The Second State of Prayer. Its Supernatural Character.
1. Having spoken of the toilsome efforts and of the strength
required for watering the garden when we have to draw the water
out of the well, let us now speak of the second manner of drawing
the water, which the Lord of the vineyard has ordained; of the
machine of wheel and buckets whereby the gardener may draw more
water with less labour, and be able to take some rest without
being continually at work. This, then, is what I am now going to
describe; and I apply it to the prayer called the prayer
of quiet.
2. Herein the soul begins to be recollected; it is now touching
on the supernatural--for it never could by any efforts of its own
attain to this. True, it seems at times to have been wearied at
the wheel, labouring with the understanding, and filling the
buckets; but in this second degree the water is higher, and
accordingly the labour is much less than it was when the water
had to be drawn up out of the well; I mean, that the water is
nearer to it, for grace reveals itself more distinctly to
the soul.
3. This is a gathering together of the faculties of the soul
within itself, in order that it may have the fruition of that
contentment in greater sweetness; but the faculties are not lost,
neither are they asleep: the will alone is occupied in such a way
that, without knowing how it has become a captive, it gives a
simple consent to become the prisoner of God; for it knows well
what is to be the captive of Him it loves. O my Jesus and my
Lord, how pressing now is Thy love! [1] It binds our love in
bonds so straitly, that it is not in its power at this moment to
love anything else but Thee.
4. The other two faculties help the will, that it may render
itself capable of the fruition of so great a good; nevertheless,
it occasionally happens, even when the will is in union, that
they hinder it very much: but then it should never heed them at
all, simply abiding in its fruition and quiet. [2] For if it
tried to make them recollected, it would miss its way together
with them, because they are at this time like doves which are not
satisfied with the food the master of the dovecot gives them
without any labouring for it on their part, and which go forth in
quest of it elsewhere, and so hardly find it that they come back.
And so the memory and the understanding come and go, seeking
whether the will is going to give them that into the fruition of
which it has entered itself.
5. If it be our Lord's pleasure to throw them any food, they
stop; if not, they go again to seek it. They must be thinking
that they are of some service to the will; and now and then the
memory or the imagination, seeking to represent to it that of
which it has the fruition, does it harm. The will, therefore,
should be careful to deal with them as I shall explain.
Everything that takes place now in this state brings the very
greatest consolation; and the labour is so slight, that prayer,
even if persevered in for some time, is never wearisome.
The reason is, that the understanding is now working very gently,
and is drawing very much more water than it drew out of the well.
The tears, which God now sends, flow with joy; though we feel
them, they are not the result of any efforts of our own.
6. This water of grand blessings and graces, which our Lord now
supplies, makes the virtues thrive much more, beyond all
comparison, than they did in the previous state of prayer; for
the soul is already ascending out of its wretched state, and some
little knowledge of the blissfulness of glory is communicated to
it. This, I believe, is it that makes the virtues grow the more,
and also to draw nearer to essential virtue, God Himself, from
Whom all virtues proceed; for His Majesty has begun to
communicate Himself to this soul, and will have it feel how He is
communicating Himself.
7. As soon as the soul has arrived thus far, it begins to lose
the desire of earthly things, [3] and no wonder; for it sees
clearly that, even for a moment, this joy is not to be had on
earth; that there are no riches, no dominion, no honours, no
delights, that can for one instant, even for the twinkling of an
eye, minister such a joy; for it is a true satisfaction, and the
soul sees that it really does satisfy. Now, we who are on earth,
as it seems to me, scarcely ever understand wherein our
satisfaction lies, for it is always liable to disappointment; but
in this, at that time, there is none: the disappointment cometh
afterwards, when the soul sees that all is over, and that it has
no power to recover it, neither does it know how; for if it cut
itself in pieces by penance and prayer, and every other kind of
austerities, all would be of little use, if our Lord did not
grant it. God, in His great mercy, will have the soul comprehend
that His Majesty is so near to it, that it need not send
messengers to Him, but may speak to Him itself, and not with a
loud crying, because so near is He already, that He understands
even the movements of its lips.
