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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of overcoming one's own desires to achieve spiritual freedom and true virtue.
Teresa of Avila highlights the necessity of mastering our will and desires to attain a deeper connection with the divine. She suggests that attachment to our personal will can hinder our spiritual journey and prevent us from experiencing the true freedom of spirit that is essential in reaching our Creator. By advocating for self-discipline and the mortification of our will, she underscores that genuine virtue cannot exist in a soul held captive by its desires.
Themes
SpiritualityFreedomWillVirtueSelf-ControlDetachment
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about personal growth, a speaker might quote this to emphasize the importance of self-discipline.
More from Teresa Of Avila
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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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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.
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Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.
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