Enter the inner chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts save that of God, and such as can aid you in seeking him; close your door and seek him. Believe me, if we neither possess nor strive to obtain this peace at home, we shall never find it abroad. —Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
God speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes he calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Such is the difference between the two kinds of prayer. The water running through the aqueducts resembles sensible devotion, which is obtained by meditation. We gain it by our thoughts, by meditating on created things, and by the labour of our minds. In short, it is the result of our endeavors, and so makes the commotion I spoke of, while profiting the soul. The other fountain, like divine consolations, receives the water from the source itself, which signifies God.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
The surest way to determine whether one possesses the love of God is to see whether he or she loves his or her neighbor. These two loves are never separated. Rest assured, the more you progress in love of neighbor the more your love of God will increase.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
In prayer there is nothing to be afraid of, but everything to hope for.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Anyone who has the habit of speaking before God’s majesty as if he were speaking to a slave, careless about how he is speaking, and saying whatever comes into his head and whatever he’s learned from saying prayers at other times, in my opinion is not praying. Please, God, may no Christian pray in this way.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
