Interior Castle (part 10): Sixth Dwelling Place; Ch. 7-9: Keeping Christ Present

Carmelite Conversations

The Lord (the Bridegroom) continues to draw the soul (the Bride) closer to Him through the purification of the soul as well as mystical favors that may occur. In this episode, we talk about the importance of keeping the humanity of Christ present in our prayer. Additionally, we focus on two very special favors that St. Teresa of Avila experienced: the intellectual vision of Christ’s Presence at her right side…and the imaginative vision of the image of Christ engraved in the memory. Learning about these favors helps us to praise our loving and merciful Lord, but St. Teresa cautions us why we should never desire these favors for ourselves. She gives us 6 particular points to consider in this regard.

RESOURCES:

“Interior Castle, Study Guide, 2nd Edition” by St. Teresa of Avila; Translated and Prepared by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD; ICS Publications.

“The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila,” Vol. 1 (includes “The Book of Her Life, Spiritual Testimonies, Soliloquies”) by St. Teresa of Avila, Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD; ICS Publications.

“The Ordinary Path to Holiness” by R. Thomas Richard, PhD; St. Pauls, 2003.

“Where Lovers Meet: Inside the Interior Castle” by Susan Muto; ICS Publications.