of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
CHAPTER 29 XXIX
Chapter 29 Contents
Treats Of The Foundation
Of S. Joseph
Of Our Lady Of La Calle
In Palencia,
On The Feast Of King David,
In The Year 1580
1. The Saint unwilling
to undertake the new foundation. —
2. She is discouraged. —
3. And in trouble about it. —
4. She consults Father Ripalda. —
5. Discouragement. —
6. But is encouraged by our Lord. —
7. And begins the foundation. —
8. Takes possession. —
9. And makes the foundation. —
10. She seeks a house for the nuns. —
11. Is shown one. —
12. Which she disapproves of —
13. And treats for the purchase
of others. —
14. Device of Satan. —
15. Effect of the divine locution. —
16. The Saint refers to her confessor. —
17. She reveals the locution
to the canon. —
18. The Saint's joy in the new house. —
19, Special providence of God. —
20. The houses are bought. —
21. By the two canons. —
22. Fruits of the monastery. —
23. The Saint takes possession
of the new house. —
24. The reform established. —
25. Joy of the Saint
at the separation from
the Fathers of the Mitigation. —
26. Danger of slight relaxation.
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Foot notes are found at
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CHAPTER 29
J. H. S.
1. The Saint unwilling
to undertake the new foundation.
1.
When I came away
from making the foundation
of Villanueva de la Jara [1]
I was ordered by my superior [2]
to go to Valladolid;
itwas at the request of
the Bishop of Palencia,
Don Alvaro de Mendoza,
who accepted and at all times helped
the first monastery,
that of S. Joseph, Avila,
and
always does help us
in whatever concerns the Order. [3]
When he had given up the see of Avila,
being translated to Palencia,
our Lord put it into his heart
to have a monastery of this holy order
founded there.
On my arrival in Valladolid,
I became so seriously ill
that they thought I must die. [4]
I was so unwilling
to make the foundation,
and so far from thinking
I could do anything,
that, notwithstanding
the importunity of the prioress [5]
of our monastery in Valladolid,
who wished much
to see the foundation made,
I could not persuade myself
to undertake it;
to undertake it;
neither had I the means to begin it,
for the monastery was
to be founded in poverty,
and I was told
that it could not be maintained,
because the place was very poor.
2. She is discouraged.
2.
This foundation,
with that of Burgos,
had been under consideration
for nearly a year,
and heretofore
I was not so unwilling to make it;
then, however,
when I had gone to Valladolid
for no other end,
I found that the disadvantages of it
were many.
I know not
whether this came
- from my illness
and
the weakness it left me in,
or
- from the devil,
who wanted to hinder the good
that was afterwards done.
In truth, I am lost
in amazement and grief
— and I have often complained of it
to our Lord —
at the great share
which the poor soul has
in the weakness of the body,
for it seems to have
nothing to do
but to observe its laws
according to
- its needs,
and
- anything else which makes it suffer.
3. And in trouble about it.
3.
One of the greatest trials and miseries
of this life
seems to me to be
the absence of a grand spirit
to keep the body under control;
Illnesses and grievous afflictions,
though they are a trial,
I think nothing of
if the soul is strong,
for it praises God,
and sees
that everything comes
from His hand.
But to be
on the one hand
suffering,
and
on the other
doing nothing,
is to be in a fearful state
especially for a soul
that has had earnest desires
never to rest inwardly or outwardly,
but to spend itself wholly
in the service of its great God;
there is no help for it
but
- in patience
and
in confessing its wretchedness,
and
- in being resigned to the will of God,
so that He may use it
for what purposes He pleases,
and
as He pleases.
This was the state
I was in then:
though my strength had begun
to come back,
yet such was my weakness
that I lost that confidence
I usually had
when I had to begin
any of these foundations.
I thought everything impossible,
and it would have been
of great service to me
if I could have found any one
to encourage me
but, as it was,
some helped me to be afraid;
others,
though they made me hope a little,
could not overcome my faintheartedness.
4. She consults Father Ripalda.
4.
At that time came thither
a father of the society,
the doctor Ripalda, [6]
a great servant of God,
who at one time
used to hear my confession.
I told him the state I was in,
and that I looked upon him
as standing to me in the place of God
— he must tell me
what he thought of it.