8. It seems absurd to say this, seeing that we know that God
understands us always, and is present with us. It is so, and
there can be no doubt of it; but our Emperor and Lord will have
us now understand that He understands us; and also have us
understand what His presence bringeth about, and that He means in
a special way to begin a work in the soul, which is manifested in
the great joy, inward and outward, which He communicates, and in
the difference there is, as I said just now, between this joy and
delight and all the joys of earth; for He seems to be filling up
the void in our souls occasioned by our sins.
9. This satisfaction lies in the innermost part of the soul, and
the soul knows not whence, nor how, it came, very often it knows
not what to do, or wish, or pray for. It seems to find all this
at once, and knoweth not what it hath found; nor do I know how to
explain it, because learning is necessary for many things. Here,
indeed, learning would be very much to the purpose, in order to
explain the general and particular helps of grace; for there are
many who know nothing about them. Learning would serve to show
how our Lord now will have the soul to see, as it were, with the
naked eye, as men speak, this particular help of grace, and be
also useful in many other ways wherein I am likely to go astray.
But as what I write is to be seen by those who have the learning
to discover whether I make mistakes or not, I go on without
anxiety; for I know I need have none whatever about either the
letter or the spirit, because it is in their power to whom it is
to be sent to do with it as they will: they will understand it,
and blot out whatever may be amiss.
10. I should like them to explain this, because it is a principal
point, and because a soul, when our Lord begins to bestow these
graces upon it, does not understand them, and does not know what
to do with itself; for if God leads it by the way of fear, as He
led me, its trial will be heavy, if there be no one who
understands the state it is in; and to see itself as in a picture
is a great comfort; and then it sees clearly that it is
travelling on that road. The knowledge of what it has to do is a
great blessing for it, so that it may advance forwards in every
one of these degrees of prayer; for I have suffered greatly, and
lost much time, because I did not know what to do; and I am very
sorry for those souls who find themselves alone when they come to
this state; for though I read many spiritual books, wherein this
very matter is discussed, they threw very little light upon it.
And if it be not a soul much exercised in prayer, it will find it
enough to understand its state, be the books ever so clear.
11. I wish much that our Lord would help me to describe the
effects on the soul of these things, now that they begin to be
supernatural, so that men might know by these effects whether
they come from the Spirit of God. I mean, known as things are
known here below--though it is always well to live in fear, and
on our guard; for even if they do come from God, now and then the
devil will be able to transform himself into an angel of
light; [4] and the soul, if not experienced herein, will not
understand the matter; and it must have so much experience for
the understanding thereof, that it is necessary it should have
attained to the highest perfection of prayer.
12. The little time I have helps me but little, and it is
therefore necessary His Majesty should undertake it Himself; for
I have to live in community, and have very many things to employ
me, as I am in a house which is newly founded--as will appear
hereafter; [5] and so I am writing, with very many interruptions,
by little and little at a time. I wish I had leisure; for when
our Lord gives the spirit, it is more easily and better done; it
is then as with a person working embroidery with the pattern
before her; but if the spirit be wanting, there is no more
meaning in the words than in gibberish, so to speak, though many
years may have been spent in prayer. And thus I think it a very
great advantage to be in this state of prayer when I am writing
this; for I see clearly that it is not I who speak, nor is it I
who with her understanding has arranged it; and afterwards I do
not know how I came to speak so accurately. [6] It has often
happened to me thus.
13. Let us now return to our orchard, or flower-garden, and
behold now how the trees begin to fill with sap for the bringing
forth of the blossoms, and then of the fruit--the flowers and the
plants, also, their fragrance. This illustration pleases me; for
very often, when I was beginning--and our Lord grant that I have
really begun to serve His Majesty--I mean, begun in relation to
what I have to say of my life,--it was to me a great joy to
consider my soul as a garden, and our Lord as walking in it.
I used to beseech Him to increase the fragrance of the little
flowers of virtues--which were beginning, as it seemed to
bud--and preserve them, that they might be to His glory; for I
desired nothing for myself. I prayed Him to cut those He liked,
because I already knew that they would grow the better.
