Marie du jour, 15 May: St. Teresa of Avila
The queen is the piece that can carry on the best battle in this game, and all the other pieces help. There’s no queen like humility for making the King surrender. Humility drew the King from heaven to the womb of the Virgin, and with it, by one hair, (Sg 4:9) we will draw Him to our souls.
And realize that the one who has more humility will be the one who possesses Him more; and the one who has less will possess Him less. For I cannot understand how there could be humility without love or love without humility; nor are these two virtues possible without detachment from all creatures.
Saint Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection, chap. 16, no. 2
Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: King (H.NS 19) and Queen (H.NS 23) from the Lewis chessmen, carved of walrus ivory. Scandinavian, late 12th century. Discovered in 1831 in an underground chamber in the parish of Uig, Isle of Lewis. Image credit: National Museum of Scotland / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved).
⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How can I imitate Mary’s humility, the virtue that draws Christ into the heart?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.
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