The Interior Castle is a
book among the classics of the Roman Catholic Church. I chose this book to
write my final on much as I chose my midterm, to further deepen my own prayer
life- and who better to learn from than one of the great mystics?
I did not realize what I
was walking into when I opened this book. One hates to criticize the classics-
especially a novice like myself- however I found myself thinking repeatedly
that some editing would benefit the reader. She seems to repeat over and over
how unqualified she is to write such a book and there are several points that
she could have gone back over to make some corrections- including a “quote”
from sacred scripture itself that she wasn’t sure was a direct quote. However
once I got into the book, these minor offenses, which could be due in part to
the writing style of the times as well as the book not being originally in English,
I was amazed at what I gleaned from her experiences. At the end of the book she
states that she is grateful that she obeyed God and wrote it although she did
not originally want too- and what a treasure God used her to give to us!
A summary of the content
of the book:
Teresa of Avila claims
God spoke to her in a vision of chambers of a person’s soul in relation to
prayer. Seven mansions where she begins in the outer court with the person who
doesn’t have a prayer life to the innermost mansion where there is complete union
with God explaining many of experiences that the mystics had. Through the
journey of deepening your prayer life, you are walking from one mansion to
another until you arrive at the most beautiful and desired mansion of all- and
those who remain in the outer courts cannot see the beauty they are missing. Throughout this journey she explains not only what can be
experienced and how your maturity comes forth in prayer in each chamber (or
castle), but also what to guard against and how to go about protecting yourself
from the devils plans to prevent you from experiencing prayer and communion
with God. “The devil is so angry at this that he keeps legions of evil spirits
hidden in each room to stop the progress of Christians, whom, being ignorant of
this, he entraps in a thousand ways. He cannot so easily deceive souls which
dwell nearer to the King as he can beginners still absorbed in the world,
immersed in its pleasures, and eager for its honours and distinctions.”
The first mansion is where the
person enters into prayer and realizes that there are mansions to be explored,
sins to be gotten rid of along the journey, and also that there are many who
are so busy or distracted that they do not realize they are even missing
something.
The second mansion is the one in
which we discern God talking and calling us deeper. All who enter this mansion
are in knowledge of this calling, although here they struggle to discern which the
voice of God is and which the devil’s distractions are. Whom we associate with
becomes more important as they can add to helping us and encouraging us or
dragging us down in our mission to continue forward. She notes that we, in
fact, will fail and fall, but we need to get back up and keep pushing forward,
never coming to a stop in practicing our prayers. “Yet such are the pity and
compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and
enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to
Him. So sweet is His voice, that the poor soul is disconsolate at being unable
to follow His bidding at once, and therefore, as I said, suffers more than if
it could not hear Him.” She acknowledges that God knows our struggle in time,
that it is something that binds us and he loves us through it: “His Majesty is
willing to wait for us many a day and even many a year, especially when He sees
perseverance and good desires in our hearts.” She notes that we shouldn’t stop
living life and preforming needed duties, which we are to continue on and trust
God to use those duties to further direct us toward Him. “Prayer is a necessity
to prevent us from constantly falling into temptation.”
The third dwelling is where action
begins and motive is called out into the light. Listening and discerning God’s
voice are beautiful, but action needs to be put into place from the heart of
one acting from Love of God and desire to serve, not for recognition. Humility,
being key and willingness to give all for Him being our priority. “I have
nothing to rely upon but His mercy; as I cannot cancel the past, I have no
other remedy but to flee to Him….” “We all say we desire it, but there is need
of more than that for the Lord to possess entire dominion over the soul.”
The fourth dwelling is one in which
God brings joy to our hearts from our prayers in the supernatural- it is not a
joy from this world but a joy to be found only when entering into this state of
prayer. A state of prayer where we can sit before God and just listen while He
draws us into the arms of His presence and we can rest our souls in Him. It
takes time to go through the first three mansions to be rid of the things that
hinder us from entering into this chamber. Distractions are to be battled, any
remaining “reptiles” (sins) are to be cast off and allow us to remain humble.
