Brief Practice for Perfection

And first, concerning detachment from creatures, St. John says: “For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). So all imperfections are born from three disordered loves: from love of pleasures, of possessions, and of one’s own esteem. On this point, beautiful is the saying of St. Teresa: “It justly follows that whoever goes after lost things is himself also lost.”

As to the first love—of pleasures and one’s own satisfactions—this is conquered by detaching oneself from them through mortification, both internal and external. Internal mortification involves regulating the passions, never acting out of self-love, vanity, mood, or human motives; but solely to please God. All the internal passions are comprehended under two substantial powers, namely the irascible and the concupiscible.

Concerning the irascible, the principal passion is anger, which is conquered by the virtue of meekness, which is then exercised by the following acts:

1. Never become indignant against one’s neighbor.

2. Converse with sweetness equally with all.

3. Speak with a low voice, with a serene countenance, and with gentle words, especially with persons who are angry or troublesome.

4. Bear in peace the faults of others, injuries, and annoyances.

5. Do not become disturbed or lose heart over one’s own faults, but humbling oneself immediately, rise again in peace with a brief act of contrition, and without thinking more about it, resume the journey with more fervor and more confidence in God; and do the same whenever one falls.

6. Never speak or act when the heart is troubled. St. Francis de Sales used to say: “I have made a pact with my tongue not to speak when my heart is troubled.” It helps greatly in such disturbances to confer about them with one’s director or another spiritual person.

Concerning the concupiscible, one must remove all disordered affection for every sort of person, and especially for youth or those of a different sex, by avoiding their conversation, affectionate words or letters, gifts, jokes, and every other thing that may kindle affection. St. Teresa says: “Remove from your eyes occasions that are not good, and immediately the soul turns to loving God.” And if they are relatives, let us always strive to please God first rather than them, because relatives love their own interests more than our spiritual profit. Therefore one must:

1. Not abandon the exercise of necessary virtues in order to conform to their temperament.

2. When God calls to a more perfect state of life, one must leave them courageously, obeying God first rather than them.

3. Not meddle in domestic affairs that are harmful to one’s spiritual profit, unless strict charity requires it.

It also pertains to the concupiscible to conquer one’s own will, which is conquered by the virtue of obedience. Obedience, says St. Teresa, is the short way to perfection, and she exclaims: “O virtue of obedience, that can do all things!” St. Catherine of Bologna similarly said that obedience alone is more pleasing to God than all other good works. Therefore in practice one must:

1. Regulate oneself in all things of the soul, however small they may be, by obedience either to superiors or to one’s own rules or to one’s spiritual father, whom everyone must necessarily have. The devil knows, says St. Teresa, that herein lies the remedy for a soul, and thus he works hard to impede it. On the contrary, she says that from a soul resolved to love Him, God wants nothing else but that it obey.

2. One must obey at once, leaving every other task, and in everything, provided no evident sin is involved.

3. Obey willingly and not with bitterness.

4. Obey blindly, without seeking reasons, but conforming one’s own judgment to the judgment of superiors. Finally, in good things where no express obedience appears, the safest course is to embrace that which is contrary to one’s own inclination.

External mortification, then, involves detaching oneself from the pleasures of the senses, mortifying:

I. Sight, by not looking at illicit or dangerous or curious objects; going with eyes lowered; observing modesty with oneself in undressing, in dressing, and in every other action.

II. Hearing, by distancing oneself from discourses of detraction or impurity or gossip.

III. Smell, by depriving oneself of smelling flowers, scented waters, perfumes, etc.

IV. To mortify taste, one must attend to quantity:

1. Not eat or drink only to satisfy oneself, nor until satiated, but until it suffices.

2. Not eat outside of mealtimes.

3. Always leave some portion at table for love of Jesus and Mary.

4. Eat little in the evening, and some evenings go without supper altogether.

5. Make some abstinence on certain days of the week.

6. On Friday or Saturday fast on bread and water, or at least limit yourself to one dish.

Concerning the quality of foods:

1. Do not seek delicate and tasty foods, nor condiments or other seasonings of spices, sauces, and the like.

2. At times, eat some bitter herb with your food.

3. At least do not complain if the food is poorly prepared, cold, or unseasoned.

V. Touch is mortified:

1. By not seeking too many comforts in sleeping, dressing, or sitting.

2. By depriving oneself of fire in winter and of gloves and fans in summer.

3. By using some afflictive mortification of disciplines, little chains, small crosses, and the like; but always under obedience to one’s director; otherwise, says St. Philip Neri, one loses either health or humility.

