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TERESA OF AVILA: CONTEMPLATIVE AND INDUSTRIOUS
VATICAN CITY, 2 FEB 2011 (vatican.va) –
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the course of the Catecheses that I have chosen to dedicate to the Fathers of the Church and to great theologians and women of the Middle Ages I have also had the opportunity to reflect on certain Saints proclaimed Doctors of the Church on account of the eminence of their teaching.
Today I would like to begin a brief series of meetings to complete the presentation on the Doctors of the Church and I am beginning with a Saint who is one of the peaks of Christian spirituality of all time — St Teresa of Avila [also known as St Teresa of Jesus].
St Teresa, whose name was Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515. In her autobiography she mentions some details of her childhood: she was born into a large family, her “father and mother, who were devout and feared Godâ€, into a large family. She had three sisters and nine brothers.
While she was still a child and not yet nine years old she had the opportunity to read the lives of several Martyrs which inspired in her such a longing for martyrdom that she briefly ran away from home in order to die a Martyr’s death and to go to Heaven (cf. Vida, [Life], 1, 4); “I want to see Godâ€, the little girl told her parents.
A few years later Teresa was to speak of her childhood reading and to state that she had discovered in it the way of truth which she sums up in two fundamental principles.
On the one hand was the fact that “all things of this world will pass away†while on the other God alone is “for ever, ever, everâ€, a topic that recurs in her best known poem: “Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone sufficesâ€. She was about 12 years old when her mother died and she implored the Virgin Most Holy to be her mother (cf. Vida, I, 7).
If in her adolescence the reading of profane books had led to the distractions of a worldly life, her experience as a pupil of the Augustinian nuns of Santa MarÃa de las Gracias de Avila and her reading of spiritual books, especially the classics of Franciscan spirituality, introduced her to recollection and prayer.
When she was 20 she entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation, also in Avila. In her religious life she took the name “Teresa of Jesusâ€. Three years later she fell seriously ill, so ill that she remained in a coma for four days, looking as if she were dead (cf. Vida, 5, 9).
In the fight against her own illnesses too the Saint saw the combat against weaknesses and the resistance to God’s call: “I wished to liveâ€, she wrote, “but I saw clearly that I was not living, but rather wrestling with the shadow of death; there was no one to give me life, and I was not able to take it. He who could have given it to me had good reasons for not coming to my aid, seeing that he had brought me back to himself so many times, and I as often had left him†(Vida, 7, 8).
In 1543 she lost the closeness of her relatives; her father died and all her siblings, one after another, emigrated to America. In Lent 1554, when she was 39 years old, Teresa reached the climax of her struggle against her own weaknesses. The fortuitous discovery of the statue of “a Christ most grievously woundedâ€, left a deep mark on her life (cf. Vida, 9).
The Saint, who in that period felt deeply in tune with the St Augustine of the Confessions, thus describes the decisive day of her mystical experience: “and… a feeling of the presence of God would come over me unexpectedly, so that I could in no wise doubt either that he was within me, or that I was wholly absorbed in him†(Vida, 10, 1).
Parallel to her inner development, the Saint began in practice to realize her ideal of the reform of the Carmelite Order: in 1562 she founded the first reformed Carmel in Avila, with the support of the city’s Bishop, Don Alvaro de Mendoza, and shortly afterwards also received the approval of John Baptist Rossi, the Order’s Superior General.
In the years that followed, she continued her foundations of new Carmelite convents, 17 in all. Her meeting with St John of the Cross was fundamental. With him, in 1568, she set up the first convent of Discalced Carmelites in Duruelo, not far from Avila.
In 1580 she obtained from Rome the authorization for her reformed Carmels as a separate, autonomous Province. This was the starting point for the Discalced Carmelite Order.
Indeed, Teresa’s earthly life ended while she was in the middle of her founding activities. She died on the night of 15 October 1582 in Alba de Tormes, after setting up the Carmelite Convent in Burgos, while on her way back to Avila. Her last humble words were: “After all I die as a child of the Churchâ€, and “O my Lord and my Spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time to meet one anotherâ€.
