Quote of the day, 19 December: St. Teresa of Avila
O King of Glory and Lord of all kings! How true that Your kingdom is not armed with trifles, since it has no end! How true that there is no need for intermediaries with You!
Upon beholding Your person, one sees immediately that You alone, on account of the majesty You reveal, merit to be called Lord. There’s no need for people in waiting or for guards in order that one know that You are King.
Here on earth, if a king were all by himself, he would fail to be recognized. However much he would want to be recognized as king, he wouldn’t be believed; he would have no more to show than anyone else. It’s necessary that one see the reason for believing he is a king, and that is the purpose of these artificial displays. If he didn’t have them, no one would esteem him at all; the appearance of power doesn’t come from him. It is from others that his display of grandeur must come.
O my Lord! O my King! Who now would know how to represent Your majesty! It’s impossible not to see that You in Yourself are a great Emperor, for to behold Your majesty is startling; and the more one beholds along with this majesty, Lord, Your humility and the love You show to someone like myself the more startling it becomes.
Nevertheless, we can converse and speak with You as we like, once the first fright and fear in beholding Your majesty passes, although the fear of offending You becomes greater. But the fear is not one of punishment, for this punishment is considered nothing in comparison with losing You.
Saint Teresa of Avila
The Book of Her Life, ch. 37, no. 6
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Antiphonaire à l’usage de l’église de Sens, folio 16v. Eighteenth-century manuscript on parchment, 129 folios, attributed to Abbé Jean Lebeuf (French, 1687–1760). Image credit: Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Public domain)
#Advent #humility #KingOfHeaven #OAntiphons #StTeresaOfAvila