He began by rousing my courage,
and told me
that my cowardice was
the effect of old age;
but I saw well enough it was not,
for I am older today
and I feel none of it;
and he too must have known
it was not,
and therefore rebuked me
in that way
that I might not think it came from God.
5. Discouragement.
5.
The foundation of Palencia
and that of Burgos
were then carried on together,
and I was without means
for the one and the other ;
but this was not the cause
of my discouragement,
for I usually begin with less.
He bade me give it up
on no account,
and the same thing
had been said to me before in Toledo
by a provincial of the society,
Baltasar Alvarez, [7]
but I was then in good health.
That was enough to make me
resolved on going on;
and yet,
though I was very much moved by it,
I was not altogether resolved,
because
either the devil,
or, as I have just said,
my illness held me back;
however, I became much more willing
to go on.
The prioress of Valladolid did
all she could to help me,
for she wished much
for the foundation in Palencia,
but she also had her fears
when she saw me so lukewarm.
Now let the true fire come
— for nobody,
not even the servants of God,
could give me courage —
and it is done;
and that will show
it was generally
not I
who did anything in these foundations,
but He only
who is almighty.
6. But is encouraged by our Lord.
6.
One day,
still in doubt, and
not determined on making
either of the foundations,
I implored our Lord,
when I had just received communion,
to give me light
that I might in all things
do His will:
for my lukewarmness was not such
as to make me falter
for a moment
in that desire.
Our Lord said to me,
as if (He) were reproaching me,
'What art thou afraid of ?
When did I ever fail thee ?
I am to-day
what I have always been;
Do not give up these two foundations.' [8]
O the great God,
how different are Thy words
from the words of men !
So my courage and resolution came,
the whole world was not strong enough
to oppose me,
and
I began at once
to make my preparations,
and our Lord
to furnish the means. [9]
7. And begins the foundation. —
7.
I received two nuns,
that we might have wherewithal
to buy a house;
and, though they told me
it was not possible
to live by alms in Palencia,
it was as if they said nothing,
for as to founding it
with an endowment
I saw it could not be done then,
and as God commanded it
to be made
His Majesty would see to that.
Accordingly,
though I had
not quite recovered my health,
I made up my mind to go,
though the weather was rough,
for I left Valladolid
on the feast of the Innocents
in the year already mentioned, [10]
for a nobleman
who lived there,
having gone to live elsewhere,
had given us until Midsummer [11]
in the following year
a house he had hired.
I wrote to a canon of that city,
though I did not know him;
but a friend of his
had told me
that he was a servant of God,
and I had a firm persuasion
he would be a great help to us,
because our Lord himself
— it has been so
in the other foundations —
finds everywhere
some one to help us,
because His Majesty knows
how little I can do myselt.
I sent to the canon begging him
to have the house [12]
emptied for us
as secretly as he could,
for some one was staying in it
whom he was not to tell
what it was wanted for:
notwithstanding
that some of the chief persons there
had shown their good will,
and the bishop very much so,
I looked on it as being much safer
to let nobody know of the matter.
8. Takes possession.
8.
The Canon Reinoso [13]
— it was to him I wrote —
did this work so well
that he had
not only had the house made ready for us
but beds also,
with many comforts abundantly supplied;
and we had need of all,
for it was very cold,
and the day before had been toilsome
because of a thick fog
in which we could scarcely
see one another.
In truth,
we had hardly any rest
till we had made everything ready
for saying Mass the next morning. [14]
I would have that done
before anybody knew we were there,
because I have found
that to be the best way
in making these foundations, [15]
for if we begin to consult people
Satan disturbs everything;
however, he cannot succeed,
but he gives trouble.
So it was done;
for early in the morning
when it was scarcely dawn,
Mass was said by a priest
who came with us,
named Porras,
a great servant of God.
With us was also
a friend of the nuns of Valladolid,
Agustin de Vitoria, [16]
- who had lent me money
to furnish the house,
and
- who had been a great comfort to us
on the road.
9. And makes the foundation. —
9.
We came here (with)
five nuns, [17]
and
a lay sister [18]
who for some time
has been with me
as my companion,
but she is
so great a servant of God
and so provident,
that she is able to help me
more than any other.
That night we had
but little sleep,
though the journey, as I said,
had been fatiguing because of the rain.
