Obedience to religious superiors

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Often appears with: spiritual direction by a confessor · religious persecution and toleration · monastic foundation opposition · monastic and ascetic life · logic, method, and demonstration · divine prayer assurances · discernment of spirits

Usually: reflection (1) · curiosity (1) · detachment (1)

Quotable

“y es muy posible, "and this is quite possible," but he who has ever heard a Divine locution will see at once that this assurance is something quite different.” Teresa of Ávila, Saint, The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our · insight

The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel primary

Teresa of Ávila, Saint · c. 1562
Chapter XXV., § 4, St. Teresa, speaking of the difference between the Divine and the imaginary locutions, says that a person commending a matter to God with great earnestness, may think that he hears whether his prayer will be granted or not: y es muy posible, "and this is quite possible," but he who has ever heard a Divine locution will see at once that this assurance is something quite different. Mr. Lewis, following the old Spanish editions, translated "And it is most impossible," whereas both the autograph and the context demand the wording I have ventured to substitute. > Chapter XXXIII. (5/8)

Teresa explains that divine assurance in prayer is different from imaginary locutions, then describes how her new confessor’s spiritual direction fit her “way,” leading her superiors to stop hindering her foundation plans.

he would understand me; but he had never spoken to me before, nor I to him, and, indeed, he was a person of whom I had no previous knowledge whatever. 12. Afterwards, I saw clearly that my spirit was not deceived; for my relations with him were in every way of the utmost service to me and my soul, because his method of direction is proper for those persons whom our Lord seems to have led far on the way, seeing that …