Chapter 12
When Success Brings Suffering
THIS CHAPTER SHOWS HOW, WHEN GOD BESTOWS GREATER FAVOURS ON THE SOUL, IT SUFFERS MORE SEVERE AFFLICTIONS. SOME OF THE LATTER ARE DESCRIBED AND DIRECTIONS HOW TO BEAR THEM GIVEN TO THE DWELLERS IN THIS MANSION. THIS CHAPTER IS USEFUL FOR THOSE SUFFERING INTERIOR TRIALS. 1. Love kindled by divine favours. 2. Our Lord excites the soul's longings. 3. Courage needed to reach the last mansions. 4. Trials accompanying divine favours. 5. Outcry raised against souls striving for perfection. 6. St. Teresa's personal experience of this. 7. Praise distasteful to an enlightened soul. 8. This changes to indifference. 9. Humility…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"the soul, wounded with love for its Spouse, sighs more than ever for solitude, withdrawing as far as the duties of its state permit from all that can interrupt it, The sight it has enjoyed of Him is so deeply imprinted on the spirit that its only desire is to behold Him again."
Context: Opening the sixth mansions after prior trials
Divine love wounds the soul with longing that pulls it from interruption toward God.
In Today's Words:
Teresa says the soul wounded with love for its Spouse sighs more than ever for solitude, withdrawing from all that interrupts the Beloved. Deep love hurts like separation. Honor the longing without calling it antisocial pride. Carry that insight into one concrete choice before the day ends.
"outcry raised against such a person by those amongst whom she lives, and even from others she has nothing to do with but who fancy that at some time in her life they recollect having seen her."
Context: Describing social persecution of souls striving for perfection
Neighbors attack even when the person only perfects ordinary duties.
In Today's Words:
Teresa describes an outcry raised against such a person by those she lives among and even strangers who claim to remember her. Critics say she wants to pass for a saint. Expect noise when integrity becomes visible. Carry that insight into one concrete choice before the day ends.
"praise pains such a soul more than blame because it recognizes clearly that any good it possesses is the gift of God and in no wise its own, seeing that but a short time ago it was weak in virtue and involved in grave sins."
Context: Explaining humility of enlightened souls
The soul knows virtue is God's gift, so commendation tortures more than censure.
In Today's Words:
Teresa says praise pains such a soul more than blame because it sees good as God's gift, not its own. Later it grows indifferent to both, even welcoming censure. Let humility recalibrate how you hear applause. Carry that insight into one concrete choice before the day ends.
"wait for the mercy of God Who, unexpectedly, by some casual word or unforeseen circumstance, suddenly dispels all these sorrows; then every cloud of trouble disappears and the mind is left full of light and far happier than before. [224] It praises our Lord God like one who has come out victorious from a dangerous battle, for it was He Who won the victory. The soul is fully conscious that the conquest was not its own as all weapons of self-defence appeared to be in the enemies' hands. Thus it realizes its weakness and how little man can help himself if God forsake him. 21. This truth now needs no demonstration, for past experience has taught the soul its utter incapacity; it realizes the nothingness of human nature and what miserable creatures we are. Although in a state of grace from which it has not fallen--for, in spite of these torments, it has not offended God, nor would it do so for any earthly thing [225] --yet so hidden is this grace, that the sufferer believes that neither now, nor in the past, has she ever possessed the faintest spark of love for God. [226] If at any time she has done good, or if His Majesty ever bestowed any favours on her, they seem to have been but a dream or a fancy, while her sins stand clearly before her. 22. O Jesus! how sad it is to see a soul thus forsaken, and how little, as I said, can any earthly comfort avail! Do not imagine, sisters, if you are ever brought to such a state, that rich and independent people have more resources than yourselves in these troubles. No, no! to offer such consolations would be like setting all the joys of the world before people condemned to death: far from mitigating, it would increase their torture. So with the souls I spoke of: their comfort must come from above--nothing earthly can help them. This great God wishes us to acknowledge His sovereignty and our own misery--an important point for those who are to advance still farther. 23. What can the poor soul do if such a trial lasts for many days? Prayer makes no difference as far as comforting the heart, which no consolation can enter, nor can the mind even grasp the meaning of the words of vocal prayer: mental prayer is out of the question at such a time, since the faculties are unequal to it. Solitude harms the soul, yet society or conversation is a fresh torment. Strive as the sufferer may to hide it, she is so wearied and out of sorts with all around that she cannot but manifest her condition. 24. How can the soul possibly tell what ails it? Its pains are indescribable; it is wrung with nameless anguish and spiritual suffering. The best remedy for these crosses (I do not mean for gaining deliverance from them, for I know of nothing that will do that, but for enabling one to bear them) is to perform external works of charity and to trust in the mercy of God, which never fails those who hope in Him"
Context: Remedies for interior trials in the chapter's closing third
Charity and trust sustain the soul when prayer brings no comfort.
