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Surrendering our Wills to the Lord
A Complete Gift of Self
So, Sisters, if you love him, strive that what you say to the Lord may not amount to mere polite words; strive to suffer what His Majesty desires you to suffer. For otherwise, when you give your will, it would be like showing a jewel to another, making a gesture to give it away, and asking that he takes it; but when he extends his hand to accept it, you pull yours back and hold on tightly to the jewel. This is no way to mock him who was the butt of so much mockery for our sakes. Even if there were no other reason, it would not be right to mock him so often; the number of times we say the Our Father is not small. Let’s give him the jewel once and for all, no matter how many times we have tried to give it to him. (St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection: Study Edition, p.358)
Introduction
I was reading St. Teresa of Avila’s exposition of The Lord’s Prayer when I chanced upon this gem of a quote (shown above). It pierced my heart deeply and brought a guilty smile to my face.
How aptly St. Teresa describes this human proclivity — The inclination to cling on to our own wills.
Indeed, I am very guilty of this sin.
