13 November Optional Memorial in the Italian Provinces
The feeling of the Divine Presence had become to me as I already said continuous: in prayer I was not able to profit from books, nor to make it vocal: it was a most sweet union (if I am not mistaken of the prayer of stillness; I say give this the name of union, believing it to be such, according to my little knowledge) I said it was a most sweet union, from which I did not know how to detach myself, or rather, I did not resign myself to the cessation of it, unless persuaded to leave God, for God; that is, to leave God in the contemplation of Magdalene, to find him in the proper duties, of Martha's cares; which if she had given her place, and no more, and yet had not all poured herself into them, by the Divine Master I believe, would not have been correct: Who enjoys indeed, that we leave to enjoy Him, to toil for Him: and then return to rest in Him. Oh, what a good guide is in this (as in everything else) the pure love of You! And how easy is it, the going to it mixed, love to us! I say to our satisfaction, that though spiritual, I do not believe it good; nor ever did I believe; now I am confirmed in this, by some things I have read, it seems to me in the writings of S. M. Teresa but as I said even before I read of them, I had such an opinion. It is great misery, what I see, and therefore I have taken experience of it: that, either we want to be pious, and spiritual, in our own way, or we are not at all: the small heads easily fall into the first error, the big ones, (not the big ones) into the second misfortune. Oh my God! Bad thing is pride; nay, most evil, as it disrupts, and diverts, Man's most beautiful endowment, which is to understand, for its true direction. Oh, if this were spent for which Thou didst bestow it-oh our happiness! And why is it not meant, while Thou of this, (I say of intellect) can made a gift? Ah! Our happiness that is wasted on vain and fallacious things, which we may not come to understand; either because it is not given to us, or because taken from them, by an immature death.
Oh blindness-oh blindness! To lose oneself in human sciences, when these do not serve, the immortal purpose: and such surely cannot be called, that which once has its term.
O my Bridegroom, O my Bridegroom: how hard a thing is such cognition, to those who so love Thee! I say the understanding how much to men, is neglected the knowledge of Thee--as if every other thing were more necessary than this. Oh, upheaval of human intellects! That in our century, by the best (I say by those who want to be true Christians), many things are approved, and much more in circumstance practiced, with the defense of duty of convenience, and customs of the times, which with the going of them, become uncivilized and vary.
Oh you ... civilization, to us baleful, if, little by little, in the heart of man, you extinguish Religion of it! O Bridegroom, O Bridegroom: and who will follow Thee, there in the midst of the great world?
If, there be those who do it not out of malice; who regard themselves out of human respect; others do it not, out of ignorance...I say, to be in this, bred, and brought up, out of condition and misery: that are not these, those, who the first expressed, such as are procuring and enthralled, in vain sciences of the world, and neglected they stand, in the knowledge of the things of God: ah! It has not quite there, where to rest its head: everywhere, thorns and thorns are mirrored, of vanity, and vanity; and I fear, that even what appears virtue, is not true, not sodden, piety; if the rich do not escape, and for fear of infection; but more of honor greedy, than nauseating of this; we enjoy being after it.
To read more on the life of Bl. Maria Teresa Scrilli ...
To learn more about the life of Mother Maria Teresa and her work and legacy, we suggest reading The Autobiography of Maria Teresa Scrilli, Foundress of the Institute of Our Lady of Mount Carmel published by Edizioni Carmelitane