In Today's Words:
Teresa says the best remedy is to perform external works of charity and wait for the mercy of God, which never fails those who hope in Him. Action and patience outlast interior storms. Serve while the sky stays dark. Carry that insight into one concrete choice before the day ends.
Thematic Threads
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Society punishes those who stop conforming to established patterns, even when those patterns are harmful
Development
Evolved from earlier chapters about fitting into social roles to active resistance against authentic growth
In Your Life:
You might face this when you stop gossiping at work, set boundaries with family, or refuse to participate in toxic group dynamics
Identity
In This Chapter
The authentic self emerges through suffering and isolation, stripped of external validation and approval
Development
Progressed from exploring different aspects of self to the painful process of becoming genuinely authentic
In Your Life:
You might experience this during major life transitions when old identities no longer fit but new ones feel uncertain
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Growth requires enduring periods of darkness and doubt where progress feels impossible
Development
Advanced from basic self-improvement to the deep, uncomfortable work of fundamental character change
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in recovery, therapy, or any process where you're changing long-held patterns
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Authentic growth often means losing relationships with people who benefited from your previous patterns
Development
Deepened from managing surface relationships to accepting the cost of genuine connections
In Your Life:
You might face this when friends or family resist your positive changes because it challenges their own choices
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
What happens to people when they start living with genuine integrity, according to Teresa?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
An outcry rises against them: friends desert them, critics call them deluded or extreme, and the troubles often last a lifetime.
- 2
Why do friends and family often turn against someone who's becoming more authentic?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Their integrity becomes a mirror reflecting others' compromises, threatening the status quo and making people uncomfortable with their own choices.
- 3
Where do you see this pattern playing out in workplaces, families, or social groups today?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Name one setting where someone improving habits, boundaries, or honesty faced isolation, rumor, or ridicule from people who preferred the old version.
- 4
How would you prepare yourself mentally for the backlash that comes with living authentically?
application • deepOne way to read it
Expect social punishment, perform works of charity during darkness, and wait for God's mercy rather than forcing prayer to deliver immediate comfort.
- 5
What does this chapter reveal about why most people avoid making difficult but necessary changes?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Teresa shows the cost is severe: persecution, interior torment, and fear of delusion, so human infirmity might refuse the cross if trials were known beforehand.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Integrity Threat Assessment
Think of an area where you're compromising your values to keep peace or avoid conflict. Map out what would likely happen if you started acting with complete integrity in that situation. Who would push back? How would they do it? What would they say about you? Then identify where you could find support during that transition.
Consider:
- •The people who benefit most from your compromises will resist your changes the hardest
- •Your own mind will likely join the attack with self-doubt and fear
- •The intensity of the backlash often indicates how important the change really is
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you tried to do the right thing and faced unexpected resistance. What did that experience teach you about the cost of integrity?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 13: The Sweet Wound of Divine Love
Next Teresa describes how God quickens love through the wound and spark, sweet pains that prepare the soul for deeper union without the alarms that haunt imaginary devotion.
