The Interior Castle or The Mansions
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
Mansion 4 Chapter II
|
Mansion 4 Chapter II
Chapter Contents
• Continues The Same Subject,
• Explaining By A Comparison
In What Divine Consolations Consist:
• And How We Ought To Try
◦ To Prepare Ourselves
To Receive Them,
◦ Without Endeavouring
To Obtain Them.
░░░░░░░
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.
|
Mansion 4 Chapter II
1. Physical results of sensible devotion.
1.
GOD help me!
How I have wandered from my subject!
I forget what I was speaking about,
for my occupations and ill-health
often force me to cease writing
until some more suitable time.
The sense will be very disconnected;
◦ as my memory is extremely bad and
◦ I have no time to read over
what is written,
◦ even what I really understand
is expressed very vaguely,
at least so I fear.
I think I said
that spiritual consolations
are occasionally connected with the passions.
These feelings of devotion produce
fits of sobbing;
I have even heard that sometimes
they cause
- a compression of the chest,
and
- uncontrollable exterior motions,
violent enough to cause bleeding
at the nose
and
- other painful effects. [124]
2. Effects of divine consolations.
2. I can say nothing about this,
never having experienced anything
of the kind myself;
but
there appears some cause for comfort in it,
because, as I said,
all ends in the desire
- to please God
and
- to enjoy His presence.
What I call
divine consolations,
or have termed elsewhere
the 'prayer of quiet,'
is a very different thing,
as those will understand who,
by the mercy of God,
have experienced them.
3. The two fountains.
3.
To make the matter clearer,
let us imagine we see
two fountains
with basins which fill with water.
I can find no simile
more appropriate than water
by which to explain spiritual things,
as I am very ignorant
and have poor wits to help me. [125]
Besides, I love this element so much
that I have studied it
more attentively
than other things.
God,
Who is so great, so wise,
has doubtless hidden secrets
in all things He created,
which we should greatly benefit
by knowing,
as those say who understand such matters.
Indeed, I believe
that in each smallest creature He has made,
though it be but a tiny ant,
there are more wonders
than can be comprehended.
These two basins
are filled in different ways;
the one with water
- from a distance flowing into it
- through many pipes
and waterworks,
while the other basin
- is built near the source
of the spring itself
and
- fills quite noiselessly.
If the fountain is plentiful,
like the one we speak of,
after the basin is full,
the water overflows in a great stream
which flows continually.
No machinery is needed here,
nor does the water run through aqueducts.
4. They symbolize two kinds of prayer.
4.
Such is the difference
between the two kinds of prayer.
The water running through the aqueducts
resembles sensible devotion,
which is obtained by meditation.
We gain it
by our thoughts,
by meditating on created things,
and
by the labour of our minds;
in short,
it is the result of our endeavours,
and so makes the commotion
I spoke of,
while profiting the soul. [126]
The other fountain,
like divine consolations,
receives the water from the source itself,
which signifies God:
as usual,
when His Majesty wills to bestow on us
any supernatural favours,
we experience the greatest
peace, calm, and sweetness
in the inmost depths of our being;
I know neither where nor how.
5. Divine consolations shared
by body and soul.
5.
This joy is not,
like earthly happiness,
at once felt by the heart;
after gradually filling it to the brim,
the delight overflows
throughout all the mansions and faculties,
until at last it reaches the body.
Therefore, I say it
arises from God
and
ends in ourselves,
or whoever experiences it will find
that the whole physical part of our nature,
shares in this delight and sweetness.
While writing this
I have been thinking
that the verse Dilatasti cor meum,'
Thou hast dilated my heart,' [127]
declares that the heart is dilated.
This joy does
not appear to me to originate
in the heart,
but
in some more interior part
and, as it were,
in the depths of our being.
I think this must be the centre of the soul,
as I have since learnt
and will explain later on.
I discover secrets within us
which often fill me with astonishment:
How many more must there be
unknown to me!
O my Lord and my God!
How stupendous is Thy grandeur!
We are like so many foolish peasant lads:
we think we know something of Thee,
yet it must be comparatively nothing,
for there are profound secrets
even in ourselves
of which we know naught.
I say 'comparatively nothing'
in proportion with all the secrets
hidden within Thee,
yet how great are Thy mysteries
that we
- are acquainted with
and
- can learn even by the study
of such of Thy works
as we see! [128]
6. The incense within the soul.
6.