Teresa spent her entire life for the whole Church although she spent it in Spain. She was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1614 and canonized by Gregory XV in 1622. The Servant of God Paul VI proclaimed her a “Doctor of the Church†in 1970.
Teresa of Jesus had no academic education but always set great store by the teachings of theologians, men of letters and spiritual teachers. As a writer, she always adhered to what she had lived personally through or had seen in the experience of others (cf. Prologue to The Way of Perfection), in other words basing herself on her own first-hand knowledge.
Teresa had the opportunity to build up relations of spiritual friendship with many Saints and with St John of the Cross in particular. At the same time she nourished herself by reading the Fathers of the Church, St Jerome, St Gregory the Great and St Augustine.
Among her most important works we should mention first of all her autobiography, El libro de la vida (the book of life), which she called Libro de las misericordias del Señor [book of the Lord’s mercies].
Written in the Carmelite Convent at Avila in 1565, she describes the biographical and spiritual journey, as she herself says, to submit her soul to the discernment of the “Master of things spiritualâ€, St John of Avila. Her purpose was to highlight the presence and action of the merciful God in her life. For this reason the work often cites her dialogue in prayer with the Lord. It makes fascinating reading because not only does the Saint recount that she is reliving the profound experience of her relationship with God but also demonstrates it.
In 1566, Teresa wrote El Camino de Perfección [The Way of Perfection]. She called itAdvertencias y consejos que da Teresa de Jesús a sus hermanas [recommendations and advice that Teresa of Jesus offers to her sisters]. It was composed for the 12 novices of the Carmel of St Joseph in Avila. Teresa proposes to them an intense programme of contemplative life at the service of the Church, at the root of which are the evangelical virtues and prayer.
Among the most precious passages is her commentary on the Our Father, as a model for prayer. St Teresa’s most famous mystical work is El Castillo interior [The Interior Castle]. She wrote it in 1577 when she was in her prime. It is a reinterpretation of her own spiritual journey and, at the same time, a codification of the possible development of Christian life towards its fullness, holiness, under the action of the Holy Spirit.
Teresa refers to the structure of a castle with seven rooms as an image of human interiority. She simultaneously introduces the symbol of the silk worm reborn as a butterfly, in order to express the passage from the natural to the supernatural.
The Saint draws inspiration from Sacred Scripture, particularly the Song of Songs, for the final symbol of the “Bride and Bridegroom†which enables her to describe, in the seventh room, the four crowning aspects of Christian life: the Trinitarian, the Christological, the anthropological and the ecclesial.
St Teresa devoted the Libro de la fundaciones [book of the foundations], which she wrote between 1573 and 1582, to her activity as Foundress of the reformed Carmels. In this book she speaks of the life of the nascent religious group. This account, like her autobiography, was written above all in order to give prominence to God’s action in the work of founding new monasteries.
It is far from easy to sum up in a few words Teresa’s profound and articulate spirituality. I would like to mention a few essential points. In the first place St Teresa proposes the evangelical virtues as the basis of all Christian and human life and in particular, detachment from possessions, that is, evangelical poverty, and this concerns all of us; love for one another as an essential element of community and social life; humility as love for the truth; determination as a fruit of Christian daring; theological hope, which she describes as the thirst for living water. Then we should not forget the human virtues: affability, truthfulness, modesty, courtesy, cheerfulness, culture.
Secondly, St Teresa proposes a profound harmony with the great biblical figures and eager listening to the word of God. She feels above all closely in tune with the Bride in the Song of Songs and with the Apostle Paul, as well as with Christ in the Passion and with Jesus in the Eucharist. The Saint then stresses how essential prayer is. Praying, she says, “means being on terms of friendship with God frequently conversing in secret with him who, we know, loves us†(Vida 8, 5). St Teresa’s idea coincides with Thomas Aquinas’ definition of theological charity as “amicitia quaedam hominis ad Deumâ€, a type of human friendship with God, who offered humanity his friendship first; it is from God that the initiative comes (cf. Summa Theologiae II-II, 23, 1).
