The Interior Castle or The Mansions
S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
AFTERWORD / EPILOGUE
|
AFTERWORD:
IHS
ALTHOUGH, as I told you,
I felt reluctant to begin this work,
yet now it is finished,
I am very glad to have written it,
and
I think my trouble has been well spent,
though I confess it has cost me but little.
Considering
- your strict enclosure,
- the little recreation you have, my sisters,
and
- how many conveniences are wanting
in some of your convents,
I think it may console you
to enjoy yourselves in this interior castle
which you can enter, and walk about at will,
at any hour you please,
without asking leave of your superiors.
It is true
you cannot enter all the mansions
by your own power,
however great it may appear to you,
unless the Lord of the castle, Himself,
admits you.
Therefore,
I advise you to use no violence
if you meet with any obstacle,
for that would displease Him so much
that He would never give you
admission to them.
He dearly loves humility: [456]
If you think yourselves unworthy
to enter the third mansion,
He will grant you all the sooner,
the favour of entering the fifth.
Then, if you
serve Him well there
and
often repair to it,
He will draw you into the mansion
where He dwells Himself,
whence you need never depart
unless called away by the Prioress,
whose commands this sovereign Master
wishes you to obey
as if they were His own.
If by her orders,
you are often absent
from His presence chamber,
whenever you return
He will hold the door open for you.
When once you have learnt
how to enjoy this castle,
you will always find rest,
however painful your trials may be,
in the hope of returning to your Lord,
which no one can prevent.
Although I have only mentioned
seven mansions,
yet each one contains many more rooms,
above, below, and around it,
with fair gardens, fountains, and labyrinths,
besides other things
so delightful that you will wish
to consume yourself in praising in return
the great God
Who has created the soul
to His own image and likeness.
If you find anything in the plan of this treatise
which helps you to know Him better,
be certain
- that it is sent by His Majesty
to encourage you,
and
- that whatever you find amiss in it
is my own.
In return for my strong desire
to aid you in serving Him,
my God and my Lord,
I implore you,
whenever you read this,
to praise His Majesty fervently
in my name
and
to beg Him
- to prosper His Church,
- to give light
to (those who left the Church)
- to pardon my sins
and
- to free me from purgatory,
where perhaps I shall be,
by the mercy of God,
when you see this book
( if it is given to you
after having been examined
by theologians).
If these writings contain any error,
it is through my ignorance;
I submit in all things to the teachings
of the holy Catholic Roman Church,
of which I am now a member,
as I protest and promise
I will be both in life and death.
May our Lord God be
forever praised and blessed!
Amen, Amen.
I finished writing this book
- in the convent of St. Joseph of Avila,
- 1577,
- on the Vigil of St. Andrew,
for the glory of God,
Who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever!
Amen.
Here Ends
The Interior Castle
Or
The Mansions
Translated And Printed
By The Benedictines Of Stanbrook
A.D. Mcmxxi
( 1921)
Foot Notes:
[456]
Way of Perf. ch. xvi. 1.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Afterword's
Footnote reference #456
"It is true
you cannot enter all the mansions
by your own power,
however great it may appear to you,
unless the Lord of the castle, Himself,
admits you.
Therefore,
I advise you to use no violence
if you meet with any obstacle,
for that would displease Him so much
that He would never give you
admission to them.
He dearly loves humility: [456]
If you think yourselves unworthy
to enter the third mansion,
He will grant you all the sooner,
the favour of entering the fifth."
Way of Perf. ch. xvi. 1.
"You have asked me to tell you
about the first steps in prayer..."
...in a game of chess...
how quickly we shall give checkmate
to this Divine King!
...
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 (humility).
I cannot understand
how humility exists, or 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 Perfection: Ch. 16: # 1 ]
For this is the first step to be taken
towards the acquisition of the virtues
and the very life of all Christians
depends upon their beginning it.
...
this King does not allow Himself
to be taken
except by one
who surrenders wholly to Him.
[ Way of Perfection: Ch. 16: # 2 ]
|
End of
Afterword or Epilogue
The Interior Castle
or
The Mansions
S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
|