It was a joy to me
that the foundation was made
on the day on which
the feast of king David is kept,
for I have a devotion to him. [19]
I sent immediately in the morning
a message to the Bishop,
for he did not even know
that I had arrived that day. [20]
He came to us at once
with the great affection
which he has always had for us;
He told us
he should
- give us all the bread
we should require,
and
- gave his steward orders
to furnish many things.
The (Carmelite) Order
owes him so much
that every one
who shall read the story
of these foundations
is bound to pray to our Lord
for him, living and dead;
and I ask to have it done
as an act of charity.
The joy shown by the people
was so great and so general
as to make it very remarkable,
for there was no one
who took it amiss.
It was known
that the bishop wished it,
and
that was a help to us,
for he is greatly beloved there;
but the whole population is
the best and noblest I have seen,
and accordingly
I rejoice more and more every day
that I have made a foundation there.
10. She seeks a house for the nuns.
10.
As the house was not our own,
we began at once
to treat for the purchase of another,
for though (the one we were in)
that we were in
- was for sale,
- it was very badly placed,
and I thought,
with the help I should have
from the nuns
who were to live in it,
I might treat with some security,
for, though that was but little,
it was much for that place.
After all,
if God had not sent us
the good friends He gave us
it would have been all
to no purpose.
The good Canon Reinoso brought
with him another friend,
the Canon Salinas, [21]
a man of great charity and discernment,
and between them both
the matter was looked after
just as if it was their own,
and I believe with more zeal;
and
they have been always
friends of this house.
11. Is shown one. —
11.
There was a building in the town,
a hermitage devoutly frequented,
dedicatee! to our Lady,
with the title of
Our Lady of the Street.
It is a very holy place
in the eyes
of the whole country and
of the town itself,
and many people resort to it.
It seemed
to his lordship and
to everybody
that we should be well placed
close to that church.
There was no house
belonging to it,
but there were two adjoining it,
which, if we bought them,
would be enough for us
if we had the church also.
This,
- the chapter and
- a certain confraternity
would have to give up to us,
and accordingly
we began to take steps for obtaining it.
The chapter at once
gave it to us as a gift,
and, though I had some trouble
in coming to an understanding
with the members of the confraternity,
they did so also;
for, as I have said before,
the people of the place are good,
and I have nowhere seen better.
12. Which she disapproves of —
12.
When the owners of the houses
saw that we wished to get them
they raised the price,
and very reasonably so.
I would go and see them,
but they seemed
to me and
to those
who went with us,
so poor
that I would not have them
on any account.
Later on I saw clearly
that Satan, on his part,
exerted himself because it vexed him
that we were come.
The two canons
who helped us
thought we should be there
at too great a distance
from the cathedral church,
yet it was the most thickly peopled
part of the town.
In a word,
we all made up our minds,
as that house would not suit,
to look for another.
This the two canons
- began to do
with such care and diligence
that I gave thanks to our Lord,
and
- neglected nothing
they thought to the purpose.
They were satisfied at last
with a house
belonging to a person
they call, Tamayo.
Some parts of it were
very well arranged,
so that it was
exceedingly convenient for us,
and it stood near the house
of a great nobleman,
Suero de Vega, [22]
who was a great friend of ours,
and
who, with others living
in that part of the town,
was very much pleased
at our going to live there.
The house was not large enough,
but another would be given us with it,
which, however, was not so placed
that we could well join
the one to the other.
13. And treats for the purchase of others.
13.
In short,
they gave such an account
of the matter
that I wished the purchase to be made,
but the two canons would not settle anything
before I saw the place myself.
I felt the going out among people
very keenly,
and I had so much confidence in them
as to make it unnecessary.
At last I went,
and also to see the houses
by the church of our Lady,
though not with the intention
of taking them,
but to hinder the owner
of the other house
from thinking
that we could not help taking his.
To me, and
to those who went with me
to see them,
they looked so wretched,
as I said before,
but we are now astonished
that we could have thought
so badly of them.
In this mind we went to the other house,
being fully determined
to take it, and none other;
and, though we found many difficulties,
we made light of them,
notwithstanding the great trouble
we should have in overcoming them,
for all that part of it
which was fitted for our living in
would have to be pulled down
in order to build the church,
and after all an inconvenient one.
A strange thing -
this predetermination
to do a particular thing !
to do a particular thing !
in truth,
it taught me
to have little confidence in myself,
though I was not alone
in my then delusion.
In a word,
we went away fully resolved
- that no other would do for us, and
- to give the money asked,
which was too much,
and
- to write to the owner,
for he was not in the town;
he was, however, not far off.
