Mental prayer is nothing else but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with Him.
Teresa of AvilaChrist does not force our will, He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him.
Teresa of AvilaIt is a great folly to be willing to violate the friendship of God, rather than the law of human friendship.
Teresa of AvilaMy good works, however wretched and imperfect, have been made better and perfected by Him Who is my Lord: He has rendered them meritorious. As to my evil deeds and my sins, He hid them at once. The eyes of those who saw them, He made even blind; and He has blotted them out of their memory.
Teresa of Avila