To return to the verse I quoted,
which may help to explain the dilation
begun by the celestial waters
in the depths of our being.
They appear to
- dilate and enlarge us internally,
and
- benefit us in an inexplicable manner,
nor does even the soul itself
understand what it receives.
It is conscious of
what may be described
as a certain fragrance,
as if within its inmost depths
were a brazier sprinkled
with sweet perfumes.
Although the spirit
neither sees the flame
nor knows where it is,
yet it is penetrated
by the warmth, and scented fumes,
which are even sometimes perceived
by the body.
Understand me,
the soul does not feel any real heat or scent,
but something far more subtle,
which I use this metaphor to explain.
Let those
who have never experienced it
believe that it really occurs to others:
the soul
is conscious of it and
feels it more distinctly
than can be expressed.
It is not a thing we can fancy or gain
by anything we can do;
Clearly,
it does not arise
from the base coin
of human nature,
but from the most pure gold
of Divine Wisdom.
I believe that in this case
the powers of the soul
are not united to God,
but are absorbed and astounded
at the marvel before them.
I may possibly be contradicting
what I wrote elsewhere; [129]
nor would this be surprising,
for it was done about fifteen years ago,
and
perhaps God has given me since then
a clearer insight into the matter.
I may be entirely mistaken on the subject,
both then and now,
but never do I wilfully say what is untrue.
No;
by the mercy of God,
I would rather die a thousand times
than tell a falsehood:
I speak of the matter as I understand it.
I believe that in this case
the will must in some way
be united with that of God.
The after effects on the soul,
and
the subsequent behaviour of the person,
show
whether this prayer was genuine or no:
this is the best crucible
by which to test it.
7. Graces received in this prayer.
7.
Our Lord bestows
- a signal grace on the soul
if it realizes how great is this favour,
and
- another greater still
if it does not turn back on the right road.
You are longing, my daughters,
to enter into this state of prayer at once,
and
you are right,
for, as I said,
the soul cannot understand
- the value of the graces
there bestowed by God upon it,
- nor the love
which draws Him ever closer to it:
We should certainly desire
to learn how to obtain this favour.
I will tell you
what I know about it,
setting aside certain cases
in which God bestows these graces
for no other reason than His own choice,
into which we have no right to enquire.
8. Such favours not to be sought after.
8.
Practise what I advised
in the preceding mansions,
then--humility, humility!
For God
- lets Himself be vanquished by this
and
- grants us all we ask. [130]
The first proof
that you possess humility [131]
is that you
- neither think you now deserve
these graces and consolations from God,
- nor that you ever will as long as you live.
You ask me:
How shall we receive them,
if we do not try to gain them?'
I answer,
that there is no surer way
to obtain them
than the one I have told you,
therefore make no efforts to acquire them,
for the following reasons.
The first is,
that the chief means of obtaining them
is to love God without self-interest.
The second,
that it is a slight lack of humility to think
that our wretched services can win
so great a reward.
The third,
that the real preparation for them is
to desire
to suffer and imitate our Lord,
rather than
to receive consolations,
for indeed we have all offended Him.
The fourth reason is,
that His Majesty has not promised
to give us these favours
in the same way as
He has bound Himself to bestow
eternal glory on us
if we keep His commandments.
We can be saved
without these special graces;
He sees better than we do
- what is best for us
and
- which of us love Him sincerely.
I know for a certain truth,
being acquainted with some
who walk by the way of love
( and therefore only seek
to serve Jesus Christ crucified),
that not only they
- neither ask for nor desire consolation,
- but they even beg Him not to give it
(to) them during this life:
this is a fact.
Fifthly,
we should but labour in vain:
This water does not flow
through aqueducts,
like that we first spoke of,
and
if the spring does not afford it,
in vain shall we toil to obtain it.
I mean, that
though we
may meditate and
try our hardest,
and
though we shed tears to gain it,
we cannot make this water flow.
God alone gives it
to whom He chooses,
and
often when the soul is least thinking of it.
We are His, sisters,
let Him
- do what He will with us,
and
- lead us where He will.
If we
are really humble
and
annihilate ourselves,
not only in our imagination
(which often deceives us),
but if we truly detach ourselves
from all things,
our Lord will
not only grant us these favours
but many others
that we do not know even
how to desire.
May He be for ever praised and blessed!
Amen.
