In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue, All that is not holy, all that is not true; Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour; Let His will enfold you in its light and power.

Book Review on St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle

St. Teresa of Avila

“I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond...in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions.”

Those are the words of St. Teresa of Avila in her remarkable spiritual autobiography and book on mystical theology, Interior Castle. Through her writing, the reader encounters such beautiful experiences of the soul on the quest for heavenly perfection and ultimately a perfect union with God. One may find guidance from and inspiration in the words of this incredible saint and Doctor of the Church who explores themes of self-knowledge, sacrifice and suffering, achievement of humility, and self-surrender to God and detachment from this world leading one to the next, praising and blessing God endlessly. St. Teresa of Avila offers to her readers a means of gaining spiritual perfection, being able to stand in the innermost and chiefest mansion, the place of unity with Christ.

How can the soul achieve eternal dwelling in this place? There is a process and a progression, St. Teresa explains. Considering souls in the feminine sense, St. Teresa describes the progress and transformation from an imperfect creature weighed down by sin and darkness to a soul made beautiful by the light of God’s grace, a soul united to Christ as a bride is united to her husband. St. Teresa tells us that we can enter the mansion through the door of prayer. Once we have entered, we discover new rooms as we travel on. She instructs us to roam about to find self-knowledge and “begin by entering the room where humility is acquired rather than flying off to the other rooms. For that is the way to progress.”

And thus the journey begins.

First Mansions. “The door of the castle is prayer,” we read. We also read of the beauty and dignity of souls, and of the beauty of all persons as they were made in the image and likeness of God. St. Teresa points out that we have a lack of comprehension of this beauty as we will only have a minute comprehension of the castle with mansions. In this chapter, we discover the fact that as we had separated ourselves from God in sin, we too separated ourselves from the understanding of our bodies and souls, our being as a whole. The rough set of the diamond in the outer castle is the body of ours, but what of our souls? The fact of the matter is that we must make an attempt to carefully preserve the soul’s beauty. Teresa asks us to imagine this castle and delve more deeply inside of it as we continue our spiritual journey. 

 

St. Teresa tells us that in order to go deeper, we must trust in the mercy and love of God, be humble and ask for the grace to know His greatness. Her message is to follow the will of God and He will indeed lead you along the right path. We are given an explanation of the many ways of “being” in a place. The answer of how to enter the castle is through “prayer and meditation,” striving to realize and remedy the present condition of a soul weighed down and barred from God by sin. This prayer must be true prayer; not from the lips, but rather from the heart and mind.

We learn in the first chapter the importance of self-knowledge. When the soul falls into mortal sin, St. Teresa writes, there is no knowledge of self, no unity with God. There is a “thick darkness,” and although Christ is still within the soul, He is lost, shut out almost. St. Teresa writes of a soul who wanted all persons to realize the utter horror of distracting the soul from God, sharing with the world the image of a crystal, a black cloth, and the sun shining brightly. The soul, the sin, and the Son of God-- these are what her image represents. How is the soul to receive grace if it is to separate itself from the Son? St. Teresa teaches that we can learn to understand ourselves, our souls redeemed by Christ’s Precious Blood, and remove that black cloth begging God to deliver us from evil, asking him to give us grace to have fear if we were ever to think of offending Him. This, St. Teresa says, is requesting of Christ humility, placing all of our trust in Him Who is at the centre of the mansion, and not in ourselves. Christ’s light will reach us if only we are to open our doors wide to Him. The author writes, “As I see it, we shall never succeed in knowing ourselves unless we seek to know God: let us think of His greatness and then come back to our own baseness; by looking at His purity we shall see our foulness; by meditating upon His humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble.” Through these things, we will be ready to embrace the good and move to the second mansions. Set your eyes upon Christ and His mother and learn true humility; do not let the devils or reptiles enter your soul so as to puff up your pride and absorb you in wrongdoing. St. Teresa invites us to be zealous, fill our souls with love, learn to know ourselves so that we might know Christ all in the hopes of reaching the greatest possible perfection.

In the chapter on the Second Mansions, we learn of the importance of perseverance. The  soul puts prayer into practice. Although devils and reptiles do continue every attempt to infiltrate the soul and win it over to sin, the soul and God are working together to resist and fight the devil. These mansions are warmer and filled with more light than the First. There are still trials, but the souls tries to absorb himself in good conversations, in sermons, in reading good books. God calls us by means of these things. He might also call us through sickness and prayer. He loves when souls pray, but we must remember, too, that the devil is trying to attack good; any chance he can take he tries to confuse the soul. Reason and faith, however, long with memory, lead us along the proper path. St. Teresa tells us that “[t]he will inclines to love One to Whom it has seen so many acts and signs of love, some of which it would like to return. In particular, the will shows the soul how this true Lover never leaves it... Then the understanding comes forward and makes the soul realize that... outside this castle it will never find security or peace...”Let us ask for God’s assistance, His mercy, and light in dark times. Let us be ever ready to conform our wills to that of God and be determined to never be defeated by the devil, always fighting “by the Cross” which souls carry when they are the spouse of Christ.

