(Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Alba de Tormes, beside the tomb of St. Teresa of Avila)

St. John of the Cross talks in his "Ascent to Mount Carmel" about how we are tormented by our self-will, often we are angry and frustrated (or stressed) because things don't go the way we had planned.

On the other hand, Our Lord told St. Catherine of Siena of the benefits of abandoning our self-will and uniting ourselves to the Divine Will:

"I desire thee to know that all pains which afflict men in this world depend on their wills; for if the will were regulated by and conformed to My Will, the pain would in a sense disappear. And although he whose will is thus sanctified and regulated, may feel labors and sorrows; yet what he suffers cheerfully for love of Me, is borne by him almost without pain, for he endures it most willingly, considering it and knowing it to be My Will that he should suffer....Affliction or pain proceeds from the will, and entirely depends upon it, since man is afflicted by having what he wishes not to have, or not having what he wishes. Therefore, if his self-will be removed, the spirit of man is tranquil and enjoys peace."

~ from Consoling Revelations from the Writings of 

SS. Gertrude, Mechtild, Bridget and Catherine of Siena 

collected by The Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius.

"Contemplative souls realize perfectly the nothingness of the things of this world, and so attach no great value to transitory matters. 

They may, it is true, experience a momentary feeling of vexation at some great wrong or severe trial. Immediately, however, reason comes to their aid, and overcomes the feeling of distress. Their chagrin is then completely dispersed by a joy that overwhelms them, when they see that Our Lord offers them this opportunity to gain more favors and eternal merits in one day than they could have earned by ten years of self-chosen trials."

~ St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, shown above in statues in Segovia, Spain, mastered the art of detaching themselves from earthly things - "transitory matters" - and so found great peace. They kept the eyes of the spirit focused on doing God's Will without being attached to what did or didn't happen in this life. God's Will is perfect, and in this they found their joy. And as she says above, they particularly exulted if they had some sacrifice to offer Him, that would bring Him pleasure, and gain merit for themselves in Heaven.

St. Teresa continues:

"While others seek gold and precious stones, these souls value and prize only the crosses, which they know will bring them true riches."

See the fortress of St. Ignatius Loyola's home in Loyola, Spain:

Do you ever feel discouraged that you're struggling against the same faults and shortcomings? The saints sometimes did too! Sometimes it seems as if we are banging our heads against a stone wall like the ones above.

One day when St. Gertrude was mentally scolding herself for a fault, and begging Our Lord to free her from it, but:

"The Lord replied lovingly, 'Wherefore dost thou wish that I should be deprived of much honor and thou of a source of merit? For thou gainest a great reward every time that thou, acknowledging this, or a similar defect, resolvest to avoid it for the future; and when any one for love of me strives to overcome his faults, he offers to me as much honor and loyalty as a soldier would offer his king, by strenuously opposing his majesty's enemies in war, and by manfully resisting and overthrowing them.'"

~ Consoling Revelations from the Writings of Saints Gertrude, Mechtild, Bridget and Catherine of Sienna collected by the Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius.

Keep up the good fight, defending the castle of our soul against the assaults of the world, the flesh, and the devil, for we gain merit and give God glory!