A Courageous Struggle.

[If the devil] knows that someone is changeable and unstable in being good and not strongly determined to persevere, he will keep after him day and night; he will cause fears and never-ending obstacles. I know this very well through experience, and that’s why I’m able to say, and do say, that no one knows how important determination is.

The other reason for beginning with determination is— and it is very much to the point—that the person who does so struggles more courageously. He knows that come what may he will not turn back. As in the case of one who is in a battle, he knows that if he is conquered they won’t spare him his life and that if he doesn’t die in battle he will die afterward. He struggles with greater determination and wants to fight like a desperado—as they say—and he doesn’t fear the blows so much, because he is convinced of how important victory is and that for him to conquer is to live. It’s also necessary to begin with the assurance that if we don’t let ourselves be conquered, we will obtain our goal; this without a doubt, for no matter how small the gain, one will end up being very rich. Don’t be afraid that the Lord will leave you to die of thirst, for He calls us to drink from this fount. I have already said this and would like to say it many times, for the devil intimidates persons who don’t yet fully know the goodness of the Lord through experience, even though they know it through faith. But it is a great thing to have experienced the friendship and favor He shows toward those who journey on this road and how He takes care of almost all the expenses.

St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection. Taken from Give Us This Day.

St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) was a mystic, religious reformer, and the foundress of seventeen convents. In 1970 she was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church.