Prayer of St Teresa

 Although I have often abandoned you, O Lord, you have never abandoned me. Your hand of love is always outstretched towards me, even when I stubbornly look the other way.  And your gentle voice constantly calls me, even when I obstinately refuse to listen.  When the sins in my soul are increasing, I lose the taste for virtuous things.  Yet, even at such moments, Lord, I know I am failing you and failing myself.  You alone can restore my taste for virtue. There are so many false friends willing to encourage sin.  But your friendship alone can give the strength of mind to resist and defeat sin.

What a good friend you are, Lord! You are so patient, willing to wait as long as necessary for me to turn to you. You rejoice at the times when I love you, but you do not hold against me the times when I ignore you. Your patience is beyond my understanding. Even when I pray, my mind fills with worldly concerns and vain daydreams. Yet you are happy if I give only a single second of honest prayer, turning that second into a seed of love.

Oh Lord, I enjoy your friendship so much, why is it not possible for me to think of you constantly?