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Copy of an original 1576 painting of
St. Teresa
when she was 61. (Source: Wikipedia images)
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| (Source: Amazon.com ) |
Born in Spain in 1515, Saint Teresa of Avila composed this
masterpiece of mystical theology at the request of her confessor in 1577. As a
companion work to her autobiography and The
Way of Perfection – to be read in that order – the Interior Castle stands as the crown of her teachings on prayer. Whether
you consider yourself a beginner, or someone with years of practice, I highly
recommend this book, after reading the previously mentioned works of the Saint, as she was familiarly
called in her homeland. St. Teresa, with experience and good sense, leads the
soul desirous of spiritual progress through seven mansions of the soul to an
ever-deeper union with Jesus Christ. Always encouraging, St. Teresa shows the
reader that all – not just religious –
are called to advance in the degrees of prayer. The following is a brief
summary of the key thoughts of this jewel of mystical literature and teaching.
FIRST
MANSIONS
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| (Source: peony78.blogspot.com ) |
“I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of
a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms just
as in Heaven there are many mansions.”[1]
This exquisite metaphor of the castle and mansions is carried through the
entire work, and enhanced by a multitude of other poetic metaphors,
highlighting St. Teresa’s mastery of both literary and spiritual matters. The
entrance into the castle and the first mansion is described as beset “with
reptiles and other creatures,”[2]
symbolizing distractions, temptations and sin that still detain the soul, and
discourage her from the practice of meditation and mental prayer which are the
means of entering the castle. The absolutely indispensable dispositions, from
the start, she explains, are self-knowledge and humility – these arm the soul
against deception and pride which hinder progress in the life of prayer. The devil,
“like a noiseless file,”[3]
will attempt to break the protective guardrails of the castle; hence, vigilance
is needed for the prudent soul.
SECOND
MANSIONS
At this still early stage, the soul is encouraged to
persevere in prayer and to have good desires. St. Teresa recommends “to associate
with others who are walking in the right way,”[4] and
to expect to fight the devil who hates people who resolutely undertake the way
of prayer. Evil thoughts may come, she forewarns, like reptiles seeking to
bite, but that should cause the soul to be on her guard and to avoid offending
God. Above all, she writes, “let them place their trust, not in themselves, but
in the mercy of God, and they will see how His Majesty can lead them on”[5]
through the more inner mansions. “Growth in prayer enables the
individual to enter into deeper intimacy with God—signified
by a progressive journey through the apartments (or
mansions) of the castle from the outermost to the luminous
center.”[6]
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| Inward spiraling mansions (Source: renovare.org ) |
THIRD
MANSIONS
Souls who enter these mansions strive to practice charity,
do penance, and spend time in recollection with Our Lord. They also make
efforts to be careful in their speech and behavior. St. Teresa reminds us,
however, that God has no need of our good works, and that we should look upon
ourselves as unprofitable servants. She promises that if the soul exercises
itself in humility, God will grant it peace and resignation so that it may
courageously pursue His holy will. It is lack of humility, St. Teresa insists, “that
prevents us from making progress.”[7]
She warns against seeking consolations, since perfection consists not in
consolations but in love of God, particularly proven through the virtue of
obedience.
FOURTH
MANSIONS
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| (Source: Between The Linens ) |
The poisonous reptiles spoken of earlier, she assures the
soul, rarely enter these mansions, and if they do, they are rather harmless –
on the contrary, the soul is strengthened by combatting them, which makes the
devil give up when he sees the soul gaining virtue through his wiles. St.
Teresa describes the difference between “sweetness in prayer” which comes from
our own nature and is the fruit of profitable meditations, “and spiritual
consolations”[8] which
come from God but we enjoy them in a natural manner. She warns against thinking
too much, and recommends loving much, for that is far more pleasing to God. To
illustrate these effects, St. Teresa compares sweetness in prayer to water that
is conveyed to a place by means of pipes, whereas consolations resemble water
that is like a fountain in the midst of the soul which is filled directly,
instead of by labor. Delightful as they
may be, the Saint teaches that we should not desire these favors since that
shows a lack of humility in thinking that we deserve them. Rather, she advises,
the soul should desire suffering in order to imitate Jesus. Detachment from
favors is the safest path; otherwise the devil will tempt the soul to pride,
and it will regress instead of advance.
