On Interior Mortification

Mortifying, or denying, ourselves interiorly is something that can greatly help us on our journey toward God. Curbing our own wills and desires leads us to die to ourselves in order to live for God and His will and desires, making them our own. Our goal in this life is to get to heaven and we do so by loving and serving God, not ourselves. When we deny ourselves something that we want, we slowly begin to learn to seek the things that God wants for us and we open ourselves up to accepting His will more and more in everything we do.

In her book The Way of Perfection, St. Teresa of Avila says that interior mortification is acquired “by proceeding gradually, not giving in to our own will and appetites, even in little things, until the body is completely surrendered to the spirit.” She reminds us that this is important because we do not know how long or short our lives will be. If we keep before us the expectation that our life could end at any moment, it will cause us to always work toward serving God and loving Him alone, which requires putting to death our own wills and passions. St. Teresa says that if we are careful and really apply ourselves to this practice, we will gradually find ourselves at the top of this mountain we’re climbing, without really knowing how.

And why would we choose to give up our freedoms and desires? St. Teresa says that it is for the love of God. If we love God and truly believe that He knows what’s best for us better than we do ourselves, then we will choose to discipline ourselves and give up our own wills in exchange for His so that we can be changed into Him and learn to only will what He wills. If we do not have the desire for inner penance and mortification, then let us ask God to give us the grace of holy love, so that we may begin to be filled with zeal for establishing the kingdom of God in ourselves and in the world and the desire to transform our wills into His by practicing self-denial in even the smallest things.