14. Device of Satan.
14.
This long account
of the purchase of a house
will seem foolish
until we consider the object
which Satan must have had,
that we should not go to that of our Lady;
and I tremble whenever I think of it.
All having made up their mind,
as I said before,
to take no other house
but that,
the next morning during Mass
I began to be very anxious,
doubting if we had done right,
and ill at ease,
so that I had hardly any peace
during the whole of Mass.
I went to receive
the Most Holy Sacrament,
and at the moment of communion
I heard these words,
' This is the house for thee,'
in such a way
that I made up my mind at once
not to take the other house at all
of which I was thinking,
but that of our Lady. [23]
I began to consider the difficulties
of withdrawing from a bargain
which had been carried so far,
and
which they
who had so carefully considered it,
wished so much to see settled,
and our Lord answered me,
'They do not know
how much I am offended
in that place,
and this will be a great reparation.'
I thought it was no delusion,
but I did not believe;
yet I knew well,
by the effect it had upon me,
that it was the Spirit of God.
He said to me at once,
'It is I.'
15. Effect of the divine locution.
15.
I became perfectly calm,
delivered from my former uneasiness,
though I did not know
how
- to undo what had been done,
and
- to remove the evil impression
given to my sisters of that house;
for I had spoken strongly
of the unfitness of it,
and that I would not have them
go there without seeing it
for anything in the world.
However,
I did not think so much about this,
for I was well aware
that they would take in good part
whatever I did;
but my doubts were about those
who wished to have the other house.
These would look on me,
I thought,
as capricious and uncertain,
seeing that I changed so quickly
— what I hate exceedingly.
All this thinking
had no influence whatever,
much or little,
to make me give up
the house of our Lady,
neither did I remember
that it was not a good house;
for if the nuns could hinder
but one venial sin
everything else was of no moment,
and every one of them,
if they only knew what I knew,
would have been, I believe,
of the same mind.
16. The Saint refers to her confessor.
16.
I had recourse to this
— I used to go to confession
to the canon Reinoso,
who was one of two
who be friended me,
though I had never told him
anything of the kind before,
because nothing had happened
to make it necessary
for me to do so ;
and, as I have been accustomed
when these spiritual visitations occur
always to do that
which my confessor may advise,
in order that I might travel
on the safe road,
I determined to tell him all
as a great secret,
though my mind was not made up
to leave undone
what I had been told to do,
without a feeling of great pain.
I would have ended, however,
by doing what he told me,
for I trusted in our Lord
that He would do again
what I have known Him
do at other times,
for His Majesty changes
the confessor's mind,
though of another opinion,
so that he shall do
what our Lord wills.
17. She reveals the locution to the canon.
17.
I spoke to him
- first, of the many times
that our Lord was wont to show me
in this way what to do,
and
- that before now
many things had happened
whereby I knew it
to be the work of His Spirit,
and
- then told him
what had taken place;
- but still I would do
what he desired,
though it might be painful.
He was a most prudent and saintly man,
and endowed with the gift
of good counsel in everything,
but he is young,
and, though he saw
that this change would be talked about,
his decision was not
that I should refrain from doing
what I had learnt.
I told him we should wait
for the return of the messenger,
and he thought so too,
for I was now confident
that God would find a way out of it;
and so it came to pass,
for the owner of the house,
though we had given for it
what he wanted and had asked for,
now asked three hundred ducats more,
which seemed absurd,
for the sum to be paid
was more than the house was worth.
Herein we saw
the hand of God,
for the sale of the house
was very serviceable to its owner,
and to ask for more
when the bargain had been made
was not reasonable.
This helped us exceedingly,
and we said we could never agree with him;
but it was not enough to excuse us,
because it was plain
that for the sake of three hundred ducats
we ought not to give up a house
that seemed fit for a monastery.
I told my confessor
not to trouble himself
about my good name
now that he thought I ought to do it,
but merely to say to his friend
that I was bent on buying
the house of our Lady,
whether it might be
dear or cheap,
in good or in bad repair.
His friend has
a singularly quick understanding,
and, though nothing was said to him,
I believe he guessed the reason
when he saw so sudden a change,
and accordingly
he never pressed me further in the matter.
18. The Saint's joy in the new house.
18.
