Date: May 12, 2007

Podcaster: stlocds

Episode Description: St. Teresa of the Andes - letter 65
to a friend
March 1918

"There are great sufferings like dryness of spirit, that consist of seeing oneself completely abandoned by God, not feeling any fervor in prayer. And since we're so miserable, we're attached to feelings of fervor, to feeling God's love at the senses level. Sometimes we tend to go to prayer in search of God's consolations, not God Himself. This is an imperfection and Our Lord sometimes purifies souls He loves by giving them aridity, and when they no longer care about feeling sensible fervor or not, only then does He favor and console them. This is the greatest of suffering, since it's suffering of the soul. The soul sees herself deprived of His strength, separated from the God she loves so much, hemmed in by temptations, and filled with weakness. What must this suffering be like that Our Lord, who never complained throughout His Passion, seeing Himself abandoned by God, cried out to Him with great anguish: "My God, why have You abandoned me?" When He was in the garden and felt weak, seeing what he was about to suffer, and experienced the pains of the Passion in His soul, He said: "If it be possible, my Father, let this chalice pass from me; but let not My will but Thine be done." How much greater is must be, then, for the soul to see herself alone, without the One for whom she has given up everything! But only apparently does God leave her alone, for God is invisibly at her side with His grace, and she can learn from that trial greater humility, recognizing how little she's able to do by herself, and learn greater love, recognizing that, despite being miserable, God has called and loved her more than other creatures.
...This is what we must do here: love Him above everyone else. One who loves is always thinking of the beloved. Let's think of Him continually, but, since that's impossible, at least let's think of Him very often. Let's contemplate Him there, in the depth of our soul, united to us. Let's contemplate Him praying to his eternal Father for souls and for sinners, and let's unite ourselves with that divine prayer."

Time - 5:00

Copyright 1994. Letters of St. Teresa of the Andes translated by Michael D. Griffin, O.C.D. Teresian Charism Press Holy Hill 1525 Carmel Road Hubertus, WI 53033 USA