Prayer is life and develops gradually, in pace with the growth of Christian life: it begins with vocal prayer, passes through interiorization by means of meditation and recollection, until it attains the union of love with Christ and with the Holy Trinity. Obviously, in the development of prayer climbing to the highest steps does not mean abandoning the previous type of prayer. Rather, it is a gradual deepening of the relationship with God that envelops the whole of life.
Rather than a pedagogy Teresa’s is a true “mystagogy†of prayer: she teaches those who read her works how to pray by praying with them. Indeed, she often interrupts her account or exposition with a prayerful outburst.
Another subject dear to the Saint is the centrality of Christ’s humanity. For Teresa, in fact, Christian life is the personal relationship with Jesus that culminates in union with him through grace, love and imitation. Hence the importance she attaches to meditation on the Passion and on the Eucharist as the presence of Christ in the Church for the life of every believer, and as the heart of the Liturgy. St Teresa lives out unconditional love for the Church: she shows a lively “sensus Ecclesiaeâ€, in the face of the episodes of division and conflict in the Church of her time.
She reformed the Carmelite Order with the intention of serving and defending the “Holy Roman Catholic Churchâ€, and was willing to give her life for the Church (cf. Vida, 33,5).
A final essential aspect of Teresian doctrine which I would like to emphasize
is perfection, as the aspiration of the whole of Christian life and as its ultimate goal. The Saint has a very clear idea of the “fullness†of Christ, relived by the Christian. At the end of the route through The Interior Castle, in the last “roomâ€, Teresa describes this fullness, achieved in the indwelling of the Trinity, in union with Christ through the mystery of his humanity.
Dear brothers and sisters, St Teresa of Jesus is a true teacher of Christian life for the faithful of every time. In our society, which all too often lacks spiritual values, St Teresa teaches us to be unflagging witnesses of God, of his presence and of his action. She teaches us truly to feel this thirst for God that exists in the depths of our hearts, this desire to see God, to seek God, to be in conversation with him and to be his friends.
This is the friendship we all need that we must seek anew, day after day. May the example of this Saint, profoundly contemplative and effectively active, spur us too every day to dedicate the right time to prayer, to this openness to God, to this journey, in order to seek God, to see him, to discover his friendship and so to find true life; indeed many of us should truly say: “I am not alive, I am not truly alive because I do not live the essence of my lifeâ€.
Therefore time devoted to prayer is not time wasted, it is time in which the path of life unfolds, the path unfolds to learning from God an ardent love for him, for his Church, and practical charity for our brothers and sisters. Many thanks.
Check out Teresa of Avila’s Discerning Hearts Page
Tags: st teresa, st teresa of jesus, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Jesus
This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2012 at 12:11 am
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God, deliver me from sullen saints. – Saint Teresa of Avila
Oh my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value. – Saint Teresa of Avila
There is no such thing as bad weather. All weather is good because it is God’s. – Saint Teresa of Avila
There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world. – Saint Teresa of Avila
We need no wings to go in search of Him, but have only to look upon Him present within us. – Saint Teresa of Avila
Let nothing trouble you, let nothing make you afraid. All things pass away. God never changes. Patience obtains everything. God alone is enough. – Saint Teresa of Avila
Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end. – Saint Teresa of Avila
Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. – Saint Teresa of Avila
You ought to make every effort to free yourselves even from venial sin, and to do what is most perfect. – Saint Teresa of Avila
If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that is we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example. What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favors, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love him. For is at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort. – Saint Teresa of Avila
“I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus acquire experience.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can – namely, surrender our will and fulfill God’s will in us.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
 
“We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“It is here, my daughters, that love is to be found – not hidden away in corners but in the midst of occasions of sin. And believe me, although we may more often fail and commit small lapses, our gain will be incomparably the greater.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“The tree that is beside the running water is fresher and gives more fruit.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“O my God, what must a soul be like when it is in this state! It longs to be all one tongue with which to praise the Lord. It utters a thousand pious follies, in a continuous endeavor to please Him who thus possesses it.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
“Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds. “– Saint Teresa of Avila
“The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.”– Saint Teresa of Avila
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, humility, quotes, saint teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2011 at 8:37 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa’s introduction to the work: Â [powerpress]
For all chapters of the audio book visit: Â The Interior Castle audio page
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London
[1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.
Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:
✠Edward
Apostolic Administrator
Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, Dom Michael Barrett, st teresa, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila
This entry was posted on Sunday, July 31st, 2011 at 8:50 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The First Mansions Chapter 1: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Plan of this book. 2. The Interior Castle. 3. Our curable self ignorance. 4. God dwells in the centre of the soul. 5. Why all souls do not receive certain favours. 6. Reasons for speaking of these favours. 7. The entrance of the Castle. 8. Entering into oneself. 9. Prayer. 10. Those who dwell in the first mansion. 11. Entering. 12. Difficulties of the subject.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 30th, 2011 at 9:57 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The First Mansions Chapter 2: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Effects of mortal sin. 2. It prevents the soul’s gaining merit. 3. The soul compared to a tree. 4. Disorder of the soul in mortal sin. 5. Vision of a sinful soul. 6. Profit of realizing these lessons. 7. Prayer. 8. Beauty of the Castle. 9. Self-knowledge 10. Gained by meditating on the divine perfections. 11. Advantages of such meditation. 12. Christ should be our model. 13. The devil entraps beginners. 14. Our strength must come from God. 15. Sin blinds the soul. 16. Worldliness. 17. The world in the cloister. 18. Assaults of the devil. 19. Examples of the devil’s arts. 20. Perfection consists in charity. 21. Indiscreet zeal. 22. Danger of detraction
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, mortal sin, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Friday, July 29th, 2011 at 8:30 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Second Mansion Only Chapter: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Souls in the second mansions. 2. Their state. 3. Their sufferings. 4. They cannot get rid of their imperfections. 5. How God calls these souls. 6. perseverance is essential. 7. Temptations of the devil. 8. Delusion of earthly joys. 9. God alone to be loved. 10. Reasons for continuing the journey. 11. War fare of the devil. 12. Importance of choice of friends. 13. Valour required. 14. Presumption of expecting spiritual consolations at first. 15. In the Cross is strength. 16. Our falls should raise us higher. 17. Confidence and perseverance. 18. Recollection. 19. Why we must practise prayer. 20. Meditation kindles love.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, perseverance, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Third Mansion Chapter 1: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Souls in the Third Mansions. 2. Insecurity of this life. 3. Our danger of falling from grace. 4. The Saint bewails her past life. 5. Our Lady’s patronage. 6. Fear necessary even for religious. 7. St. Teresa’s contrition. 8. Characteristics of those in the Third Mansions. 9. The rich young man in the Gospel. 10. Reason of aridities in prayer. 11. Humility. 12. Tepidity. 13. We must give all to God. 14. Our debt. 15. Consolations and aridities
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st teresa, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Third Mansion Chapter 2: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Imperfections of dwellers in the first three mansions. 2. Our trials show us our weakness. 3. Humility learnt by our faults. 4. Love of money. 5. Liberty of spirit. 6. On bearing contempt. 7. Detachment proved by trials. 8. Virtue and humility are the essentials. 9. Perfection requires detachment. 10. We should try to make rapid progress. 11. Leave our cares in God’s hands. 12.Humility more necessary than corporal penances. 13. Consolations rarely received until the fourth mansions. 14. Advantages of hearing of them. 15. Perfection consists in love, not in reward. 16. St. Teresa’s joy at seeing other souls favoured. 17. These graces should be striven for. 18. Obedience and direction, 19. Misguided zeal for others.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, detachment, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 at 8:43 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fourth Mansion Chapter 1: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Graces received in this mansion. 2. Mystic favours. 3. Temptations bring humility and merit. 4. Sensible devotion and natural joys. 5. Sweetness in devotion. 6. St. Teresa’s experience of it. 7. Love of God, and how to foster it. 8. Distractions. 9. They do not destroy divine union. 10. St.Teresa’s physical distractions. 11. How to treat distractions. 12. They should be disregarded. 13. Self-knowledge necessary.