There is no affliction, trial, or labor difficult to endure, when we consider the torments and sufferings which Our Lord Jesus Christ endured for us.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
Vocal prayer . . . must be accompanied by reflection. A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of Whom, I don't call prayer-however much the lips may move.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True prayer requires awareness and reflection, not just the act of speaking words.
This quote emphasizes that vocal prayer should not be a mere repetition of words but should come from a place of genuine awareness and understanding of the relationship between the person praying and the divine. Teresa of Avila highlights the importance of intention and mindfulness in prayer, implying that without reflection on the nature of the prayer and the asker, the act loses its significance and depth.
Themes
PrayerReflectionAwarenessMindfulnessSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
In a spiritual retreat, one could use this quote to inspire participants to reflect on their prayer practices.
More from Teresa Of Avila
All quotes →How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
What friends or kindred can be so close and intimate as the powers of our soul, which, whether we will or no, must ever bear us company?
Teresa Of AvilaRead
To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed, You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face
Teresa Of AvilaRead
If we do not use great care to mortify our will, there are many things which can deprives us of the holy freedom of spirit that we are seeking in order to fly more freely to our Creator, without always being bogged down with the clay of this earth. Moreover, there can never be solid virtue in a soul that is attached to its own will.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
I say the same of humility and of all the virtues; the wiles of the devil are terrible, he will run a thousand times round hell if by so doing he can make us believe that we have a single virtue which we have not. And he is right, for such ideas are very harmful, and such imaginary virtues, when they come from this source, are never unaccompanied by vainglory; just as those which God gives are free both from this and from pride.
Teresa Of AvilaRead
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