4. At least do not complain of infirmities, labors, inconveniences, internal anguishes; and make continuous offerings of them to Jesus Christ. St. Teresa left us these beautiful sayings on this point of external mortification: “To think that God admits to His friendship people who love their ease is nonsense.” “Comfort and prayer are incompatible together.” “Souls that truly love God cannot ask for rest.”

It also pertains to external mortification to mortify the tongue with the virtue of silence, which involves:

1. Speak little, and considerately.

2. In some hour of the day, do not speak at all, except for necessity.

3. Speak often of God, and in every discourse always interpose some spiritual sentiment. St. Teresa used to say: “In the conversations of God’s servants, Christ is always found present, and it greatly pleases Him that they delight in Him.”

The second disordered love is for possessions, and this is conquered by the virtue of poverty:

1. By removing all that is superfluous and leaving oneself the purely necessary, or at least removing attachment to what one possesses.

2. Choosing the poorest and meanest things.

3. Rejoicing when even the necessary is lacking. St. Teresa used to say: “Poverty is a good that comprises all the goods of the world.” And in another place: “The less we have here below, the more we shall enjoy in eternity.”

The third disordered love is for one’s own esteem, and this last is conquered by the virtue of humility, to exercise which one must:

1. Give all the glory to God for whatever good one does, casting out of the heart every vain complacency. St. Teresa: “When we seek to please God alone, the Lord will give us strength to overcome all vainglory.”

2. Esteem oneself worse than all and all better than oneself, always looking at the merits of others and one’s own defects, especially with reflection on so many graces received from God.

3. Desire to be thus held and treated also by others.

4. Not seek honors, praises, or honorable employments; indeed, not accept them except by obedience to superiors.

5. Not excuse or defend oneself even when accused wrongly, except in case of scandal or impediment to the greater glory of God. St. Teresa: “Not excusing oneself perfects a soul more than ten sermons.”

6. Without necessity for greater good, never say a word of one’s own praise concerning one’s talents, birth, relatives, riches, etc.

7. Bear and rejoice before God in seeing oneself despised, reproved, ridiculed, calumniated, and persecuted. St. Teresa used to say: “Who is he who, seeing the Lord covered with wounds and afflicted by persecutions, would not embrace Him or desire to?” In this regard the saints have been accustomed to ask God often for the grace to be despised for His love. It is well, at least in prayer, to prepare oneself to bear contempt, by proposing to oneself all the encounters that could happen. St. Teresa: “One act of humility is worth more than all the learning of the world.”

The other thing that we mentioned at the beginning, indeed the principal one for arriving at perfection, is union with God, which is attained by the following means:

I. By perfect love for God, loving Him:

1. Above all things, guarding more carefully against committing the smallest sin or deliberate defect with open eyes than against losing even life itself. St. Teresa used to say: “From a very deliberate sin, however small it may be, may God deliver you.” She says moreover: “By means of small things the devil goes making holes through which great things enter.” And she warns elsewhere: “True devotion consists in not offending God and in being resolved to do every good thing.”

2. One must love Him with all one’s heart, resolutely desiring to arrive at the greatest perfection to please God. On this point St. Teresa notes: “God does not leave without reward even in this life whatsoever good desire.” And moreover she says that the Lord ordinarily does not make many notable favors except to those who have greatly desired His love. But one must then join to these desires vigorous action when the occasions arise, conquering human respect, one’s own repugnances, and earthly interests.

3. Love God continually and in all occasions, and to this end direct and offer Him everything, even indifferent actions, such as eating, licit recreation, and everything, even steps, breaths, always uniting them to the actions of Jesus and Mary while they were on earth. Moreover, suffer for His love cheerfully all painful and contrary things, conforming oneself, indeed uniforming oneself to the will of God in all that He wishes to do in us and with us. On this point St. Teresa left us these excellent doctrines: “And what greater gain can there be than in having some testimony that we please God?” And what this testimony is, she explained: “While one lives, the gain does not consist in endeavoring to enjoy God more, but in doing His will.” “Great force (she says elsewhere) has this gift of our will to God, because it draws Him to unite Himself with our lowliness.” “True union is to unite our will with that of God.”

