Somebody asked me for some advice
in his reading of the book of saint Theresa of Avila: “The Interior Castle”
(see: this version or this other one two different translations).
It is difficult to do so in a short
text, but still, I will say few things that hopefully will help:
Some people start reading saint
Theresa of Avila with this book (“The Interior Castle”). It is true, this is her “Masterpiece”,
but this doesn't mean that we can understand her right away. My suggestion
would be (if the person is only starting to read saint Theresa) to read the
book of her “Life” written by herself.
Then the "Way of Perfection",
then "The Interior Castle".
It takes more time to do it this way, true, but maybe it is easier, more
fruitful and more faithful to her thought and to the chronological process of
her thought. “The Interior Castle” ("Castillo interior" or "Las Moradas") is a work of maturity (1577).
Some other persons would start by
reading an introduction to her thoughts, to her terminology (the words she
uses).
Marcelle Auclair |
Some would prefer to read a
Biography of Theresa of Avila. We have various good ones (Marcelle Auclair,
Ephren de la Madre de Dios-Otger Steggink)
Her thought is not systematic,
even if the book of the Interior Castle looks systematic.
One advice thought while reading
any of her books. While reading, try to see:
1- What God wants to do in
the Soul (in general and in yours in particular): His goal, his aim. The holy
project of God for you.
2- What are the advices saint Theresa gives in order to know what to do in order to grow. The
obstacles to avoid (temptations, sins, bad habits, …), the acts to do, the
virtues to grow (with the grace of God),...
3- What will happen if I
do what I have to do (at the stage where I am): description of the action of
the Grace of God in us, the transformation that it provokes. What you feel,
what you experiment.
So one can read the book once,
just to have a general idea. Then, re-read it again, with a pen and a notebook
handy, writing down, for each stage, the 3 points mentioned above.
While reading the Interior
Castle, the "temptation" is to try to know where we are in the
journey, if we are at the first, second, third, forth, fifth mansion,... If we
are motivated by the true desire to know what we are supposed to do in order to
grow, this means that our conscience is pure, and that we will make a good use
of this knowledge (knowing were we are are). We will focus on the useful advice given to us by saint
Theresa, at our stage.
Another advice to the reader who
reads for the first time: take what God gives you, what speaks to you (regardless of
where you are in the journey). One can do a kind of revision to what could be
lacking.
Remember that a normal “fervent Christian” or “charismatic person” (a person
that belongs to the charismatic movement in the Church) already crossed the
border between the third and the fourth mansion (entering what Theresa calls
the “supernatural” that doesn’t depend on us, or the "specific help of the Grace
of God"). So, please let us not spend all our life reading the first 3 mansions.
Let us go rather swiftly through these first 3 mansions and focus a lot on the
Fourth and the Fifth.
The majority of fervent people
(charismatic certainly) are in these two mansions. The art would be to practise
with constancy the advices given in these two mansions, especially the fourth,
so the will becomes rooted in God, and one reaches the fifth mansions. (fourth
are like climbing and the fifth are like being stable in a “state” (the “Union
of will”).)
Mind you, after that, God starts to "talk" to us differently. Here we
need the help of saint John of the Cross and the description of the deep
purification of the spirit (the upper part of the soul). Saint Theresa of Avila
doesn't really mention it in an obvious way, while it is important. (See how
Father Marie Eugene in his book "I want to see God", intended to be a
comment to her book "The Interior Castle", did add the description of
the deep purification of the spirit explained by saint John of the Cross. They
in fact complement each other.)
This change of behaviour of God
toward us is in fact fundamental. We need to know it. This is why saint John of
the Cross writes his books at the first place. He sees beautiful and fervent
souls who reach that point (end of the fifth mansions) and stop their growth, and the reason is that while God is changing His
behaviour with us, the change is perceived
as a “regression” (going backward in the spiritual journey). Because one
perceives that God is far, against us, and all the "milk" we used to
get disappeared.
I hope this
helps.
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