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Friday, January 18, 2008

The Weight of my Wretchedness by Sor Juana Ines De LA Cruz

The more grace prompts me to move up to the heavenly sphere, the more the weight of my wretchedness casts me into the depths.

Virtue and custom struggle in the heart, and the heart is in agony while they do combat.

And however strong virtue be, I fear it may be vanquished, since custom is very great, and virtue is very green.

The intellect is clouded in dark confusion. Who can light the way if reason itself is blind?

I am my executioner. And myself''s own prison. Who saw that sin and suffering are one and the same?

I am reluctant to do that thing I most desire to do; and for this reluctance suffer penalty.

I love God and sense myself in God, but my very will makes what is comfort, a cross, what is haven, a storm.

Suffer, then, since God commands, but let it be such, that my sins bring suffering not my suffering sin.

Sor Juana Ines De LA Cruz (+1695) was a Mexican nun and poet, dramatist and spiritual writer.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful indeed …. Consider how she was ordered by her bishop to destroy all her work because he said, “It is not proper for a nun to be writing about worldly things.” According to some historians, she destroyed about 90% of her work - because of her vow of obedience. But it really sounds to me it was more about “evil envy” creeping into the motives of some of the religious leaders. Some of her works, like this one posted were not destroyed because they were already in the hands of some of her friends. - Ernesto