19.
(Probably Ávila, 1571)
Penance and obedience

Once while thinking about the severe penance Doña Catalina de Cardona1 performed and about how because of the desires for penance the Lord sometimes gives me I could have done more were it not for obedience to my confessors, I thought it might be better not to obey them any longer in this matter. The Lord told me: “That’s not so; you are walking on a good and safe path. Do you see all the penance she does? I value your obedience more.”