"And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil" Taken From "The Pater Noster of Saint Teresa" Translated and Adapted by MONSIGNOR WILLIAM J. DOHENY, C.S.C Imprimatur, 1942 PART THREE Complete Detachment From the World Do not permit me to depart from this life until I am absolutely detached from all earthly things, nor before I realize the utter folly of loving aught but Thee. May I never fall into the error of applying the term love to anything in this world! If the foundation is unstable, the building cannot long stand.   Folly of Seeking Love in This World I do not understand why we should be surprised when we hear people say, "This person has treated me shamefully; that person does not love me." I merely smile at such foolish remarks! After all, who is bound to repay us? Why should anyone love us? Let these reflections teach you what the world really is. You are tortured by the very love you bear it; this is what crushes you, for your heart bitterly resents your having squandered its affection in child's play. Fear of God Let us now consider the fear of God. But at the outset, I must tell you that I regret being unable here to speak about the love of this world, even though, in punishment for my sins, I was given to know it only too well. Though I should like to make you understand what it is, so that you would always keep yourselves from it, I must omit speaking of it so as not to digress from the subject of fear. The fear of God is also a virtue that is easily perceived by the one possessing it, as well as by one's companions. It is true that at the beginning, this virtue is not perfectly developed, except in those individuals whom God has specially favored and enriched in a short time with many graces.  Notwithstanding, this holy fear is always recognized even in beginners. Little by little it grows, and with each succeeding day this virtue of fear becomes stronger. Then it is not tardy in manifesting itself. You will notice that a soul, possessing this fear of God, immediately avoids not only sin, but even its occasions, as well as bad companions. There are also many other ways by which this fear manifests its presence in a soul. Dread of Sin When the soul has reached contemplation, the fear of God that animates it is very evident. It is to such a soul that I now refer. This virtue, like love, cannot remain hidden in the heart. No matter how closely you observe such persons, you will never find them lacking in recollection. Our Lord shields them so carefully that they would not commit one deliberate venial sin for all the gold in the world. And as for mortal sins, they dread them as they dread fire.   Fear of Offending God My wish is that you possess a profound dread of any illusions that may beset you in this matter. Constantly beg our Lord never to permit a temptation to become so violent that it would lead you to offend Him, but beg Him always to conform it to the strength He has given you, with which to resist it. If you keep your conscience pure, the temptation will cause you little or no harm. It will even redound to your advantage. It is important to keep this point in mind. Such is the fear, then, that I hope you will always retain. It will be your safeguard. O, what a wonderful thing it is, not to have offended God. It is the fear of offending Him that enables us to hold in fetters the demons and slaves of Hell, for whether they desire or not, all creatures must obey God. The difference between the slaves of Hell and us is that they must serve Him without choice, whereas we serve God out of love. If we remain pleasing to our Lord, we shall keep the demons at a distance. Despite all their temptations, lies, and cunning, they can do nothing against us that cannot be turned to our advantage.  Dread of Mortal Sin Take care, then, to keep your conscience pure. This is a precaution of the greatest importance. Continue striving until you are so resolutely determined never to offend God that, rather than commit a single mortal sin, you would be ready to lose a thousand lives, and to be persecuted by the entire world. Avoidance of Deliberate Venial Sin You must be equally determined, likewise, to be ever on your guard so as not to commit a deliberate venial sin. I purposely refer to deliberate venial sin, for who does not commit indeliberate ones in great number? There is one form of attentiveness accompanied by deliberation, and there is another which is so sudden that the committing of the fault and our consciousness of it occur in the same instant. In such a case, we have not the opportunity to reflect upon what we do. Gravity of Deliberate Venial Sin May God preserve us from all deliberate venial sins, no matter how slight they may appear. I cannot understand how we can have the boldness to oppose so great a God, even though it be in the smallest things. Understand, above all, that it can never be a small matter to offend His Divine Majesty, especially when we realize that His loving gaze is fixed on us. In my opinion, a sin which is committed with the consciousness of God's gaze upon us is a completely deliberate sin. It is as if we said, "Lord, I intend to commit this sin, despite Thy displeasure. I fully realize that Thou dost see me, and I know that Thou dost not will me to commit this sin. Of all this I am fully conscious. Nevertheless, I prefer to follow my will and natural tendencies, rather than Thy Will." Can such an offense be a trivial matter? I do not think so. However slight the fault may be in itself, in view of the deliberation which accompanies it, it is great, and even very great. For the love of God never be negligent on this point. Continue in your present good dispositions. Realize that it is extremely important to accustom yourselves to continue in the spirit of fear, and to understand the significance and gravity of an offense against God. Strive to deepen this conviction and maintain this spirit, until the fear of God is embedded little by little in your hearts. It is a question of your very life and even more. Watchfulness Over Self   Until you are completely convinced that you possess this virtue, you should exercise a great, and even a very great, watchfulness over yourselves. And you ought to avoid all occasions and companions that do not draw you closer to God. Strive earnestly in all your actions and words to conquer your self-will. Avoid saying anything that would