But in this mansion, if we are able to do this, we receive graces, joys,
reconciliation, abandon, and devotion unlike any known to man outside of
prayer. We will find happiness, yes, but happiness is only a beginning which
can be experienced elsewhere in the human life, this joy goes deeper- and is
impossible to describe to someone who has not had the experience themselves.
She also warns of the temptations and delusions that often come in this
mansion, so that we can better guard ourselves from them.
The fifth mansion is one that
finally sounds like true rest and beauty to me. Here we have learned in the
past mansions how to discern truth from fiction, wisdom from lies, and can
focus on union with God. Teresa of Avila states that there are few who ever
make their way into this mansion, but that the joy and graces given find a
treasure that is not easily understood. She speaks of an experience that can be
likened to almost fainting, where your mind is so focused on understanding that
which is beyond its power that you might be considered to have fainted by those
around you in bodily form. Some feel when it’s over as if they have slept, and
then you must discern if it was truly God speaking with your heart or if the
devil is trying to deceive us. However the graces that come far exceed the
temptations that come. The effects of this union is that we find ourselves
desiring all the more to become like Christ in our hearts, attitudes, actions,
and even in suffering and death- we desire to bring God glory and love above
all else. She encourages us to follow this desire, giving us practical ways to
further discern God’s voice and leading in this union through frequent
confession. She warns that we can fall away and leave this mansion if we are
not careful and love both God and our neighbors and focus on the real and not
fall for the imaginary. She warns that this union is not brought through a
checklist or through fear, and encourages her sisters to love each other and
promote true charity- for when we love each other and correct each other in
love to spur one another to love, we will find ourselves in deeper union with
God.
The sixth mansion is where you find
yourself longing to always be in communion with God- no longer able to handle
the idea that there are people outside of communion with their Creator and/or
miss the point of such communion in their striving for perfection over
relationship. A beautiful form of indifference is built in this stage of
maturity toward both blame and praise as everything is not in perspective of
the greatness of God you see yourself more truthfully and don’t take it as
personally or prideful. Again she warns of the foothold that the devil will try
to implant in the form of fears, sorrow over past sins, physical, mental and
emotional limitations and ailments. She spends a great deal of time on various
ways God uplifts the soul, the person, and the visions granted as well as more
warnings to seek a good confessor who will hold you accountable and help you
discern God from what may be a temptation to follow what is not of God.
The seventh and final mansion in
this book is the one where your view of suffering changes, your wish is just to
serve Christ always and to relate to Him in every way. So close with God are
you that you eagerly seek any way you can to serve Him and even die for those
He loves. She is at true peace and unity with God, resting and in intersession
for brothers and sisters, especially those who find themselves in mortal sin. “The
most surprising thing to me is that the sorrow and distress which such souls
felt because they could not die and enjoy our Lord’s presence are now exchanged
for as fervent a desire of serving Him to be praised, and of helping others to
the utmost of their power. Not only have they ceased to long for death, but
they wish for a long life and most heavy crosses, if such would bring ever so
little honour to our Lord.” Finally we come to the chapter which compares her
relationship with God to that of a married couple for us to see the unity that
our marriages should point toward God in likeness. “…if we empty ourselves of
all that belongs to the creature, depriving ourselves of it for the love of
God, that same Lord will fill us with Himself.”
“THE little butterfly has died with
the greatest joy at having found rest at last, and now Christ lives in her….
Apparently the words spoken by His Majesty have done their work: ‘that she was
to care for His affairs, and He would care for hers.’”
I highly recommend to anyone about
to read this book to read through the chapters notes at the begging so it is
easy to follow where she is about to take us. This was a very helpful tool for
me as I read. Also, if you prefer audio books, here is a link to a free reading
you can listen too. I come away from reading this book, excited to evaluate
where I might be and what the struggles are that I need to cast off to find
myself entering into the next of my seven castles to the total abandon and
union with my Creator.
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