Teresa de Ávila (1515–1582)

Summary: St Theresa’s reflections on growing in love, humility, and the life of prayer.

About a year ago, I reviewed a different, out of print, edition of this work from the same publisher. The folks at Paraclete were so generous that they sent me their “in print” edition of the same work, published for the 500th anniversary of the writing of this work. In addition to a foreword by Paula Huston reflecting on her own encounter with this work, the translation is one into contemporary English, with instances where the translator changed sentences in the passive voice to active. In reading this edition, I felt like Theresa was speaking directly to me.

The Way of Perfection breaks down into two parts. The first focuses on the spiritual life and how one of those in the Carmelites might progress in becoming like Christ. She explains the benefits of poverty, the importance of unceasing prayer and the necessity that women love each other equally without favoritism, which can wreck the harmony of a house. She instructs on detachment from all earthly affections to focus on the love of God. This includes gifts from family. She addresses answering unjust accusations:

“No one can ever blame us unjustly, since we are always full of faults, and a just person falls seven times a day. It would be a falsehood to say that we have no sin. Even if we are not guilty of the thing we are accused of, then, we are never entirely without blame in the way that our good Jesus was” (p. 57).

She devotes several chapters to mental and vocal prayer and contemplation. She urges people to pray as they are able and that the Lord is as pleased with our vocal prayers as our silent mental praying. She stresses that the state of contemplation, resting in the Lord, is a gift that may come equally to those praying vocally or mentally.

The second part turns to the great vocal prayer of the church, the Our Father. Theresa takes us through the prayer phrase by phrase, mining its richness. She marvels how much Jesus gives us in the first words, “Our Father.” She reflects on the significance of “hallowed be thy name” and “thy kingdom come” side by side, that the presence of God’s good rule on earth reminds us of the holiness of his name. She acknowledges the challenge of yielding our will to God. She tends to spiritualize the idea of daily bread, focusing on the bread of Christ. Perhaps it is well that our need for daily physical bread be a reminder of the need to be daily nourished in Christ. She emphasizes the underlying love of each other behind the prayer to be forgiven as we forgive. “Lead us not into temptation” is not a shrinking from spiritual conflict but our awareness of our vulnerabilities to temptation and the protection of God.

I’ve but touched on the richness to be found in these pages. It certainly did not hurt me to read The Way of Perfection again. I suspect that multiple readings are warranted because, in each reading, we are different people and will hear different things.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.… (mere)

I have just finished reading ‘The Interior Castle’, otherwise known as ‘The Mansions’, by the Spanish Carmelite Nun, mystic and Doctor of the Church St. Teresa of Avila.

The book proved to be more than worthy of the spiritual classic label that it has earned. It is one that I will return to again and again for inspiration.

The book is at one and the same time both easy to read and difficult to read. I would suggest that for those just beginning their spiritual journey it may prove very abstract. Even for those of us further along the spiritual path it can prove challenging, with themes, motifs and experiences which may be totally unfamiliar to us. You don’t know what you don’t know, and yet even the later chapters can fuel the imagination and provide motivation. I certainly found it a helpful guide and, whilst being unable to discern exactly where in the mansion I am, I came away with a renewed sense of spiritual direction.

I also benefitted from reading ‘The Fire Within’ by Fr. Thomas Dubay before venturing into the Interior Castle. It helped me immensely in understanding the context and themes of St. Teresa’s writing and her connections with her younger Spiritual Director St. John of the Cross, whose 'Dark Night of the Soul' I plan to read next.

Anyway, back to this book.

The Interior Castle is a metaphor for our soul. According to Teresa of Avila, our soul is like a single diamond in which there are many rooms. At the centre of the Castle is where the King (Jesus) resides. The soul has great dignity and beauty and is a paradise in which God takes great delight. Teresa asks, “what do you think a room will be like that is the delight of a King so mighty, so wise, so pure and so full of all that is good?”

We enter the Interior Castle, Teresa says, through prayer and mediation. Our destination is the centre of the castle where the most “secret things pass between God and the soul”. This is the interior journey. Teresa goes on to say, “You will have read certain books on prayer which advise the soul to enter within itself: and that is exactly what this means.”

So, the Interior Castle is really a book about prayer and what the 12 step programmes call ‘conscious contact with God’.

Prayer can be separated into two categories, ascetic and mystical.

In ascetic prayer we initiate interaction with God through vocal prayer and meditation. This is also called “purgative prayer” because of the cleansing effect on our lives. The first three mansions of the Interior Castle cover this material.

In mystical prayer, God drives the activity. Teresa writes about this in Mansions four through seven. This form of prayer can itself again be divided into two categories, illuminative prayer and unitive prayer.

Through illuminative prayer God enlightens our will and understanding. Teresa explains this in the fourth mansion. In mansions five through seven Teresa writes about unitive prayer, which leads us to a deep and intimate relationship with Christ “where the most secret things pass between God and the soul.”

Unitive prayer covers two thirds of the Interior Castle and is the focal point of the book.

I found the book at one and the same time revealing, interesting and inspiring. I am very much a ‘head’ Christian and have been aware for some time of a need to counterbalance this with a development of my spiritual life. The idea of having an intimate, inner relationship with Christ excites me.… (mere)