Oh, Blessed Request!

Now, then, let's conclude by saying that to the soul placed in this prayer (of quiet) it seems the Eternal Father has already here below granted its petition for His kingdom. Oh, blessed request, in which, without realizing it, we ask for so much good! What a blessed way of asking! For this reason, Sisters, I want us to look at how we recite this prayer, the Our Father, and all other vocal prayers. For when this favor is granted by God, we shall forget the things of the world; when the Lord of the world arrives He casts out everything else. I don't say that all those who experience this prayer must by necessity be completely detached from the world. At least, I would like them to know what is lacking and that they humble themselves and try to go on detaching themselves from everything; if they don't, they will remain in this state. A soul to whom God gives such pledges has a sign that He wants to give it a great deal; if not impeded through its own fault, it will advance very far. But if the Lord sees that after He places the kingdom of heaven in the soul's house this soul turns to earthly things, He will not only fail to show it the secrets there are in His kingdom but will seldom grant it this favor, and then for just a short space of time.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:11

Establishing the Kingdom of God

Dear Family,
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a presentation that was presented this year to our Carmelite Community, by Father Salvatore Sciurba, OCD. I was unable to personally attend the Retreat, but I did however secure a taped recording of some of the lectures. One in particular seemed to speak to me very strongly regarding the Kingdom of God . I have taken the time to transcribe the main thesis of this presentation in hopes that I may share it with you. I know our busy schedules sometimes necessitate setting such information off to the side. But I ask that you give this a few moments for reflection, as I feel it will be very beneficial to your continued spiritual growth.

Peace in Carmel,
Jeff

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From: http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/greenhearts/kingdomofgod.htm

Establishing the Kingdom of God

The dream of Jesus’ life, the vision that inspired Him was that of the Kingdom of God . It was the content of His preaching and teaching. The signs and wonders that were performed were indications that the Kingdom of God , had dawned already. It was for Him the pearl of great price worth sacrificing everything for. Indeed, Jesus would die for the Kingdom. It was not tied down to any geographical place, nor designed or limited by any particular political theory. It was God’s dream for the whole of Creation. It was the in realm of God’s power. It was the reign of God’s love over us.

Jesus doesn’t exactly define the Kingdom. He uses similes and figures of speech to help us understand it. And so, He tells us that the Kingdom is like a seed that grows slowly, imperceptibly, but it will indeed grow if the conditions are right. It will grow into something of power and beauty. The Kingdom is already at hand, yet the Kingdom will come in all its fullness in the future. Once again, it is like the seed that contains and guarantees the future in some mysterious way. In the Kingdom, wheat and weeds grow up together. Good and evil coexist, and God’s patience is always directed towards our salvation. He gives us time to grow and be transformed. And yet, there will be a definitive judgment, and that’s what the parable of the fishermen’s net teaches us. The Kingdom is a gift. To enter it, one must receive it like a dependent child who has no rights or merit. Nonetheless, the Kingdom calls for our response. We must use our talents and not bury them. We must see that the Kingdom expands. The Kingdom calls for decisive action on our part.

St. Paul tells us the Kingdom of God , is a matter of justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where these fundamental core values are present, there is the Kingdom of God , in some fashion, in some way, in some degree. When we think of Justice however, we think in terms of crime and punishment, judge and jury, but that isn’t the biblical understanding of Justice. Justice is establishing right order; it’s establishing right relationships. Right relationships with God, with self, with neighbor, and with nature are key to the Kingdom. It means fulfilling our responsibility, and showing compassion to the needy. Justice is what God does. He defends the poor and the weak, vindicating victims and liberating the oppressed.

When Jesus began his ministry His desire was to establish the Kingdom and thereby fulfill the will of God, and this entails the reestablishment of the relationships on which the Covenant was built. Jesus who reveals a God of tenderness was moved by an image of a God of love. While some preach the Day of Judgment and retribution, Jesus, in the spirit of Isaiah the prophet, proclaims a Kingdom where the blind see, the deaf hear, and the poor have the good news preached to them.

