Quote of the day, 15 October: St. Teresa
Soul, thou must seek thyself in Me
And thou must seek for Me to thee.
Such is the power of love’s impress,
O soul, to grave thee on My heart,
That any craftsman must confess
He ne’er could have the like success,
Howe’er superlative his art.
It was by love that thou wert made
Lovely and beautiful to be;
So, if perchance thou shouldst have stray’d,
Upon My heart thou art portray’d.
Soul, thou must seek thyself in Me.
For well I know that thou wilt see
Thyself engraven on My breast —
An image vividly impressed —
And then thou wilt rejoice to be
So safely lodg’d, so highly blest.
And if perchance thou knowest not
Whither to go in quest of Me,
Go not abroad My face to see,
Roaming about from spot to spot,
For thou must seek for Me in thee.
For, soul, in thee I am confin’d,
Thou art My dwelling and My home;
And if one day I chance to find
Fast-clos’d the portals of thy mind
I ask for entrance when I come.
Oh, seek not for Me far away,
For, if thou wilt attain to Me,
Thou needest but My name to say
And I am there without delay,
For thou must seek for Me in thee.
Saint Teresa of Avila
Poetry, VIII: Alma, buscarte has en Mí
Teresa of Avila, St. 1963, The Complete Works of St. Teresa of Jesus, Vol. III, Peers, E (trans.), E, Sheed and Ward, New York.
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