Flora Cantábrica

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Saint Therese of the baby Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Teresa was undoubtedly referring to these methods when she said: «Sometimes, when I read certain treatises in which perfection appears bristling with obstacles, my poor spirit gets tired; I then close the book that breaks my head and dries my heart and I open the Sacred Scripture; then everything seems luminous to me, perfection is easy to me; «It is enough to recognize one’s own nothingness and abandon oneself with the simplicity of a child in the arms of God.» Those who are moved by the Holy Spirit, these are children of God. «I cannot understand, much less put into practice, certain books! They will be good for greater souls than mine; I rejoice to be little, because only children and those like them will enter heaven” (Matt. 19, 14).

We must confess, indeed, that these methods are far from evangelical simplicity. Simplicity is the characteristic of Teresa’s asceticism. She teaches souls to seek God so that He frees them from their miseries; They must allow themselves to be attracted by God, surrender to Him, always count on Him. This is equivalent to saying that Teresa tries to live under the influence and action of the Holy Spirit. Her life is nothing but the practice, extremely suggestive, of this essential principle of ascetic and mystical theology. Those who are moved by the Holy Spirit…

I speak of theological principle, because under this aspect I want to present Teresa in these pages. I never tire of admiring the solidity, the depth of her theology; Without knowing it herself, without even suspecting it, she spoke as a true theologian of the most profound theology: the life of God in us.
I have noticed two pages of her life. In them all of Teresa’s ascetic doctrine is summarized. The first seems to me to express in a simple and extremely naive style the significance of the Holy Spirit… «I have always felt the desire – writes Teresa – to become a saint. But, alas, when I compare myself with the saints, I see that between them and me there is the same difference as there is between the high mountains whose top is beyond the clouds and the grain of sand trampled by passers-by.

Instead of becoming discouraged I think: God our Lord does not inspire unrealizable desires. Let’s stop for a moment; with what precision the Saint reasons. God – the Holy Spirit – never awakens unrealizable desires in the soul; When he inspires desires he intends to satisfy them, to more than fulfill them.

Desires are in the soul like the fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit. The word «desire» is constantly found in Teresa’s writings; truly significant sign. Teresa’s personal desires are classic, which have no limit or measure; They are immense, infinite. «Then I thought: God our Lord does not inspire unrealizable desires; I can, therefore, despite my smallness, aspire to holiness. To do? Growing up is impossible for me; I must resign myself to being as I am, with my innumerable imperfections, but I want to find the way to go to heaven, along a very straight, very short path, an entirely new path.

We are in the century of inventions; You no longer have to go to the trouble of climbing the steps of a staircase: an elevator replaces them with advantage. «I would like to find an elevator to lift me up to Jesus! Because I am too small to climb the steep slope of perfection.» How many souls think this same thing, but remain discouraged at the foot of the stairs! «Then I opened the Sacred Scripture, hoping to find in it the solution I needed; and I read these words of Wisdom: If anyone is very little, let him come to Me (Prov. 9, 4 and 16).

I approached him, therefore, sensing that he had discovered what he was looking for. Desiring to know what the Lord will do with the little soul that approaches Him, I found these comforting words: As a mother caresses her child, so I will comfort you, I will carry you on my lap and rock you on my knees (Is. 66, 13). Ah, I have never heard such tender and moving words! Your arms, oh Jesus, are the elevator that must take me to Heaven! For this I have no need to grow; On the contrary, I must try to be smaller every day! ».
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