The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Ávila

I've been reading more of The Way of Perfection by St. Theresa.  The most famous chapter in this book is chapter 38, which is considered one of the greatest examples of spiritual writing ever, and I agree.  It's changing my opinions on many subjects.  One of which is that I never liked the idea of removing oneself from society in order to become more spiritual, like nuns and monks do.  That seemed the easy way out to me.  I thought people should apply their spiritual values to improving the society they live in.  One reason for this view is the way that the Catholic Church behaved during WWII and especially in Germany, when they ignored Nazism and I believe even consorted with the Nazis just for the sake of expediency.  If you remove yourself from society, you tend to accept and try to live with whatever that society is advocating at the moment, because you feel that you are not really a part of it anyway and it doesn't really affect you.  That seems to me a rather selfish way to live.  The Catholic Church always seems to agree with the status quo.  That is one reason I am not a Catholic.

However, Chapter 38 of this book is so great, I'm beginning to change my mind.  I think St. Teresa is making me start to think like a nun.  Perhaps the only way that one can lead a truly spiritual life is by turning one's back on society and separating oneself from it.  It's hard to change your values from those of your society and to follow God completely when you have to deal with the society that you live in every day and play by its rules.  Maybe it is better to live with people who share the same values and want to live by the same goals that you do.  That being becoming as close to God as possible.  If you have to concentrate on earning a living that is hard to do.  Chapter 38 in this great book is about that amongst other things.  The other great thing are her thoughts on meditation.  I've been close enough in my life while meditating to understand the state that she is describing and to believe it is a goal that is attainable.  I feel that believing in God and using God as the object of meditation is far more effective than how the Buddhists do it.

The other day , while I was taking the bus into the City, I was reading chapter 38 on my Kindle.  It put me in such a wonderful state of mind that I never wanted to arrive in the city and have to get off the bus.  I was transported to another world.

A few quotes from chapter 38, which is mostly about humility, that I could identify with.  All religions teach the importance of humility, and yet it is very hard to find a person who actually has it.  People who set themselves up as an example for others to follow certainly don't:

...we are in the habit of saying that we want nothing and care nothing about anything: but as soon as the chance comes of our being given something, even though we do not in the least need it, all our poverty of spirit disappears....

...for the person who is truly humble is always doubtful about his own virtues; very often they seem more genuine and of greater worth when he sees them in his neighbours....

...Well, we make our vow of poverty, and then one of us, believing herself all the time to be keeping it, says:  "I do not want anything, but I am having this because I cannot do without it: after all, if I am to serve God, I must live, and He wants us to keep these bodies to ours alive."  So the devil, in his angelic disguise, suggests to her that there are a thousand different things which she needs and that they are all good for her.  And all the time he is persuading her to believe that she is still being true to her vow and possesses the virtue of poverty and that what she has done is no more than her duty....