Teresa de Ávila (1515–1582)
Because it is highly desirable to enter the sixth chamber of the castle of the inner, it is good not to lose hope in it, even when the Lord does not give supernatural signs of favor; after all, with His help, it is quite possible to achieve a true connection with Him by trying to obtain it through the submission of one’s own will to God’s will.
How many speak this way and are convinced that they want nothing else, even that they are willing to sacrifice their lives! If you were truly like this, sisters, I would tell you and would not stop repeating that you already have the grace of unity. Do not care about the second connection, accompanied by delights! The most precious connection lies completely in the submission of one’s own will to God’s will... and it cannot be achieved if one is not steadfast in the willingness to fulfill God’s will. Oh, how desirable this connection is! Blessed is the soul that has attained it! It lives in peace in this life and will live in the future...
According to you, daughters, what is this divine will? ... The divine will for us consists of these two things: to love God and to love one’s neighbor. Everything we do must aim at this. If we do this perfectly, we will fulfill God’s will and be united with Him! Yet how far we are from keeping these commandments! ... I confess that writing about these things deeply embarrasses me, for I see that I am still very far from them through my own fault!
The safest measure by which we can know if we are fulfilling these two commandments is to look at how we love our neighbor. After all, we do not certainly know if we love God (even though there are clear signs indicating that we do love Him), but we can easily recognize love for our neighbor. Be assured that the more you advance in love for your neighbor, the further you will also be in love for God. God loves us so much that in return for the love we have for our neighbor, He will cause our love for Him to grow in countless ways. There is no doubt about it...
However, I think that due to the weaknesses of our nature, we will never reach the point of perfectly loving our neighbor unless that love springs from the same root as our love for God. And because this, daughters, is a very important matter, let us diligently examine ourselves even in the smallest things, and let us not heed certain thoughts that come to us abundantly in prayer, which make us believe that we are ready to undertake great things out of love for our neighbor, even for the salvation of a single soul. If our actions do not correspond to this, then we have no reason to trust ourselves...
Sometimes I must laugh when I see what happens to certain souls. When they are immersed in prayer, they seem ready to accept any humiliation or public mockery out of love for God; but then, when an opportunity arises, they would cover even the smallest mistake! Not to mention that they would be accused of something they did not commit!... How easy it is, sisters, to recognize which of you has pure love for your neighbor and which of you is not yet so perfect. If you understood how important this virtue is, you would strive for nothing else.
(The Castle of the Inner, 5. Abodes)