Jesus understood His mission in terms of Justice, and that led Him to seek out and save the marginalized and the excluded. Jesus was especially sensitive to discrimination of every kind, whether it was religious, social, cultural, national, or gender related. So too must his followers be. Jesus was often in trouble because of his interpretation of, and the liberty that He took, with the Law. He was not opposed to the Law, indeed he came to fulfill it and not abolish it. But He was concerned about how it was being interpreted. Law as wisdom, as gift, and revelation of God, was good and to be reverenced. But when law became burdensome or was used against people as the Pharisees were inclined to do, then something was wrong.

Jesus interpreted the law in terms of justice and compassion. He sought to establish right relationships with the marginalized and the outcasts. He ate and drank with sinners. His table fellowship with them was highly controversial but deliberate and a clear parable in action. Jesus sets the table where all are equal in God’s sight because all are God’s children. Jesus puts the so-called sinner and the righteous on the same level. Jesus was restoring the Covenant.

In His time more than half the population was excluded. These persons included the disabled, prostitutes, tax collectors, the shepherds (who were considered low in status), and thieves. Yet shepherds were the first to hear the Good News in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus came to seek out and save the lost. He had pity, and indeed compassion, on the multitudes. He taught his disciples to follow His example. It is the mission of the Church to continue to establish this justice of the End Times. Peace in scripture speaks of wholeness and well-being. Joy speaks to us of the fullness of life and love, and we get glimpses and experiences of this joy, from time to time, even in the midst of our struggles and suffering.

What does the Kingdom look like? What shape does it take? When the hungry are fed, when the injured forgive, when an inclusive community is formed, and discrimination is eliminated, when violence is replaced by mercy, when love overcomes fear, there is the Kingdom of God , and that is the dream of Jesus.

But how do we get there? How do we enter that Kingdom? What are the requirements? Jesus goes on to teach us in His "Sermon on the Mount" the spirituality of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are the way to enter the Kingdom of God . They are the means to foster communion with God and neighbor. Once again, Jesus teaches the opposite of what we might expect -- Blessed are the rich, the powerful, the rejoicing, we might think. They can have and do anything they want. Instead, he said, blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the gentle, those who mourn, and those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness, the peacemakers, and the pure of heart. They are happy because the Kingdom of God is theirs.

This happiness is not merely a psychological feeling, though it may have psychological implications. This happiness is a deep inner composure that comes from the experience of God. Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the unassuming, those who rely completely on God. They are the ones who expect everything from God. Those who hope in God’s power, those who depend completely on God in humility and powerlessness. This applies especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Blessed are the meek and the gentle, those who are respectful of God’s ways and refrain from anger. They respect God’s times, and God’s Will, they are not arrogant. Jesus himself was pure in spirit and meek and gentle of heart. Learn from me He said.

Jesus lived the Beatitudes that He preached. Blessed are the merciful, those who show deep-rooted compassion to those in need. They are the ones who encounter God by responding to the needs of others. I was hungry and you fed me, naked, and you clothed me, sick or in prison, and you visited me, Jesus said. Blessed are the pure of heart, they search for the truth, they are honest, sincere and authentic. Blessed are the peacemakers, they search for wholeness and well-being, they abhor violence. Blessed are those who suffer because they work for peace and justice, as did Jesus and the prophets before Him.

The Beatitudes then lead us aggressively from openness to God, to openness to others. They bring about a communion of love. They are rooted in the life and example of Jesus Himself, who lives in right relationships with God, with self, with neighbor and with nature. These are the directives of Jesus. They explain how to live in the reign of God. These are the characteristics of those who do so. They rely on God; they bear the pains of those who suffer; they long for justice and are merciful. They work for peace. They bear with adversity.

Jesus teaches us that He and the Father dwell in those who love Him. The spirit of God is present in our hearts. This mystery is called the indwelling of the Trinity.

