
who may hear of them
will ever be able to understand.
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #10 ]
▲ Penances:
▪ "the prioresses must
have recourse to the penances
in force in the order"
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #3 ]
"If words be not enough,
have recourse to penances,
and let them be heavy
if light penances will not do..."
"you cannot do their souls a greater service."
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #5 ]
▪ But, St. Teresa seems to be stipulating
- that their penances should be
assigned and supervised.
The penances should not be self-determined
since the melancholic one has poor judgement
- that the penances should not
be so frequent or strict
as to let her injure her health.
"Care must be taken
that they eat fish but rarely"
"and it is necessary also
that they should not fast so much
as the others".
[ Foundations: Ch. 7: #11 ]
|
End of the Discussion
of Chapter 7
of the
Book of the Foundations
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
|