14. I say cut; for there are times in which the soul has no
recollection of this garden--everything seems parched, and there
is no water to be had for preserving it--and in which it seems as
if the soul had never possessed any virtue at all. This is the
season of heavy trials; for our Lord will have the poor gardener
suppose all the trouble he took in maintaining and watering the
garden to have been taken to no purpose. Then is the time really
for weeding and rooting out every plant, however small it may be,
that is worthless, in the knowledge that no efforts of ours are
sufficient, if God withholds from us the waters of His grace; and
in despising ourselves as being nothing, and even less than
nothing. In this way we gain great humility--the flowers
grow afresh.
15. O my Lord and my Good! I cannot utter these words without
tears, and rejoicing in my soul; for Thou wilt be thus with us,
and art with us, in the Sacrament. We may believe so most truly;
for so it is, and the comparison I make is a great truth; and, if
our sins stand not in the way, we may rejoice in Thee, because
Thou rejoicest in us; for Thou hast told us that Thy delight is
to be with the children of men. [7] O my Lord, what does it
mean? Whenever I hear these words, they always give me great
consolation, and did so even when I was most wicked.
16. Is it possible, 0 Lord, that there can be a soul which, after
attaining to this state wherein Thou bestowest upon it the like
graces and consolations, and wherein it understands that Thou
delightest to be with it, can yet fall back and offend Thee after
so many favours, and such great demonstrations of the love Thou
bearest it, and of which there cannot be any doubt, because the
effect of it is so visible? Such a soul there certainly is; for
I have done so, not once, but often. May it please Thy goodness,
O Lord, that I may be alone in my ingratitude--the only one who
has committed so great an iniquity, and whose ingratitude has
been so immeasurable! But even out of my ingratitude Thine
infinite goodness has brought forth some good; and the greater my
wickedness, the greater the splendour of the great mercy of Thy
compassions. Oh, what reasons have I to magnify them for ever!
17. May it be so, I beseech Thee, O my God, and may I sing of
them for ever, now that Thou hast been pleased to show mercies so
great unto me that they who see them are astonished, mercies
which draw me out of myself continually, that I may praise Thee
more and more! for, remaining in myself, without Thee, I could do
nothing, O my Lord, but be as the withered flowers of the garden;
so that this miserable earth of mine becomes a heap of refuse, as
it was before. Let it not be so, O Lord!--let not a soul which
Thou hast purchased with so many labours be lost, one which Thou
hast so often ransomed anew, and delivered from between the teeth
of the hideous dragon!
18. You, my father, must forgive me for wandering from the
subject; and, as I am speaking to the purpose I have in view, you
must not be surprised. What I write is what my soul has
understood; and it is very often hard enough to abstain from the
praises of God when, in the course of writing, the great debt I
owe Him presents itself before me. Nor do I think that it can be
disagreeable to you; because both of us, I believe, may sing the
same song, though in a different way; for my debt is much the
greater, seeing that God has forgiven me more, as you, my
father, know.
1. 2 Cor. v. 14: "Charitas enim Christi urget nos."
2. See ch. xvii. § 12; Way of Perfection, ch. liii., but xxxi. of
the old editions.
3. See Relation, i. § 12.
4. 2 Cor. xi. 14: "Ipse enim Satanas transfigurat se in
angelum lucis."
5. See ch. x. § 11. As that passage refers probably to the
monastery of the Incarnation, this must refer to that of
St. Joseph, newly founded in Avila; for that of the Incarnation
was founded a short time before the Saint was born; and she could
hardly say of it, now that she was at least in her forty-seventh
year, that it was newly founded. The house, however, was poor;
for she says, ch. xxxii. § 12, that the nuns occasionally quitted
the monastery for a time, because of its poverty.
6. See ch. xviii. § 10. In the second Report of the Rota,
p. 477--quoted by Benedict XIV., De Canoniz. iii. 26, n. 12, and
by the Bollandists in the Acta, 1315--we have these words, and
they throw great light on the text: "Sunt et alli testes de visu
affirmantes quod quando beata Teresa scribebat libros, facies
ejus resplendebat." In the information taken in Granada, the
Mother Anne of the Incarnation says she saw the Saint one night,
while writing the Fortress of the Soul, with her face shining;
and Mary of St. Francis deposes to the same effect in the
informations taken in Medina (De la Fuente,
vol. ii. pp. 389, 392).
7. Prov. viii. 31: "Deliciæ meæ esse cum filiis hominum."