Foot Notes:
[124]
'A clear description of an attack of hysteria
with the significant remark
that she herself had never experienced
anything of the kind'.
(Dr. Goix, quoted by P. Gregoire,
La Pretendue Hysterie de Sainte Therese,
Lyons, Vitte, 1895, p. 53.)
________________________
[125]
Way of Perf. ch. xix. 5;
Also St. John of the Cross,
Ascent of Mount Carmel,
Bk. ii, ch. xiv, 2, and
xxi. 3.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Way of Perf. ch. xix. 5
"...the fountain of living water,
of which the Lord said to the Samaritan woman
that whosoever drinks of it shall not thirst again.
How right and how very true is
that which comes from the lips of Truth Himself!
[ Life: Ch. 19 #2 ]
You will be glad...if God grants you
to drink of this water, ...
and you will understand
how a genuine love of God,
if it is really strong, and
completely free from earthly things,
and able to rise above them,
is master of all the elements and of the whole world.
...that you should strive to obtain this freedom.
[ Life: Ch. 19 #4 ]
...the water of genuine tears--
that is, tears which come from true prayer--
is a good gift from the King of Heaven;
it fans the flames and keeps them alight, ...
...(the fire)... freezes all worldly affections,
when it is combined with the living water
which comes from Heaven,
the source of the above-mentioned tears,
which are given us, and
not acquired by our diligence.
Certainly, then,
nothing worldly has warmth enough left in it
to induce us to cling to it
unless it is something which increases this fire,
the nature of which
is not to be easily satisfied,
but, if possible, to enkindle the entire world.
[ Life: Ch. 19 #5 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Also St. John of the Cross,
Ascent of Mount Carmel,
Bk. ii, ch. xiv, 2
2. The second reason is that the soul at this season
has now both the substance and the habit of the spirit of meditation...
... the end of reasoning and meditation
on the things of God
is the gaining of some knowledge
and love of God...
Wherefore, when it gives itself to prayer,
the soul is now like one
to whom water has been brought,
so that he
drinks peacefully, without labour, and
is no longer forced to draw the water
through the aqueducts of past meditations
and forms and figures
So that,
as soon as the soul comes before God,
it makes an act of knowledge,
confused, loving, passive and tranquil,
wherein it drinks
of wisdom and love and delight.
[ Ascent of Mount Carmel,
Bk. 2. Ch. 14: #2 ]
________________________
[126]
Life, ch. x. 2.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Life, ch. x. 2.
2. Before this,
I had a certain tenderness of soul which was - very abiding, - partially attainable, I believe, in some measure, by our own efforts: - a consolation which is not wholly in the senses, nor yet altogether in the spirit, - but is all of it the gift of God. However, I think we can contribute much towards the attaining of it by considering - our vileness and - our ingratitude towards God-- the great things He has done for us-- - His Passion, with its grievous pains and - His life, so full of sorrows; also, by rejoicing in the contemplation - of His works, - of His greatness, and - of the love that He bears us. Many other considerations there are which he who really desires to make progress will often stumble on, though he may not be very much on the watch for them. If with this, there be a little love, - the soul is comforted, - the heart is softened, and tears flow. Sometimes it seems that we do violence to ourselves and weep; at other times, our Lord seems to do so, so that we have no power to resist Him. His Majesty seems to reward this slight carefulness of ours with so grand a gift as is this consolation which He ministers to the soul of seeing itself weeping for so great a Lord. I am not surprised; for the soul has reason enough, and more than enough, for its joy. Here it comforts itself--here it rejoices. [ Life: Ch. 10: #2 ]
________________________
[127]
Ps. cxviii. 32.
Life, ch. xvii. 14,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Ps. cxviii. 32.
"I have run the way of thy commandments,
when thou didst enlarge my heart"
[Psalm 119:32 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life, ch. xvii. 14,
14. In all these states of prayer
of which I have spoken,
while explaining this last method
of drawing the water out of the well,
- so great is the bliss and repose
of the soul, that
- even the body most distinctly shares
in its joy and delight,--
and this is most plain;
- and the virtues continue to grow,
as I said before. [6]
It seems to have been the good pleasure
of our Lord
to explain these states of prayer,
wherein the soul finds itself,
with the utmost clearness possible,
I think, here on earth.
[ Life: Ch. 17 : #14 ]
________________________
[128]
Life, ch. xiv. 9.