FIFTH
MANSIONS
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| The seven mansions of Teresa's interior castle | (Source: ResearchGate ) |
These mansions begin the stages of interior, infused knowledge
and riches that God grants to a soul. “His Majesty is in such close contact and
union with the essence of the soul”[9]
that the devil keeps his distance, not understanding what is happening. The
soul grasps truths, not through any vision, but with a certainty that cannot be
doubted. How? St. Teresa says, “That I do not know; it is the work of God.”[10]
His Majesty, she explains, is in the midst of the soul, and, unlike the
previous mansions, He does the work Himself. She likens the soul in these
mansions to a silkworm which, buried within a cocoon, will emerge as a
beautiful butterfly. The silkworm’s nourishment is meditation, penance,
obedience and good works; detached from and wearied by the world, the soul is
grieved at seeing God offended in the world. In the midst of its grief, the
soul strives to love God and neighbor. Again, St. Teresa emphasizes the
importance of humility and self-knowledge, begging God “to keep us in His hand,”[11]
lest self-assurance prevent the soul from advancing to the next mansions.
SIXTH
MANSIONS
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| Transverberation of St. Teresa (Source: Pinterest ) |
Souls that enter into these mansions are often afflicted
with suffering and infirmities, as well as spiritual favors. God purifies the remains
of self-respect, making the soul unconcerned about both censures and praises.
St. Teresa recommends that souls occupy themselves with good works, regardless
of suffering; the sign that it is from God is the tranquility and joy in the
soul. She describes different sorts of locutions that are received, either from
outside or from inside the soul, in its very depths. One can discern that they
are from God, and not the devil, if: 1) they agree “strictly with the Scriptures”;
2) “great tranquility dwells in the soul”; and 3) “these words do not vanish
from the memory.”[12] Words
from God are not invented by the imagination, but come when one is not at all
thinking of what is revealed to her. Sometimes God suspends the powers of the
soul, and fixes the certainty of truth within it. Calling the soul to a sort of
betrothal, the soul must fix its gaze on “the greatness of God, …
self-knowledge and humility,” and “a supreme contempt for earthly things, save …
the service of so great a God.”[13] Since
great importance is placed on keeping the commandments and counsels of God, St.
Teresa urges souls to meditate on the life and death of Jesus Christ who
proclaimed that, in His humanity, He is our Light and our Way.[14] Humility,
virtue, and the desire of “only what God wills”[15]
are signs of the authenticity of God’s presence in the soul. He Himself
strengthens the soul to suffer what is necessary to enter the next mansions.
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| (Source: Eucharistic Virtue ) |
SEVENTH
MANSIONS
Spiritual marriage and constant union with God is the gift
of these mansions. The Holy Trinity reveals itself to the soul. St. Teresa writes
of her experience of this, after Communion one day, when Our Lord “told her
that it was time she took upon her His affairs as if they were her own, and
that He would take her affairs upon Himself.”[16]
This union takes place in the deepest “center of the soul,”[17]
similar to the way that two candles could be joined to give off just one light,
or that drops of rain mingle into a river or spring, or that sunbeams entering
a room through two windows are perceived as one light. Metaphors seem to be the
only way that St. Teresa can describe the indescribable, and hint at the deep
interior joy with which the soul is graced. Tender love for God, humility, and
strength in accomplishing good works are the hallmarks of a soul that has been
united in this way to God. The Saint concludes by telling her Carmelite
Sisters, and the reader, that “we must not build towers without foundations,
and that the Lord does not look so much at the magnitude of anything we do as
at the love with which we do it.”[18]
Having traced the ascending, or inward spiraling path of prayer and union with
God, St. Teresa ends with a humble request for prayers for herself, a poor, miserable
creature.
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| St. Teresa of Avila: Feast day, October 15 (Source: Catholic News World ) |
FINAL WORDS
As I read this during Lent, I was so grateful that I would be able to share this masterpiece with my professor and classmates. I had made it half way through this work several times, but was daunted by its seemingly unreachable heights. This time, I found St. Teresa herself encouraging me, and all readers, not to give up, but to follow the call of His Majesty to the inner realms of His Love, through prayer.
[1] Teresa of
Avila, Interior Castle – The Classical
Text with a Spiritual Commentary by Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R., trans. E. Allison
Peers (Notre Dame, IN: Christian Classics, Ave Maria Press, 2007), 41.
[2] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 43.
[3] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 56.
[4] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 66.
[5] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 68.
[6] O. Steggink and
S. V. Ramge, "Teresa of Avila, St.", in New Catholic Encyclopedia,
2nd ed., vol. 13 (Detroit: Gale, 2003), 830.
[7] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 86.
[8] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 96.
[9] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 129.
[10] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 131.
[11] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 156.
[12] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 180-181.
[13] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 202.
[14] John
14:6
[15] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 242.
[16] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 271.
[17] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 272.
[18] Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, 295.
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