This Prayer of Quiet is Different

This is the way this prayer of quiet is different from that prayer in which the entire soul is united with God, for then the soul doesn't even go through the process of swallowing this divine food. Without its understanding how, the Lord places the milk within it. In this prayer of quiet it seems that He wants it to work a little, although so gently that it almost doesn't feel its effort. [Whoever experiences this prayer will understand clearly what I'm saying if after having read this he reflects on it carefully; and let him consider how important the matter is. If he doesn't experience the prayer, this will seem like gibberish.] That which torments the will is the intellect. The intellect doesn't cause this torment when there is union of all three faculties, for He who created them suspends them. With the joy He gives them He keeps them all occupied without their knowing or understanding how. Thus, as I say, they feel this prayer within themselves, a quiet and great contentment of the will, without being able to discern what it is specifically. Yet the soul easily discerns that it is far different from earthly satisfactions and that ruling the world with all its delights wouldn't be enough to make the soul feel that delight within itself. The delight is in the interior of the will, for the other consolations of life, it seems to me, are enjoyed in the exterior of the will, as in the outer bark, we might say. When the will sees itself in this degree of prayer so sublime (for the prayer is, as I have already said, very recognizably supernatural), it laughs at the intellect as at a fool when this intellect - or mind, to explain myself better - goes off to the more foolish things of the world. The will remains in its quietude, for the intellect will come and go. In this prayer the will is the ruler and the powerful one. It will draw the intellect after itself without your being disturbed. And if the will should desire to draw the intellect by force of arms, the strength it has against the intellect will be lost. This strength comes from eating and receiving that divine food. And neither the will or the intellect will gain anything, but both will lose. As the saying goes, whoever tries to grasp too much loses everything; this it seems to me is what will happen here. Experience will enable one to understand, for I wouldn't be surprised if to anyone who doesn't have this experience what I've said would seem very obscure and unnecessary. But I've already mentioned that with a little experience one will understand it, be able to benefit from it, and will praise the Lord because He was pleased that I managed to explain it here.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:10

Monthly Spiritual Retreat: January - Subject: Silence

January
Subject: Silence

Silence regarding God, spiritual matters, and my soul, unless speech is necessary to acknowledge my Faith or to do good to the souls of others.

Silence regarding my own soul, the graces that I have received, and my spiritual life, unless charity requires me to break this silence to a very guarded and humble degree.

Silence regarding myself, my trials, privations, and health. I will answer questions truthfully, without affectation, and be silent again.

Silence is good for the soul, essential to recollection, and conducive to humility. Remember our Lord’s silence throughout His life and during the hours of His Passion (Matt. 26:63; Mark 14:61)

When I am in the company of others, for their good, I will talk freely on exalted and serious subjects, the discussion of which cannot fail to enlarge and strengthen both my own soul and theirs.

I will talk about nothing trivial or mean, and no petty grievances. My speech shall be recollected, and my silence living.


From “The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur: the Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest,” Sophia Institute Press®, Manchester, New Hampshire, © 2002

Notice Carefully This Comparison

And notice carefully this comparison [for the Lord put it in my mind while I was at prayer]; it seems to me very appropriate: the soul is like an infant that still nurses when at its mother's breast, and the mother without her babe's effort to suckle puts the milk in its mouth in order to give it delight. So it is here; for without effort of the intellect the will is loving, and the Lord desires that the will, without thinking about the matter, understand that it is with Him and that it does no more than swallow the milk His Majesty places in its mouth, and enjoy that sweetness. For the will knows that it is the Lord who is granting that favor. And the will rejoices in its enjoyment. It doesn't desire to understand how it enjoys the favor or what it enjoys; but it forgets itself during that time, for the One who is near it will not forget to observe what is fitting for it. If the will goes out to fight with the intellect so as to give a share of the experience, by drawing the intellect after itself, it cannot do so at all; it will be forced to let the milk fall from its mouth and lose that divine nourishment.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:9