not edify others: avoid all conversations that are not of God. Resolute Striving for Perfection Much must be done to implant this holy fear of God deeply in the soul. But we shall acquire it much sooner if we are inflamed with true love, and especially if we have the resolute determination never to commit the slightest offense against God. We ought to be willing to endure a thousand deaths, just to avoid one single venial sin. Doubtlessly, we shall fall from time to time, for after all, we are lamentably weak. We ought, as a result, ever to be mistrustful of ourselves. And the firmer our resolutions are, the less we ought to trust ourselves. Our entire confidence must rest in God alone. Advantage of a Holy Liberty When you realize that you posses these dispositions of which I have just spoken, it is no longer necessary to be constrained and timid. Our Lord will strengthen you, and your good habits will keep you from offending Him. Act now with holy liberty in your lawful dealings with others, even with the worldly. Such people cannot harm you, now that you have a supreme horror of sin. On the contrary, they will incite you to deepen your resolutions still more, inasmuch as they show you what a difference there is between good and evil. If before you possessed the true fear of God, these persons were a danger to your soul and a source of spiritual death, they will now inspire you to love and praise God all the more, for having snatched you from such manifest danger. Formerly, you may have encouraged them in their weaknesses; now you can rescue them by your very presence. Even though they may have no intention of honoring you, your presence will influence them for the better. Beneficent Influence of Holy Persons   I often praise God when I reflect upon the source of this beneficent influence. Very frequently, a true servant of God, without speaking a word, can silence blasphemies merely by his presence. The same thing happens in the world. One always respects a friend of ours in our presence; and even though the person be absent, no one will criticize him, simply because he is known to be our friend. A person in the state of grace has a like influence. The state of grace itself causes the person to be respected, however humble his condition may be. People will avoid causing him distress when they observe how pained he is by an offense against God. I do not understand the precise reason for this; but I know that this is usually the case. Avoidance of Undue Constraint Avoid undue constraint in your conduct. When a soul begins to be excessively restrained, it finds itself restriced in all sorts of ways. Sometimes it becomes a prey of scruples and consequently becomes useless to itself and to others. But even if it does not go that far, it will not lead many souls to God, though it work for its own personal sanctification. Human nature is so constituted that the very sight of restraint and stiffness will frighten and repel others from following the way that you pursue, even though it may appear more conductive to virtue. Rather than risk the danger of such constraint, a person will give up the idea of seriously cultivating virtue. Danger of Uncharitable Judgments Another danger arises from this. There will be a tendency to judge others unfavorably, even though they be holier, because they follow a different way than you do. If they act freely and without constraint, in an effort to be helpful to others, you immediately judge them to be imperfect. If you see them give themselves up to holy joy, you consider them dissipated. This is particularly the tendency of pious women who, for want of learning, do not know how to deal with people without committing faults. This is very dangerous, for it is a source of continual and vexing temptations, as well as an injury to one's neighbor. Briefly, it is extremely blameworthy to think that those who are less constrained than ourselves are not as perfect as we are. Undue Timidity There is still another difficulty. In certain circumstances, when you talk with others, or when you are obliged to deal with them, you will be timid about doing so through fear of not being sufficiently reserved on some points. And so, perhaps you may even commend that which you should have discountenanced. Importance of Affability Strive to be affable, in so far as you are able, without offending God. Deal with all persons in such a way that they will enjoy your conversation, and will even wish to imitate your life and manners. Then they will not be terrified by virtue, or prejudiced against it. This counsel is extremely important for nuns. The more saintly they are, the more gracious they should be with their Sisters. If you sincerely wish to be helpful and acceptable to others, never leave their company, even though their conversation may be unpleasant, and may cause you vexation. Strive earnestly to be affable and agreeable. Aim to please all the persons who deal with you, and particularly your Sisters. Danger of Narrowness of Vision Understand very clearly that contrary to what you may think, God does not concern Himself with such trivial matters. Protect your soul and your spirit from scruples; otherwise you will suffer great loss. Let your intention be upright and your will resolutely determined never to offend God. Do not constrain your soul; for instead of inspiring it to sanctity, you will multiply imperfections, into which Satan will lure you. Nor, as I have said, will you be as helpful to yourself or others, as you might have been. Confident Trust in God You understand now how with these two virtues of love and fear of God, we can follow the way of perfection with calm and peace. Therefore, do not look for pitfalls at your every step; if you do, you will never attain to perfection. Since, however, you can never be absolutely sure that we possess these two essential virtues, we should always be on the alert. Fear, consequently, should always be in the vanguard. As long as we remain on earth, we shall never have complete assurance; for the matter, it would even be dangerous for us. It was because He knew this that our Lord, filled with compassion at the sight of a life of uncertainties, temptations, and dangers, has appropriately taught us to beg, as He Himself prayed, "to be dblivered from evil." Mail HOME-------------------------CATHOLIC CLASSICS www.catholictradition.org/Classics/pater-noster3.htm