Way of Perf. ch. xxviii. 11.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Life, ch. xiv. 9.
9. This satisfaction
- lies in the innermost part of the soul, and - the soul knows -- not whence, -- nor how, it came, very often it knows not -- what to do, or -- wish, or -- pray for. It seems to find all this at once, and knoweth not -- what it hath found; nor do I know how to explain it, because learning is necessary for many things. Here, indeed, learning would be very much to the purpose, in order to explain the - general and - particular helps of grace; for there are many who know nothing about them. Learning would serve to show how our Lord now will have the soul to see... this particular help of grace...
[ Life: Ch. 14: #9 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Way of Perf. ch. xxviii. 11.
Do not let us suppose
that the interior of the soul is empty;
...If we took care always to remember
what a Guest we have within us,
I think it would be impossible for us
to abandon ourselves to vanities
and things of the world,
for we should see
how worthless they are by comparison
with those which we have within us.
[ Way of Perf: Ch. 28: #11 ]
________________________
[129]
Life, ch. xiv. 3:
The faculties are
not lost,
neither are they asleep;
the will alone is occupied in such a way
that without knowing
how it has become a captive
it gives a simple consent
to become the prisoner of God.'
Ibid. #4: Life, ch. xiv. 4:
The other two faculties help the will
that it may render itself
capable of the fruition of so great a good;
Nevertheless, it occasionally happens
even when the will is in union
that they hinder it very much.'
See also Way of Perf. ch. xxxi. 8.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Way of Perf. ch. xxxi. 8.
...You will often find
that these other two faculties are
of no help to you.
(understanding and memory)
It may come about
that the soul is enjoying
the highest degree of quiet,
and
that the understanding has soared
so far aloft
that what is happening to it
seems not to be going on
in its own house at all;
it really seems to be a guest
in somebody else's house,
looking for other lodgings,
since its own lodging no longer satisfies it
and it cannot remain there for long together. ...
At other times the mind seems
to be settled in its own abode and
to be remaining there with the will
as its companion.
When all three faculties work together
it is wonderful.
...when the will finds itself
in this state of quiet,
it must take no more notice
of the understanding
than it would of a madman,
for, if it tries to draw the understanding
along with it,
it is bound to grow
preoccupied and restless,
with the result
that this state of prayer will be
all effort and no gain
and the soul will lose
what God has been giving it
without any effort of its own.
[ Way of Perf : Ch. 31: #8 ]
________________________
[130]
Way of Perf. ch. xvi. i.
Life, ch. xxii. 16.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Way of Perf. ch. xvi. i.
... You have asked me to
tell you about the first steps in prayer;
[ Way of Perf : Ch. 16: #1 ]
There is no queen who can beat this King
as well as humility can;
for humility brought Him down from Heaven
into the Virgin's womb
and
with humility
we can draw Him into our souls
by a single hair.
Be sure that He will give
most humility
to him who has most already and
least
to him who has least.
I cannot understand
how humility...can exist,
without love,
or love without humility,
and it is impossible for these two virtues
to exist save where
there is great detachment
from all created things.
[ Way of Perf : Ch. 16: # 2 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life, ch. xxii. 16.
16. God is greatly pleased when He beholds
a soul in its humility
- making His Son a Mediator
between itself and Him,
- and yet loving Him so much
as to confess its own unworthiness,
even when He would raise it up
to the highest contemplation,
- and saying with St. Peter: [318]
"Go Thou away from me, O
Lord, for I am a sinful man."
I know this by experience:
it was thus that God directed my soul.
Others may walk,
as I said before, [319]
by another and a shorter road.
What I have understood of the matter is this:
- that the whole foundation of prayer
must be laid in humility, and
- that the more a soul humbles itself in prayer,
the more God lifts it up.
I do not remember
that He ever showed me
any of those marvellous mercies,
of which I shall speak hereafter, [320]
at any other time
than when I was
as one brought to nothing,
by seeing how wicked I was.
Moreover, His Majesty contrived
to make me understand matters
that helped me to know myself,
but which I could never
have even imagined of myself.
[ Life: Ch. 22: # 16 ]
________________________
[131]
Philippus a SS. Trinitate,
l.c. art. 3.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Philippus a SS. Trinitate,
Summa Theologiae Mysticae,
1.c . art. 3.
|
End of
of Mansion 4 Chapter 2
The Interior Castle
or
The Mansions
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
|