It's Like What Happens Between Two Married People

And note well, friends, this counsel that I now wish to give, for you'll often see that you'll be unable to manage these other two faculties. It happens that the soul will be in the greatest quiet and the intellect will be so distracted that it won't seem that the quiet is present in the intellect's house. It seems to the intellect, during that time, that it is nowhere else than in a stranger's house, as a guest, and seeking other dwelling places because the house it's in doesn't satisfy it and it knows little about how to remain stable. Perhaps it's only my intellect that's like this, and others' intellects are not. I am speaking about myself, for sometimes I want to die in that I cannot cure this wandering of the intellect. At other times I think it takes up residence in its own house and accompanies the will. It's a wonderful thing when all three faculties are in accord. It's like what happens between two married people: if they love each other, the one wants what the other wants. But if the husband is unhappily married, it's easy to see what disturbance he'll cause his wife. Thus when the will finds itself in this quiet [and note well this counsel, for the matter is important], it shouldn't pay any more attention to the intellect than it would to a madman. For should it want to keep the intellect near itself, it will necessarily have to be somewhat disturbed and disquieted. And in this state of prayer everything will then amount to working without any further gain but with a loss of what the Lord was giving the will without its own work.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:8

A Gentle Word from Time to Time is Sufficient

It is good to find more solitude so as to make room for the Lord and allow His Majesty to work as though with something belonging to Him. At most, a gentle word from time to time is sufficient, as in the case of one who blows on a candle to enkindle it again when it begins to die out. But if the candle is burning, blowing on it will in my opinion serve no other purpose than to put it out. I say that the blowing should be gentle lest the will be distracted by the intellect busying itself with many words.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:7

This Prayer of Quiet is no Longer Our Work

I think it would be good here to give some counsels for those of you, Sisters, whom the Lord, solely through His goodness, has brought here, for I know there are some of you.

The first is that since they see themselves in that contentment and do not know how it came on them - at least they see they cannot obtain it by themselves - they experience this temptation: they think they'll be able to hold on to that satisfaction and they don't even dare take a breath. This is foolish, for just as there's nothing we can do to make the sun rise, there's little can do to keep it from setting. This prayer (of quiet) is no longer our work, for it's something very supernatural and something very much beyond our power to acquire by ourselves. The best way to hold on to this favor is to understand clearly that we can neither bring it about nor remove it; we can only receive it with gratitude, as most unworthy of it; and this not with many words, but by raising our eyes to Him, as the publican did.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:6

Martha and Mary Walk Together

Sometimes in this 'prayer of quiet' the Lord grants another favor which is very difficult to understand if there is not a great deal of experience. But if there is some experience, the one who receives it will immediately understand. It will be a great consolation for you to know what it is, and I believe God often grants this favor together with the other one. When this quiet is great and lasts for a long while, it seems to me that the will wouldn't be able to remain so long in that peace if it weren't bound to something. For it may happen that we will go about with this satisfaction for a day or two and will not understand ourselves - I mean those who experience it - and they definitely see that they are not wholly in what they are doing, but that the best part is lacking, that is, the will. The will, in my opinion, is then united with its God, and leaves the other faculties free to be occupied in what is for His service - and they then have much more ability for this. But in worldly matters, these faculties are dull and at times as though in a stupor.

This is a great favor for those to whom the Lord grants it; the active and the contemplative lives are joined. The faculties all serve the Lord together: the will is occupied in its work and contemplation without knowing how; the other two faculties serve in the work of Martha. Thus Martha and Mary walk together.

I know someone whom the Lord often placed in this state. She didn't know what to make of it and asked a great contemplative. He answered that the experience was very possible, that it had happened to him. Thus, I think that because the soul is so satisfied in this 'prayer of quiet' the faculty of the will remains more continually united with Him who alone can satisfy it.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:4,5

The 'Delight' of this 'Prayer of Quiet'

