Kieran Kavanaugh - Saint Teresa of Avila for Every Day: Reflections from the Interior Castle

Reflections from The Interior Castle

edited by

Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD

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One day when Teresa lamented to her spiritual director that the story she had written of her life was kept (although not condemned) in the custody of the Inquisition, he gave her orders to write another book. In this hook she should disguise her identity. Teresa regretted having brought the subject up because nothing could be as difficult, she thought, as writing another book. She didn't feel the virtue necessary to carry out the obedience. She experienced in the midst of her struggles with continual sickness and duties of so many kinds a strong aversion toward such a task. But once she began, the work became easier for her; in fact, writing the book brought her much happiness, she said on completing it. Why did it bring her happiness? Because it was a book, like her other hooks, about prayer, and she had many gifts when it came to writing about prayer. The work we now know as The Interior Castle has indeed been esteemed by critics as her masterpiece.

Teresa's basic comparison on which she builds her teaching is that of a soul and a castle. The soul of the just person is really like a beautiful castle where the Lord, our King, says He finds His delight. She finds nothing comparable to this castle's magnificent beauty and marvelous capacity. Just as we find it impossible to comprehend God, we can hardly comprehend ourselves because we are made in God's image and likeness.

What Teresa deeply regrets is that we, through our own fault, do not understand ourselves or know who we are. We seldom consider what precious things can be found in our souls or who dwells within them. And so little effort is spent in preserving the beauty of our souls. All our energy is used up on the outer wall of the castle with these bodies of ours. But the fact is that all the beauty lies within the castle with its many rooms or dwelling places, some up above, some down below, and others to the sides. But what makes the castle so beautiful is the great Light who dwells in the center room and invites us there to enjoy His com pany. But not only that, as we move through the rooms to the center dwelling place, we experience more and more of this Light which illumines the entire castle for us revealing everywhere its rich treasures.

Teresa is quite sure, right from the beginning, that anyone who does not believe in the many favors from God and graces of prayer that are experienced within this castle will not experience them. In fact God provides even much more than she can describe. God doesn't like us to put a limit on His works. Unfortunately, there are many who live their lives in the outer courtyard of the castle. They don't care at all about entering and enjoying the wonderful delights that are within. Nor do they have any idea about who dwells within this castle, nor about its resplendent and countless rooms. Teresa compares the many worldly things with which people occupy their lives to vermin, and she says the more they occupy themselves with the vermin the more they become almost like vermin themselves.

So how does one enter the castle? Through prayer and reflection. A prayer in which persons are aware of Christ, the Light, with whom they commune and gradually grow in a loving friendship. But there are also many who barely enter the castle. They are very much involved in the world and only once in a while reflect on who they are, usually in a hurried fashion. Their minds are mainly filled with business matters and the world's enjoyments. They need to take upon themselves a life of prayer, and do so seriously. This is what Teresa urges us to do as we follow her on her journey through the castle, through the many lights and darknesses experienced on this path.

When Teresa after many years reached the seventh dwelling place, the Lord then reveals to her something of the favor He has been granting her in the union she has been experiencing. Here the Lord removes something of her blindness and deafness so that she perceives all three Persons in the Blessed Trinity communicating themselves to her, speaking to her, and explaining those words of the Lord in the Gospel, that He and the Father and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell with the soul that loves Him and keeps His commandments. Each day Teresa is more amazed, for these Persons never seem to leave her. Even though the Presence is not per ceived so clearly, Teresa finds herself in this company every time she takes notice. But this does not mean that she is so absorbed as to be unoccupied with anything else. On the contrary, she is much more occupied than before with everything pertaining to the service of God. And only when her duties are over does she remain in that enjoyable company.

Teresa, then, not only knows but experiences God as her ultimate good, beauty, and truth, the source and fountain of all life. She presents God as the most profound lover of each human person, even to those who do not love Him, believe in Him, or even know Him. The most important task in our lives is for us to seek God, find Him, and develop a loving relationship with Him. This leads us to the deepest and most lasting happiness we can experience. These daily reflections taken from Teresa's The Interior Castle are meant to help us as we try to carry out this most important task.