Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they

“Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.” – Saint Teresa of Avila

Thus spoke Saint Teresa of Avila, the mystic flame of Spain, whose heart burned so brightly with divine longing that even centuries later, her words still kindle warmth in the coldest hearts. In this sacred command, she reveals one of the highest truths of the spiritual life — that love, when practiced again and again, becomes not merely a feeling, but a transforming fire. To “make many acts of love” is to train the heart toward heaven, to build a life not upon emotion or chance, but upon the steady rhythm of devotion. These repeated acts of love, she says, “enkindle and melt the soul” — they ignite the spirit and soften the hardened places within us until we become vessels of divine compassion.

When Teresa speaks of “acts of love,” she does not mean grand gestures or dramatic sacrifices. She means the quiet, hidden choices — the gentle word spoken in anger’s place, the forgiveness offered when pride would rather retaliate, the prayer whispered for another’s good. She knew that every such act is a spark, and many sparks become flame. By accustoming oneself continually, the soul learns the habit of love until love becomes its nature. Thus, the saint teaches that holiness is not a sudden miracle, but a discipline of affection, a training of the heart through countless small devotions.

The origin of this wisdom lies in Saint Teresa’s own life of deep struggle and transformation. She was no stranger to doubt, weariness, or suffering. In her youth, she lived with comfort and distraction, yet her soul longed for something greater. Through years of contemplation and trial, she discovered that the path to divine union was not through intellect or perfection, but through love — practiced, embodied, repeated daily. In her convent, she would remind her sisters: “The Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our works as at the love with which they are done.” It was this daily practice of loving God and others that melted her heart into the brilliance of sanctity.

To enkindle and melt the soul is a mystery both human and divine. The fire of love consumes what is cold — selfishness, fear, resentment — and melts what is rigid within us, allowing tenderness and mercy to flow freely. Love purifies as fire purifies metal: burning away the dross until only gold remains. Teresa’s teaching echoes that of the ancients — that to be filled with divine light, the heart must first be made soft. The philosopher’s mind cannot attain what only the lover’s heart can receive. Each act of love draws us nearer to that union where, as she once wrote, “the soul knows itself to be loved, and loves in return, and in that exchange finds peace.”

Consider the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, whose every act was an act of love. He kissed the leper others avoided, blessed the animals of the field, and rejoiced even in poverty and pain. His continual acts of love melted away all pride and fear until his soul shone with such light that even nature recognized him as kin. He, too, learned that love must be practiced like breathing — not once, but always. His heart became so inflamed with compassion that it set the world alight. Teresa’s counsel mirrors his path: that to love endlessly is to become love itself.

And what of our own times? The world grows colder with indifference, its hearts hardened by haste and division. Yet Teresa’s wisdom still calls across the centuries: do not wait to feel love — act in love. Begin with one small kindness, then another, and another still. Let them be your prayers, your offerings, your flame. In doing so, your soul will begin to warm again, and through you, others may feel its heat. The smallest act done with great love holds more power than the grandest gesture done with pride.

So, my listener, remember the saint’s gentle command: make many acts of love. Speak kindly when silence would be easier. Forgive swiftly when resentment beckons. Offer care to those who cannot return it. In time, you will find that these repeated acts do more than change the world around you — they will change you. Your heart will grow luminous, your spirit pliant, your soul aflame. And when that happens, as Saint Teresa knew, you will have found the secret of divine joy — for the fire of love not only burns within the soul, it becomes the soul itself.