Quote of the day, 9 February: St. Teresa of Avila

I certainly love you more than you think, that is, tenderly, and so I desire that you do the right thing in all matters, especially in one so serious. The bad thing is that the more I love the less I can bear any mistake.

Now I well know that this is foolish and that by making mistakes one gains experience. But if the error is serious, one is left with nothing, and so it is well to proceed cautiously.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 331 to Madre María de San José (excerpt)
8–9 February 1580

Note: Madre María de San José was considering a risky real estate venture involving a move for the nuns in Seville who were under her care. St. Teresa wrote, “don’t move without having consulted many and having thought the matter over well.” She also added, “always realize that it is more necessary that the house have nice views than that it be in a good place—and an orchard if possible.”

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: On both sides of the façade of the cathedral in Murcia, Spain, there are small adjoining structures with circular niches, in whose interior we find St. Thomas Aquinas on the left side and St. Teresa of Avila on the right side. The statues, which date to 1700, are adorned with netting to prevent wildlife from making nests and damaging the historic statues with their droppings.