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st teresa, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Monday, July 25th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fourth Mansion Chapter 2: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Physical results of sensible devotion. 2. Effects of divine consolations. 3. The two fountains. 4.They symbolize two kinds of prayer. 5. Divine consolations shared by body and soul. 6. The incense within the soul. 7. Graces received in this prayer. 8. Such favours not to be sought after.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st teresa, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Sunday, July 24th, 2011 at 6:52 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fourth Mansion Chapter 3: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. The Prayer of recollection compared to the inhabitants of the castle. 2. The Shepherd recalls His flock into the castle. 3. This recollection supernatural. 4. It prepares us for higher favours. 5. The mind must act until God calls it to recollection by love. 6. The soul should here abandon itself 8. into God’s hands. 7. The prayer of recollection, and distractions in Prayer. 8. Liberty of spirit gained by consolations. 9. The soul must be watchful. 10. The devil specially tempts such souls. 11. False trances and raptures. 12. How to treat those deluded in this way. 13. Risks of delusion in this mansion.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, recollection, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 at 9:34 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fifth Mansions Chapter 1: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Graces of the fifth mansions. 2. Contemplation to be striven for. 3. Physical effects of the Prayer of union. 4. Amazement of the intellect. 5. The Prayer of union and of quiet contrasted. 6. Divine and earthly union. 7. Competent directors in these matters. 8. Proof of union. 9. Assurance left in the soul. 10. Divine union beyond our Power to obtain.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Friday, July 22nd, 2011 at 2:03 pm
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fifth Mansions Chapter 2: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. The soul compared to a butterfly. 2. The grandeurs of creation. 3. Symbol of the soul and the silkworm. 4. Preparation of the soul for God’s indwelling. 5. Mystic death of the silkworm. 6. Effects of divine union. 7. Increase of fervour and detachment. 8. Trials succeeding the prayer of union. 9. Longing for death and zeal for God’s honour. 10. This zeal supernatural. 11. God alone works this grace. 12. The same zeal as that felt by our Lord on earth. 13. Christ’s keenest suffering.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 21st, 2011 at 8:54 am
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fifth Mansions Chapter 3: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. Zeal for souls left by divine union. 2. The soul may fall from such a state. 3. How divine union may always be obtained. 4. Union with the will of God the basis of all supernatural union. 5. Advantage of union gained by self-mortification. 6. Defects which hinder this union. 7. Divine union obtained by perfect love of God and our neighbour. 8. Love for God and our neighbour are proportionate. 9. Real and imaginary virtues. 10. Illusionary good resolutions. 11. Works, not feelings, procure union. 12. Fraternal charity will certainly gain this union.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, divine union, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
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THE INTERIOR CASTLE
OR
THE MANSIONS
By
St. Teresa of Avila
The Fifth Mansions Chapter 4: Â [powerpress]
For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here
1. The spiritual espousals. 2. The prayer of union resembles a betrothal. 3. Before the spiritual nuptials temptations are dangerous. 4. The great good done by souls faithful to these graces. 5. Religious subject to the devil’s deceptions. 6. Satan’s strata-gems. 7. Why they are permitted. 8. Prayer and watchfulness our safeguards. 9. God’s watchfulness over such souls. 10. Progress in virtue. 11. Insignificance of our actions compared with their reward. 12. St. Teresa’s motives for writing on prayer.
Translated from the Autograph of St. Teresa of Jesus by
The Benedictines of Stanbrook
Thomas Baker, London [1921]
Dom Michael Barrett, O.S.B.Censor Deputatuus
Nihil Obstat:✠Edward Apostolic Administrator Birmingham, Oscott.
February 24, 1921
Tags: catholic, catholic podcast, catholic prayer, cathollc spirituality, st teresa, st. teresa of avila, Teresa of Avila, the interior castle, THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
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