I was very amused when I learned that you have a desire for suffering again. For God's sake, let us be left alone for a moment, after all, you don't go through it alone. Let's take a break for a few days. I understand very well that it is food for those who truly experience it, for then they will realize that there is no better nourishment for the soul. However, since I do not know whether the given suffering will extend to others, I cannot long for it. I mean to say that to suffer alone or conversely to see that my neighbor suffers too must be a significant difference. This is a dilemma that, when we meet, Your Excellency, you will have to clarify. May it please our Lord that we may serve Him in the way that He desires.
(Teresa of Jesus, letter to Gracián, April 21, 1579; D 278,8.9,
working translation by Vojtěch Kohut)