We all saw afterwards
the mistake we might have made
in buying that house,
for we are now amazed
when we consider
how much better is the one we have,
to say nothing
of the chief thing of all,
and which everybody sees,
• the service
of our Lord and
of His glorious Mother
therein, and
• the removal of occasions of sin,
for nightly vigils were kept there,
and therefore,
as it was only a hermitage,
many things might have been done there,
the hindering of which
was a vexation to Satan,
and we ourselves are glad to be able
to serve our Mother,
our Lady, our Protectress in anything.
It was very ill done on our part
not to have gone there sooner,
for we ought never
to have looked at any other house.
It is plain enough
that the devil makes us blind
to many things,
for there are many conveniences
in the house
which we should not have found elsewhere;
the people, too,
wished us to take it,
and their joy is exceedingly great;
and even those
who would have us
go to the other house
afterwards looked on this
as much the best.
19, Special providence of God.
19.
Blessed be He for ever and ever
who gave me light herein !
— and He does so
whenever I happen to do anything well;
for every day I am amazed
more and more
at the little ability I have for anything.
This must not be understood as humility,
for I see it to be so
more clearly day by day.
It seems to be our Lord's good pleasure
that I and everybody else shall learn
- that it is His Majesty alone
who makes these foundations,
and
- that, as He by means of clay
gave sight to the blind, [24]
so He will have one blind
as I am
not to act blindly.
Certainly we showed great blindness
in this matter,
as I said before,
and whenever I think of it
I give thanks anew to our Lord,
only even to do this
I am not able,
and I do not know
how people can bear me.
Blessed be His compassion for ever !
Amen.
20. The houses are bought.
20.
Those saintly friends
of the Virgin
then made haste at once
to purchase the houses,
and they had them cheap in my opinion.
They laboured hard,
for in every one of these foundations
God would have those
who helped us
to gain merit,
and I am the one
who does nothing,
as I have elsewhere said,
and wish never to refrain from saying,
because it is true.
Then, the help they gave us
in arranging the house,
and also
in paying the money for it, [25]
and
in becoming our sureties also,
as I had no money myself,
was very great,
for before I found any
to be sureties for us in other places,
and that for not so large a sum,
I was put to great trouble;
and they were right,
for if they did not trust in our Lord
they would not have done so,
because I have no means.
But His Majesty has always been
so gracious unto me
that nobody lost anything
by doing me that kindness at any time,
nor have I ever failed
to repay them fully,
and I look upon that as a very great grace.
21. By the two canons.
21.
As the owners of the house
were not satisfied
with the two canons as sureties,
these went in search of the steward, [26]
whose name was Prudencio;
but I do not know
that my recollection of his name is exact
— so they called him now —
for as he was called the steward,
I did not learn his name.
He was so charitable to us
that our debt to him was and is great.
He asked them
whither they were going:
they answered, to find him,
that he might sign the bond.
He laughed and said,
'So this is the way you ask me
to become security for so much money ?'
And thereupon,
without dismounting from his mule,
he signed,
which is a wonderful thing
for these times.
I should like to speak much
in praise of the charity
of the people of Palencia,
of all together
and
of each in particular:
the truth is,
it seemed to me
like that of the primitive church
— at least it is not very
common in the world now;
they knew
- (that) we had no revenue, and
- that they would have to find us food,
and
yet they
not only did not forbid us
to come to them,
but declared our coming
to be a very great grace
which God gave them;
and if it be looked at
in the true light
they spoke truly,
for, if it did no more
than give them another church,
wherein the Most Holy Sacrament
had another house,
that is a great thing.
22. Fruits of the monastery.
22.
May He be blessed for ever, amen !
for it is plain enough
- that He is pleased to be here, and
- that some-thing wrong which must
have been done in the place
is done no longer
— for as much people
kept vigil here formerly,
and
as the hermitage was lonely,
every one that came
did not come out of devotion —
- that is a change for the better.
The image of our Lady was
in a most unseemly place.
The bishop, Don Alvaro de Mendoza,
built a chapel for it,
and by degrees much was done
for the honour and glory
of the glorious Virgin
and
of her Son.
Praise Him for ever !
Amen, amen.
23. The Saint takes possession
of the new house.
23.
