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object:CHAPTER 40 - Describes how, by striving always to walk in the love and fear of
God, we shall travel safely amid all these temptations.
book class:The Way of Perfection
author class:Saint Teresa of Avila
class:chapter
Show us, then, O our good Master, some way in which we may live through this most dangerous
warfare without frequent surprise. The best way that we can do this, daughters, is to use the love
and fear given us by His Majesty. For love will make us quicken our steps, while fear will make
us look where we are setting our feet so that we shall not fall on a road where there are so many
obstacles. Along that road all living creatures must pass, and if we have these two things we shall
certainly not be deceived.

136

Lit.: "these treasons."

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You will ask me how you can tell if you really have these two very, very great virtues. 137You
are right to ask, for we can never be quite definite and certain about it; if we were sure that we
possessed love, we should be sure that we were in a state of grace. But you know, sisters, there are
some indications which are in no way secret but so evident that even a blind man, as people say,
could see them. You may not wish to heed them, but they cry so loud for notice that they make
quite an uproar, for there are not many who possess them to the point of perfection and thus they
are the more readily noticed. Love and fear of God! These are two strong castles whence we can
wage war on the world and on the devils.
Those who really love God love all good, seek all good, help forward all good, praise all good,
and invariably join forces with good men and help and defend them. They love only truth and things
worthy of love. Do you think it possible that anyone who really and truly loves God can love
vanities, riches, worldly pleasures or honours? Can he engage in strife or feel envy? No; for his
only desire is to please the Beloved. Such persons die with longing for Him to love them and so
they will give their lives to learn how they may please Him better. Will they hide their love? No:
if their love for God is genuine love they cannot. Why, think of Saint Paul or the Magdalen. One
of these-Saint Paul-found in three days that he was sick with love. The Magdalen discovered
this on the very first day. And how certain of it they were! For there are degrees of love for God,
which shows itself in proportion to its strength. If there is little of it, it shows itself but little; if
there is much, it shows itself a great deal. But it always shows itself, whether little or much, provided
it is real love for God.
But to come to what we are chiefly treating of now-the deceptions and illusions practised
against contemplatives by the devil-such souls have no little love; for had they not a great deal
they would not be contemplatives, and so their love shows itself plainly and in many ways. Being
a great fire, it cannot fail to give out a very bright light. If they have not much love, they should
proceed with many misgivings and realize that they have great cause for fear; and they should try
to find out what is wrong with them, say their prayers, walk in humility and beseech the Lord not
to lead them into temptation, into which, I fear, they will certainly fall unless they bear this sign.
But if they walk humbly and strive to discover the truth and do as their confessor bids them and
tell him the plain truth, then the Lord is faithful, and, as has been said, by using the very means
with which he had thought to give them death, the devil will give them life, with however many
fantasies and illusions he tries to deceive them. If they submit to the teaching of the Church, they
need not fear; whatever fantasies and illusions the devil may invent, he will at once betray his
presence.
But if you feel this love for God which I have spoken of, and the fear which I shall now describe,
you may go on your way with happiness and tranquillity. In order to disturb the soul and keep it
from enjoying these great blessings, the devil will suggest to it a thousand false fears and will
persuade other people to do the same; for if he cannot win souls he will at least try to make them

137

Lit.: "these two virtues, so great, so great."

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St. Teresa of Avila

lose something, and among the losers will be those who might have gained greatly had they believed
that such great favours, bestowed upon so miserable a creature, come from God, and that it is
possible for them to be thus bestowed, for sometimes we seem to forget His past mercies.
Do you suppose that it is of little use to the devil to suggest these fears? No, it is most useful
to him, for there are two well-known ways in which he can make use of this means to harm us, to
say nothing of others. First, he can make those who listen to him fearful of engaging in prayer,
because they think that they will be deceived. Secondly, he can dissuade many from approaching
God who, as I have said, see that He is so good that He will hold intimate converse with sinners.
Many such souls think that He will treat them in the same way, and they are right: I myself know
certain persons inspired in this way who began the habit of prayer and in a short time became truly
devout and received great favours from the Lord.
Therefore, sisters, when you see someone to whom the Lord is granting these favours, praise
Him fervently, yet do not imagine that she is safe, but aid her with more prayer, for no one can be
safe in this life amid the engulfing dangers of this stormy sea. Wherever this love is, then, you will
not fail to recognize it; I do not know how it could be concealed. For they say that it is impossible
for us to hide our love even for creatures, and that, the more we try to conceal it, the more clearly
is it revealed. And yet this is so worthless that it hardly deserves the name of love, for it is founded
upon nothing at all: it is loathsome, indeed, to make this comparison. How, then, could a love like
God's be concealed-so strong, so righteous, continually increasing, never seeing cause for ceasing
to manifest itself, and resting upon the firm foundation of the love which is its reward? As to the
reality of this reward there can be no doubt, for it is manifest in Our Lord's great sorrows, His trials,
the shedding of His blood and even the loss of His life. Certainly, then, there is no doubt as to this
love. It is indeed love, and deserves that name, of which worldly vanities have robbed it. God help
me! How different must the one love be from the other to those who have experience of both!
May His Majesty be pleased to grant us to experience this before He takes us from this life, for
it will be a great thing at the hour of death, when we are going we know not whither, to realize that
we shall be judged by One Whom we have loved above all things, and with a passion that makes
us entirely forget ourselves. Once our debts have been paid we shall be able to walls in safety. We
shall not be going into a foreign land, but into our own country, for it belongs to Him Whom we
have loved so truly and Who Himself loves us. For this love of His, besides its other properties, is
better than all earthly affection in that, if we love Him, we are quite sure that He loves us too.
Remember, my daughters, the greatness of the gain which comes from this love, and of our loss if
we do not possess it, for in that case we shall be delivered into the hands of the tempter, hands so
cruel and so hostile to all that is good, and so friendly to all that is evil.
What will become of the poor soul when it falls into these hands after emerging from all the
pains and trials of death? How little rest it will have! How it will be torn as it goes down to hell!
What swarms and varieties of serpents it will meet! How dreadful is that place! How miserable
that lodging! Why, a pampered person (and most of those who go to hell are that) can hardly bear
to spend a single night in a bad inn: what, then, will be the feelings of that wretched soul when it

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is condemned to such an inn as this and has to spend eternity there? 138Let us not try to pamper
ourselves, daughters. We are quite well off here: there is only a single night for us to spend in this
bad inn. Let us praise God and strive to do penance in this life. How sweet will be the death of
those who have done penance for all their sins and have not to go to purgatory! It may be that they
will begin to enjoy glory even in this world, and will know no fear, but only peace.
Even if we do not attain to this, sisters, let us beseech God that, if in due course we must suffer
these pains, it may be with a hope of emerging from them. Then we shall suffer them willingly and
lose neither the friendship nor the grace of God. May He grant us these in this life so that we may
not unwittingly fall into temptation.



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CHAPTER_40_-_Describes_how,_by_striving_always_to_walk_in_the_love_and_fear_of, #The Way of Perfection, #Saint Teresa of Avila, #Christianity
  object:CHAPTER 40 - Describes how, by striving always to walk in the love and fear of
  God, we shall travel safely amid all these temptations.

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