The soul sees such great
blindness in pleasures and how with them one buys trouble—even for this
life—and worry. What restlessness! What little happiness! What vain labor! In
this prayer it sees not only serious faults and cobwebs in its soul but any speck
of dust no matter how small because the sun is very bright. And so, not matter
how much a soul labors to become perfect, if this Sun truly takes hold of it,
everything is seen as very turbid. The soul is ls like water in a glass: the
water looks very clear if the sun doesn’t shine on it; but when the sun shines
on it, it seems to be full of dust particles. This comparison is an exact one.
Before being in this ecstasy the soul thinks it is careful about not offending
God and that it is doing what it can in conformity with its strength. But once
it is brought into prayer, which this Sun of justice bestows on it and which
opens its eyes, it sees to many dust particles it would want to close its eyes
again. (Saint Teresa of Avila: Collected Works, Volume 1 [2d ed.; trans.
Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez; Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications,
1987], 184)
It is only right that we
consider these two points since, because of his humility, this King listens to
me and lets me approach Him; and His guards do not throw me out, even though as
an uneducated person I don’t know how to speak to Him. The angels who assist
Him know well the attitude of their King, for He delights more in the
unpolished manners of a humble shepherd who He realizes would say more if he
knew more than elegant their discourse, if they don’t walk in humility. But
just because He is good doesn’t meant that we should be rude. At least, in
order to thank Him for the bad odor He must endure in consenting to allow one
like myself to come near Him, we should strive to be aware of His purity and of
who He is. It’s true that upon approaching Him one understands immediately,
just as with lords here below; for when they tell us who their father was and
about the millions they get in rent and of their title of dignity, there’s no
more to know. In fact, here below people in paying honor doesn’t take into account
the persons themselves, however much these persons may deserve the honor, but
their wealth. (Saint Teresa of Avila: Collected Works, Volume 2 [trans.
Otilio Rodriguez and Kieran Kavanaugh; Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications,
1980], 123)