A person feels the greatest delight in his body and a great satisfaction in his soul. He feels so happy merely with being close to the fount that he is satisfied even without drinking. It doesn't seem there is anything else for him to desire. The faculties are still; they wouldn't want to be busy; everything else seems to hinder them from loving. But they are not completely lost; they can think of who it is they are near, for two of them are free. The will is the one that is captive here. If there is some sorrow that can be experienced while in this state, that sorrow comes from a realization that the will must return to the state of being free. The intellect wouldn't want to understand more than one thing; nor would the memory want to be occupied with anything else. Persons in this prayer see that only this one thing is necessary, and everything else disturbs them. They don't want the body to move because it seems they would thereby lose that peace; thus they don't dare stir. It pains them to speak; in their saying 'Our Father' just once a whole hour passes. They are so close that they see they are understanding as though through signs. They are within the palace, near the King, and they see that He is beginning to give them here His kingdom. It doesn't seem to them that they are in the world, nor would they want to see or hear about anything other than their God. Nothing pains them, nor does it seem anything ever will. In sum, while this prayer lasts they are so absorbed and engulfed with the satisfaction and delight they experience within themselves that they do not remember there is more to desire; they would eagerly say with St. Peter: 'Lord, let us build three dwelling places here.'

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:3

The 'Prayer of Quiet' is Something Supernatural

This prayer (the prayer of quiet) is something supernatural, something we cannot procure through our own efforts. In it the soul enters into peace or, better, the Lord puts it at peace by His presence, as He did to the just Simeon, so that all the faculties were calmed. The soul understands in another way, very foreign to the way it understands through the exterior senses, that it is now close to its God and that not much more would be required for it to become one with Him in union. This is not because it sees Him with the eyes either of the body or of the soul. The just Simeon didn't see any more than the glorious, little, poor child. For by the way the child was clothed and by the few people that were in the procession, Simeon could have easily judged the babe to be the son of poor people rather than the Son of our heavenly Father. But the child Himself made Simeon understand. And this is how the soul understands here, although not with as much clarity. For the soul, likewise, fails to understand how it understands. But it sees it is in the kingdom, at least near the King who will give the kingdom to the soul. And seemingly the soul has so much reverence that it doesn't even dare ask for this. The state resembles an interior and exterior swoon; for the exterior man (or so that you will understand me better, I mean the body [for some simpleton will come along who won't know what "interior" and "exterior" means]) doesn't want any activity. But like one who has almost reached the end of his journey he wants to rest so as to be better able to continue; in this rest his strength for the journey is doubled.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:2

Continuing the Explanation of this 'Prayer of Quiet'

Well, daughters, I nonetheless want to explain this prayer of quiet. I have heard talk about it, or the Lord has given me understanding of it, perhaps, that I might tell you of it [and that others may praise Him; although since I have written about it elsewhere, as I said, I will not give lengthy explanations but just say something.] In this prayer it seems the Lord beings, as I have said, to show that He hears our petition. He begins now to give us His kingdom here below so that we may truly praise and hallow His name and strive that all persons do so.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 31:1

Experience of the Prayer of Quiet

If you wouldn't say that I'm treating of contemplation, this petition would provide a good opportunity for speaking a little about the beginning of pure contemplation; those who experience this prayer call it the prayer of quiet. But since, as I say, I'm dealing with vocal prayer, it may seem to anyone who doesn't know about the matter that vocal prayer doesn't go with contemplation; but I know that it does. Pardon me, but I want to say this: I know there are many persons who while praying vocally, as has already been mentioned, are raised by God to sublime contemplation [without their striving for anything or understanding how. It's because of this that I insist so much, daughters, upon your reciting vocal prayer well.] I know a person who was never able to pray any way but vocally, and though she was tied to this form of prayer she experienced everything else. And if she didn't recite vocal prayer her mind wandered so much that she couldn't bear it. Would that our mental prayer were as good! She spent several hours reciting a certain number of Our Fathers, in memory of the times our Lord shed His blood, as well as a few other vocal prayers. Once she came to me very afflicted because she didn't know how to practice mental prayer nor would she contemplate; she could only pray vocally. I asked her how she was praying, and I saw that though she was tied to the Our Father she experienced pure contemplation and that the Lord was raising her up and joining her with Himself in union. And from her deeds it seemed truly that she was receiving such great favors, for she was living a very good life. So I praised the Lord and envied her for her vocal prayer.

If this account is true, as it is, those of you who are the enemies of contemplatives should not think that you are free from being a contemplative if you recite your vocal prayers as they should be recited, with a pure conscience. [And so I will speak of this again. Whoever doesn't want to hear it may pass on.]