Finally, to keep kindled the flame of our love for God, one must make frequent acts of love during the day, but especially in prayer and communion, saying to Him: Most loving and sole treasure of mine, my God, my all, I love You with all my heart. I give myself entirely to You without reserve, and I consecrate all my thoughts, my desires, all my affections. I do not want, I do not sigh for, I do not seek anything but You alone, my only life. Your pleasure is my pleasure. Do in me and with me what pleases You. My God and my every good, give me Your love and nothing more. And the like.

II. One must, to unite oneself to God, attend to mental prayer, whose proper work it is, says St. John Climacus, to unite the soul with God through the love that is kindled in prayer. It is profitable therefore to give to this prayer as much time as one can, at least half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening, meditating on eternal truths, or on divine benefits, and more on the life and death of Jesus Christ.

After meditation, whenever the soul should not be drawn by God by extraordinary grace to contemplation, it is well that it occupy itself in affections and devout aspirations, but without doing violence to itself, seeking to do it not indeed with sensibility but with pure will, or else in making petitions; always terminating prayer by making some particular resolution for progress.

Let the beautiful instructions be noted that St. Teresa left us concerning prayer: “The time that is spent without making prayer is all lost.” “The soul that leaves prayer is as if it itself places itself in hell, without need of devils.” “Learning is a great treasure for prayer, if however it is accompanied by humility.”

Concerning aridity, oh what courage the saint gives us, saying: “With aridity and temptations the Lord makes trial of His lovers. Though aridity last the whole of life, let not the soul leave prayer; time will come when all will be paid back very well.” In another place: “Love of God does not consist in tender feelings, but in serving with fortitude and humility. As for the soul that perseveres in prayer, despite the sins the devil may raise up, I hold for certain that the Lord will finally bring it to the port of salvation.” “The devil knows that he has lost the soul which perseveringly attends to prayer.” “He who on the path of prayer does not stop, though late, yet arrives.”

Let it be noted that the necessary guardians in prayer are three: retirement, silence, and detachment. One must then always unite with prayer spiritual reading, at least for half an hour a day, such as Rodriguez, Saint-Jure, and the like; and let the reading of lives of the saints be dear to us above all, which St. Philip Neri so much recommended.

III. Then one must (as often as one can) with the direction of one’s spiritual father make communion, which has been called the sacrament of union, and where the soul unites itself entirely with Jesus. But let one attend to preparing oneself for it by directing all the spiritual exercises one does as preparation for communion; then endeavor never to omit thanksgiving, occupying oneself therein for an hour or at least half an hour in affections and prayers. For then, says St. Teresa, Jesus remains in the soul as on a throne of mercy to dispense graces to it: “After communion,” are the saint’s words, “let us not lose so good an opportunity to negotiate.” And in another place: “His Majesty does not usually ill repay the lodging, if good welcome is given Him.” For preparation and thanksgiving, it is extremely profitable to think of three things, namely:

1. Who comes? Jesus.

2. To whom does He come? To me.

3. Why does He come? To be loved. To which are united three acts, of faith, of humility, of love. Those three great words may serve for all: I believe, I hope, and I love. It is also extremely profitable for uniting ourselves with God to make several spiritual communions in the day. St. Teresa warned: “To communicate spiritually is of much profit; do not leave it, for here the Lord will prove how much you love Him.” Also make frequent visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament. “What would become of us,” the saint used to say, “if the Most Blessed Sacrament were not in the world?” St. Dionysius the Areopagite asserts that from no other source do we receive so many helps for perfection as from the Most Blessed Sacrament. With the visit to the Sacrament, then, must be united the visit to the Mother of God, Mary.

IV. To preserve ourselves then united to God, it is absolutely necessary to attend to prayer, knowing from the Gospel that ordinarily God does not dispense graces except to those who seek them. Whence from the morning in rising one must with confidence commend oneself to Jesus and Mary that they assist us.