At last,
when the house was fully prepared
for the nuns to go into it,
the bishop would have them
go with great solemnity,
and accordingly
it was done one day
within the octave of Corpus Christi; [27]
he came himself from Valladolid,
and was attended by
the chapter,
the religious orders,
and
almost the whole population
of the place,
to the sound of music. [28]
We went
from the house
in which we were staying,
all of us in procession,
in our white mantles,
with veiled faces,
to the parish church, [29]
close to the house of our Lady.
Her image had come for us,
and
we took the Most Holy Sacrament thence
and carried it into our church
in great pomp and order,
which stirred up much devotion.
There were more nuns,
for those who were going
to make the foundation in Soria
were there; [30]
and we all had candles in our hands.
I believe
our Lord was greatly honoured that day
in that place. [31]
May He grant it may be always
so of all creatures ! Amen.
24. The reform established.
24.
When I was in Palencia
it pleased God to
- make a separation
of the friars of the reform
from the friars of the mitigation,
- each division to be a province by itself,
which is all that we desired
for our own peace and quietness. [32]
On the petition of Don Philip,
our Catholic king,
a most ample brief [33]
was brought from Rome for the purpose,
and his majesty helped us in the end
as he had in the beginning.
A chapter was held in Alcala
under the presidency
of a reverend father,
Fray Juan de las Cuevas, [34]
then prior in Talavera.
He is
- of the order of S. Dominic,
and was appointed in Rome
on the nomination of the king:
- a most holy and prudent man,
as it was necessary he should be
for such a work as this.
The cost was borne by the king,
and at his command,
the whole university helped the friars.
The chapter was held [35]
in great peace and concord
in the College of S. Cyril
of the barefooted Carmelites, [36]
which we possess there.
The father-master
Fray Jerome Gratian of the Mother of God
was elected provincial. [37]
25. Joy of the Saint at the separation
from the Fathers of the Mitigation.
25.
But, as these fathers will give
an account of this elsewhere,
there is no reason
why I should meddle with it.
I have spoken of it
because it was while I was occupied
with this foundation
that our Lord did a work
- that touched so nearly
the honour and glory
of His glorious Mother,
our Lady and Patroness as she is,
for the order is hers,
and
- (that) gave to me one
of the greatest joys and pleasures
that I could have in this life,
for I had been
for more than twenty-five years
in trouble, persecution, and distress,
too long to speak of;
our Lord alone can know of them.
Then to see the end of it all !
No one,
unless he knows the trouble
I underwent,
can tell
- the joy that I had in my heart,
and
- the desire I had
that all the world should give thanks
to our Lord,
and
that we should pray to Him
for our holy King Don Philip,
whom God made use of
to bring everything to so happy an end,
for the devil had been so cunning
that the order would have
been overthrown
but for the king.
26. Danger of slight relaxation.
26.
Now we are all in peace,
friars of the mitigation
and
friars of the reform,
no one hinders us
in the service of our Lord.
Therefore, my brethren and sisters,
make haste to serve His Majesty,
who has so abundantly
heard our prayers.
Let those
who are now alive,
who have seen these things
with their own eyes,
consider
- His graciousness unto us, and
- the troubles and disquiet
from which He has delivered us;
and let those
who are to come after us,
who will find everything easy,
for the love of our Lord
never allow any observance
tending to perfection
to fall into disuse.
Let them never give men
occasion to say of them
what is said of some orders,
'Their beginning was praiseworthy '
— and we are beginning now —
but let them strive to go on
from good to better.
Let them consider
that the devil,
by means of very slight relaxations,
makes an opening
by which very great ones may creep in.
Let it never happen to them
to say,
'This is nothing — these are extremes.'
O my daughters,
everything is important
if it does not help us onwards.
I beseech you
for the love of our Lord
to keep in mind
- how soon everything passes away,
and
- how good our Lord has been to us
in bringing us to the Order,
and
- how severely she shall be punished
who shall be the first
to be lax in anything.
Do you direct your eyes
to the race of those holy prophets
from whom we are descended
— what saints we have in heaven
who wore this habit !
Let us dare
with a holy boldness,
by the grace of God,
to be ourselves like unto them.
The fight, my sisters, will be
but for a moment,
and the issue
is for ever.
Let us
- leave alone those things
which are nothing, and
- attend to those
which bring us near to Him
who is our end,
- to serve and love Him
more and more,
for He will be for ever and ever.
Amen, amen.
Thanks be to God !
See Foot notes on following page
|
End of Chapter 29
of the
Book of the Foundations
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
|
