There is no affliction, trial, or labor difficult to endure, when we consider the torments and sufferings which Our Lord Jesus Christ endured for us.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
My good works, however wretched and imperfect, have been made better and perfected by Him Who is my Lord: He has rendered them meritorious. As to my evil deeds and my sins, He hid them at once. The eyes of those who saw them, He made even blind; and He has blotted them out of their memory.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the idea that grace can transform our imperfections into something worthwhile while concealing our wrongdoings.
Teresa of Avila expresses a deep sense of humility and gratitude in this quote. She acknowledges that her good works, despite their flaws, gain significance through divine grace, while her sins are hidden and forgiven by her Lord. This highlights a fundamental belief in the importance of grace in overcoming human shortcomings and the potential for redemption.
Themes
GraceForgivenessRedemptionHumilityDivineImperfection
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one could quote Teresa of Avila to emphasize the importance of grace in overcoming our flaws.
More from Teresa Of Avila
All quotes βHow often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer.
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What friends or kindred can be so close and intimate as the powers of our soul, which, whether we will or no, must ever bear us company?
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To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed, You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face
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If we do not use great care to mortify our will, there are many things which can deprives us of the holy freedom of spirit that we are seeking in order to fly more freely to our Creator, without always being bogged down with the clay of this earth. Moreover, there can never be solid virtue in a soul that is attached to its own will.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
I say the same of humility and of all the virtues; the wiles of the devil are terrible, he will run a thousand times round hell if by so doing he can make us believe that we have a single virtue which we have not. And he is right, for such ideas are very harmful, and such imaginary virtues, when they come from this source, are never unaccompanied by vainglory; just as those which God gives are free both from this and from pride.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
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