Friday, March 26, 2010

Sixteenth Century Quote of the Week


"Humility does not disturb or disquiet, however great it may be; it comes with peace, delight and calm. . . .The pain of genuine humility doesn't agitate or afflict the soul; rather, this humility expands it and enables it to serve God more."

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Spanish nun, writer and saint
The Way of Perfection (1566), Chapter 39, Section 2

Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez

4 comments:

Svea Love said...

Very beautiful and reflective.

Julianne Douglas said...

I'll have to do a post on St. Teresa. I'm reading her Autobiography now. She can say more in one sentence than some can in an entire book.

lucyp said...

I just finished teaching a whole course on Teresa. We read the Autobiography chapter by chapter, and a few of her other writings.

Julianne Douglas said...

Oh, I wish I could have been there! We'll have to have a long chat about her sometime. :) She's probably my favorite 16th century person.