St. Teresa tells us here that because the soul’s progress is still at the beginning stages and one may fall, not to let ourselves “lose heart,” but rather strive for Christ’s peace, trusting in His Mercy. She says that “[i]t is absurd to think that we can enter Heaven without entering our own souls -- without getting to know ourselves, and reflecting upon the wretchedness of our nature and what we owe God, and continually imploring His Mercy.” We are told that we can ascend to the Father through Christ.

Third Mansions. We learn here the goodness of walking in fear. This brings a soul to the “straight road of salvation,” where our “only pleasure consists of pleasing God.” St. Teresa tells us here to imitate Our Lady and teaches us to not rely on ourselves but rather on God and Our Lady. She tells us that even if we are in constant conversation about God and continuously remaining in prayer, even if we hate sin and things of this world, we need to walk in fear, although leaving our reason and fear in the hands of God. When we consider the aridities of prayer, we learn that God tests souls and brings them to humility through recognition of their faults. God grants these souls in the Third Mansions special favors in their attempt to overcome difficulties. St. Teresa believes there are many souls who have received theses favors and grace; these souls “avoid committing even venial sins; they love doing penance; they spend hours in recollection; they use their time well; they practice works of charity toward their neighbors; and they are very careful in their speech and dress and in their government of household if they have one.” St. Teresa speaks again of humility and she tells us that the greatest stumbling block to the next mansion is pride and weariness, and unhealthy fear. St. Teresa tells us we are undeserving beings, but God asks of us resoluteness of our will, and not our works in life, and for this He rewards us. We are told, however, that the more He gives to us, the more we remain in his debt. We need to focus on our faults and not the faults of others, and we must abandon the things of this world, the things which will make us fall backwards, and instead abandon ourselves entirely to God and His will.

Fourth Mansions. Prayer of Quiet, meditation, and spiritual consolations. Here St. Teresa begins to touch the supernatural. These Mansions are beautiful, being essentially free from evil creatures trying to enter, although when they do the temptations are in a way welcome, for God gives great reward to the souls who directly turn to Him. We see that we can do nothing without God, and while earthly things may bring joy to us and make us happy, St. Teresa tells us that it seems “that the feelings which come to us from Divine things are as purely natural as these, except that their source is nobler... worldly joys have their source in their own nature and end in God, whereas spiritual consolations have their source in God...” . She tells us that even “tears and longings sometimes arise partly from our nature and from the state of preparedness we are in,” but “eventually lead one to God.” These ideas are written of in comparison to two basins filled with water; one basin contains water through human skill, the other through ever-flowing water from it’s source- God. This second basin overflows with water and goodness from God and it is by this that souls can enjoy sweetness and consolation. In desiring God’s glory and praising Him, in doing all things to please Him, we have signs of love. We need to not let our intellect interfere with desires and passions and proper reasoning in order to be closer to God. Finding peace in God will allow for no unrest to be present and strifes and trials can be borne in our desire to imitate God and to suffer for and serve Christ. St. Teresa writes of prayer of recollection, seeking God within ourselves, enlarging our hearts. She notes, too, though, that we can relapse, whether it be from physical weakness or that of the intellect and imagination, and tells us that we must abandon ourselves to the will of God and He will restore our strength.

Fifth Mansions. Closer unity to God. “Riches, treasures, and delights.” A sort of spiritual betrothal or preparation for betrothal. Love of neighbor, charity, and profiting other souls as it leads a good life. Higher contemplation. Proceeding carefully so that the devil can in no way win souls back by weakening wills and darkening understanding. These are all topics which St. Teresa touches on in these chapters. The faculties of the soul may be asleep for a while to the things of the world, but when they are, they are completely possessed by God, in a “death full of delight.” The devils have less if any opportunity to enter these mansions. As in the union with God, He protects and guards the soul from sin entirely, and the devils are too frightened. God is protecting us, but St. Teresa says to “trust God more and more” and that “we must serve His Majesty with humility and simplicity of heart, and praise Him...” Here God “implants Himself in the interior of that soul” by grace. St. Teresa tells us that she understands these mansions as being the cellar where the King brings His bride in the Songs. The Bride wanders about seeking her Beloved. She says the cellar is “where the Lord is pleased to put us, when He wills and as He wills.” God places us there in the centre, and He enters, too. The silkworm metaphor is St. Teresa’s next idea. She describes the process of a worm being transformed into a butterfly after the warmth of the weather comes and likens it to a soul which gets new life when the Holy Spirit nourishes it until it is “full grown” and can build up the Body of Christ. He gives the soul “frequent confessions, good books and sermons, for these are the remedies for the soul dead in negligences and sins and frequently plunged into temptation.” Prayer of Union spun by souls is what St. Teresa describes here. She says, “Let us renounce our self-love and self-will, and our attachment to earthly things. Let us practice penance, prayer, mortification, obedience, and all the other good works that you know of... Then we shall see God and shall ourselves be hidden in His greatness” closely united to Him, fixing our eyes on His greatness.

