"Do you know what it is to be truly
spiritual? It is for men to make themselves the slaves of
God—branded with His mark, which is the Cross. ... Unless you make up your
minds to this, never expect to make much progress, for as I said humility is
the foundation of the whole building and unless you are truly humble, Our Lord,
for your own sake, will never permit you to rear it very high lest it should
fall to the ground. Therefore, sisters, take care to lay a firm foundation by
seeking to be the least of all and the slave of others, watching how you can
please and help them, for it will benefit you more than them. Built on such
strong rocks, your castle can never go to ruin. I insist again: your foundation
must not consist of prayer and contemplation alone: unless you acquire the
virtues and praise them, you will always be dwarfs; and please God no worse may
befall you than making no progress, for you know that to stop is
to go back—if you love, you will never be content to come to a
standstill."
— St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, p.209-10
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