It is well then to repeat this in all the actions that one begins, in going out of the house, in setting oneself to read, to rest, etc., never omitting in the evening the examination of conscience with the act of contrition. In temptations then and dangers of sinning it is absolutely necessary to have recourse to God, saying at least “Jesus and Mary,” invoking them for help. St. Teresa used to say: “I do not understand certain trembling—‘devil, devil’—when we can say ‘God, God,’ and make him tremble.” Thus also one must often seek from the Lord the victory over the dominant passion, holy perseverance, His love with perfect conformity to His will. St. Teresa warned: “This is not a time to treat with God business of little importance, such as asking temporal things.”

V. It is extremely profitable together with union with God to have continual remembrance of His presence, by recalling that in every place He sees us, hears us, stands around us and within us. St. Teresa attributes all our failings to this: “All the harm comes to us from not remembering that God is present, but believing that He is far away.” But this happens because we love Him little; the saint saying: “The true lover always remembers the beloved.” For this memory of the divine presence it is very helpful to place some special sign on one’s person or on the desk or in the room. Let this memory always be accompanied with short aspirations, acts of love or offerings of oneself, saying: “My God, I love You. I want only You, only Your pleasure. I give myself entirely to You,” and the like.

VI. To this end, make spiritual exercises every year of ten or even eight days, withdrawing then from every employment and conversation to deal only with God. Oh how many by this means have become saints! It is likewise profitable to renew one’s spirit with a day of retreat at least once a month; and during the year then to make with special devotion the novenas of holy Christmas, of the Holy Spirit, of the seven festivities of Mary, in which every day one makes some special homage, such as the rosary and the visit; and on every Saturday in her honor make the fast on bread, or at least on the vigils of the seven feasts; noting what St. Teresa says: “Oh how pleasing to the Lord is whatsoever service that is done to His most holy Mother!” Thus also make the novena of one’s special patron saint, having particular devotion to the holy apostles, fathers of the faith.

To this love and union with God pertains finally charity toward one’s neighbor, which concerning the interior involves desiring for one’s neighbor that good which we wish for ourselves; not wishing for him that evil which we do not wish for ourselves; rejoicing therefore with our will in his good and grieving at his evil, even though naturally we might encounter some repugnance. Concerning the exterior then one must:

1. Not detract from him or deride or mock him, but always speak well of him, defending him, excusing at least his intention.

2. Console him in afflictions.

3. Help him in spiritual and corporal necessities, particularly in infirmities.

4. Condescend to one’s neighbor, as St. Teresa expresses it, in everything where there is no sin. One must however (St. Francis de Sales warns on this point) take the opportune time for oneself and for one’s neighbor; and when one has had to fail one’s neighbor for the sake of one’s own recollection, seek another occasion to serve his wishes.

5. Not give to one’s neighbor bad counsel and bad example.

6. One must at times reprove him, but with gentleness and at his proper time, not indeed when he is agitated by passion. Finally, one must above all attend to doing good to those who do evil to us, at least by speaking well of them, treating them with sweetness, and commending them to God, distracting the thought from the slights, harshnesses, or annoyances that it seems we have received from them.

Let there be noted in conclusion of this brief practice, among others, the following teachings that St. Teresa left us for perfection in various places of her writings:

All diligence profits little if, taking away all trust in ourselves, we do not place it in God. Because we do not fully give our affection to God, neither does He fully give us the treasure of His love. From rote devotion may God deliver us. I have many times experienced that there is nothing the devils flee more than blessed water. All is filth that we can do in comparison with a single drop of blood that the Lord shed for us. If we do not fail on our part, let us have no fear that God will fail on His part to give us the help to make us saints. Let us have no fear that God will leave unrewarded even a lifting of the eyes in remembrance of Him. The Lord wants nothing more from us than our resolution, and then on His part, He does all the rest. God never sends a trial without immediately repaying it with some favor. If the soul does not distance itself from the pleasures of the world, it will soon become lax again in the way of the Lord. Do not communicate your temptations to the imperfect, because you will do harm to yourself and to others; but communicate them to the perfect. Let your desire be to see God; your fear to lose Him; your joy in that which can lead you to God.

May Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Teresa live, now and for all ages. Amen. So be it.