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:7

For We are at Sea and Journeying Along this Way

It seems I'm saying that we would have to be angels in order to make this petition and recite well our vocal prayers. Our divine Master would truly desire this since He asks us to make so lofty a petition, and certainly He doesn't tell us to ask for impossible things. The above would be possible, through the favor of God, for a soul placed in this exile, but not with the perfection of those who have gone forth from this prison; for we are at sea and journeying along this way. But there are times when, tired from our travels, we experience that the Lord calms our faculties and quiets the soul. As though by signs, He give us a clear foretaste of what will be given to those He brings to His kingdom. And to those to whom He gives here below the kingdom we ask for, He gives pledges so that through these they may have great hope of going to enjoy perpetually what here on earth is given only in sips.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:6

Would That We Could Love Him In This Way

Now, then, the great good that it seems to me there will be in the kingdom of heaven, among many other blessings, is that one will no longer take any account of earthly things, but have a calmness and glory within, rejoice in the fact that all are rejoicing, experience perpetual peace and a wonderful inner satisfaction that comes from seeing that everyone hallows and praises the Lord and blesses His name and that no one offends Him. Everyone loves Him there, and the soul itself doesn't think about anything else than loving Him; nor can it cease loving Him, because it knows Him. And would that we could love Him in this way here below, even though we may not be able to do so with such perfection or stability. But if we knew Him we would love in a way very different from that in which we do love Him.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:5

Hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom Come Within Us

Well, Jesus says that we may recite these words in which we ask for a kingdom like His to come within us: 'Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come within us.'

Now behold, daughters, how great the wisdom of our Master is. I am reflecting here on what we are asking for when we ask for this kingdom, and it is good that we understand our request. But since His Majesty saw that we could neither hallow, nor praise, nor extol, nor glorify this holy name of the Eternal Father in a fitting way, because of the tiny amount we ourselves are capable of doing, He provided for us by giving us here on earth His kingdom. That is why Jesus put these two petitions next to each other. I want to tell you here, daughters, what I understand so that we may know what we are asking for and the importance of our begging persistently for it, and do as much as we can so as to please the One who is the give it to us. If I do not satisfy you, you can think up other reflections yourselves. Our Master will allow us to make these reflections provided that we submit in all things to what the Church holds, as I do[always. And I will not even give you this to read until learned persons have seen it. At least, if there is anything incorrect, the error will not be done through malice but for my not knowing any better.]

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:4

Oh, God Help Me!

Oh, God help me! What a pity to have so unawakened a faith that we never come to understand fully the certainty of both punishment and reward! As a result it is good, daughters, that you understand what you are asking for in the Our Father so that if the Eternal Father should offer it to you, you will not scoff at it. And consider very carefully whether what you ask for is good for you; if it isn't, don't ask for it, but ask His Majesty to give you light. For we are blind and feel loathing for the food that will give us life; we want the food that will bring us death. And what a death! So dangerous and so everlasting!

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:3

O Eternal Wisdom!

O Eternal Wisdom! Between You and Your Father these words would have sufficed. Your petition in the garden was like this. You manifested Your own desire and fear, but You abandoned them to His will. Yet, You know us, my Lord, that we are not as surrendered to the will of Your Father as You were. You know that it was necessary for You to make those specific requests so that we might pause to consider if what we are seeking is good for us, so that if it isn't we won't ask for it. If we aren't given what we want, being what we are, with this free will we have, we might not accept what the Lord gives. For although what He gives is better, we don't think we'll ever become rich, since we don't at once see the money in our hand.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:2

Give Us, Father, What is Fitting for Us

Is there anyone, however foolish, who when he is about to ask for something from an important person doesn't think over how he should go about asking? He must find favor with this person and not seem rude. He thinks about what he should ask for and why he needs it especially if he is asking for something significant, which is what our good Jesus teaches us to ask for. There is something it seems to me that should be noted: Couldn't You, my Lord, have concluded the Our Father with the words: 'Give us, Father, what is fitting for us?' It doesn't seem there would have been need to say anything else to One who understands everything so well.

- St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 30:1