This is the statue of St Teresa outside the Convent of the Incarnation in Avila. It was in this convent that she and St John of the Cross were together for a few years, she as prioress and he as chaplain. Still today you can see relics of these two great saints in the convent museum, including some of their letters. Here too is a famous 'doodle' by St John, of the crucified Christ viewed from above. It was the inspiration for a painting by Salvador Dali called Christ of St John of the Cross which is now in Glasgow. This is one of Teresa's best-loved sayings: Nada te turbe,
nada te espante;
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda.
La pacientia todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene nada la falta:
solo Dios basta.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
nada te espante;
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda.
La pacientia todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene nada la falta:
solo Dios basta.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Dear Brothers:
ReplyDeleteI would translate St. Teresa of Avila's words as follows:
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things pass away:
God doesn't move away.
Patience can achieve anything.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God only suffices.
Thank you.
Fr. Fernando Reta, OP
Argentina
Dear Brothers:
ReplyDeleteNow that I read my translation, I realize that I have made a mistake in the last sentence. It should read "God alone suffices" (as you correctly translated it) instead of "God only suffices" (as I wrongly translated it). I am sorry for that!
Thank you for your blog, it is very interesting.
Fr. Fernando Reta, OP
Argentina