The soul “finds itself so anxious to praise the Lord” and “finds itself longing to suffer great trials.” Not being given the full capacity to conform with God’s will, though there is still room to grow and tears and sorrows to get past before arriving at the next Mansions and before attaining perfect unity with God.

Sixth Mansions. Lover and Beloved grow in intimacy. With “greater favours”come “greater trials.” The soul “has been wounded with love for the Spouse and seeks more opportunity of being alone, trying.....to renounce everything which can disturb it in this its very solitude.” God is the soul’s whole desire. The soul prizes God’s honor and glory more than its own. God sends many infirmities and interior sufferings to the soul here, but giving us no more than what we can handle, and always giving us patience. Suffering purifies us and enables us to make it into the seventh mansions. St. Teresa describes here the care a soul must have in sharing such personal matters with confessor, much like St. Faustina in her diary. St. Teresa says the best medicine for these souls is not to remove the trouble but rather to “occupy oneself with external affairs and works of charity and to hope in God’s mercy, which never fails those who hope in Him.” Here is where God, Who is in the Seventh Mansion, awakens and calls the soul to Him, leaving no room for the devil. The devil may try to tempt the soul, and the soul as a result may become anxious, but God will calm it by speaking to it, communicating with it in different ways, and providing intellectual visions (even possibly revealing deeper truths about God) which the soul will understand as genuine and not just in the imagination per criteria St. Teresa describes, but which should be kept secret and not sought out. With trust and meditation on Christ’s most sacred Humanity and love, through prolonged meditation and prayer on Christ’s Passion, God allows the soul to be suspended in prayer and rapture or ecstasy, confirming the betrothal, cleansing the soul entirely, blessing the soul with courage, uniting the soul with Himself, “fanning [the will of the soul brightly] into flame” a flame ready for the Seventh Mansions. St. Teresa writes that “Our Lord grants the soul favours like these because He is pleased to treat her like a true bride, who is determined to do His will in all things, and to give her some knowledge of the way in which she can do His will and of His greatness.”

Seventh Mansions. Spiritual Marriage. Transformation. Peace. The rain becomes one with the river. These are concepts of another Heaven. This other Heaven is the Seventh Mansions. God’s greatness, works, mercies and wonders are without limit here. The more we learn to know Him here the more we praise Him. Here God grants the soul special favours of Divine Marriage and brings it to His home. God enkindles and illumines the spirit and soul to true unity. St. Teresa says that they are the souls who, “by God’s mercy, have done penance for their sins and are in grace.” In this mansion, “[o]ur good God now desires to remove the scales from the eyes of the soul, so that it may see and understand something of the favour which He is granting it...by means of an intellectual vision, in which...the Most Holy Trinity reveals Itself.” The soul feels within itself a “Divine companionship...she has great confidence that God will not leave her.” The presence of God might not always be fully realized, but it knows of God’s companionship. St. Teresa tells us here that souls and spirits are, though different, one, and we also learn of the subtle differences between spiritual marriages and spiritual unions. She says, “there is the same difference between the Spiritual Betrothal and the... Marriage as there is between two betrothed persons and two who are united so that they cannot be separated any more” and goes on saying that “[b]etween the Spiritual Marriage and the body there is even less connection, for this secret union takes place in the deepest centre of the soul, which must be where God Himself dwells.” In Spiritual Betrothal the persons are often separated.

The communication of God in this most interior and chiefest mansion is a great secret and favour, and the soul is truly made one with God in a way different from any way before. Christ “gives the soul that kiss for which the Bride besought Him.” St. Teresa quotes St. Paul in writing the following: Mihi vivere Christus est, mori lucrum, which means “For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain.” In the seventh Mansions, the soul, writes St. Teresa, may say these words because “it is here that the little butterfly to which we have referred dies, and with greatest joy, because Christ is now its life.” Here Christ lives in us, and the presence of the Lord is everlasting. There is ultimate perfection and peace. God and the soul cannot be separated.

So how can we get here? Humility, patience, perseverance, trust, courage, detachment from the world, self-giving, offering the Lord any interior and exterior sacrifice we can give Him. God unites these things with His offerings which He gave to God on the Cross, and in this unity, His great blessings overflow into souls, uniting souls to Himself. Let us make a throne for God in our hearts which will not be at rest until resting in Our Lord, in that inmost room in our soul, our interior castle which belongs entirely to God. He will enfold us in His mercy so that we may become one with Him.

“May He be forever blessed and praised by all His creatures. Amen.” -St. Teresa of Avila