God highly esteems these works…done for him in aridity and hardship, for by such means the virtues and gifts are acquired in a high degree. Those acquired through this labor are for the most part more select, refined, and stable than if they were obtained with spiritual relish and enjoyment,…
…You (Jesus) crown the intense desire to do a work, where there is no possibility of doing it, more than a work done without the desire. And if Your work will not be accomplished, it will not be for this reason, that is not Your will, but because there is…
Charity liberates the will from everything, imposing as a duty to love God above all else. This however is possible only when anxious desire for creatures is removed. – St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein)
The desire to stand out or excel is natural to a creature. But if we would reflect on it, what purpose do those social triumphs serve? They disappear between night and morning. …the only thing that is worthwhile here on earth is whatever brings us closer to God. -St. Teresa…
He who falls alone remains alone in his fall, and he values his soul little since he entrusts it to himself alone. – St. John of the Cross
It seemed to me impossible, my Lord, to abandon You so completely. And since I did forsake You so many times, I cannot but fear. For when You withdrew from me, I fell to the ground. – St. Teresa of Avila
Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love. – St. Teresa of Avila
What did You possess, my Lord, but trials, sufferings, and dishonor?…In sum, my God, it does not fit those of us who want to be your true children, and hold on to their inheritance, to flee suffering. Your heraldry consists of five wounds. – St. Teresa of Avila
In the patience and forbearance practiced in these voids and aridities, and through perseverance in its spiritual exercises without consolation or satisfaction, the soul practices the love of God, since it is no longer motivated by the attractive and savory gratification it finds in its work, but only by God.…
Since God is love, that which He creates to His image is love, and the relationship between Father and Son is but the loving gift of self and union in Love. – St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein)