St. Teresa Expert Needed

[Mayo-man]

If this is the wrong forum, perhaps the moderator will better locate my question for me. I don’t find a forum for “Lives of the Saints”, but I do think the subject matter is worthy of its own forum. I really can’t imagine anything more “traditional” than the Carmelite Order and the lessons from these “Lives” are priceless.

I read recently a very telling story regarding Teresa of Avila and a novice to the discalced Carmelites. Apparently, the novice was skipped over at meal time and remarked to Teresa about the oversight. Teresa urged the novice to ask the older nuns doing the serving for her meal, but the novice said she would rather suffer the loss of the meal than complain. Teresa agreed that to suffer in silence would have been the higher road, but required that the novice seek her meal saying she had foregone that option by bringing the matter to the attention of her superiors.

Can any here give me a citation, possibly from a particular book or publication, for this novel story [and insight]. I tried a web search, but could not locate a reference to the story.

Thanks,
JB

 

[St.Gimp]

I read recently a very telling story regarding Teresa of Avila and a novice to the discalced Carmelites. Apparently, the novice was skipped over at meal time and remarked to Teresa about the oversight. Teresa urged the novice to ask the older nuns doing the serving for her meal, but the novice said she would rather suffer the loss of the meal than complain…]

This story is actually from the life of Therese of Lisieux, not Teresa of Avila. There’s brief account of it from this web page, which I’ll quote here:

Whenever Therese meets this enemy [of Pharisaism] she is as hard and cutting as the Gospel itself. "One feast day, as a special treat, dessert was served, but one of the novices was accidently passed over; her neighbor having failed to notice it, this novice pointed out to her the ‘mortification’ which she had borne in silence. Therese ordered her to go immediately to the kitchen Sister and ask for the portion she had missed. Covered with confusion, the novice defended herself; but Therese was immovable. ‘Let that be your penance. You are not worthy of the little sacrifices God asks of you.’ " “The same novice tells of how she once boasted during direction of an ‘act of virtue’ she had performed. ‘What a pity,’ the saint answered, ‘that you behave like that. Considering all the graces and illuminations which Jesus grants you, you would have been most blameworthy to have done anything else. What is that in comparison with what He has a right to expect of you on account of your vows! Humble yourself, rather, at the thought of the many opportunities of exercising virtue which you have let slip.’”

 

[Mayo-man]

St. Gimp…Thanks so much for the kindly correction to my misrepresentation of the saint involved and the link to the source material. Your reply is most helpful and sincerely appreciated.

This site is truly a “fount of interesting knowledge”.

JB

 

[puzzleannie]

good story, if you are looking for more on saints we usually discuss them on the spirituality forum. St. Therese seems to be by far the favorit, maybe Padre Pio as a close second.