THE DIARY
Juanita's Diary contains her intimate notes. It was written between 1915 and 1919, probably at the suggestion of Mother Ríos of Sacred Heart high school in Santiago (where Juanita was studying). From a literary and historical point of view the Diary is not perfect: Juanita was writing from time to time, some times leaving it aside for months before resuming to write. What makes the Diary valuable is that it reveals Juanita's interior life.
The first part of the Diary, dedicated to Mother Ríos when Juanita was 15, tells about her childhood. From September 1911 on, it adopts a different tone, much more intimate, since Juanita writes without thinking her Diary shall be read by other people. Thus she feels fully free and writes with spontaneity. One can read in these pages her intimate conversations with Jesus and Mary, the description of her efforts, her resolutions, her victories and failures on the path leading to holiness.
Just before entering the Carmel Juanita thought about burning her Diary. She wanted to hide for ever the secrets of her intimate life. Her mother beseeched her not to destroy it but to leave it to her as a remembrance of her. Juanita accepted. It was only after the death of her daughter in 1920 that the mother opened the Diary and discovered the treasures contained in it. This was the way the Diary was preserved and became a means through which many people have been attracted to a life of prayer. Thousand of people have read Teresa de Los Andes' Diary and through it have learned to grow in the love of Christ.
Here are some passages of Juanita's Diary.