Carmelite Book Studies ~ The Interior Castle or The Mansions: Interior Castle: Mansion 6 - Chapter 10 Discussion - The Mansions - St. Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle or The Mansions

S. Teresa of Jesus

of the Order of our Lady of Carmel

St. Teresa of Avila

Discussion of Mansion 6 - Chapter 10

Discussion of Mansion 6 Chapter 10

█ Summary or Highlights

█ God's Operation of Love:

Intellectual Vision of Sublime Mysteries of God

▀ God May Communicate such

Intellectual Visions and Spiritual Wisdom

in time of need or of Espousal

▀ Why St. Teresa explains these Favours

which God may bestow to souls

█ Descriptions of "Sublime Mysteries" of God

▀ Vision: That All Things Dwell in God

▀ Vision: God is the Supreme Truth

▀ Characteristics of these Intellectual Visions

█ God's Operation of Love:

Intellectual Vision of Sublime Mysteries of God

▀ God May Communicate

these Intellectual Visions and Spiritual Wisdom

in time of need or of Espousal

"OUR Lord communicates with the soul

by means of these apparitions...

sometimes

when it is afflicted...

when it is about to receive some heavy cross...

and

for the sake of the mutual delight

of Himself and His beloved."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #1 ]

"Our Lord shows the soul these favours because

▪ She is now indeed His bride,

resolute to do His will in all things"

▪ "He wishes to give her some idea

how to accomplish..His will in all things."

▪ "He wishes...to manifest to her

some of His divine attributes."

"These favours should cause no fear

but lead us to praise God

for bestowing these graces."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #7 ]

▀ Why St. Teresa explains these Favours

which God may bestow to souls

"I only wish to teach you...

What are the different favours

God shows a soul in this state

so that

▪ you may understand their characteristics

and

▪ you may understand...the effects they produce"

▪ "you will not mistake every idle fancy

for a vision"

and...

▪ ( you will know) "that such a thing is possible"

▪ "if you really see one,

you will not be disturbed, nor unhappy. "

"The devil, who gains greatly by it,

is delighted to see

a soul troubled and distressed,

knowing how this hinders it

from employing itself wholly

in loving and serving God."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #1 ]

█ Descriptions of "Sublime Mysteries" of God

▀ Vision: That All Things Dwell in God

■ "God is sometimes pleased,

to discover sublime mysteries to her

which she appears

to see within God Himself."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

■ "Within God Himself",

all actions of all persons are performed,

both good and bad.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #3 ]

▪ "Let us suppose

◦ the Godhead to be

a most brilliant diamond...

a mirror...

and

◦ that all our actions are seen

in that diamond..."

[ Life: Ch 40: # 14 ]

▪ God as a

"magnificent mansion or palace

...this edifice is God Himself."

...within this very palace,

that is, within God Himself,

are perpetrated

all the...impurities and evil deeds

that sinners commit."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #3 ]

"A highly intellectual (vision)

wherein is manifested

▪ How all things are beheld in God"

▪ "How He contains them within Himself."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

▪ "How all things are seen in God"

▪ "How all things are comprehended in Him."

[ Life: Ch 40: # 14 ]

▪ "we dwell within Him."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

■ Effect on the Soul

▪ "producing a feeling of great shame

in the mind"

▪ The mind "perceives more clearly

the malice of offenses against God,

since these most heinous sins

are committed within His very being

since we dwell within Him.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

■ St. Teresa Advises:

▪ Prayer

▪ Acknowledgement

of His Mercy and Patience

▪ Gratitude

"Let us...meditate

on the infinite mercy and patience of God

in not casting us down to hell at once"

"Let us render Him hearty thanks."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #3 ]

"I assure you...

that though this vision passes very quickly,

our Lord has bestowed signal grace

on her to whom He grants it,

if she seeks to profit

by keeping it constantly in mind.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #4 ]

▪ Forgiveness

▪ Humility

"when we see

what outrages are offered to God our Creator

within His very being,

by us, His creatures;

Surely we should be ashamed

of resenting anything

done or said against us

Yet we are wounded

whenever we hear of an unkind word..."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #3 ]

▪ Love

"Let us love our enemies,

since this great God

has not ceased to love us

in spite of our many sins!

This is indeed the chief reason

that all should forgive any harm done them.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #4 ]

Advising against making a virtue of necessity,

St. Teresa urged a cheerful promptness

in forgiving:

"Oh, let us not think

we are doing great things

if we suffer injuries patiently:

Rather let us bear them with alacrity"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #4 ]

▀ Vision: God is the Supreme Truth

■ "God also manifests

that in Him there is a verity

which makes all truth in creatures

seem obscure.

■ "He convinces the soul

that He alone is that Truth

which cannot lie"

"which could never be thus realized

by any other means,

however often we might hear

that God is truth infallible.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #5 ]

▪ "God, the supreme Truth"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #6 ]

▪ "...that sublime veracity"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #5 ]

■ St. Teresa Advises:

"Let us learn from it...

that if we would bear any resemblance

to our God and our Spouse,

we must strive to walk ever in the truth."

"Not merely mean

◦ that we should not tell falsehoods

But "as far as possible,

◦ that...we should act with perfect truth

before God and man...

◦ that we should seek for verity in all things

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #6 ]

▪ Praise and Honor to God

▪ Humility

▪ Self-Knowledge

◦ "that we should not wish

to be thought better than we are"

◦ "that in all our deeds,

we should

ascribe to God what is His

and

attribute what is ours to ourselves"

"our Lord so dearly loves

the virtue of humility...

because

- God is the supreme Truth

and

- Humility is the truth"

"For it is most true

that we have nothing good of ourselves

but only misery and nothingness"

"God grant...

that we may have the grace

never to lose this self-knowledge! "

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #6 ]

▪ Detachment

"Thus we shall care little for this world,

which is but deception and falsehood,

and

therefore cannot last."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #6 ]

▀ Characteristics of these Intellectual Visions

■ Sublime Communication

▪ "far higher ways

of communicating Himself to the soul"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

■ "Highly Intellectual: Abstruse Concept

▪ "They are more difficult to explain,

being more abstruse"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

■ Less Risk of Deception

▪ "They are less dangerous

for I do not think

the evil spirit can imitate them."

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

"neither the devil,

nor our own imaginations

can have much to do with them,

therefore, the soul may rest in perfect peace.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #7 ]

■ Suspension of the Senses

▪ "God is sometimes pleased,

while a person is

engaged in prayer

and

in perfect possession of her senses,

to suspend them

and

to discover sublime mysteries to her

which she appears to see within God Himself.

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

■ Duration

▪ "passing in an instant"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

"Short as the time lasts"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

▪ "it remains deeply engraved in the memory"

[ Interior Castle: Mansion 6:

Ch. 10: #2 ]

End of the Discussion of

Mansion 6 Chapter 10

The Interior Castle

The Mansions

S. Teresa of Jesus

of the Order of our Lady of Carmel

St. Teresa of Avila

Carmelite Book Studies ~ The Interior Castle or The Mansions

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Interior Castle: Mansion 6 - Chapter 10 Discussion - The Mansions - St. Teresa of Avila - Teresa of Jesus